groupnewsphotography2

Lesson 9 Layer Masks to Merge Images

1. Import Image 1 (background) File  Open  navigate to your chosen image

2. Import Image 2 (as for Image 1), and using the Move tool (top rt of Toolbar)

drag this layer over the background layer.

3. Apply a Layer Mask to this top layer: Layer  Add Layer Mask  Reveal All

4. Check on the Tool Bar (LH side of screen) that the icon near the bottom like

two overlapping squares, one black, one white has the black on top. If it is

reversed, click on the double-ended arrow to the right to swap them over.

5. Choose the paintbrush tool

Choosing an appropriate sized brush, (use square brackets next to the ‘P’ – ] to

increase or [ to reduce size) paint over the areas of the picture that you wish

to remove. This will reveal the background picture beneath.

If you accidentally paint over a part you wanted to keep, click on the ‘reverse’ arrow by the black&white squares, and ‘paint’ that part back in. Using the

black on top reveals the lower picture, using white restores the top one. Adjust

the brush size down for more accurate work around the edges of your selected

top image.

6. To reposition the top image at any time, revert to the MOVE tool and adjust its

position.

7. When you’re satisfied with the new image, you need to save it as follows:

8. Combine into one image permanently: Layer  Flatten Image.

9. Save Final Image: File  Save as and name your new file as a jpg

file.

You can have so much fun with this and the first Merge technique, and produce some really surreal results. Do try it, even if you feel it may not be a procedure you will use often.

Lesson 10 and 11

LESSON 10 – HOW TO PRODUCE A GHOSTLY IMAGE

1.Take two identical photos, except that one will have a figure or person in it. It is recommended that you use a tripod to ensure the two images are identical in all other ways.

2.Import Image 1 (without the person) first in Photoshop, then import Image 2.

3Using the Move tool, (top right of the Tool Bar) click on the ‘person’ image and hold the left mouse button down while you drag this image exactly over the ‘non-person’ image.

4Near the top right of the Layers Palette, click on Opacity and slide the bar to the left until you achieve the ghostly effect you want.

Save the image as a .jpeg file with a new name and then close down all images.

LESSON 11 – USING THE ‘PATCH’ TOOL

This is an alternative way to cloning or removing an unwanted section of an image.

1.Open your image in Photoshop

2.Click on the Patch tool (4th down on LH side of Tool Bar). It could be showing the Healing Brush (like a sticking plaster) so you need to right click on the little up-turned corner and select Patch if this is the case.

3Move to the area you wish to change, and mark round it to get the ‘marching ants’.

4.Drag this selected area to a part of the image you want to replace it

with and release the mouse. The selected area will copy into the area originally selected.

5.Go to Select on the toolbar across the top of the screen and move down to Deselect to remove the marching ants.

This action can be repeated several times in an image, using different areas of the image to copy as required.

Frank took over then, to give some hints on good composition. The main points to producing a good photograph are focus, exposure and composition. Some compositional guides are:

1.Change the camera angle

2.Get on a level with the subject

3.The Rule of Thirds

4.Symmetry

5.Pattern and texture, lines etc.

6.Fill the frame with the subject

7.Natural framing

Frank played some short video clips on various aspects of composition:

Cropping: Remove all the outer areas not needed, to accentuate the main subject matter. This is useful if you cannot get close enough to do this when taking the original photo. The video clip can be seen on www.itookthat.com . Go to Links and select My Videos on YouTube and play “Simple but effective enhancing in iPhoto”.

Rule of Thirds: Some digital compacts can be set to show a “noughts and crosses” grid on the screen. Where the lines intersect are points of interest. These create natural focal points and points of tension. To watch the video we saw, go to www.aop.thepublicbroadcast.com/ted forbes and select Episodes – you want Episode 5 to see how this is described and used.

Portraits: Another video lesson is available on the above website on composing portraits. It would help you to watch it rather than me trying to explain all the points demonstrated.

Use of Histograms: Again, some cameras can be set to show the histogram (like a bar chart) on the screen. This tool counts pixel brightness and gives an indication of how well the light and shade is distributed in the photo. If you’d like to watch the video clip on this subject check out www.adorama.com for a talk by Mark Wallace. Choose WATCH from the home page then select the topic down the side of the screen (quite a long way down).

PHOTOGRAPHY 2 GROUP MEETING – 28th OCTOBER 2011

Present: Sue, Roy & Sheila D, Valerie, Yvonne, Audrey H, Jackie, Audrey O, Gill, Norman, Frank, Roy T and Mike Trinder

Apologies: Richard, Chris and Shirley

Sue welcomed everyone to the meeting, especially Mike, who had joined the group during the summer. All renewed their membership, and Yvonne kindly agreed to collect the subs.

The set subject: “Composition” The images sent in (6) were projected and discussed in the light of the “rule of thirds”. All will be submitted for the website.

Audrey

Bedford Embankment

Frank

Horsey wind pump

Roy T

Dark clouds of War

Richard

Sherbourne bridge

Gill

St Ives Bridge

Sue

Bridge of Serenity

Future Programme:

We then had a full and helpful discussion on how our group should continue. Following the planned visit to Addison Park in September when only Jackie, Norman, Mike and Audrey O had turned up, they had met again to go out and take photos together, and took the opportunity over a cup of coffee to talk about what they wanted from the group meetings. Some of the ideas were:

•

Meet every month at St Marks as now, but also have an informal meeting away from the building each month to take photos together of a specific place or subject, and help each other with hints and tips etc.

•

If any of us take what we consider to be a really good photo during the month, on any subject, email it to other group members for their comments.

•

Go out occasionally in pairs or smaller groups to take photos.

There was general discussion of these suggestions and others, and they were broadly welcomed.

It was also agreed that members who had laptops would bring them (and their cameras) to each meeting so that if an improvement was suggested in discussion, it could be tried at the time. This would also give an opportunity to recap on some of the Photoshop techniques. Those who do not have a laptop should bring their submitted photo on a memory stick so it can be loaded onto a laptop and worked on in the meeting.

Subjects agreed for the coming year:

25 November:

Autumn Leaves.

23 December:

No meeting

27 January:

Any subject in 3 different lighting conditions (only images as taken to be used – no Photoshop enhancement apart from

cropping for this subject)

24 February:

Frost and/or snow

23 March:

New Life

27 April:

Easter

25 May:

Old

22 June:

Doorways

27 July:

Pastimes

24 August:

Lazy days

28 September:

Harvest

Tutorials will follow each projection session as appropriate or agreed in advance.

Hopefully this is an accurate record of our discussions. See you in November. Happy snapping!

Sue & Richard