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Thanks to all who took part in our previous 'What goes up' challenge.
This week something a bit different. I heard the phrase 'Poison Pen' in a TV drama recently and my thoughts arrived at the image below. Made in 3D, the objects on the 'desk' are from Substance 3D assets, which I textured, along with the desk, in Substance Painter. The background was AI generated in Photoshop, using Firefly, and blurred to match the image before taking into Blender prior to rendering. Finishing was in Photoshop.
So we have our starter image, what will you do with it? You could use any or all of the objects, or make something using the entire scene.
When you post your response can you add just a few words on how you went about it. It may help others see the potential of different approaches, software, and tools to such a challenge.
The “rules”:
To download the starter image, hover over the image and click on the circle with the arrows at the top right. 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 blue reply button in this first post and use the 'Insert Photos' icon at the top of the reply box. If posting a comment on someone else’s entry, then please use the grey reply button next to their image post.
Have fun!
Dave
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Red ink, now it's a teachers pen!
Nicely done.
Dave.
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Woah there Jacob. Mixing fonts is like crossing the streams with a ghost catcher, or allowing antimatter chop sticks to touch. You just don't do it!
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I am still trying to grasp the hidden meaning of Mixing fonts here, Trevor.
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This is funny! lol
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That looks like something that 'Q' would invent in an old Bond movie, Jacob. 🙂
Dave
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I really like that, Dave: an answer to my own wondering what we are looking at, considering all sorts of allegories and categories.
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I had some composites left over from the detective story challenge, and since this is in same general ballpark, I put them to use! The first is a multiple composite with GenFill and GenExpand from the original figure generated by Imagen 4. I've added a couple of bits to the original: the book title and the deceased person.
This detective (or psychopath, depending on what you think is going on here) was from Firefly 4. Victim added with Gemini 2.5 Flash using Rob de Winter's awesome script, then blurred to match. Book title, like the previous one, is a smart object.
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Nicely done Alan. I am going believe that the man with his head on the table is just sleeping. 🙂
A wee tip for getting the perspective right in this sort of situation.
Make the text a smart object and open in a new window.
Expand the canvas (I just use Crop and drag)
Create a temporary layer and add a stroke that aproximates the book cover, and trim the window.
Save and go back to the image, and Ctrl drag your corners to match the outline.
Go back to the edit window and turn off the temporary layer.
I also used a temporary curves layer so we could better see the book outline.
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I have plenty of ways to handle perspective; what I don't have is a lot of time. In the first composite, the idea was to avoid making the cover and title stand out. The text is in Linear Dodge blend mode at 40% opacity. I enjoy dropping in a few Easter eggs.
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Great job Alan. It's nice to see that in both, the bottle is blurred to match the 'lens blur' on its surroundings.
Dave
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And the bodies! 😉 Nothing breaks the illusion faster than getting the depth of focus or illumination wrong.
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Great job Alan!
Love both!
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Merci, monsieur!
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They both are great, but I am digging the second one the best!
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I agree. I prefer that one.
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“Remember folks — the Poison Pen Set isn’t just for writing letters, it’s for sowing doubt and sparking chaos… Anonymously! Call now, and stir up scandal at half price!”
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This made me laugh! I was thinking that you could have used a picture of the mushroom lady, but that would have been in questionable taste.
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Happy that I can bring a few laughs with the piece. That was my intent. Thanks!
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Brilliant idea! You can almost hear the pitch! 🙂
Dave
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Thanks, Dave. Operators are standing by to take your order!
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lol...
That's so good Daniel!
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Oh, man, Dan... what a marvellous satire! My grin kept getting wider the more I read. This would be completely at home on The Onion website.
Back in the day (late 1980s), MCI (the big AT&T long-distance rival, now defunct) supplied fiber service to the big HSN studio a bit south of where I live now. There were something like 10,000 incoming lines going to hundreds of "Operators-are-standing-by" employees. Contemporary telecom industry journals ran occasional articles predicting 10 cents/minute transcontinental phone calls, which almost nobody believed. Almost nobody believes them now, but for a very different reason.
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HA HA HA! This is super awesome and super funny!! Love it!
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