DVD-covers / action?

Hi !

I have a question nobody could answer so far....
I'm looking for a tutorial or action for some kind of painting-effect for pictures.

Can't really explain what i want with words... follow these links and you'l get an idea:

www.4u-events.be/1.jpg and
http://gothmoth.blogs.sapo.pt/arquivo/Lord%20Of%20The%20Rings%20-%20The%20Return%20Of%20The%20King.jpg

No doubt these designs were normal pictures in the beginning... So I really would like to know how they do this all the time (very often used on DVD/moviecovers)

Please help me out with this !

PS I just finished my first DVD-cover myself... maybe you can tell me what you guys think of it : http://fame25.be/geelenrood/dvd/cover.jpg

Thanx !!!

I'm pretty sure that they don't use a photoshop actions to get this look... they use the talent filter ;) with a real airbrush, or just paint from scratch with some references...

Very good work on the DVD cover!!!

Indeed, both of those look like real paintings to me, not a photoshop trick, and definitely not a filter. Big Fish may be based on a picture, but a lot of it is done freehand as well.

So you're telling me that every DVD-cover with this "effect" is airbrushed?
Hmmm I don't know about that.... I'm sure some airbrushing is a part of the process, but I could never get the desired effect just by doning that....

PS Here are some more examples:

http://www.nick-lea.com/data/xfiles/archive/im/xfiles03401.jpg
http://www.heeressport.at/domains/werner/assets/news/thumb/200_Wie%20werde%20ich%20in%20DVD-Cover.jpg
http://www.bindl.de/DVD/Cover/Geist_und_die_Dunkelheit,Der.jpg

Thanx for your answers so far...

Greetz

What part of the effect are you trying to duplicate? I mean the x-files one is just a collage of pictures... Are you trying to figure out how to blend multiple pictures together like that? or are you trying to duplicate some other effect.

Ok, I know I'm not being very clear about what I exactly want... But read this topic (I found a few minutes ago) and I'm sure you'll understand:

http://www.photoshopgurus.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5622

It's a discussion about this a great artist (Andrzej Dragan) but as you will notice it didn't help me out :( at all !


PS This is another discussion I found about him:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1006&message=9653572

Just wanted to say that I really like your DVD cover. Great idea. Pretty well executed. Very good job especially for a first time. Nice and clean. Keep it up!

Thanx! But I went trough hell doing those coloured shirts.... ;-)

Yeah...I remember you asking about how to do that. I'm glad you finally figured it out
Looks good