Community Expert

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

Forum|Forum|22 days ago
July 31, 2026
228 replies
1190 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!

This topic is closed to new replies. Start a new post to keep the conversation going.

Show previous replies

Joely10623436

Community Expert

davescm

Author

Community Expert

To paraphrase Crocodile Dundee, That’s not a pipe...that’s a pipe!

Dave

N

Nick Gioia

Community Expert

This is super cool!

didiermazier

Community Expert

Remember Magritte

jane-e

Community Expert

C'est une image d'une pipe!
I love this, @didiermazier!

JR Boulay

Community Expert

It is a tribute to one of the most famous paintings by the Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte, entitled “La Trahison des images”.

It is on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

👉 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Treachery_of_Images

Acrobate du PDF, InDesigner et Photoshopographe

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

davescm

Author

Community Expert

It’s hard to tell who makes the fiercest judge, Trevor or Masie! I’m voting for Masie :-)
Dave

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

You can lose some control when asking an AI model to change a face expression, but for all I know that’s exactly what I’d look like if I was a cartoon judge.

Peru Bob

Community Expert

davescm

Author

Community Expert

A good bit of lateral thinking there, Bob.
Dave

N

Nick Gioia

Community Expert

OK, so use the texture from the pipe on a drum I like it, cool imagination.

D

DeanUtian

Community Expert

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

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

It’s a tiny, snowcapped, volcano Sherlock.

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.

Jacob Bugge

Community Expert

Well, Trevor, not this time, and not even from An t-Eilean although that would somehow be closer.

But Dave gave the answer over here, in the linked tale to boot,

jane-e

Community Expert

Alas, it was only a pipe dream...

Jane

davescm

Author

Community Expert

Another nice twist to the theme, Jane. 😊
Dave

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

davescm

Author

Community Expert

Very clever, Trevor. My favourite is the Lee Van Cleef picture. It takes me right back to the films.
Dave

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!