rofish Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 Perfect images and perfect lures. How long did you say you've been in the business? Just tell us pls. what clear is there on those lures. Looks very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jflures Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 Those look great!!! Where do you find the sticker sheets I would like to try this!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LooksLikeSinbad Posted November 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 Those look great!!! Where do you find the sticker sheets I would like to try this!! Avery 8165 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 Man, those are amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LooksLikeSinbad Posted November 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 How long did you say you've been in the business? I have only been making these baits a couple weeks, but I have been using photoshop for many, many years so I have a real advantage in that department. Just tell us pls. what clear is there on those lures. Looks very nice. These have 1 coat of d2t and 1 coat of dick nites. I am planning on adding more dick nites though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21xdc Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 OMG... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basshunter25 Posted November 14, 2008 Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 great job it looks like a real bream i know you will be makeing more i would its one of the best lures i have seen in a long time Thanks to everyone who advised me on repairing my first photo finish crank. But as expected I have abandoned those first 2 cranks and moved on. In the past week I have made some changes to my technique and I think the baits are progressing nicely. And I just got my Dick Nites in the mail and am experimenting with that too. Here are the 2 latest ones. I added a drop shadow to the gill plate to give some depth to it and I think the image is applied to the body better: I also tweaked the image and applied it to a similar but different crankbait body. This shape is more like the bill lewis rattle trap shape: I also applied the same image and technique to a 2 1/4" crankbait body. I don't like these eyes on it so I am going to get some different ones for the next version. I am psyched to see how this swims: Thanks again to everyone for helping me with this and everyone who has shared info, photos, tutorials, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwimbaitJoe Posted November 14, 2008 Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 AWESOME faux finish, if I can ask- How did you get the seam so nice and clean cut on the bottom of the bait? Good baits, keep em comming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Mac Posted November 14, 2008 Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 I have a buddy that specializes in taking fish pictures (he got real good at it doing his PhD @ purdue while photographing age 0 whitefish, which are a smidge over an inch long). Anywho, as a trade-off I'm helping him make some giant plugs for arctic char and he's providing extremely detailed images for me (ex: 1" whitefish can be blown-up to a poster and be crystal). I've done one photofinish so far and it came out pretty good. However, the fish (fathead minnow) had a totally different body shape than my crank. This required a lot of tweaking as far as sizes went b4 we got a bait with similar size specs. Also, I had to do some hardcore airbrushing to get it to blend. My question is: Is there a way to punch in a specific area (outline of my crankbait) and have it stretch/compress the image vertically on photoshop? BTW, that rattle-trap style lipless bait is insane! Very nice, very nice indeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rofish Posted November 14, 2008 Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 Is there a way to punch in a specific area (outline of my crankbait) and have it stretch/compress the image vertically on photoshop? There are infinite possibilities to modify a picture in photoshop - color, size, contrast etc To compress the image size you go image/image size, then you chose not to constrain proportions for width/height, and then you introduce the new values for width and height. How much you will reduce them depends mainly on how thick the lure will be ( to compensate for the roundness of the lure). For instance, I usually reduce both width and height by 8%, then I reduce again the height by another 20%. But the new width and height depend on other things too. So you have to make several trials. After reducing the width and height, I print the image (I only need the outline of it, so I can type the name of the fish in the middle), glue it on soft metal sheet, cut it out, file/sand the edge, and this is how I make the stencil for the respective fish photo ( to trace the outline of the lure on the wood). Here is an example. I hope the pictures will not be automatically resized: Sorry, these 2 won't go together. I just reduced the 2 images, to be accepted by TU. But they are not proportional. Anyway, I guess you have an adeea about how to proceed. This is just a little thing you can do with photoshop. I would like that LooksLikeSinbad could tell us how he created that beautiful image. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Mac Posted November 14, 2008 Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 right on rofish! I personally "don't know jack" about photoshop, but I'll let my bud check it out (I'll have to open the pics on his comp too). One thing I am definately amazed w/ is the fact that lookslikesinbad got the image to completely wrap the bait! No PAINT! As much as I enjoy painting, I'd prefer not having to combine the two (I found it really tested my airbrushing abilities trying to blend a photo w/ paint). It seemed more challenging than just painting a whole lure. quick question too: has anyone tried photofinish on sebil magic swimmers?--- see where I'm going w/ the image adjusting... anywho, thanks for the info! can't wait to try it out. I find its impossible to ever be satisfied (for too long) w/ baits, they always leave me wanting more! crazy addiction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rofish Posted November 14, 2008 Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 I think this way you can easily open the images. I transformed the PSD images in JPEG images. And now they match together. One more thing: this is a new image I created, not tried it yet, so I hope the proportions between the image and the template are right (for 14 mm thick wood). And here is a photofinish belly without any paint on it. I simply cannot understand how LooksLikeSimbad could make the same thing from the second attempt. It took me some years to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LooksLikeSinbad Posted November 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 And here is a photofinish belly without any paint on it. I simply cannot understand how LooksLikeSimbad could make the same thing from the second attempt. It took me some years to do so. Rofish - The seam on your example above is much better then mine. I can tell it took years for you to get it looking that good. Don't forget that mine has epoxy on it and that makes it look better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LooksLikeSinbad Posted November 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 (edited) How did you get the seam so nice and clean cut on the bottom of the bait? I applied the sticker to one side of the bait and rounded out the edges and trimmed it with scissors as I went along. Then, on the 2nd half I rubbed down only on the middle part first. Then, I would go around the perimeter of the image trimming it with the scissors and rubbing it on with my finger. My seam overlaps, it does not butt up against each other like Rofish's. I think the fact that the belly has a scale pattern helps cover up the seam. I used photoshop to extend parts of the image that did not cover the lure properly. Here is a lower-res version of my templated version: For reference, here is a smaller version of 76gator's original bluegill image. I experimented with a few others but for some reason this one works really well: On mine you can see that I cloned scales from the belly and tail below them to fit the lure better. I also made the belly orange. You can also see that I added the drop shadow to the gill plate to give it more depth. I also saturated the colors a little bit to make it richer. See the red outline? That is my tracing of the bait that I scanned in as a guide. I turn that photoshop layer off before printing but I can turn it back on to use as a reference when i am applying the sticker. Edited November 14, 2008 by LooksLikeSinbad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LooksLikeSinbad Posted November 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 There are infinite possibilities to modify a picture in photoshop - color, size, contrast etc. True. When it comes to tweaking an image to fit on a bait, I would recommend experimenting with: EDIT -> TRANSFORM -> SKEW/DISTORT/PERSPECTIVE This will allow you to resize your image in non-uniform ways. For example, if you want to make the tail part of the image larger but not the head. Also the WARP option can help with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CL Rods Posted November 14, 2008 Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 Ok, I think royalties are involved here! I think you need to send me a High res version of your modifications in an email and I need to test a couple of those traps for you! Those look very nice! I guess I am just going to have to get a better printer and give it a try! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LooksLikeSinbad Posted November 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 I'm trying to figure out this Dick Nites stuff. The first coat went on great but when I went to do the second coat I couldn't get the top off! I followed the directions that came with it and cleaned the threads on the top and jar before I closed it. Is that normal? I just punched a hole in the top to pour out some more and covered it with duct tape. Is that ok or should I transfer it into something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Mac Posted November 14, 2008 Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 appreciate the info man! sorry can't help u w/ the DN. I use e-tex and d2t. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predator Bass Baits Posted November 16, 2008 Report Share Posted November 16, 2008 DN Is very tricky stuff, I have wasted a couple qts with the stuff setting up. I used a wine bottle to store it in the last time and it worked great but after it sat for about 3 months it went bad,. This time I used a small hot sauce bottle with a skinny neck because I do not have enough DN to fill a wine bottle so we will see how long it works this time. I am sure if your can is stuck you just need to pry harder and it will break loose. There is a bunch of posts on DN if you search for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted November 16, 2008 Report Share Posted November 16, 2008 Dick Nite storage - it begins to cure in the container if there's not a good seal (I doubt a strip of tape will hack it) or if there is a lot of moisture laden air in the container. In my experience, even in a wine bottle or other small necked container, it will still begin to cure when the level reaches about half full because of the air in the other half. Hobby builders or small volume builders don't use DN fast enough to preclude the problem. I don't think you'll ever have success storing it in the can it came in because removing and tamping on the lid always results in air leaks. The best you can do is decant the quart into smaller containers that you can fill to the top and seal tight. I'm trying something called Bloxygen, an aerosol can of argon/nitrogen that you spray into the container, forming a non-reactive layer of gas between the DN and the air in the container. Bloxygen is sold as a paint and finish preserver and can be ordered from the company's website or other outlets. Does it work? A few TUers already using it say YES. Ask me 6 months from now and I'll have an opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CL Rods Posted November 17, 2008 Report Share Posted November 17, 2008 True. When it comes to tweaking an image to fit on a bait, I would recommend experimenting with: EDIT -> TRANSFORM -> SKEW/DISTORT/PERSPECTIVE This will allow you to resize your image in non-uniform ways. For example, if you want to make the tail part of the image larger but not the head. Also the WARP option can help with this. Since I don't have that software or a good color printer I am resigned to my own mind distorting the image! A few beers later and it is amazing! No clear coat yet but here is my latest mind shop version of photo finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LooksLikeSinbad Posted November 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2008 No clear coat yet but here is my latest mind shop version of photo finish. Wow, nice work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
