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The Art and Science of Depiction
Frédo Durand and Julie DorseyMIT- Lab for Computer Science
What is a Picture?
What is a picture? 2
Photoshop assignment• Perspective
– Converging perspective is OK in the 3D real world
– It is not in 2D
• Distracting elements– Are usually not distracting in “reality”
– But are harder to “filter out” in the picture
– The image does not “read” as well
What is a picture? 3
Reading• Photo-surrealism
– Unable to detect discrepancy
– Non realistic physics helps tell story
• Jet Lighter– New approach to making images
– Photos are the new building block to make photos
– Very different from traditional montage
– The same may happen to cinema (Lucas)
What is a picture? 4
Discussion• Visions of Light
What is a picture? 5
Visions of Light• Intuition, realize afterwards
• Craft, not art
• Dominance of the actor– Must be beautiful
– No shadow on faces
– Dietrich more luminous, pops out
• Film noir
• Color in The Last Emperor
• Communication Director Photo-director
What is a picture? 6
Visions of Light• Formal rules / breaking rules
– The rules are broken, not eliminated
– Only when necessary
– The counter-example does prove the rule
• Difficulty with new language– Silent to talky, Black and white to color, wide format
• Invention– Technological
– Pictorial, new language
• Importance of fresh eyes• To be “realistic”, do not use formal rules
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What is a picture? 7
Relativism of realism
What is a picture? 8
Questions• What makes a picture a picture
• Would a 100% faithful hologram be a picture?
• Could it be artistic– Would it be better than a “normal” picture
– Would it be inferior?
• Example of cinema– Static to dynamic
– Silent to talkie
– Black and white to color
– 3D
What is a picture? 9
What is art• Craft (Painting, Cinema)
• Religion
• Beauty
• Self expression
• Emotion
• Enhanced experience
What is a picture? 10
Plan• The chain of representation of reality
• Duality of images 2D/3D
What is a picture? 11
Reality• Objective, physical
• May be imagination– But always references to reality
Lighttransferts
opticsperspective
RealityObjectsMaterial
What is a picture? 12
The Artist• Visual system
– Not straightforward!
Visualsystem
Artist
selectioninterpretationintentionmessage
Contextsocialhistoricalartistic
L ighttransferts
opticsperspective
RealityObjectsMaterial
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What is a picture? 13
The Artist• Visual system
• Intention
• Context
Visualsystem
Artist
selectioninterpretationintentionmessage
Contextsocialhistoricalartistic
L ighttransferts
opticsperspective
RealityObjectsMaterial
What is a picture? 14
The Picture• Flat, limitations
• Seen in a given environment, conditions
environnement
limitations
Picture
opticsperspective
What is a picture? 15
The Beholder• Visual system
• Interpretation
• Context
Visualsystem
Beholder
selectioninterpretation
Contextsocialhistoricalartistic
environnement
limitations
Picture
opticsperspective
What is a picture? 16
The Chain of Depiction• Differences,
Mismatch– Context
– Conditions
– Perception– Message
Selection
Visualsystem
Artist
selectioninterpretationintentionmessage
Contextsocialhistoricalartistic
Lighttransferts
opticsperspective
RealityObjectsMaterial
Visualsystem
Beholder
selectioninterpretation
Contextsocialhistoricalartistic
environnement
limitations
Picture
opticsperspective
What is a picture? 17
Context• Historical
• Political
• Gender
• Artistic
Visualsystem
Artist
selectioninterpretationintentionmessage
Contextsocialhistoricalartistic
Lighttransferts
opticsperspective
RealityObjectsMaterial
Visualsystem
Beholder
selectioninterpretation
Contextsocialhistoricalartistic
environnement
limitations
Picture
opticsperspective
What is a picture? 18
Conditions• Darker
• Distance
• Etc.
Visualsystem
Artist
selectioninterpretationintentionmessage
Contextsocialhistoricalartistic
Lighttransferts
opticsperspective
RealityObjectsMaterial
Visualsystem
Beholder
selectioninterpretation
Contextsocialhistoricalartistic
environnement
limitations
Picture
opticsperspective
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What is a picture? 19
Perception• Is the
perceptionof picturesdifferentfrom theperceptionof reality?
Visualsystem
Artist
selectioninterpretationintentionmessage
Contextsocialhistoricalartistic
Lighttransferts
opticsperspective
RealityObjectsMaterial
Visualsystem
Beholder
selectioninterpretation
Contextsocialhistoricalartistic
environnement
limitations
Picture
opticsperspective
What is a picture? 20
Perception picture/reality• Photos usually do not
look distorted
• Why is the photo of the photo distorted?
What is a picture? 21
Picture vs. Reality• We see reality the way we see pictures
• Not the other way around
• Make up
• Stage lighting
• Statues as 2D views
• Architecture un-distortion
What is a picture? 22
Message, selection• How can
the artisttransmit a messageand selectwhat the viewer perceives
Visualsystem
Artist
selectioninterpretationintentionmessage
Contextsocialhistoricalartistic
Lighttransferts
opticsperspective
RealityObjectsMaterial
Visualsystem
Beholder
selectioninterpretation
Contextsocialhistoricalartistic
environnement
limitations
Picture
opticsperspective
What is a picture? 23
Selection• Viewpoint selection, framing
What is a picture? 24
Selection• Depth of field
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What is a picture? 25
Selection• Edge burning
What is a picture? 26
Selection• Lighting
What is a picture? 27
Selection
What is a picture? 28
Message, selection• How can
the artisttransmit a messageand selectwhat the viewer perceives
• Caption
Visualsystem
Artist
selectioninterpretationintentionmessage
Contextsocialhistoricalartistic
Lighttransferts
opticsperspective
RealityObjectsMaterial
Visualsystem
Beholder
selectioninterpretation
Contextsocialhistoricalartistic
environnement
limitations
Picture
opticsperspective
What is a picture? 29
Caption
What is a picture? 30
Caption, context• Christina’s world, Wyeth
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What is a picture? 31
Making pictures• Simple in principle:
Draw or paint what you see
Visualsystem
Artist
selectioninterpretationintentionmessage
Contextsocialhistoricalartistic
Lighttransferts
opticsperspective
RealityObjectsMaterial
environnement
limitations
Picture
opticsperspective
What is a picture? 32
Making pictures• Simple in principle:
Draw or paint what you see
• Problem:what wesee is notso simple
Visualsystem
Artist
selectioninterpretationintentionmessage
Contextsocialhistoricalartistic
Lighttransferts
opticsperspective
RealityObjectsMaterial
environnement
limitations
Picture
opticsperspective
What is a picture? 33
Making pictures• Previsualization (Adams)
Visualsystem
Artist
selectioninterpretationintentionmessage
Contextsocialhistoricalartistic
Lighttransferts
opticsperspective
RealityObjectsMaterial
environnement
limitations
Picture
opticsperspective
What is a picture? 34
Making vs. analyzing pictures• Practice
• Feedback
What is a picture? 35
Making vs. analyzing pictures• Practice
• Feedback
• Clouds,Constellations
• Rorschach
What is a picture? 36
Goals of pictures• Optical vs. Haptical
• What we see vs. What we know
• What we feel/mean
• Other “channels”– Sound, data, etc.
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What is a picture? 37
Do we always need photo-realism?
What is a picture? 38
Plan• The chain of representation of reality
• Duality of images 2D/3D
What is a picture? 39
Duality of pictures• Pictures are both
– Flat 2D objects
– Depictions of 3D scenes
• The dialectic between these two essences is crucial
What is a picture? 40
Duality of pictures• Magritte
• Anecdote Matisse
What is a picture? 41
Duality of pictures• Magritte
• Anecdote Matisse
What is a picture? 42
2D/3D
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What is a picture? 43
Is it 2D, is it 3D?
What is a picture? 44
Is it 2D, is it 3D?
What is a picture? 45
Is it 2D, is it 3D?
What is a picture? 46
Is it 2D, is it 3D?
What is a picture? 47
Is it 2D, is it 3D?
What is a picture? 48
Is it 2D, is it 3D?
9
What is a picture? 49
Is it 2D, is it 3D?
What is a picture? 50
Is it 2D, is it 3D?
What is a picture? 51
Is it 2D, is it 3D?
What is a picture? 52
Is it 2D, is it 3D?
What is a picture? 53
Is it 2D, is it 3D?
What is a picture? 54
Is it 2D, is it 3D?
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What is a picture? 55
Is it 2D, is it 3D?
What is a picture? 56
Is it 2D, is it 3D?
What is a picture? 57
Is it 2D, is it 3D?
What is a picture? 58
Is it 2D, is it 3D?
What is a picture? 59
Is it 2D, is it 3D?
What is a picture? 60
Is it 2D, is it 3D?
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What is a picture? 61
Is it 2D, is it 3D?
What is a picture? 62
What makes it 2D• The surface of the picture is visible
• The marks are visible (brush strokes, grain, scratching film…)
• Absence of one visual channel (color, texture…)
• Letters
• Accidental viewpoint
• Absence of shading
• “non-realism”
What is a picture? 63
Interaction 2D/3D• Celtic knots
• Islamic arabesques
What is a picture? 64
Interaction 2D/3D
What is a picture? 65
Interaction 2D/3D• The image is 3D
• The message is in the 2D
What is a picture? 66
Do we always need photographs?• Focusing on the 2D aspect
emphasize the “potential” side
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What is a picture? 67
Perspective correction• 3D verticality must be translated as 2D verticality
Snapshot-Perspective-Speed, aperture -Filter-Lighting-Processing & Print-Make up-Retouching What is a picture? 68
Perspective distortion• The 3D symmetric sphere
is projected as a 2D asymmetric ellipse
Snapshot-Perspective-Speed, aperture -Filter-Lighting-Processing & Print-Make up-Retouching
What is a picture? 69
The School of Athens, Raphael• Sphere
should projectto an ellipse
Snapshot-Perspective-Speed, aperture -Filter-Lighting-Processing & Print-Make up-Retouching What is a picture? 70
3D and 2D attributes• Show a dice to children (~6-7)
• They usually draw a rectangle
• The rectangle can stand for one face
What is a picture? 71
3D and 2D attributes• Show colored or numbered dice to children (6-7)
• The still draw a rectangle
• But different colors or many points
What is a picture? 72
3D and 2D attributes• Show colored or numbered dice to children (6-7)
• The still draw a rectangle
• But different colors or many points
• The rectangle stands for the whole dice
• The notion of 3D object with corners is translated as a 2D object with corners
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What is a picture? 73
Discussion• Why is black and white photography considered
“more artistic”
What is a picture? 74
Assignments• Feedback
• Image
• Reading
• Piranesi
What is a picture? 75
Reading• Do not forget Gombrich
What is a picture? 76
Assignment• Piranesi tutorial
– Demo version on the class web page
– Non-photorealistic rendering
– Tutorial 1 to 3
– Skip 2.4
What is a picture? 77
Talk• Vague decision next week
What is a picture? 78
The End
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What is a picture? 79
Degree of realism• Non-figurative
• Remote
• Realistic
• Recording
• Photojournalism (objective, “neutral”)
• Holography
What is a picture? 80
Misc.• Different techniques for the same goal
• Knots for 2D/3D, posters, trompe-l’œil