Combining Images

[Bender B.R.]

If you have an idea...first stop, google images. Now it is very

important to start with a high resolution image. To do this, go

straight to Google Advanced Image Search.

http://images.google.com/advanced_image_search?hl=en

when Googling for images, don't settle for the first

half-decent image you find! Typically, I like to collect at least 3 and

as many as 10 images I could possibly use for my image. Different

angles, different lighting, etc.

Ok now the 2nd image,while experimenting on forum members use our gallery to find good photo of someone and save it (if there is few photos save them all :yes: )

Here is a trick...keep an image of your best

candidate open in one window while you browse thru the gallery.

Look

for matching head angles first and foremost. Color can be adjusted,

angles are a bit tougher to adjust. Don't sweat it if the angle is in

the opposite direction, you can mirror the image later. Find a few fine

art images and save them.

[Bender B.R.]

Open your fine sourse image in Photoshop. Also, open up the preferred

face image that will match your sourse image. Using the rectangular

marquee tool, Place a rectangle around the celebrity's face. Don't

worry about being precise at this point, just make sure you have more

than you need in the rectangle.

Now, using the move command, drag the image over onto the sourse

image. Just get the image close to it's final destination.

Examine your layers window. You should have 2 - Background (the fine

art image) and Layer 1 (the face)

At the top of the layer window is the opacity control. It should read

100%. Hit the arrow to the right and move the slider that appears.

Watch the image as you do this. You should begin to see the image fade

away into the background. Choose a percentage that allows you to see

both the face and the background together.

select

EDIT>FREE TRANSFORM. A rectangle with circles in the corners and one in

the center will appear. You can move the layer by hitting inside the

rectangle and dragging it into place. You can rotate the layer by

hitting outside the rectangle, and spinning it. Notice it spins

about the circle in the middle of the rectangle. You can move the point

of rotation with your cursor. The next one is important... You can

scale the layer by hitting one of the corner circles and dragging it in

or out. NOTE: It is important to hold the shift key when you do this,

in order to keep the image proportionally correct.

Using the EDIT>FREE TRANSFORM command, align the face with the

background. I usually use the jawline and eyes as a guide.

[Bender B.R.]

After you have the images aligned as best as possible, slide the layer

opacity level back to 100%

Next to the Layers feature, masking is the most wonderful feature in

Photoshop. It separates the men from the boys, and the veterans from

the newbies. We currently have a celebrity face aligned with a

fine art background. But there are a lot of extra pixels that must be

removed from the face image. Use the eraser, right?

NO!

[Bender B.R.]

Erasing is permanent. Masking is not. Suppose you are cleaning up the

edges of the face, and you remove a little too much cheek. But you do

not notice it right away. This happens. With erasing, it's quite

possible that you may not be able to get that cheek back easily, but

with masking, it's never gone, just hidden. Pixels can be hidden and

exposed easily, at any time.

Hilite Layer 1 on the layers window. Notice at the bottom of the

window, there is a button containing a rectangle with a circle in it.

This is the Add Layer Mask button. Hit it.

Select the brush command. With your foreground color set to black,

begin brushing the edges of the face image. Notice how the pixels

disappear. They are not being deleted, just hidden.

Now select the eraser command. Take the eraser over the area you just

edited. Notice how the pixels reappear.

Now, switch the foreground and background colors using the little

semicircle with the arrowheads on it.

With the foreground color now set to white, use the eraser on the

face image. Notice how the pixels disappear. Switch to the brush. Brush

the same area. The pixels reappear.

NOTE: When masking, a black brush hides pixels, a white brush

restores pixels. A black eraser restores pixels and a white eraser

hides them.

[Bender B.R.]

Now, using as large a brush as possible, clean up the area around the

face.

Some tips...

A feathered brush makes for a softer blend.

Brush opacity (not layer opacity) also helps to create a softer

blend, and prevents the dreaded appearance of a bad "cut and paste" job.

It may be easier at first to turn off the background so you can see

all of the pixels you want to remove. Do this by hitting the little eye

on the left side of the Background layer on the Layers window.

Also...avoid brushing the pixels with one long continuous brush stroke,

instead, use several small strokes, that way, an undo will not destroy too

much of the brushing that still may be good.

Make sure you are not in mask mode when you do color matching.

To do this, hit the little thumbnail of the image in the Layers window.

This is how you switch from mask mode. Hit the mask thumbnail to return

to mask mode.

After you have finished masking and color matching, and are happy

with the results. Save the .psd file. DO NOT FLATTEN THE IMAGE OR MERGE

THE LAYERS! Also, save a copy in the .jpg format. This is the format

used to upload to the website.

But before you do that, a word of advice. Walk away from the image

for a while. Come back later and look it over. Sometimes a long session

of photoshopping can cause you to overlook obvious mistakes. Better

yet, have someone else review the image for you. There are plenty

of people around here that are happy to critique an image :diana:

Then you can upload your image and watch it rocket to the top of the standings.

:diana:

[lilit]

Бендер, ты чего?

[crimson]

Бендер, ты чего?

[lilit]

а чего на английском?

[Bender B.R.]

мне так удобнее :xixi:

[Bender B.R.]

for example:

we get from here-

[Bender B.R.]

to here

[Ara]

Бендер я только по твоему описанию научился одну картинку на другое вставлять. Спасибо тебе за это. И, если тебе не сложно, не мог бы ты объяснить, может быть в двух словах, как ты вставляешь текст в картинку?? Вот как здесь.

[Bender B.R.]

Ну тут уже можешь дать волю своей фантазии))) досань откуда нибудь символ канала, приставь ленту (можно полупрозначную), и просто вставь текст в нее

[Ara]

Какую ленту полупрозрачную?? Бендер, когда я говорил в двух словах, я не имел ввиду так коротко :rolleyes: Все-таки я пока не такой профи в этом деле... :unsure:

[Bender B.R.]

Какую ленту полупрозрачную?? Бендер, когда я говорил в двух словах, я не имел ввиду так коротко :rolleyes: Все-таки я пока не такой профи в этом деле... :unsure: