Photoshop Portfolio

March 2011 - L'addition's addition

2011-03-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:

Earlier this week, laddition - better known to us, perhaps, as Véro - shared with us details of her new home. Obviously she hasn't moved in yet, and I was wondering if the Forum could help her decide how to decorate the house.

So what do we know about Véro? Well, we know she creates beautiful artwork, and we know she spends her days managing a warehouse and driving this fork lift truck.

Finished work:

Click to view full size.

I'm back!

2011-03-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

I've been having a pretty tough year, so I haven't been able to post for some time. Here's this week's effort for the How to Cheat in Photoshop forum.

The original:

The brief:

I was staying in a hotel recently that was grand enough to have its own snooker table. If you're not familiar with snooker, it's a British precursor to pool, played on a 12 foot table.

I've removed all the balls except one, and I'd like you to put them back again. I initially photographed this table just before the start of the game, with all the balls in their starting positions: you can choose the point at which we view the action. Oh, and you might like to replace that blown bulb as well.

For those unfamiliar with the game, you can see the layout and colours of the balls here.

I'll post my original photo, with all the balls in place, next Friday.

Finished work:

Click to view full size.

June 2010 - Dress the car

2010-06-10T06:40:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:

As I was cycling through London yesterday, I came across an intriguing grass-covered car.

It was covered in artificial grass to advertise a company called Easigrass, which makes - you've guessed it - artificial grass.

And it led me to think: what else could we cover a car with, to advertise what kind of services or products? I've provided the car - all you have to do is cover it.

Finished work:

Click to view full.

May 2010 - The unwinding head

2010-05-23T04:07:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:

I've just done a tutorial on the 'unwinding ribbon' effect devised by M C Escher, and I think it's an interesting technique for us all to have a go at.

Taking this head as a starting point, can you unwind it in the most appealing way possible? I'll post the location of my tutorial next week, so you can compare your version with my own attempt.

Finished work: (I told her not to pole-dance so fast!)

Click to view full.

The gondolier

2010-04-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

The originals:

The brief:

I had a fantastic time in Venice last weekend, which must be the most spectacular city I've ever visited. Everywhere you look, the city is simply beautiful.

Go round any corner and you'll come across a scene like this. Of course, this view would be greatly improved with the addition of a gondola. Luckily, I have one here. Those seats do look very empty, though...

Finished work: (going rather off-brief for once!)

Click to view full.

March 2010 - The caveman cometh (HTCIPS)

2010-03-23T04:06:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:

I had to do a job yesterday that involved a walking caveman. Curiously, even Wikipedia didn't have any photos, so I started from scratch by building this Poser model. After that, I went on to add... well, what needs adding? Can you turn this hairless ape into a convincing neanderthal?

Finished work:

Click to view full.

March 2010 - a block of ice (HTCIPS)

2010-03-09T07:16:00.000-08:00

The original:

The brief:

A technique challenge this week. Here's the word ICE, set in Myriad Bold. Can you make this look like the lettering is made out of a block of ice?

There are several approaches to this one - I'll be interested to see what you all come up with.

Finished work:

Click to view full.

February 2010 - appy Birthday, Photoshop

2010-03-01T02:54:00.000-08:00

The original:

The brief:

You're probably all aware that it's the 20th anniversary of Photoshop. Those nice people at Adobe sent me this rather magnificent cake - far too good to cut open.

To save me breaking the cake apart, can you show me how it would look with a slice cut out of it?

Finished work:

Click to view full.

February 2010 - A load of tripe

2010-02-22T07:43:00.000-08:00

The original:

The brief:

I photographed this derelict shop front near London's Smithfield meat market. What an interesting approach to selling bits of animal! Clearly, marketing wasn't their strong point.

But how might this shop have looked in its prime? And what on earth does dressed tripe look like?

Finished work:

Click to view full.

February 2010 - Kami Kaze mission

2010-02-15T02:50:00.000-08:00

The original:

The brief:

This plane is the A6M Zero, which was used in kami kaze missions in the Pacific in World War II. The 3D model I've used here isn't the best quality, but it shows the shape of the plane clearly enough.

Can you breathe life into this rather flat model?

Finished work: (those remote control geeks are a menace!)

Click to view full.

January 2010 - Aargh! Perspective! (HTCIPS)

2010-02-03T08:26:00.000-08:00

The original:

The brief:

Several of you had problems with perspective in the last Challenge, matching the angle of view of the saucer to the viewpoint of the scenes you chose to place it in. So I thought it was time for another of those perspective Challenges that I know you all love so much.

I photographed this locker room with a wide angle lens, and there's some significant distortion as a result. Here's what I want you to do:

1. Open one of the doors on the locker.

2. Close one of the doors on the changing cubicles.

3. Add any other elements you like - but be sure to make them match the perspective of the scene!

Of course, the forum being what it is, I don't expect any of you to stop there...

Finished work:

Click to view full.

January 2010 - It came from space

2010-01-24T04:43:00.000-08:00

The original:

The brief:

I was contacted recently by a researcher who investigates UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects) - alien spaceships, in other words. He asked me to look at a bunch of images of sightings of the same UFO, and tell him how they were faked. I used every technique I could think of and couldn't find obvious construction signs.

And that made me think: just how easy would it be to make a convincing UFO image? Take this rather obvious toy spaceship. How would you go about making this look like the real thing? I'm after as much realism as you can manage here. Use all your Photoshop wizardry in this one!

Finished work:

Click to view full.

January 2010 - Challenge 10 (TIPF)

2010-01-10T07:44:00.000-08:00

The original:

My version: The stork is on strike!

Click to view full.

January 2010 - More snow on the way (HTCIPS)

2010-01-10T07:41:00.000-08:00

The original:

The brief:

With Great Britain united under a blanket of snow this week, there's been almost no other topic of conversation - it fills the news headlines, as people get stuck in their cars and homes. We're also running out of salt for gritting the roads.

So, being that time of year, it seems appropriate to add some of the seasonal white stuff to this Tudor house. I'd like a snowman outside the door if you can manage it - the rest is up to you!

Finished work:

Click to view full.

December 2009 - Pop my cork (HTCIPS)

2010-01-04T03:13:00.000-08:00

The original:

The brief:

It's been a spectacular year here on the forum. We've seen outstanding work from just about everyone, with some huge leap forwards in Photoshop ability. With a range of new members who now seem like they've always been here, the forum continues to provide expert and friendly advice to all visitors.

So it's in the spirit of Christmas and the New Year that I propose a toast to all forum members, past, present and future. The only problem is, I can't get the cork out of the champagne bottle... can you help?

Finished work:

Click for full size picture.

December 2009 - Landlord needed (HTCIPS)

2009-12-16T04:44:00.000-08:00

The original:

The brief:

It's always tragic when a pub closes, especially this close to the festive season. It seems to leave a hole in the community. Do you think you can get this rather sad establishment up and running again in time for Christmas?

Finished work:

Click to view full.

December 2009 - Challenge 9 (TIPF)

2009-12-11T07:04:00.000-08:00

The original:

My version:

Click to view full.

November 2009 - Challenge 7 (TIPF)

2009-11-30T02:57:00.000-08:00

The original:

My version:

Click for full version.

November 2009 - Sarkozy in history (HTCIPS)

2009-11-30T02:55:00.000-08:00

There was no starting image this week.

The brief:
During the celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, French president Nicolas Sarkozy posted images on his blog showing him to have been present on the day, chipping away at the wall with a pickaxe. But was he really there? It seems he may be distorting the actualité just a little. You can read the full story here and here.

Of course, it's possible that Sarkozy was present at other groundbreaking historical events as well. Would you like to suggest a few appearances he might have made? You'll have to source your own Sarkozy images. There's a good selection here to get you started.

Finished work:

Click for full size picture.

November 2009 - Fill the moat (HTCIPS)

2009-11-23T06:49:00.000-08:00

The original:

The brief:

I'm grateful to Nick Curtain for this week's Challenge. Nick's just spent some time photographing Hampton Court Palace (you'll see a number of his photographs on thefullmontage soon).

One of his images shows the original moat, now dry and empty. Can you fill it with water? As it's surrounded by walls I wouldn't expect much turbulence on the surface, so we might expect a degree of transparency in the finished result...

Finished work: (you have to know me to get the full significance ...!)

Click to view full.

November 2009 - Queen's Grove (HTCIPS)

2009-11-19T06:24:00.000-08:00

The original:

The brief:

Queen's Grove is a street in Hampstead, London. The road sign has been in place for at least a hundred years, and it's clear that when it was placed here the builders had run out of the correct letters, and had to make do with odds and ends.

Can you rearrange the lettering to make a phrase more appropriate to the location? Or could you just correct the missing characters? Any other embellishment you care to add would be of interest too, of course.

Finished work: (based on an anagram)

Click to view full.

November 2009 - Challenge 6 (TIPF)

2009-11-16T11:41:00.000-08:00

Starting image:

My version:

Click to view full.

November 2009 - Challenge 4 (TIPF)

2009-11-03T08:43:00.000-08:00

The original:

My version:

Click to view full.

October 2009 - Halloween! (HTCIPS)

2009-11-01T07:13:00.000-08:00

The original:

The brief:

Looking back through the archives, I see the last time we tried pumpkin carving was a full five years ago. Time to refresh the vegetable! Here's a classic complete pumpkin. Can you carve this into a design more suitable for the Halloween holiday this weekend?

Finished work:

Click to view full.

Shameless bit of self-promotion here; this is the comment I received on the forum:

Seriously clever stuff from katew, both in inspiration and in execution. Her jailed pumpkin is a tremendous and lifelike achievement: if I didn't know better I'd thin you actually carved this. In fact, the closer I look, the more I can't believe this is all Photoshop... tell us your secret, Kate!

October 2009 - Challenge 3 (TIPF)

2009-10-29T06:03:00.000-07:00

The original:

My version:

Click pics to view full.

October 2009 - Challenge 2 (TIPF)

2009-10-29T06:02:00.000-07:00

The original:

My version:

Click pics to view full.

October 2009 - Challenge 1 (TIPF)

2009-10-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

The original:

My version:

Click pics to view full.

New Challenges

2009-10-29T05:55:00.000-07:00

As well as the How to Cheat in Photoshop site, I also belong to The Independent Photography Forum. The latter has now introduced a weekly Photoshop challenge, in which a member posts a photo. Members then 'Photoshop' this in any way they like, and post the results in the thread. The person who posted the original picture then chooses a winner; the winner then posts the starting picture for the next week's challenge.

I have been taking part in this challenge for 3 weeks, so I'll post my entries so far, and then update them weekly along with the HTCIPS ones. From this week, I'll label each title with HTCIPS or TIPF accordingly.

October 2009 - St Martin's in the Fields

2009-10-27T04:46:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:

The view from the top of London's National Portrait Gallery shows the rooftops surrounding Trafalgar Square. The spire belongs to the church of St Martin's in the Fields, and when it was built it truly was out in the fields.

Can we restore it to its former appearance? All I could photograph from here was the spire, so you'll need to find your own base to stick it on...

Finished work (with apologies to Andrew Wyeth!)

Click to view full.

October 2009 - Down in the Crypt

2009-10-06T08:25:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:

I photographed this crypt in a church in France in August. It's lit by lamps placed in the floor, but I think more subtle lighting could show this scene off rather better. And I'm not sure about that section of wall over on the left - it would look better if this was cloned out, I think. The cables are also a little distracting.

Anything else that might enhance the scene would be welcome!

Finished work:

Click to view full.

September 2009 - The movie game

2009-09-27T05:28:00.000-07:00

The brief:
A slightly different type of Challenge this week. I thought it would be fun if you could think of a movie, and create an image that sums up the whole film, or at least its title - without including any stills from the film itself.

To make it more interesting for the rest of us, don't include the title in the image or in your post. Instead, include it as part of the image name, so if we can't guess what it is we can click on the image to open it in a new window and see what it's called.

Does this all make sense? Does it seem interesting?

Finished work:

Click to view full.

(Answer: Moonraker)

September 2009 - Turning out the lights

2009-09-22T04:59:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:

High power incandescent lights are about to be banned throughout Europe, for rather spurious energy consumption concerns. This is something Deborah Morley noticed in the Friday Challenge a couple of weeks ago, and it seems a shame to let the event slip by unremarked.

The trouble is, what are we going to do with all those old lightbulbs? Surely we can find a fitting memorial for these beautiful and iconic objects...

Finished work:

Click to view full.

September 2009 - Open house

2009-09-15T01:24:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:

I photographed this rather uninspired new house before anyone had moved into it. The exterior may be rather dull, but I think if we open the door and the windows we should be able to see its full potential.

The trick here will be getting the perspective right. There are enough clues to work with, I think...

Finished work:

Click to view full.

September 2009 - Performance space

2009-09-09T04:34:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:

There are four plinths in London's Trafalgar Square, one in each corner. Three hold statues of famous people; the fourth has been empty since the time it was put up. Currently, the plinth is occupied by members of the public: following a ballot, they get an hour each to climb up there and do whatever they like.

When I went past yesterday evening, however, the occupant was a woman in her pyjamas drinking a coffee from Starbucks while talking on her phone.

Surely we can devise a better entertainment than this?

Finished work:

Click to view full.

August 2009 - Digging in

2009-08-31T06:53:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:

Those of you who have visited thefullmontage may recognise this scene - it's one I photographed in Shrewsbury last year, showing a Tudor house on a rainy day.

What interests me, though, is the idea of all that history doubtless lying just beneath the surface. I've got permission for a week-long architectural dig here: what do you think might be revealed under the pavement?

Be careful lifting those stone slabs, though - they'll need to be taken up undamaged so they can be replaced later.

Finished work:

Click to view full.

2009-08-26T03:51:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:

I photographed this reconstruction of a 1920s photographer's studio in a museum in La Rochelle last week. Well made though the scene is, it lacks the human element. Can you populate it with appropriate characters?

Finished work: The Arnolfini Wedding Video!

Click to view full!

August 2009 - Making bread

2009-08-12T08:03:00.001-07:00

The original:

The brief:

This is a derelict bread oven I photographed in France last year. I’d like to see how the room might have looked when it was in its prime - with a roaring fire, a baker and some freshly baked loaves.

White sliced, anyone?

Finished work:

Click to view full.

2009-07-30T03:29:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:

A bit late with this one - the 40th anniversary of the moon landing was last week, and I really should have seen it coming. I was intrigued by a radio interview I heard with some professor of something or other, who claims the landings were all faked. Something to do with the angles of the shadows not being right, or the quality of the light.

So I thought: how easy is it to fake a moon landing? Can you take this classic shot, and add or remove elements so that we can't tell the real image from the fakery? Pay close attention to lighting and shadow this week!

Finished work:

Click to view full.

July 2009 - Classical architecture

2009-07-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:

Here's a classic Ionic column from the British Museum, with a section of pediment and a chunk of wall. Not a huge amount to go on, I admit, but is there enough raw material here to build something magnificent? The choice of building is up to you.

Finished work:

Click to view larger.

July 2009 - Five years on

2009-07-05T08:22:00.001-07:00

The original:

The brief:

This week marks the fifth anniversary of the Friday Challenge, and I thought we'd mark the occasion by repeating the first-ever Challenge.

The task was to take the lid off this boiled egg. The question is: five years down the line, are our Photoshop skills any more proficient? Have advances in Photoshop versions made the job any easier?

This is the original text:

Here's your first challenge, Photoshoppers. I placed this raw egg in an egg cup, and I want it boiled. I'd like the top sliced, cracked or broken off - whichever is your preferred method of opening eggs. What you do in the way of runny yolk, bits of shell and even toast fingers is up to you!

You'll find a high res version of the egg here.

Good luck!

You might like to include objects or people that could not have been in the scene five years ago - or, alternatively, things that we saw five years ago but which are no longer in evidence. How you mark the passage of time is entirely up to you.

Finished work:

Click to view full.

June 2009 - Shade and texture

2009-07-02T04:55:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:

I was walking through a graveyard recently (the way one does) and I was struck by this impromptu still life. Not so much the arrangement of the miscellaneous items, but by the way the elements - the headstone, the watering cans, the pipe box, the statue - have all taken on the same texture and hue, almost as if they were all cast from the same substance.

So I'd like you to add a few more items to this group. The only consideration is that they must blend into the scene: I should not be able to tell at a glance what has been added and what was there originally.

Finished work:

Click to view full size.

June 2009 - The staircase problem

2009-06-25T07:28:00.001-07:00

The original:

The brief:

Here's a shot I took in a French chateau last year, which I've just uploaded as part of an update to thefullmontage. I photographed this during the day, of course, and it's just occurred to me that the scene would look very different at night: darkness on the ground floor, with a light coming from the top of the stairs.

Is this too difficult a task for the Friday Challenge? And what might be lurking behind that mysterious curtain?

Finished work:

Click on pics for full size.

June 2009 - Bring him to life, part 2

2009-06-17T03:12:00.001-07:00

The original:

The brief:

We haven't done one of these for a while, and I always think it's an interesting technique to master.

One of the things I saw on my trip to Norway a few weeks ago was the Stalinist-inspired City Hall, a monstrous red brick building. The facade is decorated with statues of working men (men only, as it happens - the statues of women are in the park in front, carrying children). Here's one of the statues.

This is the first time I've seen a statue of an overweight, shirtless boatman. What must the original model have looked like? Can you bring this statue to life?

Finished work:

Click images to view full size

June 2009 - Boy meets girl

2009-06-08T06:37:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:

There was an interesting discussion last week about building bridges - in particular, how to make the reflections work. It seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up - so sorry for yet another aquatic theme, but this one has some points of interest.

Can you help this boy to reach his girlfriend, on the opposite bank? The style of bridge is up to you, of course.

Finished work:

Click to view full.

May 2009 - Mine all mine

2009-06-02T03:30:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:

I'd never seen a nautical mine up close before I passed this one, on a museum ship in Oslo. It's a strange looking device, and it looks oddly lacking in danger in this mounted location.

How would this explosive device look to a terrified sailor, adrift in the high seas? Can you make the museum exhibit look threatening again? Or alternatively, can you come up with a more peaceful use for it?

Finished work:

Click to view full.

May 2009 - 250th Challenge - The cabinet of curiosities

2009-05-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

The brief:

I'd like you to build a museum exhibit showing as many objects from previous Friday Challenges as you're able to include. They can all be your own work, or chosen from other people's entries; the museum can be an old fashioned mahogany case, or a modern gallery space. However you choose to approach it, I'm looking for realism here: pay close attention to lighting, perspective and scale!

No starting image this week. After all, you have 250 to choose from in the archives.

Finished work:

Click on picture to view full.

May 2009 - Damien's iMac

2009-05-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

The original:
The brief:

I was commissioned to do a rather interesting job a couple of weeks ago, and thought you might like to have a go at it. It was for a magazine feature about buying contemporary art online, and the idea was to show a computer in a glass case in the style of Damien Hirst, the British artist best known for his early work that involved sawing animals in half and pickling them in formaldehyde. So the task was to cut the computer in half and place it in a case.

This is the starting image I used (although I didn't use the speakers). It turned out to be a tricky and very interesting job. Feel like having a go? I'll post my version next Friday, for the sake of completeness.

Finished work:

As usual, click on image to view larger.

May 2009 - Out of the depths

2009-05-10T07:10:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
Down by the docks in Oslo, I spotted this underground channel. What kind of machine or beast could live in such a place?

The real challenge here, of course, will be to match the distorted reflections in the water's surface. Not a task for the faint hearted!

Finished work:

Click on images to view full.

May 2009 - Spinning Columbus

2009-05-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
Another image from my Barcelona trip. It was the home of Christopher Columbus, and there's a rather fine statue of him on a magnificently decorated column. The trouble is, when I photographed it, in order to get the column well lit I had to take the shot from behind.

Your Challenge is to find another image of Columbus, and place it on the statue facing towards us. It should, of course, match both the perspective of the scene and the existing material as closely as possible.

And please - for the sake of modesty - NO statues of me!!!

Finished work:

Click on images to view full size.

April 2009 - Lift the lid

2009-04-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
It might surprise some that I should go all the way to Norway and come back with a photograph of a manhole cover, but you have to admit it is a very fine manhole cover.

What I want you to do is to lift the lid and show me what lies beneath. It's not quite as easy as it sounds: you'll need some subtle shading to make this one convincing.

Finished work:

Click on pictures to view full.

April 2009 - Sagrada Familia

2009-04-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
As you may know I was in Barcelona last week, and spent some time inside Gaudi's wonderful unfinished masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia - a vast stone cathedral built in his bizarre, organic style.

Over the main entrance is this rather fine group carving (above).

The figures are beautifully stylized. The pair that most caught my eye were the two solider-like figures on the left - they struck me as figures that would have seemed well at home in Star Wars.

Of course, they'd need to be made of something other than stone. Care to oblige? High res cutout is here:

Finished work:

As always, click on images to view full size.

April 2009 - Another grave business

2009-04-14T06:35:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
I had to do another graveyard montage for a newspaper last week, and it put me in mind of this shot of a broken grave I photographed a few months back. How did this come about? And, more importantly, what happened next?

Finished work:

Click to view full size.

April 2009 - Castles in the air

2009-04-07T03:25:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
The idea of creating a floating piece of land was raised by Scott earlier this week, and it's one that intrigued me.

Of course, the idea of castles in the air has been around for centuries, perhaps most notably realised by Rene Magritte in 1959. His version had a stark, weighty quality that made it all the more surreal; what I'm after is something that looks altogether more plausible.

Your castle is here. Can you make it float? Use as much or as little of the hill as you need. Or, if you prefer, choose your own building.

Finished work:

Click on images for larger version.

March 2009 - Flying the flag, part 2

2009-03-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
A slightly more technical Challenge this week, after last week's flights of fancy.

Here's a flag I photographed a few months ago. It was outside a military airbase, and the blue serves to indicate something or other - not sure what, sometimes it's red, sometimes it's green.

The important thing about this flag, though, is that it has no design on it. And that's what I want you to remedy: I'd like you to place your own country's flag onto this one, making the result as convincing as you can.

Not easy, this one. I don't think there's any quick way of doing this. But can you make your flag look real?

Finished work: (this is the flag of Derbyshire - my spiritual home!)

As usual, click to view bigger.

March 2009 - Family resemblances

2009-03-23T06:11:00.001-07:00

The original:

The brief:
This Sunday is Mothers' Day here in the UK, and of course I'll be taking mine out for lunch. But where should we go? Can you picture the scene?

I'm not giving you any pictures of my mother, of course. But you can assume that she looks something like me, so here's the mugshot I used in the latest edition of the book.

I have a feeling I'm going to regret this...

Finished work: (not exactly following the brief but, hey, you've got to rebel occasionally!)

Click to view full size.

March 2009 - Maritime mayhem

2009-03-15T08:27:00.001-07:00

The original:

The brief:
I spent some time in London's National Maritime Museum over the weekend, which has a wide range of entertaining and interesting seafaring artefacts. I was taken with the construction of this display case, which has been made to look as if it's constructed of rusted metal and ship's planking.

The object inside, though, is rather dull, and the walls (this was the children's gallery) are overpowering. Could we come up with a better setting, and a more interesting exhibit?

Finished work:

March 2009 - Poster power

2009-03-09T04:24:00.000-07:00

The original:
The brief:
This innovative poster hoarding on London's Oxford Street doesn't seem to be doing its job very well - everyone's ignoring it. What can we do to make it more impressive? Surely there must be some way of capturing the attention of passers by?

Finished work: (NB: no fish were harmed in the creation of this picture!)

February 2009 - Museum lighting

2009-02-08T07:26:00.000-08:00

The original:

The brief:
I had to meet a colleague from overseas recently, and could think of no better meeting place in central London than the cafe in the Great Court at the British Museum. This features a recently completed glass roof covering what was previously a windy courtyard, transforming it into a beautiful indoor space: everywhere you look, you want to take a photograph.

Of course, it really comes into its own when the sun comes out, at which point... well, what would this scene look like on a sunny day?

Finished work:

January 2009 - Trafalgar Squared

2009-02-03T06:46:00.001-08:00

The original:

The brief:
I dropped into London's National Gallery this week, and in the entrance hall they had this rather splendid model of the building, located on the north side of Trafalgar Square (Nelson's Columns is out of shot to the right).

The thing is, though, that the street we're looking at here has been pedestrianised since the model was built. Can you bring the scene up to date? Or can you think of a better use for this street? And can you make the model look more like real life?

Finished work:
He wanted realism - it's England so there must be rain!

January 2009 - Railway drama

2009-01-27T04:57:00.000-08:00

The original:

The brief:
I photographed this interior of a model railway carriage some time ago, and was struck then by how it would make a great theatrical set. Murder on the Orient Express springs to mind, obviously, but what other dramas could be played out against this background?

There's also the problem that the nearmost seats are slightly out of focus. How might we deal with that? Is there a simple solution?

Those of you with more time on your hands might like to consider adding lighting, a backdrop, perhaps even an audience...

Finished work:

January 2009 - Hedge fun management

2009-01-19T06:47:00.000-08:00

The original:

The brief:
Nothing to do with errant bankers - this one's a topiary issue. I photographed this hedge in a London park back in October. Fairly neatly maintained, although it could do with a bit of a trim. But, given the myriad forms a hedge can be carved into, isn't this dome shape a little repetitive and uninspired? Can you do better?

You can place your creations on the lawn in front, if you like, or adapt the existing hedge. The trick here is in the shading!

Finished work:

January 2009 - Concept correction

2009-01-12T02:43:00.000-08:00

The original:

The brief:
Here's a concept car I passed in London's Science Museum recently - it's one of those what-if constructions the car industry used to enjoy dreaming up, before they all ran out of cash.

It looks to me, from the position of the seat, as if the wheels need to rotate 90 degrees when this thing is in motion, in order to travel forwards and backwards rather than side to side. Is this too tricky a task to complete in Photoshop? And what sort of location might the manufacturer choose to set off their new baby?

Finished work:

January 2009 - Dead as a dodo

2009-01-06T03:51:00.001-08:00

The original:

The brief:
I photographed this dodo on a museum visit back in December. Not the best of shots - it was behind glass, and you can see the reflection of some lights over its head.

Can you bring this extinct creature back to life, and perhaps suggest some genetic modification that would prevent it facing the same fate again?

Finished work:

December 2008 - Christmas lights

2008-12-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

The original:

The brief:
Well, Christmas is upon us, and it's time for a seasonal Challenge. I toyed with several ideas for this year's festive offering, before Ted Eggs posted his link to a rather spectacular animated illuminations house. It's a beautiful piece of work - and I assume it's all 100% real.

So your Challenge is to take the rather dull image of a house, below, and add festive lighting to it. Ideally, this should be animated so the lights flash on and off. (If you're not sure how to do animations in Photoshop, I know of a good Reader Forum where you can get top quality advice.) Any other seasonal extras are entirely up to you.

Note: My computer will be turned off on Christmas Eve and it won't go back on again this year. So this will be a two-week Challenge: the write-up, and the first Challenge of the New Year, will appear on Friday 2nd January.

Happy Christmas/Channukah/Winterval/Saturnalia/Non-Denominational Seasonal Celebration, everyone!

Finished work: click here for animation ...

December 2008 - Skating on thin ice

2008-12-13T10:43:00.001-08:00

The originals:

The brief:
Hi ho, hi ho - we're well into December, so it's time to crank up the artificial snow machine and think about getting festive.

I have this picture of a skater, who needs to have her skates changed from roller to ice. The chief challenge, though, will be to create a reflective surface for her to skate on: what would it look like? How would the reflection appear?

For those who would like a bit more of a challenge, here is the same skater from a different angle - which should present a rather more tricky reflection problem!

Finished work:

December 2008 - Grabby little hands

2008-12-07T06:08:00.001-08:00

The original:

The brief:
I went to London's Natural History Museum last weekend, and once again was awestruck by the fantastic Waterhouse interior of this magnificent building.

There were several animatronic models in the dinosaur exhibit, and I was particularly taken by the size and position of the hands on this one, held in front of it in a remarkably human way. It could be holding a shopping basket, or grasping a tiny Fay Wray, or leaning over a windowsill, or... well, it's up to you. After the trials of last week's technical Challenge, I'm giving you pretty much a free rein on this one.

Finished work:

November 2008 - Mirror image

2008-11-30T06:44:00.001-08:00

The original:

The brief:
I was intrigued by Jota120's entry to last week's Friday Challenge, which shows Poirot reflected in the mirror - with a view over his shoulder in front. It made me think: could we achieve this effect with just the one image? Is it possible to adapt a view of the shoulder from the front so it looked as if it was taken from the back?

An interesting Challenge, I think. You'll probably want to change the head - at least, I'm sure Neal will. Or, of course, use a body of your choice. This one's just a suggestion.

Finished work:

November 2008 - Murder mystery

2008-11-25T07:19:00.001-08:00

The original:

The brief:
I was cycling through the City of London last week when I came across Charterhouse Square, which contains not just the 12th Century Charterhouse (the square itself is the site of a plague pit, which is why it can't be built on) but this rather splendid 1930s apartment block.

Fans of the TV show Poirot will recognise it as the Belgian detective's headquarters, known in the series as Whitehaven Mansions.

Of course, for the series they added a load of extras in 1930s costume, as well as vintage cars... and what sort of dastardly deeds could be going on behind all these windows? Time to get the little grey cells working.

Finished work:

November 2008 - All tired out

2008-11-17T06:41:00.001-08:00

The original:

The brief:
I had to get a tyre/tire repaired recently, and was struck by the complexity of some of the machines in the workshop. Here, for instance, is a machine that takes them off the wheels of the car. Seems to me this machine could be put to a far more interesting use...

Finished work: (time machine)

click here

November 2008 - Declining years

2008-11-10T07:33:00.001-08:00

The brief:
Normally I try not to make too many personal appearances in the Friday Challenge - after all, I've learnt from experience that it can be a dangerous place to let one's images loose. But I couldn't let this one just slip by. It's my 50th birthday tomorrow, and I was wondering if any forum members had some advice for how I should adapt my ways in my dotage. Or can I expect a second childhood?

No starting image this week. I don't want to make it too easy for you!

Finished work: (click for bigger picture)

October 2008 - Beyond the Palin

2008-11-01T07:03:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
By the time this week's Challenge is over, the United States will have elected a new president. And, if the polls are anything to go by, Sarah Palin will be once more consigned to Alaskan oblivion.

Or will she? What else could the budding vice president turn her hand to? Can you think of a suitable use for a used Palin?

Finished work:

October 2008 - Sign of the times

2008-10-29T04:46:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
I drove through a patch of unexplored countryside recently, and came across this intriguing signpost. Who occupies Occupation Road? What on earth happens in Barton in the Beans?

You have pretty much a free rein on this one - whatever it inspires you to do. Replace all the text, if you like, and let your imaginations run wild.

Finished work:

October 2008 - City in the clouds

2008-10-21T03:16:00.000-07:00

The inspiration:

The brief:
TV news channels around the world have had difficulty coming up with suitable images to depict the current banking crisis. We've had plenty of brokers with their heads in their hands, downward-spiralling graphs, and so on.

One of the most appealing images I've seen was on BBC news this week, showing the financial district of London shrouded in fog. I thought it was a Photoshop job at first, but as it's seen from a circling helicopter I've come to think it's definitely real footage. Above are a couple of stills:

This week's challenge is to reproduce this effect, or a similar one, on your own home town or city. You'll have to source your own starting images, of course - but that should make for some variety!

Finished work: The original view (from my back garden):

My interpretation:

October 2008 - Out of body experience

2008-10-14T06:41:00.001-07:00

The original:

The brief:
I had a commission last week from an Italian news magazine, to do a cover about how the head of the United Nations is showing very little international presence.

What they wanted was for me to portray him at his desk, on the phone, but as an empty suit - so the man inside was missing.

This turned out to be a tricky job indeed. I ended up combining the two body parts shown here (so I could patch the missing hand areas) and of course added a suitable desk, chair and background. Would you like to have a go at this one? I'll show you mine if you show me yours!

Finished work:

October 2008 - Rail conversion

2008-10-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
Snapped this at my local rail station yesterday. Looking at the recessed rails, it struck me how it would make a good canal. Of course, if we converted this line from trains to boats, we'd need to make quite a lot of other changes too...

Feel up to the challenge?

Finished work:

September 2008 - A new business

2008-09-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
I came across this rather forlorn vacant shop in an unloved corner of a shopping arcade. The perfect place, perhaps, to start selling - what? Can you suggest a business that would fit in here?

It's a perspective puzzle this week, of course. Can you read the vanishing points out of this scene, and build an interior to match?

Finished work:

September 2008 - Water tower makeover

2008-09-23T04:51:00.001-07:00

The original:

The brief:
I spotted this water tower when I was in France in the summer. A lot of these things - in England, at least - are being converted into homes these days. Although this isn't a particularly pretty example of the genre, I'm sure it could make an excellent dwelling with the right sort of care and attention.

Anyone fancy a spot of architectural remodelling?

Finished work:

September 2008 - The car pool

2008-09-14T07:29:00.000-07:00

The originals:

The brief:
What is it about this shiny red sports car that makes me want to drive it into a swimming pool? Obviously something buried deep in my childhood. It's not a difficult Challenge, but I'd be interested to see how you approach this puzzle.

Finished work:

August 2008 - Ocean voyage

2008-09-03T04:37:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
Ah, the romance of sea travel... the dream of an exotic cruise... brought to a crashing end by the reality of the cross-channel ferry. Surely there's something that can be done to add some sparkle and romance to this uninspiring scene?

Finished work:

August 2008 - The war zone

2008-08-24T07:17:00.001-07:00

The original:
The brief:
As you'd expect, I took a load of photos during my recent trip to France, and we'll see a few of them cropping up here during the weeks to come.

I was particularly intrigued by this ruined house, which reminded me of the sort of ruins you see in old war films and games like Call of Duty. Of course, I photographed this scene on a bright, calm day. What would it look like in the heat of battle?

Finished work:

This one does not exactly follow the brief, as I am not happy creating war pictures.

August 2008 - Lost weekend

2008-08-21T04:22:00.001-07:00

The original:
The brief:
As you read this, I'm driving around the west coast of France - ably assisted, of course, by my trusty GPS unit. Of course, these devices do sometimes go wrong and lead people astray.

But just how wrong can they go? Here's the machine: the setting is entirely up to you.

Finished work:

August 2008 - Fair Play

2008-08-14T05:20:00.001-07:00

The original:

The brief:
I went to a small town fair a few weeks ago - a rather dismal event in
a damp field. Of course, this sort of thing always looks a lot better
at night, when the lights have a chance to ring out.

Think we can perk up this somewhat lacklustre affair?

Finished work:

August 2008 - Have a cow, man

2008-08-07T05:25:00.001-07:00

The original:
The brief:
We were having lunch in the country last weekend when these magnificent beasts appeared on the other side of the river. I was so taken with them, I just had to photograph them.

Carol, my partner, couldn't understand what I wanted photographs of cows for. Come to think of it, I'm not sure myself. Surely there's some purpose these beautiful animals can be put to?

Finished work:

July 2008 - Escher's stairs

2008-07-30T02:49:00.001-07:00

The brief:
Seeing Patrick33's entry in last week's Challenge made me remember something I came across recently - a version of Escher's famous staircase drawing, made entirely out of Lego. It's an astounding piece of work, that must have taken tremendous care and patience.

It all would have been much easier in Photoshop, of course. Or would it? Just how difficult would it be to recreate this sort of perspective illusion? The tricky part is making the finished article look plausible.

No starting image this week - so Google away!

Finished work:

July 2008 - Messing about in boats

2008-07-23T03:33:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
I'm indebted to Josephine Harvatt for this week's image - it's a scene she photographed at the Psycho Buildings exhibition at London's Hayward Gallery. The woman taking her son for a boating trip could do with a better environment, Josephine thinks - and I have to agree with her. Could we come up with a more appealing location than a London rooftop?

Finished work:

July 2008 - The Wright Stuff

2008-07-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
When I was in Derby museum recently, I spent some time in a room devoted to the Victorian painter Joseph Wright of Derby. For those who don't know him, his most notable work is the fantastic Experiment on a Bird in an Air Pump, which is a masterpiece of light and shade.

The room in the museum was full of his portraits - which are, I'm sad to say, mediocre. This one was painted fully 20 years after the Air Pump picture that made his name, yet the subject chose not to allow Wright to do the style he did best, and instead to paint a standard, uninspired work.

But what if Wright had been given his head on this one? How might this below average portrait have looked with some dramatic lighting? Anyone feel like reaching for the oil paints?

Finished work:

2008-07-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
Another train image from the Derby museum this week. Here's a model railway that's in the process of being built. According to the curator, the houses are first mocked up in cardboard for size and shape, then these are sent to model makers to have them recreated as perfect miniatures.

Can we help the modelmakers finish this job? Anything else we can do to make the scene more realistic?

Finished work:
(a bit basic due to lack of time!)

June 2008 - The 4.50 from Derby

2008-06-23T11:04:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
I spent a day wandering around the museums in the charming Central England town of Derby last weekend, from which I gleaned a number of potential Friday Challenge subjects that will be appearing over the next few weeks.

First up is this model train I photographed in the industrial museum, which is situated in the world's first factory. It reminded me of the old Agatha Christie story, 4.50 from Paddington, in which a woman sees what she imagines to be a murder through the window of a passing train.

So what intriguing goings-on might we catch through these windows? And can we take the train out of the museum and place it in a more convincing location?

Finished work: (click to view larger - compression kills!)

June 2008 - Fly the flag

2008-06-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
An empty flagpole. It's just crying out for a flag...

Use whatever techniques you like - photographed pillowcases, entirely drawn in Photoshop, adapted real flags. As for the design of the flag itself - well, that's entirely up to you.

Finished work - aka 'the briefs' (sorry!):

2008-06-12T06:58:00.000-07:00

The originals:

The brief:
Here's a rather curious phenomenon I noticed while sitting in my garden this week. An empty glass sat on the edge of the table, and the refracted view through it was quite different to what I'd expected. Would you like to try to recreate the scene?

It's a rather more technical challenge this week, but an interesting exercise. I'll post a photo of the glass in place next Friday.

Finished work:

June 2008 - Contest 200

2008-06-04T03:37:00.000-07:00

The brief:
I'd like self portraits, done in any monumental or illustrative style you like: make yourselves as recognizable or as hidden as you like. Feel free to add a pithy quote if you want to. But for those of you who really, really don't want your faces to appear online - well, you'll just have to be especially imaginative about how you make your appearance!

Finished work: (entitled "In my Dreams"!)

May 2008 - Run me a bath

2008-05-29T06:07:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
A bit more of a technical challenge this week. Here's my bath, and as you can see it's lost a shower tap. If you replace it this should help me to turn the bath on without flooding the room, so can you fill it up for me? The water stream might be tricky to draw - but if you want to fill the bath with bubbles and rubber ducks that's of course entirely up to you.

Finished work:

May 2008 - Art for the gallery

2008-05-18T07:51:00.001-07:00

The original:

The brief:
Another shot from my trip to Norway earlier this year. This one's in the national museum of modern art. Well, it's a good enough building - but am I alone in thinking that the art is just a little on the dull side? Can't remember what's in that glass case, but it looks like a piece of old carpet from here.

Your challenge is to give the gallery a makeover. You can borrow pictures from anywhere in the world, of course. My only stipulation is that anything you place in here must look as if it's actually in this room, with its annoyingly shiny floor.

Finished work:

2008-05-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
A slightly more technical challenge this week. Here's a photograph of a rather fine ornate iron street lamp: I'd like you to switch it on. Or, if you prefer, refit it for the gas mantle it would have had originally.

It's a slightly trickier job than it might look. What sort of shadows would be cast here? How would the glass shade glow with a light inside it?

Of course, many of you aren't content with simple technical stuff, and want to get your creativity in here as well. That's what the window is for.

Finished work:

2008-05-08T03:45:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:

Here's a photo Gordon (GKB) sent me back in February, which he took during a walk around Copenhagen: he thought it would make a good Friday Challenge.

Well, I think so too, but probably not in the way Gordon had in mind. I'm not going to ask you to make her look real - the undoubted retouching skills many of you have would quickly make this forum X-rated if I asked for that.

Instead, I'd like you to place her in another environment: a bath, say, or a sauna. Whatever you think appropriate. But here's the catch: the environment in which she finds herself must be made of the same bronze that she is, as if they were both cast from a single piece.

Finished work:

2008-04-30T03:48:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
I've always been interested in the design of playing cards, which seem to have taken on an iconic status. Looking at one recently, it occurred to me that those flat colours, divided by black lines, would make an excellent stained glass window.

So what do you think? Can you turn this card into a window design? I'm looking for a quality of light here, of course.

Choose your own location for the window. If you've feeling ambitions, you might like to consider what kind of light such a window might cast inside the room...

Finished work:

April 2008 - Build me a fire

2008-04-23T07:10:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
A fine marble fireplace. But what's this? An electric fire? That will never do. I'd like a real log effect in here, please. Unless you can think of an alternative way of heating this room?

Finished work:

April 2008 - The rooftops of Egypt

2008-04-17T05:31:00.001-07:00

The original:

The brief:
We did a contest a couple of years ago using Paris rooftops. The roofs in Egypt are very different, but equally intriguing: I can easily imagine Aladdin, or even Ali Baba, making his furtive way across these. Of course, it would have to be at night to get the atmosphere right.

Anyone here inspired by some Middle Eastern views?

Finished work:

April 2008 - Gatecrashing in Sydney

2008-04-10T02:47:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
Great to see tooquilos and vibeke meeting up in person this week - rather like when actors break the fourth wall and come down off the stage. And thanks for posting the photographs, too.

It seems to me, though, that there's room for a couple more of us around that table. Can we squeeze a few more Forum members in? Perhaps those of you with wacky avatars could be persuaded to make them more representational for this week...

Finished work:

April 2008 - Shipwreck!

2008-04-03T00:57:00.000-07:00

The original:

The brief:
I was on a short break in Egypt last week, and while on a snorkelling trip I spotted this rather splendid shipwreck. The boat went right past it, so I was able to get some detailed shots.

Of course, this wreck would look a lot better at the bottom of the ocean than sticking out of the coral reef like this. Can you oblige?

I've supplied a larger than usual starting image this week, so you can choose either to include a section of the ship at full size, or the whole thing if you shrink it down.

Finished work: