I don't know why but I really like this one ... very clever use of bare, cracked earth and planet with food. What's a giraffe suppose to do but str-e-e-e-e-e-e-ch!

Great concept and very well done .... poor Ele looks like he is feeling a little inadequate almost has a tear in his eye. But your I smiled over you reply to slushy ... good luck with the surgery. I had some surgery done recently and I can sympathize (not the nose but the back ... yuck). Anyway, great!

What fun ... she is truly Ready to be Kissed!

I am pretty sure they are a type of "Flying Fish" or Exocoetidae ... check it out here and see if you agree http://www.99express.com/2009/06/exocoetidae-flying-fish.html.

Here is a better link with one that looks a lot like yours http://www.sharkfriends.com/wacky/flyingfish.html

Sorry after all that forgot to comment on your image. Great idea to make them smaller but if I am right your poor guys won't be able to fly any more ...their wings are clipped Love your background!

Clever concept ... it did take me a while to figure it out. But in the end I got it and OUCH ... that must of hurt!

Hilarious and just too precious for words! Oh la! That hair .... oh that hair!

It would be really cool to see two of these birds necking ... quite a twist on the usually

Hey jaws ...contest does say human or animal and I think it is an animal I wish it was a real animal ... I want one too. When your little kitty has a litter let me know! I want one... are big headed kitties smarter than regular head sized kitties?

This lady just spends way too much time on a bike!!!

Very impressive work and well thought out ... has a true sense of family and I am not sure how you got an expression out of them working with the source and only 1 eye! Bravo!!!

Cute!

Excellent work and you SBS is very clear and well laid out. Great mastery of PS and how to achieve your final goal. Well thought out!

Not a lot of original source but very "sweet" idea ... are burnt gingerbread men still sweet ...or do they just have egg on their face?

I agree with slushy ... love the swirly things ... if you ever feel inclined I would love to know how you created them in more detail ... Fantastic work, great quality and style.

Love the concept ... not sure either about the swoosh ... maybe everything is flying into the "monsters" dimension! ... Great giant cyclops thingy!

Great imagery, humour & composition ... would have loved to see a high res!!! Oh well.

Tis a strange and stranger mind this author surely has. An interesting, fascinating and engaging image!

Super ... love this one, really a hoot and instant chuckle!

Great sense of whimsy and humour!!!

Lovely work ... the light through the trees could be moonlight ... I guess that is what I decided to think of it as ... it might be a bit bright but sometimes it is good to allow for artistic license ...the image definately feels like night to me!

Fascinating image ... if I were the guy in the Top hat I would turn and walk the other way. There must be a different route home!!!! Great composition and love the story it tells!

Very unusual and creative take on subject.

Fantastic work on this and great SBS. Very well thought out and glow is just the way that Neon signs look in the rain! Great and certainly a fav for me!!!

Lovely composition, colour and emotionality. A very classical image and well thought out. Very good work author!

Impressive idea and great execution. When I first saw it I actually thought it was an ad for a book not and entry! Bravo!

Amazing work and wonderful creature ... love the chain link tail!!! I thought the SBS was great ... I would never be able to create this no matter how detailed the directions were and your SBS definately showed what you did and the incredible amount of work involved!

What more can I say that hasn't been said above, very high points and super fav from me!!!

Fun work! Great Spacescape!

Very pleasant scene ... interesting takes on the source.

My only "critique" would be that the little boat is perhaps a bit too centered ... it would add a little more life to the image if it was not directly in the middle of the image ... see here for Rule of Thirds and composition info http://photoinf.com/General/KODAK/guidelines_for_better_photographic_composition_rule_of_thirds.html ).

Sorry I am so late with my comment I know there is nothing you can do now but thought for next time

Great work. You have created a realistic and dynamic image. Lovely conversion and super final product! You are my hero (this week )

Sensational ... is he for real or did you find someone crazy enough to model ... either way the photo is extraordinary and I LOVE the look on his face!

Sweet idea ...

Didn't mean to be too nitpicky ... It was just when I looked at it in Hi res and clicked to enlarge the image it opened with the window right in my face ... I doubt I would have noticed it otherwise. Just a fluke and of course once I saw it I couldn't un-see it. I really debated even saying anything but it was such a great image that thought it should be perfect! Now it is! High marks from me!

Incredible work ... love the whole composition! Agree about the sign ... great touch there!!! In high res I can see the people from the original image in the car window. Not a big deal but IMO it would look better if they weren't there and would make this a top scoring entry for me!

Impressive amount of work and love the results. Nisha is right ... the mood is wonderful!
I do think that the arches/pillars could use bit of clean up ... there are tiny bits of the original image showing when viewed in high res and the edges could be improved.

As the stone in the arches and pillars are old, the edges would have pits, dents and cracks that would show when viewed in profile. If you use a layer mask you can "push" the mask in with the smudge tool in places like where the round stones meet each other (there would be a slight indent). Roughening the edge and taking away that straight-edge mask look would really help. Let me know if this doesn't make sense and I can try and explain better.

EDIT: Changes look good.

I have to agree with Derivatix about the boat ...it does seem a bit blurry compared to the rest of the image but all that aside great work. Love the way the light catches on the edge of the sword! Overall a fine image (lighting works for me ... in hi res with a calibrated monitor)

Great work and wonderful Christmas card ... IMO spaceranger is right ... image complies with the guidelines. I like the shadows as well ... the whole image has a great night mood!

Congrats!

Congratulations ... close one!

Congratulations!

Congrats

Congrats!

Congratulations!!!

Congratulations!

Congratulations! Wonderfully creepy 1st lady ;-D

... read your reply at work and everyone wondered what I was laughing at ... love it!

SBS helps ... nice to see how it was done. Very effective use of the texture!

Ah yes ... but if I was hallucinating Jar Jar he might not have any ears!

Really ... they only looks a very little bit like him ... they truly are unique creatures ... just pulling your leg (or ear if you happen to have really long ones).

Great work and I agree about the reflection ... well done and very interesting!!! I have been away for a few weeks so I am a little late but WELCOME!

Lots of suggestions here at the PXL ... sometimes it is a great idea that can really improve your work, sometimes it is something you just don't agree with (or is just poor critiquing) and those you can ignore. Either way, most of the time it is meant kindly and to help you improve ... A good critique is more valuable to me than winning (well maybe that is a little white lie but it is close)!

Agree with all that has been said ... very nice treatment on the source!

Great work and very interesting take!