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Windows 10 wallpaper was physically built and photographed (2015)

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Re: Windows 10 wallpaper was physically built and photographed (2015)

#141

Post by resource_waste »

puttycat wrote: post #8

The technical ingenuity is impressive. I personally find this visual quite cold and soulless, compared to previous Windows wallpapers, mostly XP's of course. For me this also coincided with Windows becoming completely useless and my moving to a Mac.

Try Linux/Fedora intead.

Windows is really awful, and Macs are super limited in hardware. (It might work if you only do web dev)

Fedora is literally better than both. People are just so used to repeating the linux prayer of 'debian/ubuntu/mint', that most people don't know: Debian is an outdated/old distro with limited features and lots of bugs.

Fedora is up-to-date, loaded with codecs and drivers, works with Nvidia, and has a 10/10 pro-consumer experience.

No ads, no harassment, smooth, fast, everything just works.

Re: Windows 10 wallpaper was physically built and photographed (2015)

#142

Post by resource_waste »

msoad wrote: post #16

I don’t want to be a fanboy but the wallpaper is so soulless and industrial. I like how Apple always tries to bring nature to computing with wallpapers and screensavers. For example https://iso.500px.com/iphone-6-milky-way-wallpaper-interview... Also the Ariel videos of nature and cities for Apple TV and Mac is another example. Windows feels so corporate and boring tbh

The emotions you used are classic of Apple's Victims.

At least you are aware you are a fanboy. Its the first step to freedom.

Re: Windows 10 wallpaper was physically built and photographed (2015)

#143

Post by bmacho »

speedgoose wrote: post #140
ghusbands wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This comment is just a copy/paste of a quarter of the article.

It’s perhaps an effective strategy to force us to read the articles.

I skip long comments the same way I skip the article (I opened this one tho, for the picture)

Re: Windows 10 wallpaper was physically built and photographed (2015)

#144

Post by fredley »

lordgrenville wrote: post #130

When I saw the headline I confused it with the one from XP [0], and was imagining a team constructing that hill, laying the grass, etc. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bliss_(image)

See also: The search for Autumn

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2007/02/autumn200702

Re: Windows 10 wallpaper was physically built and photographed (2015)

#145

Post by ZuLuuuuuu »

jonplackett wrote: post #96

Shame MS don’t spend this much time on effort on… every other part of their design for everything.

Imagine if they spent the same time for fixing/improving the search bar on Windows instead of the recently announced Recall feature.

Re: Windows 10 wallpaper was physically built and photographed (2015)

#146

Post by dag11 »

kuro_neko wrote: post #64
meisenhus wrote: post #28

As impressive as this looks (and is), the effort strikes me as monumentally oversized. This particular picture, with its straight lines and everything artificial, could have just as well come out of a renderer. For substantially less cost, the result would have been the same. Doesn't mean you don't need to have the creative vision first. But executing it with a camera and a light/laser/fog set and all the effort that…

I'm reminded of the recent Steam Deck OLED video. It's obviously something that could be done with VFX, but I thought it was really cool. I think this is similar. Just like in movies, there are directors who don't use VFX as much as they could...

I work with the folks who built that! It truly was months of giddy passion on their part[1]. And it was such a joy to see in person.

Disclosure: I might not have worked on The Orb but I do work on Steam Deck and other projects at Valve.

[1] https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/593110/view/41180511...

Re: Windows 10 wallpaper was physically built and photographed (2015)

#147

Post by [deleted] »

magicalhippo wrote: post #124
kqr wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which details are you thinking of? I was under the impression that with ray tracing, physically based materials, and fluid dynamics our computers wouldn't be hard-pressed to realistically render a static scene with light (of varying coherence and other properties) going through a piece of plastic and hitting swirling fog. The parameters of the scene need to be set up, yes, but then it would be just as easy to generat…

Specular reflections and diffuse media (fog) makes for massive render times though, in my experience. I did something similarish with water a long time ago, using a spectral renderer, finding spectral data for ocean water absorption and reflection, realistic spectral sun/sky model, and a physically-based ocean wave simulator to create the surface. The underwater "caustic god rays" looked very nice and realistic, and…

[deleted]

Re: Windows 10 wallpaper was physically built and photographed (2015)

#148

Post by xattt »

kthartic wrote: post #116
kqr wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which details are you thinking of? I was under the impression that with ray tracing, physically based materials, and fluid dynamics our computers wouldn't be hard-pressed to realistically render a static scene with light (of varying coherence and other properties) going through a piece of plastic and hitting swirling fog. The parameters of the scene need to be set up, yes, but then it would be just as easy to generat…

In 2015 (almost 10 years ago now) the tech probably wasn't as convincing as it is today. But I agree you could probably get like 90% there

The Stranger Things intro scene is CGI. Artists were consulted who originally created similar titles in the 80s with practical effects to see how they could do it too. The old-school artists said to just do it in CGI because that’s what they would have done.

Re: Windows 10 wallpaper was physically built and photographed (2015)

#149

Post by sph »

noname120 wrote: post #119
esjeon wrote: post #82

I've been spending a lot of time on photography (though mostly w/ film cameras) during recent years, and only recently realized this is actually photographed. (It took long because I'm a long-time Linux user, so I barely seen the image.) Many people say this would've been easier with VFX, but I disagree. The image has highly convincing details that would take a long time even for highly talented VFX artists to nail.…

Nah that's post hoc rationalization. The amount of busy-work that went into it is ridiculous. Just because a colossal amount of effort was poured in this wallpaper doesn't mean that they used the right tool for the job or that the output was better because of it.

You're thinking like an engineer, and speak as if there is a right amount of time to spend on artistic endeavours; if you cross this threshold for you it is a "ridiculous and colossal amount of effort".

Budget aside, art isn't constrained or criticized by how much effort the artist put in.

All that matters is the result. A wallpaper or any other artistic creation isn't less beautiful or evocative because the artist spent thousands of hours on it.

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