A big challenge...Reflect this...

[agentphish]

Try as I might I have been unable to successfully create an "apple like" reflection of this product for a catalog I'm working on.

There's too many circular shapes at 3/4 view to get it to look right.

If anyone can do it, and explain just how they got it to look right, I'd be eternally grateful...

I've always found 3/4 view products the hardest to reflect but I can usually get them done.

 

[AdeFowler]

My best effort involved rotating the original. Not sure if that's a viable option or not.

 

[agentphish]

Good effort, however, they don't quite line up, and it's quite tough to get the perspective correct when they do. It starts to look crappy...

That said, it is a good effort and I will ask the client about rotating the original...I didn't think to do that because they had said they'd like to use them as they where.

 

[LeviG]

My best image (didn't bother uploading) was flip horizontally, then rotate and play with perspective/skew to get looking right. But that image is a pita to get right in photoshop, I would just probably do a quick 3ds max render because it would be so much easier.

 

[AdeFowler]

Well they line up now, but I take your point about the perspective

 

[agentphish]

leviG-

If I knew 3dSmax I'd do it for sure! I've seen people play w/ it and it seems awesome.

Oh well... I guess what I'll do is rotate it and show them and see what they say.
Thanks guys.

 

[snickelfritz]

The problem is that the "copy and flip" method of simulating reflections only works with a straight-on orthographic view of the object.

This is a 3/4 top-down perspective view.
ie: A visually correct reflection should show the bottom of the object at the intersection between the objects; this information is not contained within the image of the original object, and the simulated reflection will never look quite right.

 

[Gelfin]

Paint out that asymmetrical groove at the top, preferably doing a better job than I've done of it here (hey, I'm not being paid ), and it actually lines up quite well with no flipping, very little rotation/perspective of the copy and no transformation to the original.

 

[snickelfritz]

Nice solution Gelfin.

Also, add a shadow to the intersection area, and to the bottom contour of the object in the reflection.

 

[Gelfin]

Nice solution Gelfin.

Also, add a shadow to the intersection area, and to the bottom contour of the object in the reflection.

Thanks. Too bad there's no general technique to offer except insofar as "cheat like a three-card-monte dealer whenever possible" is a technique. I remembered the intersection shadow after I had exported, but I couldn't be bothered to go back and fix it. Again with the not being paid.

 

[snickelfritz]

Strata has a suite of 3D plugins for PhotoshopCS3 Extended that would simplify this process. (among other things)
For example, you take a series of pictures of a complex object using the supplied template for camera positioning, then generate a detailed, fully textured model from these photographs.

The advantage of doing this is that the object, lighting and camera can be manipulated and positioned in Photoshop as a 3D object layer.

Here's a link to few tutorials for the modeling and rendering plugins:
http://www.3dlayer.com/tutorials/wood_bowl/
http://www.3dlayer.com/tutorials/drinksquad/