I went a little way with using Firefly for my far background, but I ended up feeling like I was giving away too much control. And it actually wasn’t saving me much time, since it took lots of tries to get it to produce the kind of results I wanted.
Also, it didn’t solve the problem of what I do when I need to create a *central* element. I’m not going to have Firefly build a set for me.
Anyway, my workaround, which I’m still just a few test photos into, is to use line drawings and watercolors to make the background. For non-central background, I’m just using the watercolor brushes in Photoshop, while for central ones I’m considering creating real watercolors that I add into photoshop after painting them.
Here’s what that looks like in one of my test shots
So, this is the original shot. I have a table in my yard facing my fluffiest plant (a rose of sharon, which is in full bloom, although you can’t see those here), and I have a moss mat on the table. It’s actually not terrible, other than the sides of the tables and the sense that you’re not really in a dense forest – just under a tree.
And here’s what it looks like when I add the line and watercolor
So, it’s obviously not perfect, especially that drop-off around the table, but it’s acceptable for what it is – just a hint of the place they’re supposed to be in. And it’s way more fun doing the watercolor than it was fussing with firefly.
For Photoshop nerds, the watercolor is actually three layers – at the bottom is an actual photo of a forest. Above that is the line drawing I create with tracing, and above that is brushwork used for the watercolor. I’m mixing all of the layers and allowing just a tiny bit of the photo in the bottom layer to show through.