Photoshop 3D (and Toy Story 3)

As those of you who have watched my training videos for lynda.com know, I spend a lot of time doing “deep dives.” My three Photoshop CS5 One-on-One courses add up to nearly 64 hours (which is why the editors have recently taken to calling them Dekelopedias). I spend a lot of time outlining the projects and bringing myself up-to-speed on the features. But the vast majority of my time is spent creating and researching the project files, which I try to make as real-world and compelling as I can.

I mention this because my next foray—after I complete Illustrator CS5 One-on-One: Mastery—will be a thus-far unnamed series on Photoshop CS5 Extended’s 3D capabilities. And as I plunk around formulating project files, I can’t help but look to Pixar for inspiration. I mean, even the detail below (the chin and chest from the lovable, malignant, strawberry-smellin’ Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear from Toy Story 3, which hits grocer’s shelves in a couple of weeks) is enough to make a digital artist gasp with amazement, not to mention cry with envy.

Detail from Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear

Truth be told, Photoshop isn’t nearly capable enough to handle these sorts of texture and lighting effects. (Pixar has software the rest of us only dream about.) But Photoshop’s brand of 3D is a rich and deep group of features, one that has experienced tremendous growth in the last few versions and will continue to grow in the future. My questions to you are: What do you want to see? What do you expect from Photoshop 3D? What kind of 3D images do you desperately need to create? What sorts of effects do you want me to focus on?

Like Lots-O’, the first thing you gotta know about me is I’m a hugger. Only I hug you with hours upon hours of digital imaging information. It’s a little bit overwhelming, but it’s lovable and malignant. And it does in fact smell exactly like strawberries.

Incidentally, if you want to hear an interview with Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich and screenwriter Michael Arndt, check out the most recent episode of Fresh Air from WHYY. The Lee Unkrich character is pictured below. We all know he’s not real, and yet check out the flesh and eyes. They’re amazingly well rendered! (Those Pixar guys, how do they do it?)

Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich

Next entry:Illustrator CS5 One-on-One Advanced: Preview Coming @ U

Previous entry:Book Is Done. I Am Back.

  • hey c’mon…

    he IS real…

  • PS Expres & photoshop.com & ur unkown tutos

    Today I did buy the iPad in the new AppleStore in Barcelona. I’ve tried to setup the app PS Express which redirect me to photoshop.com, where ¡Oh surprise! i get 2Gb free storage, unused and created when i was learning your CS4 tutorials. After those i was interested on channels in deep, and actions and finally Javascript….—>no more PS for a while and three months of diving in code world. In a certain point i discovered the little AppleScript and then ApplescriptObjC and ...,well that’s another history. As said befor i buy an iPad 7 hours ago and touring around photoshop.com and making a search for PS Express the result is ¡101 tips in 5 minuts with deke! Amazing, einfach wunderbar! I will add that tutorial to my profile after opening one account in Facebook. I feel i’m discovering the world again with the many facilities the technologies offer to us. And i consider you my teacher.Thank you very much and happy to meet you again even if you sing :-)

  • 3D

    I am looking forward to the learning possibilities from your approach to 3D.  One thing that I have been unable to discover so far is—how do you select multiple meshes, so that you can move an object that is made up of several meshes within a scene, say the famous wine bottle, or any other complex component.

  • Photoshop 3D

    i have Compaq CQ45 106 au model laptop, it has ATI HD 3200 graphic card inbuilt.Few of the 3D options in Photoshop CS4 are grayed out, i came to know its because i dont have a good graphic card….

    http://mojoblastreview.com/


  • Sounds a little mind blowing

    Sounds a little mind blowing 3D photoshop

    I’m struggling to get my head around 2D


    ——————-

    For all you Photoshop tutorials


    www.photoshopcs5.co.uk

  • Features

    oic, I thought that Pixar used Photoshop as primary editing or other stuff for 3D, hhmm, so they created a software for the benefits of their company right? do have they plan to sell it?.

    About Photoshop 3D, I think they add some features from Maya, I hope soon photoshop is not just for an editing, but can compete in different 3D softwares applications.

    “A sure way to drain life of its savor is to keep a death-grip on it. “


    http://www.esolarpowercost.com/articles/3-things-your-electric-company-wont-tell-you-about-solar-power-lights

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