This is a completely vector image done almost entirely in Flash. There is no Photoshop touch-up work whatsoever. You can view the actual vector image (exported as an swf file) here: http://www.tintruong.com/alley_vector.html

Because it is all vector, you can right click and zoom in on the image without loss of resolution. I did it in vector for two primary reasons. I want to possibly turn it into an animation later, and I plan to print full color posters of the image for myself and friends.

I'm currently working on another vector illustration that should be completed for the next pack.

i'm in denial. YOU DID THIS IN FLASH??? u are a GOD!!! i had no idea flash was capable of sumfin like this. how did u manage your layers??? that would drive me crazy in flash, u must have ALOT of experience. incredible!! ;)

Damn... If you zoom in the Atm on the flash image you can actualy read those blurry lines :D ... I'm trully impressed with the amount of details even when you zoom in.

I've tried using flash once and it only made me frustated, so I will keep up with photoshop and other stuff. :p

Thanks, Virtue1-

The layer management was a bit tedious. The final image has roughtly 90 layers. Usually, I label all my layers, but in this case - because of time limits - I didn't. But the layers for this particular image were pretty straight forward - going from foreground up front to horizon in the back. It gets a bit complicated in Flash, because each of the items or symbols in each layer can then have its own system of layers. The ATM Machine, for example:

It is on layer one (along with a couple other symbols), but the ATM Machine symbol itself has a series of layers that are inherent to the ATM Machine only. These layers are also structured logically - Base Coat Layer, Weathering Layer above that, details layer above that(decals, screen text, scratches, etc.), and then Highlights Layer above that(cast light from the environment). Almost all of the symbols in the image have these basic inherent layers to them.

Some - like the the neon signs, and the squad car - have an additional Effects Layer. The squad car's Effects Layer contains the halos for the headlight and the siren lights, as well as the environment reflections on the windows.

Almost all of the items in the layers are saved as Symbols. This allows me to make minute changes to each of the layers to get the desired effect. The ATM machine as an example again:

The screen is a symbol - so I can change it's translucency or brightness. The Highlights Layer is a symbol, so I can adjust it's translucency to match the lighting in its surroundings. In theory, it is very much like airbrushing. It takes a lot of experimenting to see what various overlaid translucencies will result in.

Almost all of the weathering effects were done as symbols - allowing me to adjust their translucency, tint, brightness, etc. to be just right. In fact, about 90% of the elements in the image are at less than 100% translucency.

I hope this answers some of your questions. Thanks, Tin

One last comment: The approach I outlined above basically mimmicks in Flash - the way layers are handled in Photoshop. Flash's layer properties are no where near as advanced as Photoshop, so I had to work around it's limitations to make the image appear more like a Photoshop image than a Flash Image - but keeping it all vector.
Tin

I can only imagine. Outstanding work! You truly have the patience and talent of an artist!

Cool. Thanks.

I agree. There are some really great details in there. I especially like the warning sign in the right hand side and the reflection on the lower left.

I just wonder why tinster dropboxed a jpeg instead of the actual flash file in the first place.

I did it in vector really for reasons of time. For me, at least, I can do an illustration like this much faster in vector than if I did it using the paint brush tools and friskets in Photoshop. The fact that it's vector wasn't really what I wanted to show off in the final image. I actually prefer the jpeg export - the jpeg compression addes a little imperfection to the edge quality of the image that the vector one lacked. The vector image is a bit too clean and crisp for my tastes.

I also didn't post the vector version to the pack, because I'm a bit self-consious about allowing people to zoom in on the image. If you zoom in closely at the cops, for example - you'll realize that there is really not that much detail to them. At the normal resolution, they have an illusion of detail that really isn't there.

Thanks for the compliments, Jae. This piece took me about about 45 to 50 total man hours to complete. I put in 4 hours a day off and on over a period of about a week and a half leading up to the pack release..

It was a blast to work on, and I got really obsessed with the little details. I finally had to snap myself out of it in order to wrap it up in time for the pack. The hardest part was actually the reflections of in the street, and the distant cityscape.

The street reflections ended up being several layers of varying translucency - with one of the layers being the other side of the street flipped vertically. Then I had to punch out the areas where the puddles would be so that the relections would show. It took me a couple of tests before I got it just right.

The distant cityscape was tough because I had to get the right scaling on the windows to convey perspective and distance. I nailed that fairly early on, but it didn't look right - just looked kinda flat and not vaste. I finally was able to convey the vasteness by doing two things: 1) I added a layer of "fog between the foreground layer and the layer containing the building directly across the street. This immediately created a huge spanse of distance towards the back buildings, and 2) I added larger light halos around all of the distant neon signs and street lamps - diminishing the intensity of the halos going towards the foreground. This gave the image sort of a "vaseline on the camera lense" effect that really added vastness, but also mood to the image.

The sidewalk tiles in the foreground wasn't hard to do, just REALLY tedious. Zoom In on it in the vector image to see why.

I added the strippers, cops, and squad car just before the pack launch.

Just did. WOW! I can only imagine how much time was put into this. I would never have guessed this was vector at first look. This makes me want to try a vector image.

Thanks for the compliment. Bladerunner was one of the inspirations. It's one of my favorite movies.

Exactly, Gamma. I plan to turn this into an animation. That's partly the reason I chose to do it vector and in Flash. I agree completely regarding "subtle" animation effects to convey mood and life. Thanks for the compliments. I'll post the animation in a future pack.

Thanks. It was definitely a tedious undertaking, but it was worth it in the end. Tin

Thanks, Dmitry! I was originally going to have the street be full of people and activity, but it was somehow more eerie or more haunting to have the streets empty except for the police. Also, the fact that the strippers seem to be dancing for no one in particular also added a strange feel to the world - as if they were robots programmed to go through a certain daily routine. Tin

LOL!!! Thanks.