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General Category => Dioramas => Topic started by: Bill Gill on February 23, 2020, 12:18:23 PM

Title: recreating backdrop lost to time
Post by: Bill Gill on February 23, 2020, 12:18:23 PM
The March issue of Raiload Model Craftsman just got delivered to some folks. I haven't gotten mine yet.
But I do have an article in it about how I used GIMP (a free image editing program similar to PhotoShop) to exactly create a 72 x 14 inch copy for a printed backdrop starting with an 8x10 inch B&W photo of the 1950 scene now long lost to time.
Title: Re: recreating backdrop lost to time
Post by: Bill Gill on February 23, 2020, 12:21:48 PM
You can click on the above photos to enlarge them a bit.
This was a very interesting project. I wanted to recreate the distant view as exactly as possible and it wasn't simply a matter of enlarging the B&W photo and colorizing it.
I learned a lot about using GIMP in the process, though I still have only scratched the surface of what it can do.

While technically this isn't a diorama, the backdrop accompanies a model of that covered bridge that I heavily modified from an HO scale laser kit. There was an article about that project in the October issue of RMC. Both the bridge and backdrop are for the NEB&W.
Title: Re: recreating backdrop lost to time
Post by: finescalerr on February 24, 2020, 01:41:33 PM
I received the magazine over the weekend and read your article. Excellent. I hope a lot of RMC readers will use your method instead of just looking at the photos. -- Russ
Title: Re: recreating backdrop lost to time
Post by: Bea on February 07, 2021, 10:50:41 AM
I like both, the original and the background.

And I like the idea to use familiar views.
Is there an  ISBN number or anything I can search for that edition, please?

regards, Bea