SCALE: TEXTURE

I wanted to do another study on scale focusing on what makes subjects look larger, even if they are the same size in the frame. Statues make good study material because there are replicas at different scales. Looking at the image comparison below of the New York and Paris Statue of Liberty, try to deduce which once looks larger and why:

If you picked “B“, you’re correct! That is the Statue of Liberty in NY standing at 305 feet. Even when viewed at the same size of a smaller statue, its scale reads as larger largely because of the number of divisions. The taller the structure, the harder it is to use fewer segments of the material. Its finer detail is another clue that it’s larger.

“A“ is the statue in Paris standing at ~40 feet. Although not made with the same material, its few divisions still show scale:

4 inch copper replica - no divisions

This concept is used in The Incredibles on the Omnidroid through the upgrades on screen. The 2nd upgrade of the droid shows large panels proportions:

The final larger, omnnidroid upgrade has smaller panels to reinforce scale, even when next to cars as scale indicators.