Gondor Leader Pics

[Toshach]

I have a very minor quip with this otherwise most excellent mod.

While playing the Gondor Campaign, I noticed that some of the leader photos could use a little help. Considering all of the work put into this mod, especially the beautiful graphics, many of the character pics for Gondor look like cheap snapshots. So here are a few suggestions for the photographer(s):

1)If you are going to use pics of your homies then try not to let them look so much like your homies.

2)Don’t have subject look into the camera. That’s a mug shot. Have the subject look a little to the side and perhaps a little up or a little down. Boromir and Faramir are good examples of how to do it.

3)Shoot outdoors, under natural light. Indoor lighting often looks too contemporary.

4)The subject should look the part—not someone who looks like my brother midway through a Matrix marathon.

5)Finally, absolutely no smiling. This is a desperate war to the death that will decide the fate of Middle Earth. Smiling is not tolerated.

All that said, it was a clever idea to put a crown on a pic of Legolas and use that as Thranduil. But it’s also a little wierd, IMHO. There’s a great pic of a more mature looking elf on one of the intro screens. He is the elf on the far left in the pic of Arwen on horseback, heading to the Grey Havens. I think he’d make a good Thranduil, or at least a random elf leader.

A photograph that I am not fond of is the pic of Aragorn’s son that pops up every time a kid is born. That kid creeped me out in the movie, and he still creeps me out. There were other scenes of him running around that have a more generic look, and I think would be better.

Like I said, it's a very small quip.

[Ozzmosis]

The pictures weren't taken by the team, but the individual faces were taken from group photos of LOTR film extras, done mostly by Louis Lux, I believe. The reason they are smiling is that those are just group photos for extras, whereas some of the more serious expressions are from the film itself.

[Louis Lux]

Are you ing kidding me?

I guess you would prefer some lame edits with Christian Bale and Gerard Butler with gondor armour and Lucius Malfoy as thranduil? Because that's probably what you would have if I hadn't done them. But wth, I'll respond to your issues.

1- 90% of the portraits are from people that worked as extras in the lotr trilogy, the remaining are from costumed fans but i doubt you can tell them apart.

2- First there are very few portraits facing forward, and they are totally legitimate since a lot of the med II portraits are that way.

3- Exactly, I'll have a bunch of people come over and me and my design team will dress them up and I'll take their picture in front of my house.
Also the photos I used that were taken outdoors don't look very good, they are overexposed and lack the proper shadows in the face.

4- I don't even know how to answer this...

5- I would hardly call it a smile, perhaps a slight smirk, and there a lot of those in the vanilla portraits too.

For the Thranduil portrait I didn't just put a crown on him, I took an already heavily edited image and edited it even further and that's the best you'll ever get:


Just fyi these portraits required hours of research and editing, and that's without taking into account the level of photoshop skill that I had developed prior to that. I wish someone had taken good pictures of Lotr extras during filming but there wasn't, so I had to work with what was available.

[WARdrobe]

It's okay Louis. Your pics are epic

[Baywatch]

Not sure what you're expecting them to be? I think they're done very well, possibly even the best I've seen. The only one I can gripe about is Glorfindel, and not because it's not well done but because he's uglier than half the orc generals.

[Neptune7]

The only one I can gripe about is Glorfindel, and not because it's not well done but because he's uglier than half the orc generals.

Really? I don't remember Glorfindel being ugly..And certainly not ORC ugly..He is the general that has that special ability to make your troops fight harder, I think...

[Baywatch]

Really? I don't remember Glorfindel being ugly..And certainly not ORC ugly..He is the general that has that special ability to make your troops fight harder, I think...

Yepp, that's him. I would easily be far more scared of him than the majority of the orcs. He just has the whole half male/half female look going on along with being overly pale and freaky looking altogether. But, perhaps it's just me.

[Raiven]

Yepp, that's him. I would easily be far more scared of him than the majority of the orcs. He just has the whole half male/half female look going on along with being overly pale and freaky looking altogether. But, perhaps it's just me.

It is not just you Me too...I realy would like to see he's picture to be changed into one that fits more for such a mighty elf

[Louis Lux]

He just has the whole half male/half female look going on along with being overly pale and freaky looking altogether.

That's called being an elf

[Chyeaaaa111]

Yepp, that's him. I would easily be far more scared of him than the majority of the orcs. He just has the whole half male/half female look going on along with being overly pale and freaky looking altogether. But, perhaps it's just me.

I agree 100% with this. Glorifindil is a scary mutha a (in a totally freaky child molestor kind of way)

[Point Blank]

Are you ing kidding me?

I guess you would prefer some lame edits with Christian Bale and Gerard Butler with gondor armour and Lucius Malfoy as thranduil? Because that's probably what you would have if I hadn't done them. But wth, I'll respond to your issues.

1- 90% of the portraits are from people that worked as extras in the lotr trilogy, the remaining are from costumed fans but i doubt you can tell them apart.

2- First there are very few portraits facing forward, and they are totally legitimate since a lot of the med II portraits are that way.

3- Exactly, I'll have a bunch of people come over and me and my design team will dress them up and I'll take their picture in front of my house.
Also the photos I used that were taken outdoors don't look very good, they are overexposed and lack the proper shadows in the face.

4- I don't even know how to answer this...

5- I would hardly call it a smile, perhaps a slight smirk, and there a lot of those in the vanilla portraits too.

For the Thranduil portrait I didn't just put a crown on him, I took an already heavily edited image and edited it even further and that's the best you'll ever get:


Just fyi these portraits required hours of research and editing, and that's without taking into account the level of photoshop skill that I had developed prior to that. I wish someone had taken good pictures of Lotr extras during filming but there wasn't, so I had to work with what was available.

Yeah! I want Christian Bale, and Michael Keaton from when he was in Batman! That pwned dude! And the guy from Spiderman, he would make an awesome Witch King!

[Lebre]

Yeah! I want Christian Bale, and Michael Keaton from when he was in Batman! That pwned dude! And the guy from Spiderman, he would make an awesome Witch King!

I believe he would make a better Shelob portrait

[Legolose]

Are you ing kidding me?

I guess you would prefer some lame edits with Christian Bale and Gerard Butler with gondor armour and Lucius Malfoy as thranduil? Because that's probably what you would have if I hadn't done them. But wth, I'll respond to your issues.

1- 90% of the portraits are from people that worked as extras in the lotr trilogy, the remaining are from costumed fans but i doubt you can tell them apart.

2- First there are very few portraits facing forward, and they are totally legitimate since a lot of the med II portraits are that way.

3- Exactly, I'll have a bunch of people come over and me and my design team will dress them up and I'll take their picture in front of my house.
Also the photos I used that were taken outdoors don't look very good, they are overexposed and lack the proper shadows in the face.

4- I don't even know how to answer this...

5- I would hardly call it a smile, perhaps a slight smirk, and there a lot of those in the vanilla portraits too.

For the Thranduil portrait I didn't just put a crown on him, I took an already heavily edited image and edited it even further and that's the best you'll ever get:


Just fyi these portraits required hours of research and editing, and that's without taking into account the level of photoshop skill that I had developed prior to that. I wish someone had taken good pictures of Lotr extras during filming but there wasn't, so I had to work with what was available.

Nice
No worrys brother your pictures ROCK !!!

Dont let this get to you, I quess he did know that he was going to offend the maker of these photos
Well a lesson learned

Again man your stuff is Epic

[Ozzmosis]

I actually "made" a new portrait for Glorfindel from the BFMEII picture for my minimod, even though it's not really correct lore-wise. I just don't think the current glorfindel picture really looks the part for the mightiest elf on Arda in the Third Age, I mean he killed a Balrog and died, then got resurrected and scared the Witchking away!
I just resized this picture to make it suitable, unfortunately I don't have LL's skill.

[SwordOfJustice]

That is a great picture for Thranduil. It looks different enough to easily be his father. I reckon it's a good job.

Cheers,
Sword

[mattgoby]

I think ur pictures are good but their is 1 general for gondor called arveldir who starts off in 1 of your western cities that i rlly hate and usually gets killed

[Neptune7]

Well I loaded up a saved game and had a look at Gondors Leaders (Generals) pictures and they look fine to me. I didn't find anyone smiling..The only one close to smiling is Forlong, however he has a smirk and not a smile...

[Toshach]

Wow. I thought constructive criticism was permitted here. Louis, it was not my intent to insult you or anyone in any way. I am sorry if I did.

[Neptune7]

Wow. I thought constructive criticism was permitted here. Louis, it was not my intent to insult you or anyone in any way. I am sorry if I did.

You did fine, you spoke your mind, I like it when people do that....Anyone in the public arena understands that they are open to criticism..He is a big boy, and he can handle it, and he responded appropriately..However, I have heard artists are a little touchy about their work, and rightfully so...

[Hero of the West]

You did fine, you spoke your mind, I like it when people do that....Anyone in the public arena understands that they are open to criticism..He is a big boy, and he can handle it, and he responded appropriately..However, I have heard artists are a little touchy about their work, and rightfully so...

just a misunderstand mostly.. LL edits pictures and screens for the mod, he doesn't make the original shots or recordings off course.. the tips from the OP could better have been sended to the source instead of one of the best artists from TATW