Naked Graphics

No, not naked people, naked graphics.

Ever wondered what a graphic looks like without filters, effects and other tricks? I'm going to post some examples here and would be interested to see if other artists want to do the same. Post your nudes!

Here is one of mine to start off, can post more when I have more time (click on any image to see full size)

This is the finished graphic

[image: i.postimg.cc]



and this is the naked version, without filters, layer effects or lighting/blurring etc

[image: i.postimg.cc]

Hurts the eyes don't it?

EDIT: BTW, this doesn't represent the workflow to get to the finished image, this is more a deconstruction of having arrived at the end and then switching off all the bells n whistles (something like 15 layers, each with own layer blending, effects, opacity, blur etc, plus some additional highlights, shadows and colours). It isn't just a bunch of images with a magic filter applied. I might post some workflow images too so you can see the stages of development

Thanks for sharing, Always love seeing the parts that makes the piece.

That's magic wtf

Alrighty, here is a simplified workflow for this piece, each layer will be blended, have filters, effects, blurring etc that I won't detail. Each image is shown half/half with the gradient map on/off


First I started with this image, which in the end is barely visible, but you never know when you start off.

[image: i.postimg.cc]



Next I added some snakeskin and an abstract shape

[image: i.postimg.cc]



Then some spiky shapes and some light sources

[image: i.postimg.cc]



Next some additional diffuse lighting and glowing particles

[image: i.postimg.cc]



Finally placement of the seamonster and name, using 'rule of thirds' as a guide

[image: i.postimg.cc]

Truc proving himself as a legendary artist once again

This cool as f**k

Its a bad habit to rely on lookout maps and filters to blend your work, always try to make it come together before applying anything

Great, exactly the point of this thread to show what a piece looks like without the filters - are you willing to post a finished v naked example? Would be good to see what other artists composition looks like before and after.

Personally, I always use non-destructive blend modes, filters, layer effects and vectors. That way, I turn them on and off as I compose and can tweak anything at any point

Here is how my first entry for the Community Chest event came together;

1: I wanted to make the heart the main subject of the picture, thinking (hoping) the flowers could make a nice effect in the end.
[image: i.imgur.com]

2. But first focused on the background, added the elements requested and put it somewhat symmetrical with the focus in the centre.
[image: i.imgur.com]

3. Didn't know how or where to use the Love Juice at first, made this eventually:
[image: i.imgur.com]

4. And applied, also used a bit of yellow and added the heart.
[image: i.imgur.com]

5. Added the heart (duplicate layer) with effects, the flowers (pink colortone around the heart)
and focused on red and yellow in the end for the firey(?) effect :P
[image: i.imgur.com]

Thanks for joining in Auke, always fascinating to see process behind the finished graphic. I like the texture you created using the love juice bottles, neat trick.

Any other artists out there up for sharing either naked graphics or process steps?

here is one with and without the adjustment layer (filter) i always use

with

[image: i.snipboard.io]

without

[image: i.snipboard.io]

Wanted to join in on the fun so here I go!

The finished graphic:
[image: i.imgur.com]

The layers, sadly I can't show you the morphing and brushwork.
[image: i.imgur.com]

All the source images used in this piece:
[image: i.imgur.com]

TLDR, butchered a bunch of cats to make a disney kat.

Thanks for sharing Skunko3o, great example of pulling different parts together to make something new. It's OK to butcher digital cats

I love this idea, that filter made a huge difference. It's a totally different stylistic direction, but here's the steps for the biker one I just did.

Behind The Scenes: Harley davidQuinn Dirty Bomber

Before/After
[image: i.imgur.com]

[image: i.imgur.com]

Step 1: Surface Blur & Sharpening (Unsharp Mask) to smooth out the textures and sharpen the edges.

Step 2: Posterize Filter for the sharp grainy texture that starts looking less like a photograph.

Step 3: Oil Painting Filter to smooth out the soft areas.

Step 4: Added Background.

[image: i.imgur.com]

Step 5: Added a color filter to get the apocalyptic tone I was looking for.

Step 6: Added a selective color filter to the mushroom cloud to darken it some so it would stand out in the next step.

Step 7: Added feathered brightening around the mushroom cloud to get the blinding light effect of an explosion.

Step 8: When the tones were darker, I kind of liked the ominous feeling of the city showing through the mushroom cloud. With the extra lighting I ultimately decided to hide it to help the cloud features stand out.

[image: i.imgur.com]

Step 9/10: Even though the lighting was feathered, it still brightened up a lot of the shadows more than I wanted. So I added an overlay using the stamp filter as a reference to get an idea where the darkest parts would be. The stamp overlay was hidden after I added a contrast layer and used a soft brush to darken the areas I wanted.

Step 11: The last step was adding the text. I picked a font I really loved for this image, used some colors from the background to create the text mask so it would stand out, and then topped it off with the Harley Quinn quote to finish the tone. The license plate was a little bare, so the last touch was to hide a subtle outline of Trogdor for those who get my username reference.

Before/After of Torn City with some similar blur/sharpening adjustments and a cutout filter.
[image: i.imgur.com]


Resources

Here's a link to the Mushroom Cloud that I found when I was looking for references and it ended up fitting the tone I wanted perfectly.

And because I love learning new things, here's a tutorial I modified a lot of the tricks from:
Transform Portraits to GTA Characters in Photoshop!


If anyone has anything to add I welcome feedback, tips, and/or constructive criticism.
I have a full time job and haven't done a lot of this type of thing, but it's becoming a fun hobby.

No color adjustments:

[image: i.imgur.com]

Color adjustments:
[image: i.imgur.com]

Thanks for sharing HelloVello, awesome graphic but first image isn't showing? says imgbb.com image not found

Good to see how you've established yourself firmly in the graphics market Truc <3

Fixed that for you

A good example of the big difference that subtle changes make, thanks