Photoshop 6 7: Compositing 2

Adobe Photoshop 6 & 7: Compositing 2

1. Open two files that are similar dimensions - some figures and a background are ideal for this
e.g. lollipop_girls; holidayplace.jpg

2. Click on your first image (e.g. lollipop_girls) to activate it.

3. Select the Move Tool

4. Drag the picture of the girls onto the other photo [this copies the image as a new layer] and position it.

5. Close the original lollipop_girls image, as you no longer need it.

Images can be combined using different methods:

[A] Make a Marquee selection

Choose one of the Marquee Selection Tools and draw around the central couple [the example shows the Elliptical Marquee]
Add a Layer Mask by clicking on the icon at the bottom of the Layer Palette
The area outside the selection is removed to reveal the background image like a vignette.
You can get an accurate selection of the outline using the Polygonal Lasso Tool.

[B] Quick Mask Mode

Either press “Q” on the keyboard or the Quick Mask Mode button at the bottom of the Toolbar
Click on the Paintbrush Tool and choose a size depending on the size of your picture e.g. 19 pixels
Paint over the area that you want to extract [the ruby red colour indicates this is a mask
Press “Q” again to get a selection from the mask
Go to Select > Feather and type in a radius [again this depends on the size of the picture: try 5 pixels and work up or down from there]
Click on Delete to remove the background
Use the Eraser to clean up the outline: this is more accurate if you use the Zoom tool to magnify the image.

[C] Alternative Methods