Model airplanes in the spotlight

[chris46]

Many model builders want to take good photos of their models to show them to friends and acquaintances or to use in publications. To do this, I use a computer along with the appropriate software. In my case, it's the well-known Photoshop. Here are a few examples to illustrate this.

[chris46]

First, I take pictures of the model outdoors from various angles, making sure the lighting is good. Using Photoshop, I cut out the model and remove any distracting backgrounds. I search the Internet for landscape images that could serve as a background for my cut-out model. I make sure to choose images with the highest possible resolution; those with approximately 1200 x 800 pixels are suitable.
The exposed model is scaled in Photoshop and positioned in the background image. Rotating propellers can be adjusted using the appropriate filters

Chris

[Sky9pilot]

Fantastic work! What version of Photoshop do you use?  Keep up the great work!
Sky9pilot

[Piecost]

Most impressive models and photos

[chris46]

@ Sky9pilot:
It is Photoshop Elements, Version 11

Chris

[lincoln]

Excellent pics! Would it be cheating to edit out the motor peg. ;-)

[chris46]

Hi lincoln
I don't know myself: Should we hide the fact that it's a model?

Chris

[chris46]

Here are a few more pictures on the topic of how I present my models. For the Jimmie Allen "Parasol," I used Photoshop to remove the rubber bands used to attach the wings. Even though it's a model aircraft, it gives the impression that it could be a real, man-carrying airplane.

Chris

[lincoln]

Somewhere, I've seen a picture of a full scale plane, maybe a Champ, with a big, twisted rubber motor painted on the side.

[ZIP.58]

Hi Chris, as your wingman, I'd like to chime in too. There are some great photos of our D-3800/3801 as a patrol and also solo. I think Chris does a fantastic job with the rendering and the backgrounds.
If these are rendered in black and white and weathered, the illusion is almost perfect. Here with the models of the C-3603 and D-3800.

Pete

[ZIP.58]

Now aged to black and white

[Prosper]

. . . Would it be cheating to edit out the motor peg. ;-)

Lose the motor peg . . . and just clear up that wrinkled tissue . . . clean up that bit where the paint bled under the stencil . . . ;-)

I don't know myself: Should we hide the fact that it's a model?

Hmmmm. I know this is just for fun, and pride, but I just wonder if we've reached the stage where there's no point in people posting pics and vids of their models in flight, if it's so easy to create the illusion digitally. Anyway, your thread has given me food for thought.

Stephen. P.S. "What's that flying over - is that a model plane?" "No - it's just an Optical Ilyushin."

[billdennis747]

Reminds me of the chap who was disqualified from the RC scale WC. He had uploaded photos of his model to Wikipedia posed as the full-size subject and used them as his documentation. Unsurprisingly his model got very good marks. I think he was rumbled when someone noticed in one of the shots from above that the pilot had no arms.

[chris46]

There are obviously model builders who aren't particularly fond of my photo montages and wonder whether it makes any sense at all to publish photos of flying models.
The fact is, however, that in the "Your Birds in Flight" section here on HPA, 8 of the 14 posts are by Pete and me, featuring real photos of flying models. Two posts show beautiful models on the ground. So: Where are all the in-flight photos?

Chris

[MockwingF]

I have to agree with you, Chris: presenting self-built model aircraft, or models in general, in a suitable setting is one of the most enjoyable aspects of our hobby. I found the insights into your workflow particularly interesting. Before reading your post, I had no idea how much effort and attention to detail goes into creating such images. Respect!

However, I cannot fully understand the criticism of your presentation techniques in the age of AI. You photograph your own models and, in my view, you have every right to edit those images according to your own artistic vision. Whether someone likes such edits or not is ultimately a matter of personal preference.

But what can AI do today compared to your highly skilled photo montage techniques? With widely available AI systems such as Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Grok, or ChatGPT, it is already possible to generate completely new images from nothing more than a text description of a non-existent model, or from photographs of existing models. These seemingly real models can then be placed into almost any imaginable virtual or real-world setting, complete with effects such as spinning propellers or realistic in-flight scenes. And all this can be done within just a few minutes.

The quality of AI-generated images has now reached a level where they can often only be distinguished from real photographs or high-quality photo montages through watermarks, provenance information, or specialized analysis software.

For precisely this reason, forums, build logs, and other reliable sources will become even more important within our hobby. They provide transparency and credibility while documenting the actual construction of a model. Anyone presenting a convincing scale replica can use such documentation to demonstrate how the model was actually built.

On the other hand, we should not close ourselves off to new technologies. They cannot be stopped anyway. Friedrich Dürrenmatt expressed this idea very effectively in his play The Physicists: what becomes technically possible will sooner or later find its way into practical use.

Markus