Photo bashing vs photo manipulation the differences

Affiliate Disclaimer: Artmellows.com may contain links to affiliate websites( Amazon and others), and we receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website using such links. For more Info check our Disclosure here.

Some paintings or images appear to be very realistic. From afar, these images appear more realistic, as they are usually so detailed that they appear to be taken in high resolution. 

This often makes one wonder how much time and effort goes into creating such artistic works. Only a painting technique called Photobashing allows for such detailed work.’

Photobashing : 

This technique involves carefully overlapping photos and images until they align and blend perfectly. 

It usually involves expertly merging multiple photos and meticulously painting them to achieve the desired photo texture. Overpainting and manipulating the photo-textures of several images create one illustration.

Photobashing

Photobashing is used in video games to create landscapes and even human characters faster. 

Video game artists and creators are meticulous in their attention to detail. This means much time is spent on the game’s digital design. 

Photobashing reduces this time by up to half. It’s visual art in motion, so video game studios ensure the images in a photo bash illustration are properly composited.

Photobashing is a subset of photo manipulation. Usually, photo bashing is focused on laying out a canvas of images together prior to matte painting over it. It’s like the first step to doing painted concept art. Photo manipulation can be just about anything in that space.

Photo Manipulation

Photo manipulation is the process of digitally transforming or altering a photograph using various methods and techniques to achieve desired results.

You cannot normally figure out actually what it was before. Normally this process is applied for business purposes and often on social media.

Photo manipulation is often much more explicit than subtle alterations to color balance, adding shadows or contrast to the object, and also may involve overlaying a head onto a different body or changing a sign’s text, for example.

Image editing software can be used to apply effects and warp an image until the desired result is achieved. The resulting image may have little or no resemblance to the photo (or photos in the case of compositing) from which it originated.

GIMP is a FREE image editing software whereas Photoshop is a PAID image editing software. As GIMP is communal software, standards are not classified, on the other hand, Photoshop runs on industrial standards. 

GIMP is used for general purposes, and Photoshop is used professionally. 

Photo editing is the act of making color and exposure adjustments to enhance a photo. On the other hand, Photo Manipulation alters the original image by adding new elements, changing the look of objects, and other “manipulative” adjustments.

Why Photobash?

It can create realistic objects, creatures, costumes, sets, and worlds.

Photobashing was created by fast-paced game concept artists.

This method can be used to make your artwork look more realistic or if you have a tight deadline for a digital piece.

Every object in a film or game looks like a concept artist. An artist must visualize everything, from guns to trash cans.

Any team would be overwhelmed by the amount of artwork required in any production. Photobashing speeds things up.

Resources:

Check out the Comprehensive List  of  Digital Resources needed to Start your Digital Art & Digital Sculpt Journey:

• How to get started with Digital art- A Beginners Guide
• Top 10 best Tablets for Digital Artists
• The Best Human Anatomy Books For Digital Artists
• Essential & Must have tools for Digital Artists

Photobashing Tools

Photoshop is the most popular software for this. Photoshop is a must for anyone starting out in the digital painting.

Photoshop, unlike other digital art software, has tools for editing photos and painting with digital brushes.

A customizable brush set, clone brushes, and layer styles allow you to seamlessly blend photos into digital art.

Finding the right photo for your artwork takes time. You need high-resolution images that are easy to edit and cut.

When in a hurry, use a professional stock photo website.

Using high-quality stock images eliminates concerns about copyright infringement and pixelation. You can also search through free image sites like Wikimedia Commons.

If you don’t like Photoshop, there are other options. Two come to mind, both free:

GIMPsKrita I prefer Krita because it feels more like a painter’s application. Free tutorials also help you learn it quickly.

However, both programs are cross-platform and can handle basic photo editing and digital painting.

What is the purpose of photobashing and when do you use it?

We’ve already covered why most artists employ Photobashing in their workflow. But we also need to understand when we should use it so that we don’t waste time trying to use it when it isn’t necessary.

Concept artworks are one of the most common places where artists like to use Photobashing. For example, if you want to make a dystopian or alternate-universe image of a real-life landscape, you should use real scenery as a reference.

If you have to work with character design, this is another great example. Assume you want to create a character and want him or her to pose or look a certain way in concept art based on his or her attributes.

In that case, you can simply use a stock model photo that looks similar to what you imagined and started from there.

Overall, there are numerous ways to use Photobashing to enhance your work, but the ideal situation is one in which you can reuse the majority of the elements from the original image or obtain the skeletal framework from somewhere else.

Isn’t That Photoshopping, Not Photobashing?

To be completely candid, there is a fine line between the two techniques. The artist typically alters the original image in Photoshop to the point where it bears no resemblance to the original.

However, in Photobashing, you enhance the original image rather than completely alter it.

As you might have guessed, this creates a grey area in which the legitimacy of the artwork created through Photobashing cannot be determined.

And, unfortunately, this continues to be a point of contention in the community. Numerous prestigious institutions and communities will not even consider artworks that contain a hint of Photobashing.

Numerous artists prefer to use software such as Blender to create their own 3D assets and then work on them to circumvent this argument.

However, that is not a subject for discussion. Even so, we believe that if something is unique, even if it is worked on other assets, it is legitimate.

Resources:

Check out the Comprehensive List  of  Digital Resources needed to Start your Digital Art & Digital Sculpt Journey:

• How to get started with Digital art- A Beginners Guide
• Top 10 best Tablets for Digital Artists
• The Best Human Anatomy Books For Digital Artists
• Essential & Must have tools for Digital Artists

Individual Capabilities Required for Photobashing

There are a few skills that you must master in order to perform Photobashing with ease. While these individual techniques are necessary for other types of work as well, their absence will severely impair your Photobashing abilities.

1. Choosing the appropriate images

Before you begin, you should familiarise yourself with the world of stock images. You must be aware of all the paid and free websites that can provide you with the most suitable images for your artwork.

Because the usefulness of a reserve is highly subjective, we strongly advise you to speak with friends and family members who work in a similar genre of digital painting and enquire about their asset collection practices.

Unsplash, Freepik, Pixabay, Pexels, and even Pinterest are just a few of our recommendations.

Unsplash, Pixabay, and Pexels all feature a greater number of photographic images than digital artworks. One of the primary reasons we adore these sites is their open licence policy and the high-resolution images available.

However, you may have to settle for less-than-ideal images for your artwork due to the fact that these sites are geared towards photographers rather than digital artists.

Freepik is a fantastic website that features an abundance of royalty-free assets, images, and illustrations. Many of our professional designers frequently use this website as a resource, so we felt it deserved a spot here.

Additionally, do not judge us based on our Pinterest usage. It has the potential to provide you with anything you desire, but you must ensure that you are permitted to use it – it’s all about the license.

2. The initial image or asset is processed

Naturally, you cannot simply add a border to a stock image and claim it as your own. You must process the image optimally in order to obtain the information you require.

This includes separating and manipulating the individual elements so that you can work on them.

One of the most critical tools that most beginners overlook is Photoshop’s famous Pen tool. You need to improve your skills!

2. The initial image or asset is processed

Naturally, you cannot simply add a border to a stock image and claim it as your own. You must process the image optimally in order to obtain the information you require.

This includes separating and manipulating the individual elements so that you can work on them.

One of the most critical tools that most beginners overlook is Photoshop’s famous Pen tool. You need to improve your skills!

Not only will this improve your ability to draw custom shapes, but it’s also critical for selection, and if you haven’t noticed already, being proficient with the selection tool is critical for perfectly isolating the elements.

Another tool we’d like you to familiarise yourself with prior to beginning Photobashing is the Blending Options available on each layer.

That dialogue box contains a plethora of actions, and you must become proficient with almost all of them! The shadow tool is the most critical of these.

3.  Manipulating the Layers

Photoshop’s most distinguishing and critical feature is its extremely detailed layer system. Photoshop’s layer system is a gift from God, and digital artists who have worked with other software understand its value.

Layers in Photoshop can be easily manipulated and rearranged. You can alter the layer’s colour, masking properties, blending options, filters, and black levels, among other properties.

To truly grasp the creativity of Photobashing and execute it flawlessly, you must become familiar with layer manipulation in Photoshop. And yes, you will also need to master shortcuts!

---