Combining Images III
page twoAfter dragging the woman onto the bottle picture, she’s in the right position, but she’s definitely not in the bottle.
back
start
Tips
7 Tools
7 Palettes
Brushes in 7
Using PS7 Brushes
7 Basics
7 Reference: Tools
7 Reference: Palettes
Reference: Filters
Reference: Effects
Selections
Channels
Basic Layers
Basic Pen
How Much?
Color Management
Color Correction
Combining Images
Combining Images II
Combining Images III
Compositing in Photoshop
Perfect Blend
Multicolor Fill
Curves, Levels, or Brightness/Contrast?
Dodge and Burn
Duotones
Styles On Masks
Organic Textures
Abstract Background
Make a Frame
3D Wire Text
Doodling
Older Tutorials
Quick Mask
Rubberstamping
More Adjustments
Sharpening
Filters
Color
Elements Basics
Reference: Elements Tools
Reference: Elements Palettes
How Do I...?
Gotcha
Pre-Beginner
Pre-Beginner II
Why Layers?
Holes
Fade In
Playing With Styles
Learning Effects
Redeye Removal
Artistic Filtering
Symmetrical Flowers
Simulated Alpha Channels
Layer Masks
Multilayer Masks
Displacing Textures
When you add a layer mask, the layer automatically goes into mask edit mode. If you later want to edit the mask again, click on the mask thumbnail on its layer and then check to make sure the mask icon is showing to the right of the eyeball icon on that layer.
When in mask edit mode your default colors are reversed. Pressing the D key (to restore default colors) will get you white as the foreground color and black as the background color which is the reverse of the defaults when in image edit mode.
Press the D key and then press the X key to make black your foreground color. Pick the brush tool in the toolbox (formerly known as the paintbrush). From its options bar, choose a soft brush and set brush Opacity to 30 %. Set Flow to 100 % (Photoshop 7, only).
With the woman’s layer still selected in the Layers palette, and in mask edit mode, paint on your picture in all areas where the bottle shows visible detail on its front. This includes the word ‘Ball’ as well as the specular light flairs and reflections. If you follow detail from the edges of the woman inwards, you should be able to track where the masking should go.
Wherever you paint with black on the mask, the woman will be hidden and the bottle (on the layer below) will be visible. Because you are painting with reduced opacity, you will need to stroke repeatedly to gradually reveal the bottle. Use your discretion to decide how much of the woman should be visible. If you paint too much (the bottle starts to look too opaque), press the X key on your keyboard to switch your foreground color to white, and paint to remove the mask. Removing the mask restores visibility to the woman and hides the bottle on the layer below.
Black on a mask completely hides whatever is on the layer that it is masking. White completely reveals whatever is on the layer that it is masking. Gray partially hides whatever is on that part of the layer that it is masking. By painting with black at 30 % Opacity, you are really painting with gray but by repeated stroking over the same spot, can build up the mask to pure black. If you painted with gray (rather than black at lowered opacity) you would not be able to gradually increase the density of the mask.
Here is what my mask edits look like when viewed without the image (Alt-click the mask thumbnail to see the mask by itself). This is a cropped screen capture. The edits were limited to the area of the bottle that was supposed to be in front of the woman.
Here you can see the Layers palette with the mask and its edits.
Below you can see the composite at this point. She does look like she’s in the bottle, but she is too bright. If she is supposed to be in a dark cupboard she shouldn’t be nearly so visible. I’ll work on that, next.
continue on next page
PS Elements Tips
Unreal Nature
Shadows and Light
Photoshop Books
Photoshop Links
FreePhotos
Filler Images
Elementary School
Advanced Elements
The Belief Game
Animal Rights
Copyright © 2004 by Jay Arraich.
All rights reserved.
All photographs copyright ©2004 by Jay Arraich
jay@arraich.com
previous
start
Tips Index
7 Tools
7 Palettes
Site Index