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June 19, 2012 10:53 AM   Subscribe

A 7 minute timelapse video showing how graphic designer Alexander Koshelkov put together this image of a plane crash using photos from other sources. (Action starts around 40 seconds in. via)
posted by jontyjago (46 comments total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
While Koshelkov may understand Photoshop he does not understand how light sources work.
posted by komara at 11:02 AM on June 19, 2012 [6 favorites]


The end result kind of looks like a painting, probably due to all the post-processing. Which makes me wonder what a talented painter could do in 4.5 hours.
posted by 2bucksplus at 11:05 AM on June 19, 2012 [2 favorites]


I'm pretty sure this was faked. You could probably pretend to photoshop this in about five minutes using Metaphotoshop's "gin up editing demo" stamp tool and a little bit of visual narrative filtering.
posted by cortex at 11:08 AM on June 19, 2012 [10 favorites]


I don't know if it's the image itself, the music or the endless "FOLLOW-LIKE ME ON QR-CODE SUBSCRIBE" but I really wanted to punch this guy.
posted by DU at 11:15 AM on June 19, 2012 [3 favorites]


Based on the fact that people saw the plane crashing, stopped their cars because it's faster to run, unbuckled their seat belts, opened their doors, and ran 100 feet (in the same direction as the plane is crashing--yes, indeed), I estimate that these are stupid people and the plane was traveling at 32 miles per hour. Maybe it stalled.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 11:17 AM on June 19, 2012 [11 favorites]


That guy coming at us, in the center of the canvas, is actually speed walking, not running. Both of his feet are on the ground at the same time.
Yes, that is my takeaway.
posted by NoMich at 11:21 AM on June 19, 2012 [6 favorites]


The guy really plastered his name over this forgettable overprocessed image.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 11:21 AM on June 19, 2012 [2 favorites]


I like the part where he signs the work on a highway sign with an inconsistent text baseline and an incorrect perspective adjustment.
posted by Nelson at 11:36 AM on June 19, 2012 [3 favorites]


Yeah, but did you play it loud enough?
posted by dirtdirt at 11:42 AM on June 19, 2012 [6 favorites]


Well, I for one am definitely never flying with Luftbanza.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:52 AM on June 19, 2012 [9 favorites]


If the goal was creating an image with the same look as every action movie poster of the last 20 years, then big success! My only hope is that Nic Cage is on that plane.
posted by davebush at 12:15 PM on June 19, 2012 [2 favorites]


That guy coming at us, in the center of the canvas, is actually speed walking, not running. Both of his feet are on the ground at the same time.

Yeah, my first reaction was "Why is grandpa powerwalking on the highway? Did he not notice the plane crashing right behind him?"
posted by stopgap at 12:20 PM on June 19, 2012 [4 favorites]


Not enough lens flare.
posted by Behemoth at 12:25 PM on June 19, 2012 [1 favorite]


So many questions!

Why is the asphlalt so reflective?
Why are the sirens on the police car on?
Why was this worth the effort?
Why is this art?
Is this art?
What is the artistic merit of glossy and gratuitous violence and destruction?
Why is it that it even holds our interest?
posted by cacofonie at 12:25 PM on June 19, 2012 [2 favorites]


cause it's raining
so they'll reflect off the asphalt
it wasn't
it isn't
no
not a lot unless it's a haneke film or maybe the original battle royale
it doesn't
posted by nathancaswell at 12:33 PM on June 19, 2012 [4 favorites]


The highway is under a sheet of freshly squeegeed glass. Don't slip, power-walking Bill Murray.
posted by davebush at 12:35 PM on June 19, 2012 [5 favorites]


Hey, I don't want to tell you how to do your job or anything, but could you make the lens flare bigger?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:53 PM on June 19, 2012 [1 favorite]


The most grating part of the final image is the perfectly sharp reflection of "Alex Koshelkov A v e" (ugh! the kerning!) in the shiny shiny highway. That's just not how wet streets reflect things.
posted by oulipian at 12:53 PM on June 19, 2012


The airplane image he used is one I use as a desktop wallpaper.
posted by smoothvirus at 12:57 PM on June 19, 2012


What a disaster.
posted by Flashman at 1:02 PM on June 19, 2012 [5 favorites]


You can tell by some of the pixels. (obligatory)
posted by The Deej at 1:02 PM on June 19, 2012


So the guy is halfway decent at photoshop. A time-lapse video of someone making something in photoshop that looks really real instead of a halfway decent photoshop would be interesting. Unfortunately, this isn't.
posted by chimaera at 1:17 PM on June 19, 2012


Wow, he sucks at Photoshop.

I mean, he may know how to access the tools and replicate and filter images, but, honestly - this is on a par with Michael Jackson's late-life plastic surgery. Stalin's people did better with scissors, glue, and a darkroom dodge tool.
posted by IAmBroom at 1:28 PM on June 19, 2012


cause it's raining
so they'll reflect off the asphalt
it wasn't
it isn't
no
not a lot unless it's a haneke film or maybe the original battle royale
it doesn't
That's the best poem I've read today. The only one, but the best.
posted by Jehan at 1:40 PM on June 19, 2012 [3 favorites]


Using the Challenger explosion for the smoke trails: not cool.
posted by ShutterBun at 1:42 PM on June 19, 2012 [3 favorites]


All of you criticizing the subject matter and composition realize this is a Prometheus parody, right? (Isn't it?)
posted by straight at 1:50 PM on June 19, 2012


I'm pretty sure this was faked. You could probably pretend to photoshop this in about five minutes using Metaphotoshop's "gin up editing demo" stamp tool and a little bit of visual narrative filtering.

So, you're saying this 'shopping was 'shopped? Next thing you're going to tell me that this isn't really two people talking. :)
posted by yourcelf at 1:57 PM on June 19, 2012


Using the Challenger explosion for the smoke trails: not cool.

Maybe the pilot crashed trying to avoid the Challenger explosion. Didja think of that?
Maybe that plane had those solid fuel engines that keep flying after detaching from the wing.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 2:00 PM on June 19, 2012 [1 favorite]


It reminds me of some of the hilariously bad SFX demo reels on YouTube that get shipped around by earnest young men looking for work in the industry. Except that this was done with sufficient technical skill to be entertaining.
posted by ardgedee at 2:01 PM on June 19, 2012


It's ugly and uninteresting, no matter how it was processed.
posted by Tevin at 2:10 PM on June 19, 2012


All that work and it still looks so shitty.

A lot of times I'll be working in Photoshop, think I have something that looks good, then look at it again a couple of days later and be shocked at how obviously wrong it hits me. Alex should notice the power walker by the weekend.
posted by sageleaf at 2:24 PM on June 19, 2012 [2 favorites]


Using the Challenger explosion for the smoke trails: not cool.

That entire painting isn't cool. At least the Challenget bits reminded of a few books I need to read.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:45 PM on June 19, 2012


Could I see a version of this with jerkily animated half-completed water color drawings thx
posted by notmydesk at 2:51 PM on June 19, 2012 [1 favorite]


pfft. I do this every day, at 24 frames per second, lately in stereo, and at the end of it you can't tell that it isn't real. I should make one of these, actually.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 2:55 PM on June 19, 2012 [1 favorite]


It's hard to talk about crash illustrations without mentioning Macarthur Job & Matthew Tesch and their Air Disaster book series. Many of the crashes have detailed illustrations like this one. The inflight breakup ones tend to be exceptionally detailed, showing the physical forces on each part of the plane that progressively failed. Macarthur Job's career has been all about aviation safety, so some parts of the book do get pretty technical.
posted by crapmatic at 2:55 PM on June 19, 2012 [1 favorite]


Well, I for one am definitely never flying with Luftbanza.
posted by mr_crash_davis


1) funny
2) eponysterical
posted by nathancaswell at 3:02 PM on June 19, 2012


To paraphrase Roger Ebert, this person has noticed in photographs that surfaces sometimes cast shadows and reflections, but he has not learned why.
posted by Rhomboid at 5:01 PM on June 19, 2012 [4 favorites]


The NYPD car on a Los Angeles freeway....wha?
posted by nevafeva at 5:04 PM on June 19, 2012


I like how at a glance you could tell that jet engine flying away clearly did not come off that plane. Scale is wrong, shroud is wrong, wrong engine, etc...
It's a 747 right? Both those engines should be the same size, the inside one is huge.

For anyone who is curious, the broken engine he has added to the inside of the wing is a Pratt & Whitney from a 737 (from a Turkish airline crash) which is much smaller than the 4 engines that power a 747.

The thing flying off into the distance is an experimental quiet technology engine fitted on the newer 777 (as seen here)

It's no wonder he crashed. He had two engines that put out 50k-60k pounds of thrust, one that put out 15k-17k pounds of thrust and one that put out 80k-100k pounds of thrust. Who approved that thing for flight?!

(Excuse my nerding out)
posted by MrBobaFett at 5:20 PM on June 19, 2012 [3 favorites]


I watched it in 1080p and it quickly became difficult to watch how badly he misunderstands perspective. But then, my pet peeve is compositing images with mismatched perspectives. Also I think this guy spends way too much time painting in details that are covered up later.
posted by charlie don't surf at 5:52 PM on June 19, 2012


It's OK, but it's would never fool Unixrat.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 8:02 PM on June 19, 2012


The Rob Liefeld of photoshop!

I was hoping he'd leave the SF Bay Area road sign and the NYPD cop car in the shot, but he caught that one. The rest of the image is awful.

2,118,756 views. 22,373 likes, 338 dislikes. That's the problem with crap There plenty of people in the world with no taste to support it.

Anyway, there are a ton of speed 'shopping videos on youtube, most of the ones Iv'e seen were people doing 'painting' rather then ordinary Photoshopping but I'm sure you could find some quality work if you look around.
posted by delmoi at 10:17 PM on June 19, 2012


He's certainly found was to innovate in making crappy HDR look way crappier.
posted by delmoi at 10:19 PM on June 19, 2012


The end result is ugly. But he is quite skilled. My guess is that he's 100% self taught. Give him some classic art training and he would rock.
posted by falameufilho at 12:09 AM on June 20, 2012


I was trying to formulate a response as to why I dislike the picture so much, but all I can articulate is "AAAAAAARGH!"
posted by milkb0at at 2:30 AM on June 20, 2012


I suppose I'll be the contrarian that actually enjoyed watching it.

I struggle with taking an initial concept to a fully realized end result, be it 'shopping, programming, around-the-house projects, or what have you. In fact, right now I have three different programming projects and two hands on projects at home that I've stalled out on and put aside. So in that sense I got a kick out of watching him go through the whole process, reaching a point where he was happy with his effort and willing to release it to the wild.
posted by I Havent Killed Anybody Since 1984 at 8:57 AM on June 20, 2012


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