Experiments

009

The wrong scale

Can I make an everyday object look giant next to a person?

Part 01

One idea, no explanation

The idea was simple. One woman, an almost empty set, and one everyday object that is far too big: between one and a half and almost two times her height. No story and no text. If it works, you get it in two seconds. I started with a mug.

The one I pickedThe one that reads best: the lamp is taller than she is and stands on its own.Krea 2 · Sinox · seed 420901 · AnimeSharp 2x · minimal face retouch · 2048×2560

6 attempts

The mug, from V1 to V7

Seven versions of the same image, changing one thing at a time. I show six. In all of them the mug stays below her head, and in most it is cut off by the edge. Along the way I fixed other things: who she is, how she stands and how clean the image looks.

Each frame is an attempt. ✕ it didn't work · ✓ it worked · – no strong verdict.
  1. V1It didn't work

    The mug reaches her waist: big, not giant. And she is just any illustrated woman, not one of my dolls.

    Krea 2 · text only · seed 420901
  2. V2It didn't work

    I wrote “doll” and the model turned her into a jointed doll, with the joints showing. That was not it.

    Same seed · with the word “doll” in the text
  3. V3Test

    I described the person instead of using the word. Now she is a character. The mug grew, but it runs off the frame.

    Same seed · character described, without the word “doll”
  4. V4Test

    I gave her attitude: the look, the pose and a bare shoulder. The mug is still below her head.

    Same seed · new pose and expression
  5. V6Test

    More anime in the face. The blotches on the background, the fabric and the ceramic are still there.

    Same seed · more weight on the anime style
  6. V7It didn't work

    I switched models after trying 27. The image came out clean. The mug did not change: cut off and below her head.

    Same seed · Sinox model, picked out of 27

10 attempts

Ten objects

With the character and the look settled, I tried the idea on more objects. I learned one thing fast: if she holds the object or leans on it, it stops looking giant and starts looking like a prop. It reads better when the object stands on its own, on the floor or against the wall, and she stays apart.

  1. 01It didn't work

    The mug again. She grabs the handle and the edge cuts it off: you still cannot see all of it.

    Sinox · seed 420901 · AnimeSharp 2x · minimal face retouch
  2. 02aIt didn't work

    The brush is tall, but she touches it and she is sitting: the sizes are hard to compare.

    Sinox · seed 420901 · AnimeSharp 2x · minimal face retouch
  3. 02bIt didn't work

    Here she holds it in her hands. Like this it looks like a prop, not a giant object.

    Sinox · seed 420901 · AnimeSharp 2x · minimal face retouch
  4. 04It worked

    The lipstick stands on its own and she stays apart. You get it at once, even though it only reaches her shoulder.

    Sinox · seed 420901 · AnimeSharp 2x · minimal face retouch
  5. 05It worked

    The alarm clock reads well, but it is one of the smallest: it reaches her hip.

    Sinox · seed 420901 · AnimeSharp 2x · minimal face retouch
  6. 06It worked

    The key leaning on the wall, with its shadow. It works without her touching it.

    Sinox · seed 420901 · AnimeSharp 2x · minimal face retouch
  7. 07It worked

    The only one that is clearly taller than she is. That is why it reads best.

    Sinox · seed 420901 · AnimeSharp 2x · minimal face retouch
  8. 08It didn't work

    She is on top of the hair dryer. The object turns into furniture.

    Sinox · seed 420901 · AnimeSharp 2x · minimal face retouch
  9. 09It worked

    The camera on the floor, alone. You get it, but it barely rises above her knee.

    Sinox · seed 420901 · AnimeSharp 2x · minimal face retouch
  10. 10It worked

    The perfume bottle stands on its own and carries the image. It reaches her shoulder.

    Sinox · seed 420901 · AnimeSharp 2x · minimal face retouch

What I learned

  1. Asking for “giant” is not enough. The model makes the object a bit bigger and cuts it off. In seven mugs, none rose above her head.

    Attempts: V1, V3, V7

  2. The word “doll” worked against me. The model read it as a jointed doll. I had to describe the person and drop the word.

    Attempts: V2, V3

  3. If she holds the object or sits on it, it stops looking giant. It works when the object stands on its own and she stays apart.

    Attempts: 02b, 08, 06, 04

  4. Switching models fixed the finish, not the scale. I tried 27. The one I picked cleaned up the blotches, and the mug stayed just as low.

    Attempts: V6, V7

  5. It is still unsolved. I wanted objects one and a half to almost two times her height. Only the lamp is clearly taller than she is.

    Attempts: 07

The next question

How do I fix the size of an object when the text is not enough?

Experiments

The next experiment

010

From 69 to 10

Can a scoring table pick my best images for me?

Open

Follow the lab

Every experiment goes up as it happens: the picked images, the clips in motion and the batches that didn't work.

Write to me on Instagram