Screenshot Critique: F-18

[Immelman]

Inspired by the edit by MagicalNinja:

[krigl]

Looks alright to me  8-)

Perhaps the smoke and flame could be a little more realistic - any hints anyone?

[Sytse]

What program are you using?

[Immelman]

Im using GIMP.

Yeah, i didnt know what the flame and smoke from a real missle would look like.

[ATI_7500]

Perhaps the smoke and flame could be a little more realistic - any hints anyone?

Exhaust flame: Yellow/white.
Smoke: White.

[Double_Farvel]

I think it looks pretty good. It's better than I could do when it comes to missiles.  ;)

[Clipper]

A brief "How I Did It" would be great when anyone is postng an edited shot in Screenshot Critiques, don't you think?

[Splat762]

Once again...the AIM-9 is a rail launched missile...it comes straight off the launcher (LAU-127 in this case) and does not drop away from the aircraft when launched.

[FSGT Gabe]

Looks pretty good, but if you're trying for realism that plane just doesn't do it :-/.  The front looks very cartoonish...unfortunately.

As for the effect, it's pretty good...much better than I could do .

- Kevin

[Sytse]

[quote]A brief "How I Did It" would be great when anyone is postng an edited shot in Screenshot Critiques, don't you think?

[Immelman]

How I did it:
First I erased the missle that was on the right tip of the wing so there was an empty spot, then i cut out the missle on the left tip and copied it where i thought was appropriate in a new layer (the missle was supposed to have come straight off, but since the plane is banking away it be a little below and to the side of the plane, but i probabley should have moved it a little to the left in the picture).  Next, in a new layer for the flames, i used the paint brush tool and used a gradient and had it fade out so i just draged away from the missle and and changed colors and faded out by itself.  Finally a made a third new layer for the smoke.  I got a fuzzy brush and put it on an off-white color, but since there is a cloud behind it, you could barely see the trail.  I had to darken it with a gray fuzzy brush.  At the end i flattened it and increased contrast.