now thats pretty awesome

good job

john

WOW!  It looks like a painting!

Sooo nice

What do you do to make the AC look like that, they look really smooth but still have a lot of detail...is it a filter or something? Not refering to the obviously hand drawn stuff but the ac in general?

In fact, you are undoubtably the best editor posting atm, how about a tutorial

Thank you for your appreciation! I think there are many other great editors out there (although the Bobster got a bit quiet recently his work still kicks some asses)... you should also google for Jura+screenshot as well as Graf!!! There are a lot more, just visit SSP and SSP and browse there. A lot of breathtaking stuff has been created since Neil brought up SSA back in 2004!

There has been no filter used in the image beside sharpening and blur to get a smooth background (handpainted) and a focus effect (farther plane slightly blurred). The planes are indeed payware, Razbam's A-4 Skyhawks Vol. 2 version 1 (2005) but it makes no real difference in their appearance in an edit. Almost all flight sim planes have polygon edges and other small flaws that rise from the low poly character (emminent for using them in real time engines.. nowadays). I am basically overpainting large parts of planes to elimante these things. Therefore I'm using the path tool to trace down a path upon the shapes of the obect. The function of paths to trace curves makes it possible to smoothen out any edges that meant to form curves. Once the path is laid down i am transforming it to a selection and paint the shape in a new layer, transfer the markings and add wear&tear than merge it with the plane'S main layer. After this "cleanup" has been finished im usually adding all shadows, highlights and details. At the end all planes are brought to the needed size (before this step all needed planes are still in full size -> screenies taken as close as possible at 1600x1200), i.e. the farther A4 here.

Hope that helps you. I think a full tutorial for hwo to make an edit is a bit stupid as lots of techniques are combined here. Still it'S a dramatical and humble shortcut compared to real aviation art with (digital) brushes or self made 3d models. Hence my sig's line: "Screenshots, the SnapTite-kits of aviation art"

Hello To my NEW Desktop Background.
IT'S AWSOME
10.10

Aye, it was an attack plane (hence A-4) and it's only A2A rocket was the Aim-9. The missile above isn'T a Sparrow (Aim-7) but an Agm-45 Shrike anti radiation missile that has been used for wild weasel anti sam missions. It'S does basically the same as the moden Agm-88 HARMS, pickup a source of radiation and fly towards this source to knock it out.

Cheers and thanks for your appreciation. I'll do more screenshot edits of RAZBAM's products. Currently Im working on the T-2C Buckeye but I've not really found a composition I like.