In need of a little tip......

[cspyro21]

For all you experienced painters out there, I am in need of a little tip.
How do you go about weathering an aircraft? I use Photoshop CS to repaint an aircraft, but I'm clueless about weathering.
Could somebody please explain how to get the weathering effects?

Thanks very much

[9thSimplex]

I think a very first step could be checking some photo ressources. You'll recon that around rivets and panellines a lot of dirt hangs around.

So you could dublicate the panellines and rivets, gauss blur them and reduce the opacity. play around with the value.. that underlines the panels etc a bit subtle but imho already has a good effect compared to the bare white skin.

Than the smudge tool will become one of your best friends. I am using a dark nearly black brown tone and paint on a new layer with full opacity and the multi feathered brush. than smudge it into reasonable directions (flight direction, gravitation direction, etc) MEss around with the different smudge tool vaules too. Getting a nice weathering is surely also depending on experiences AND personal styles and variations of techiniques.

You might try my humble tips but seeing them as few thought to get started, sure you'll vary them by your increasing experience.

[Felix/FFDS]

Scott Slaughter, of Abacus Publkishing, has an article on "adding dirt" ... Adding Dust and More

Then there's Basic Weathering from the Simmer's Paint Shop site.

Both tutorials are good, and you can use the

[wji]

I differentiate between 'weathered' and 'dirty'



I created this weathered effect using the Gradient Tool with colors set from  grey to white.

For 'dirt', I use the method reported here.

[9thSimplex]

a bit less defined imho...

[Tweek]

That Simmers Paintshop tutorial looks good. Think I'll have to improve a few of my aircraft with it I love a weathered and dirty look.

[Felix/FFDS]

I differentiate between 'weathered' and 'dirty'

I agree, and since different aircraft "weather" and "get dirty" in different situations, that's why having a different set of tools and techniques available makes each repaint unique.

You can have a "clean" but "weathered" aircraft, maybe it has some parts from another airplane and hasn't been reapainted yet?  etc.

wji, your model looks good - not the crisp, just painted look, but that airplane has been "used" - a lot!

[9thSimplex]

That is what i call clean but worn

Whish the great WoP planes would look a bit more worn/weathered like that



Taken by my wingman JeroenRep on our last MP sortie in PF. Skins by me

why does the image not show up?!?!?

[cloud9]

fixed it for ya

[9thSimplex]

thanks... again for fixing

[Felix/FFDS]

[quote]thanks... again for fixing

[machineman9]

im no expert, but shading and removing the blockish colours add weathering, also shading the unerside of the plane may improve its look

[Jeph]

heres a few off the top of my head....i see them every day working at my airport (KPNE)

remember that there should be some tiny bare metal areas showing, particularly around overwing refueling points, and fuel panels, and maybe even by luggage doors and panels.

add maybe a scratch from some time a dumb line rat scratched the paint with the refueling nozzle,

add like a TINY LITTLE tiny hint of blue on the top of wings where AVGAS may have overflowed and evaporated, leaving an oval (egg shaped, kinda) shaped ring of a faint blue. have the pointier end of the oval aft, and rounded side closer to the front side.

dirt on the belly, depending on plane, in line with the plane of rotation for wheels,

maybe some stains from hydraulic fluid, some effect of peeling due to Skydrol (nasty stuff!!!!!!!!!)

chipped paint on leading edges, nose, and along the seam where the radome and fuselage meet, also near handles on doors.

dirt on handles and foot holds/steps...

maybe some brake dust (dark gray) on the main wheels,

grease slung away from the center on nose wheels of some jets (hawkers and citations are notorious for this).

soot build up on fuselage (depending on aircraft) due to thrust reversers, exhaust residue (soot) build up from APU exhaust, trailing behind the exhaust exit, due to it being used in flight,

streaks of discoloration on the underside of engine cowls due to slight leaks from oil, etc out of the drain ports on said cowls.

if working on planes dealing with salt water, use lots of different shades of the same color. look at the internet for F-14 or other older naval aircraft pics....no 2 panels are the same color...corrosion owns!

theres a lot more ideas, but i cant think of them right now because i took a sleeping pill, and my attention span is about shot.

good night.

[wji]

"heres a few off the top of my head...."

For some reason your sample screenshots didn't show up in this thread. Could you repost them so we can view your work?

[Travis]

"heres a few off the top of my head...."

For some reason your sample screenshots didn't show up in this thread. Could you repost them so we can view your work?

He wasn't trying to show any shots, he was posting some IDEAS off the top of his head . . .