Thanks to everyone who took part in our ‘Close shave’ challenge. There were some sharp entries over the last two weeks.This week we take a trip into the woods where we find a mysterious pair of boots and a spade. Something is going on. Can you show us what it is? 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 humor 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.For those interested I took the picture in Shin Forest, Scotland a few years ago. The spade and boots are Adobe 3D assets which I textured in Adobe Substance Painter before rendering in Blender 3D and compositing in Photoshop.Have fun! Dave.

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StickyQuestion

Something for the Weekend - Part 268 - It's a mystery!

Forum|Forum|7 days ago
September 25, 2026
111 replies
748 views

Thanks to everyone who took part in our ‘Close shave’ challenge. There were some sharp entries over the last two weeks.

This week we take a trip into the woods where we find a mysterious pair of boots and a spade. Something is going on. Can you show us what it is?

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 humor 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.

For those interested I took the picture in Shin Forest, Scotland a few years ago. The spade and boots are Adobe 3D assets which I textured in Adobe Substance Painter before rendering in Blender 3D and compositing in Photoshop.

Have fun!

Dave.

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Peru Bob

Community Expert

davescm

Author

Community Expert

A happy scene, Bob. Perhaps he removed his boots to save her toes 😁
Dave

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

davescm

Author

Community Expert

Blimey - it must be powerful stuff, with a bottle of nitro-glycerine as an ingredient. 😄

Dave

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

I took this while walking my dog when I still lived in the UK. I can’t remember what I was smoking back then.

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

Out of interest, this has to be one of the longest prompts I’ve used. I think it took four goes, and strange stuff happened with the repeats. It didn’t want to start completely from scratch with each retry, so it did things like insert a new ‘cartoon man’ next to the original. I had to get rid with the Remove tool. Same thing with the animals that are holding food to their mouths. I didn’t like the effect and removed the bit from the prompt where I’d asked for it, but it left those areas unchanged. The dragon started on the left next to the unicorn, and I had the toast idea so it moved it over to the right where it had more room.

Similar thing with the lumberjack image back down the thread. The axe handle originally faced the other way and I decided it had no connection to the cartoon man. I changed that manually, and did another generation asking it to place the cartoon man’s ‘right’ hand on the axe handle. Gemini unilaterally decided there was more space and a better fit to move the ‘left’ hand. I have had this sort of thing happen lots of times. When I did the beanstalk image for Dave’s Abby starter I took it in stages giving Gemini less to do each time, and giving me more control. I find I get much closer to what I see in my head doing it this way. I was basically too lazy to do this with the woodland picnic image, and it got away from me.

The scene is a picnic for woodland animals and birds, but strongly based on the original image. Large leaves are spread on the ground. The leaves are full of the things animals and birds would find nice to eat. There are foxes, badgers, rabbits, hedgehog, deer, and a stoat. There are birds some on the ground feeding, and others in the air. An owl sits in the opening of a large knot hole in the large tree just left of centre. A colourful woodpecker sits on a branch coming from that same tree. A robin flies above. Magical fairies fly above sprinkling fairy dust on the picnic below. In the background we see a unicorn and a dragon looking on and standing guard. The dragon holds a toasting fork with a slice of bread that he is making into toast by breathing fire onto it. An adder pokes it’s head out from under one of the leaves on the ground. The cartoon man and dog from the reference image are also in the background looking on. The cartoon man and dog both wear wizard hats. The scene to be photorealistic with warm lighting shining in shafts through the trees. The effect is a happy magical scene with all in attendance full of joy and happiness.

L

lvartist

Known Participant

It is a mystery WC

davescm

Author

Community Expert

Welcome to SFTW, @Ivartist, thats a nice painted effect.
Dave

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

A beautiful picture Dave

D

DeanUtian

Community Expert

Trevor - is this a good way to chop trees:

barefoot
using one hand holding the axe close to the top

🙂

D

DeanUtian

Community Expert

Here’s another version with Firefly Gemini 3.1 (Nano Banana 2)

Initial prompt:
Using reference images, a hiker stands proudly in a lush forest holding a magnifying glass, carefully examining a tiny footprint in the mud. Behind him, an enormous bear is leaning over his shoulder, also looking through the magnifying glass with great curiosity. comic style, storybook realisim

The ‘comic style’ added text to the image that I thought wasn’t needed. Made adjustments to the prompt to get the bear in a better position relation to the person, and to appear more friendly looking. Changed the footprint to a pawprint.

D

DeanUtian

Community Expert

Slight variation.

D

DeanUtian

Community Expert

Always worth looking at the scene in a different season.

davescm

Author

Community Expert

Those boots will be full of water soon, or maybe that’s what the owner intended!
Dave

Monika Gause

Community Expert

S*** happens.

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

LOL! That’s a mind picture that is going to stay with me all day. At least they kept their boots dry.

Monika Gause

Community Expert

So important to have dry boots on a tour.

Jacob Bugge

Community Expert

Click to get closer, Click again to get closer still

davescm

Author

Community Expert

They’ve just popped down to see what happened to their friend, Jacob. 😁
Dave

Jacob Bugge

Community Expert

Dave, from what I heard he showed his new friends the finest trunk in the forest, and after a week they taught him to climb it and to help wind up the contraption, so they could fly a wee bit as quetzal and kuaitli.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danza_de_los_Voladores

@davescm