Need to create shiny stainless steel

[chriscaldwell]

Hello!
So a client's given me another challenge. He wants me to take this pic of a barbecue grill and see if I can make a version of this photo where the grill is actually clean and shiny so he can have a before and after type of effect on his site. Is this possible with Affinity photo?

Thank you very much for any suggestions and help!

Chris

[Andy05]

There's no simple "one click" solution, restoring this grill will require a lot of masking, stamping with the clone tool, painting in colours (and adding texture, shadows and highlights again afterwards for a realistic look) and suchlike. It's doable, yet requires some effort (and time).

[Ron P.]

Wow, that would take a lot of time. It might make it slightly easier, if your client provided you with a picture without the person cleaning it..

[firstdefence]

...or find out which brand and model the grill is, see if there are any spare parts images and overlay them or use them as masks.

[GarryP]

I’m wondering why your client wants both ‘before’ and ‘after’ images but hasn’t supplied you with the ‘after’ image.
If, as it seems to me, the client is selling barbecue cleaning products (why else would they want a ‘before’ and ‘after’ image of a barbecue being cleaned?), then shouldn’t they have some ‘after’ images already?

[Ron P.]

11 minutes ago, GarryP said:

I’m wondering why your client wants both ‘before’ and ‘after’ images but hasn’t supplied you with the ‘after’ image.
If, as it seems to me, the client is selling barbecue cleaning products (why else would they want a ‘before’ and ‘after’ image of a barbecue being cleaned?), then shouldn’t they have some ‘after’ images already?

My thoughts exactly. I just decided against voicing it...

[Andy05]

19 minutes ago, GarryP said:

I’m wondering why your client wants both ‘before’ and ‘after’ images but hasn’t supplied you with the ‘after’ image.
If, as it seems to me, the client is selling barbecue cleaning products (why else would they want a ‘before’ and ‘after’ image of a barbecue being cleaned?), then shouldn’t they have some ‘after’ images already?

That's called advertising/marketing, I suppose. Exaggerating and providing perfect results—even if they are fake—suchlike is common practice (unfortunately). But usually it's done it the other way round (put some easy-to-clean) dirt onto a perfectly new object and "clean it with ease" with their fancy product. That's what's a bit odd to me with this task.

[GarryP]

Maybe there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation that I’m just not aware of.
The client may just want to show their partner that they have cleaned the barbecue as they said they would, giving them ‘breathing space’ to actually do it later.

[Ali]

I think what the OP is getting at is a half-and-half image. Even so, it would probably be easier to blend this image with one of the cleaned barbecue, so having the 'after' image would help.

If it were me (and it isn't), I wouldn't entertain obliging without having seen the before and after myself. I would not want to be a part of this sort of sharp practice, IF that's what it is.

BUT, there is a lot of conclusion jumping going on here - feels a bit like a lynching before the OP has had time to respond to the allegations ...

[GarryP]

I don’t see any “lynching” or “allegations” going on, just some people discussing a situation which they find a little curious and pondering on the possibilities.
(You yourself have used the phrase “sharp practice” which indicates to me that you at least have entertained the possibility of some of the same ideas as those being discussed.)
As I said in my last post, maybe there’s something important we just don’t know and it’s all perfectly reasonable.
Hopefully Chris will explain more about it when they can and clear up any confusion.

[carl123]

1 hour ago, GarryP said:

the client is selling barbecue cleaning products

Looks like good stuff, I'd buy a tub or two

 

[Andy05]

7 minutes ago, carl123 said:

Looks like good stuff, I'd buy a tub or two

Wow, you're lazy! You could have cleaned the side of the BBQ, too! 😀

[Ali]

20 minutes ago, GarryP said:

You yourself have used the phrase “sharp practice”

Yes, but immediately followed by "IF that's what it is."

Quote

Hopefully Chris will explain more about it when they can and clear up any confusion.

Hopefully before anyone else jumps to conclusions!

[chriscaldwell]

Thank you so much for all the comments and help. And your concerns about truth in advertising are really warranted! In fact, I did a little searching on Google and I just learned:

• Mashed potatoes or Play-Doh are used instead of ice cream in magazine ads!
• Antacids are added to soda to make it look fizzier,
• Steam is from a heated cotton ball placed behind the food,
• Glue is used to substitute for milk because it lasts longer in shoots,
• Engine oil is used instead of maple syrup in pancake commercials. 
• Burger patties are colored with shoe polish. 
• Cardboard inside the cake to make the icing look perfect. 
• To take a picture of milk, coffee, or beer, photographers add liquid soap. It creates a stable foam that looks natural and attractive.
• Shaving cream instead of whipped cream.
• Tom Cruise got a facelift.
• Vogue uses special photo editing to polish skin so it's perfectly smooth.

Who knew? ; )

I was trying to create a hero image for the client's website, and the majority of the photos he provided, while they show beautiful results, they were taken by bbq grill cleaners, not professional photogs. So this particular image we purchased from a stock image company. I was hoping to create a before/after or half and half effect to show him what we might do and use it as a giant/banner or hero image. I thought I'd learn a new technique in the process.

ALI says: "I think what the OP is getting at is a half-and-half image."

Bingo.

He has sent me 50 photos of grills that he's cleaned that will be in a gallery. While the site looks very professional, as you can imagine, this client is not a photographer, so I really didn't want to use any of his photos as the main hero image. It will be used for a special effect, rather than, "here's an actual grill we cleaned." As such, the framing of the shot, the man cleaning, the yellow bucket, etc. all were suitable for the main site banner. If potential clients wish to look through the gallery and see his work, they can.

Carl123, thank you for demonstrating to me that it is possible to make this work. I would love to know how to also make the sides of the grill look clean and shiny.

Thanks again everyone. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have, and I'm appreciative that you many of you are concerned about all the fakery in the world. 

Chris

[chriscaldwell]

Ps. He's NOT selling grill cleaning supplies. He himself cleans the grills as a service. So there is no specific product being sold. The photo Is to demonstrate the idea of a clean grill vs. a dirty grill. There's nothing sinister whatsoever about that. It's like showing a photo of a lawn overgrown with weeds, and then showing a photo of someone mowing a lawn. 

[Andy05]

1 hour ago, chriscaldwell said:

There's nothing sinister whatsoever about that.

I'd just like to clarify, that I didn't want to judge with my comment(s). Heck, I'm in design/advertising business for more than 35 years now, I'm "one of those" myself, who used some of the methods which you googled in my career more than once. 😄 

[chriscaldwell]

PPS.  If you own a cat, many of you must be very perturbed and suspicious about this Purina cat food ad. I bought this thinking that there was actual shrimp shaped like that in the package! What a disappointment! And THIS is an international company, not some local barbecue cleaning service!

I'm wondering what type of person would do such a thing with photo editing software. ; )