Royalty of the Savannah

May 15, 2022

     I call this one Royalty in Waiting .   

    Lydia provided the starting image for this PFCC challenge. She found a cute little lion cub from Pixabay. Many times the challenge for me is figuring out what to do with a starter image. This time it was a little easier. I remembered and adorable lion cub that I had used in a composite quite a while ago. So, I brought him back out and paired him up with his "little sister". The other lion cub was from AdobeStock, and the crowns were from PixelSquid.

    Like with many composites, I had to extend the background to make room for the other lion. I ended up making a duplicate copy of the original image, then using a combination of content aware fill, the healing brush and a little bit of cloning to take out the original cub. Then, I was able to stretch out and enlarge the background enough to leave room for the other cub. I then masked out both cubs from their background and set them into the stretched savannah. I adjusted the color of the cubs and the background so they would have the same tones. One of the giveaways of a composite is each element is a different color tone. I also adjusted the shadows on the male cub to match that of the original cub. Unrealistic shadows, shadows being cast in several directions, shadows with different densities, and different sharpness is probably the number one giveaway to a composited image. 

    Then, the crowns were added. I did go in the crown smart object to change the color of the jewel, as I thought that green would look much better in this scene than the garnet color. I had a mask out the back part of the circle it ring to fit it on their heads, and there was some size adjustment as the cubs are slightly different size. I did add a bit of shadowing under the crown, to match the rest of the shadows in the image. One of the group members thought it wasn't enough shadow, and perhaps I should have funds the edges a little bit to match the fur. I tried it, but really didn't care for the results of either method  And, as long as I was adding green I used a touch of it to brighten and draw attention to their eyes. 

    I sure have been enjoying the warm temperatures and sunshine this week. I've spent the morning basking in the light from the windows very much like a lizard. It's supposed to be cooler and rainy next week. Of course, I have to be out and about more. It never fails. 🙄

    Take care and stay well. St. Clair county just bumped up to a high transmission rate again. Maybe now I won't be the only one wearing a mask indoors.