Images for Wedding Invitations...c/c, anyone?

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I'm doing the design for some wedding invitations for a friend, and I need some c/c on it. I've been browsing the threads, and I can see there are some very good artists here, so I feel okay with posting them. There are two designs, both of which will be used. I wanted to do something different than your run-of-the-mill lace, flowers, and curly script, so I took a picture (as in, I snapped the photograph myself, not took an existing image) and ran with it. Here's what I came up with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Design 1:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Design 2:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So...anyone have anything to say?

[Metroid]

Try resizing the hands and making them smaller so you can see part of the wrist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v2 is better, but I think it'd look better in b/w so the focus isn't completely on the hands.

[ThoseTheBrokes]

V2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't quite understand what was going on in V1. I thought it was just the shadow of the hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'd go with that Metroid said though, V2. In Black and white.

[cadburys_egg]

At the moment it's veeery basic. That may be what you want, but it looks simple, but not simplistic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From what I can tell it looks like a gradient with a low opacity, default pattern over it. Then a photo of the hands with some text and brushings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you want a nice curly, scriptive font - try Scriptina.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For me, you should focus on the hands. But more specifically; the ring.

 

 

 

• [*:3a9kt6sh]Like Metroid said, perhaps zoom out on the photo a bit so wrists are in-shot.
   
   
   
  [*:3a9kt6sh]Then sharpen the hands. Looks very blurry.
   
   
   
  [*:3a9kt6sh]Use gradients to fade away the corners and edges to the point where it's just touching the hands.
   
   
   
  [*:3a9kt6sh]Then increase saturation on and around the ring.
   
   
   
  [*:3a9kt6sh]Also a gaussion blur and lighten technique would go well with this.
   
   
   
  [*:3a9kt6sh]Could also do with more contrast, at the moment it looks very much like one hand but a little... freakish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm unsure for background, though. You want something fairly contrasting, so the hands stick out, but not so much it's an eyesore.

 

 

 

I'll perhaps post if I get a good idea for it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good luck, anyway.

[pryomancer]

I think a sepia tone would look nice.

[tripsis]

I think someone else mentioned this as well, but they are both very basic. When I think of wedding, I think:

 

 

 

-Formal

 

 

 

-Elegant

 

 

 

-Dreamy

 

 

 

-Regal

 

 

 

And so on.. Of the two you posted, I'd pick V2 but make some modifications. The hands need to be in focus, and maybe given a "softer" feel to them, or just change it to B&W. Maybe play around with different colours, saturation, etc. And the text needs to be changed to a different font, maybe with a few effects. There's a lot more you can do, but it's a good start. I love the concept of the image.

[-------]

Thanks, everyone for the comments so far. I'll admit the images didn't get the reaction I was expecting, but I could always use a little more humility. : And they're all good comments, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bit of background: The idea is indeed to keep things basic. The whole wedding is squarely at the basic side of the spectrum, partly because they have to work on an itty-bitty budget, and party because the bride really has a thing about finding elegance in simplicity. She hates scriptive fonts, though, so the font can't get much "scriptier". Maybe I'll see if I can convince her to try Vivaldi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

in V2, the background's not a gradient, Cadbury's_Egg. That actually is the picture background, but (and this is the reason for a lot of the blurring) the camera does NOT take good quality shots. I don't own a good quality camera, and the bride wanted her hand in the pic, not a stock photo. So I put about a 9-something Gaussian blur on it. I did use a default pattern, though. I didn't do any brushings, either, just copied out some new layers using the Magnetic Lasso Tool and put a lot of "Reduce Noise" filter and some Gaussian blur on it. I also messed with the Color Balance and Brightness/Contrast to bring out the blue in the ring's jewels, particularly the sapphires.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, I know someone who does have a better quality camera, and I'm going to see if I can borrow it tomorrow. They don't live far away from me. Then I'll incorporate the other stuff and see what happens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actually, you guys have made my job easier, because, as I said, I have to produce two different versions of the image. If I have a B&W image, and then a sepia filter in the PSD ready to slap on top, then I can have my two versions without having to create two totally different images! \

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have to ask, though, tripsis, what exactly do you mean by giving the hands a softer feel?

[-------]

Okay, so I got hold of a better-quality camera, a guy with bigger hands, and I tried to incorporate most of the suggestions given me. I came out with a sepia and a B&W version of Wedding Picture Take 3 (Take 2 was even worse than Take 1, so I didn't even bother posting it.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The images are significantly bigger than before, so I'm just posting thumbnails that you can follow to the images themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B&W:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sepia:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Better?

[Nazgul740]

A quick thought from me... you could have the colors be all sorta monatone and all that then have the ring in a bright viberant color to draw the eye to it... I like the update but one of the hands has a dirty fingernail... :shock:

[-------]

A quick thought from me... you could have the colors be all sorta monatone and all that then have the ring in a bright viberant color to draw the eye to it... I like the update but one of the hands has a dirty fingernail... :shock:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, I forgot to mention...the ring itself is silver, with a diamond in the middle. That's why only the side jewels (sapphires) have any color to them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dirty fingernail? Oh, I see. That scab on his finger. Aheh. I'll go fix that. Ummm, okay, until I get that fixed, just pretend the scab isn't there and make comments. :

[cadburys_egg]

Okay, so I got hold of a better-quality camera, a guy with bigger hands, and I tried to incorporate most of the suggestions given me. I came out with a sepia and a B&W version of Wedding Picture Take 3 (Take 2 was even worse than Take 1, so I didn't even bother posting it.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The images are significantly bigger than before, so I'm just posting thumbnails that you can follow to the images themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*SHNIPS*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Better?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personally I preferred the original pose, but that is a much better zoom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But you really need more focus. Putting a picture of two hands and then B&W'ing it doesn't take alot, you need somewhere that the eyes quickly find.

 

 

 

Font is better this time, though.

[WeeBoab]

i take it u photomaniped a pair of hands? then its not rly urs, ur using a copyrighted image, changing it, then dispersing it >.>. and the text ruins them. 1st is better

[woopidoo2]

Personally, I would use different stock photos. The ones you made are not bad at all, let that be clear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But after all, I dont think the invited guests will critisize your piece of work, since its all about the wedding itself.