Community Expert

Something for the Weekend – Part 264 – ‘Where there’s smoke…’

Forum|Forum|2 days ago
July 31, 2026
82 replies
304 views

Thanks to all who took part in our previous ‘Fixer Upper’ challenge. As always, there were many interpretations of the image and the brief.

This week, we start out with a simple object. This Victorian pipe can be found in Adobe 3D assets. I made the wrap-around wood materials using Adobe Substance 3D Designer and then added them to the surface using Adobe Substance 3D Painter, before rendering in Blender 3D.
So, now we have our starting image. What can you make with it?

The “rules”:

Use the starter image as at least part of your own image entry.
Anything goes, as long as it meets the forum rules on decency, copyright, etc.
Anyone, and everyone, is welcome to have a go, whether you are a complete beginner or a Photoshop expert. This is not just for our forum “regulars”.
The challenge is not limited to Photoshop. Any Adobe software can be used.
There are no prizes apart from the chance to practice, show off your skills, or bring a bit of humour and fun. Don't be shy, join in and have a go!
The starter image is made available for you to use in this forum challenge only.

To download the starter image, click it then, when the image opens in its own window, right click and choose “Save Image As/Save Target As” (or similar depending on your browser).

When posting back your image, please use the reply button in this first post and use the 'Insert Photos' icon at the bottom of the reply box. If posting a comment on someone else’s entry, then please use the reply button next to their image post.

Have fun!

Community Expert

Community Expert

Community Expert

Here’s another with the help of Gemini 3.1 (Nano Babana 2).

Jacob Bugge

Community Expert

2 PIPES ON SKYE WITH A TALE TO BOOT

Click to get closer, Click again to get closer still

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

That’ll be the theme tune from Heartbeat I’m thinking.

jane-e

Community Expert

Alas, it was only a pipe dream...

Jane

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

D

DeanUtian

Community Expert

Paying homage to a character of the past:
Firefly - Gemini 3.1 (Nano Babana 2) prompt: popeye the sailor man steering a yacht, illustration
Photoshop used to fix glitches, add a few details.
Does show how other models don’t have the IP restrictions if done with Firefly models.

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

Excellent Dean. I can hear that Popeye laugh in my head as I type this. You are so right about trying different models. Gemini is less fussy than Firefly and Flux less fussy still. I really should make notes because things can seem a bit random, but they probably not. I have a feeling that out of Gemini and Flux, one will error with some copyright issues and the other will let you do it, for instance. Or it might be random. I think I’ll definitely start making notes going forward.

D

DeanUtian

Community Expert

Here’s another reference to SFTW of the past. Was trying to create a detective snowman interviewing suspects. The suspects were created with AI (in Photoshop) and Firefly feels arms of snow are a thing :)

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

I love the light on this Dean. It’s impressive that the AI model understands that snow is highly reflective. Yes, those snow limbs are wrong. Even now, it’s still a learning process. I tend to forget that having gotten close and asking for a small change, the model will also destroy the rest of what you were happy with unless you tell it not to in a bunch of different ways. I started with the pipe and avatar on a white background, and Dali’s Temptation of St Anthony as a reference. (I’m not 100%, but I think I get more control placing the references on a white background than uploading as a separate file. We are allowed 8 references with Gemini 3.1, but there’s no limit doing it my way. When I instructed it to replace St Anthony with the avatar I made the mistake of expecting to place it in the same position. I used what I thought to be a final prompt asking it to change the colors to be similar to the painting, it got rid of the pipes, and reverted to Dali’s animals. You can understand how people with hardly any credits are peeved when they and the AI get it wrong. Hey, just seen your Popeye upload. You are definitely on a roll!

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

Dave, Jane, myself and Maisie have been discussing Salvador Dali’s style in reference to the SFTW threads, so thought I’d try one. It took a few tries to home in on this as with and image this complex, Gemini needs a rigidly detailed prompt to keep it under control.

D

DeanUtian

Community Expert

Great work @Trevor.Dennis. Dali would be impressed (or worried).

D

DeanUtian

Community Expert

Tried to find a story of a famous crime fail and then recreate as a comic strip format. A bit of poetic license

Created with Firefly - Gemini 3.1 (Nano Babana 2) with multiple prompts and iterations. Touching up in PS.

Image still has quirks - like the twin police officers.

davescm

Author

Community Expert

A man who decides to rob a gun-shop using a baseball bat must be a a few bricks short of a load. :-)
Nice job, Dean.

D

DeanUtian

Community Expert

Yes @davescm but it did happen.
Man armed with bat and knife attempts to rob a gun store – he fails
https://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/26/us/gun-robber-armed-with-bat

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