Devil's Got A New Disguise

[DirtySocks85]

I fixed the size issues I was having before (as wulf so kindly pointed out) these shouldn't destroy people's screen space as much).

Before:
http://www.cis.ksu.edu/~jstiles/MeSmall.jpg

Stage1:
http://www.cis.ksu.edu/~jstiles/MeEyesSmall.jpg

Stage2:
http://www.cis.ksu.edu/~jstiles/MeScarySmall.jpg

Final:
http://www.cis.ksu.edu/~jstiles/Devil's%20Got%20A%20New%20Disguise.jpg

I really just played with this until I found something I liked. I didn't really get the edges on the head to look the way I wanted them too... but I'm sure that's something that can be fixed at a later time, any tips on that would be useful.

and to help on people trying to offer tips here's how it's layed out as of now (top to bottom):
layers 1 and 2 are the horns
layer 3 is a copy of the background, which is my head cut out of that 3rd picture you see there, background already removed)
layer 4 is the fire
layer 5 is a background layer with my head cut out from that 3rd pic you see there...

the reason for 2 copies of my head is it makes erasing through to see it from the other layers easier.

[googlit]

as for the choppy edges on the head, you can use a somewhat soft brush to erase around the edges... the idea is to give it some anti-aliasing, or transparency on the edges.

[DirtySocks85]

Thanks, I feathered them a little bit, but I'll try playing around with anti-aliasing a bit. I think part of what bothers me is the head shape itself, it looks jagged, but that's really how my head looks at that angle (see the before pic)

[wulf]

A different background would make it easier to work on the rest of the image. If you stand further away from the wall, you should be able to avoid the shadow from the flash. Framing the picture so you don't include the ceiling will make it easier to create a suitable mask. Finally, if you can find a wall in a strong flat colour that isn't used elsewhere in the image, you may well be able to use that to create a mask that naturally follows your hair (think cinematic blue screen techniques).

Wulf

ps. Yes, these pictures are a much better size :)

[DirtySocks85]

Well, I'm working with an old shot (about 2 years old) so reshooting isn't really an option I'm looking at here (I was just browsing old photos to find which ones I wanted to play with). But I did play around with it some more using the clone stamp and the eraser to achieve a better looking product:
http://www.cis.ksu.edu/~jstiles/Devil's%20Got%20A%20New%20Disguise2.jpg

I've also decided to do a few variations (just a little playing has turned into a whole art project)

http://www.cis.ksu.edu/~jstiles/AngelMe.jpg

I have another one that's just those two side by side (angel on left and devil on right), and I'm working on another variation that has those two in the top half and in the bottom half will be a picture of me looking thoughtful (probably going to have an obligatory chin scratching) and looking up with the Earth in the background... but I'm waiting for my lazy roommate to get his butt out of bed to get the "me looking thoughtful" shot taken.

[DirtySocks85]

here's an update:
http://www.cis.ksu.edu/~jstiles/GoodVsEvilTempBlend3.jpg

Still waiting on my roommate to wake up so that I can get that thoughtful shot to finish it.