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New2Digi - Using a Photo as a Background By Cristina Blomberg Jul 11, 2005, 10:18 |
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| Original Photo |
As you can see, this photo has a large “clear” area to work with, and I purposely waited for the little bird to get to the side of the shot before taking the picture. This adds a bit of interest to the picture, without crowding it and still giving me clear space to work. My purpose for using such a photo is to be able to add other pictures or even text without cluttering my layout. A more “busy” photo as a background might make the layout look crowded and overdone. For this article, we’ll discuss just a few of the many ways to alter the background photo. The addition of other photos and text will be an entirely different subject and possibly a future article and tutorial.
Before starting to alter your photo, make sure that you save your original photo as a separate file. If you edit/alter the photo and don’t like the changes, you can always “undo” or close the file you’re working on and simply open your original photo file for a fresh start. Once you’ve chosen which photo you want to use, your photo editing software becomes your playground! This is a great exercise if you are not familiar with all your software can do… the possibilities just may be endless, and you can always open your original photo when you want to try something new.
1. DESATURATE
To get your feet wet, let’s start with simply changing a color photo to black and white- or “desaturating” the photo. Naturally, programs will differ, but you may find something similar to Adobe’s Photoshop in your program:
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| Desaturate in Adobe Photoshop CS |
You’ll notice that just a few clicks will give you a black and white (desaturated) photo.
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| Black/white or Desaturated photo |
Adjusting the brightness and contrast of a black and white photo will give you even more possibilities.
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| Adjusting the Desaturated Photo |
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| Move the Sliders Left & Right for a Different Look |
This technique works great if you have a busy background photo or if your background photo has colors that don’t match the other photos and elements you want to add to your layout. The layout “My Flute” by POTH team member Barbara S, is a perfect example of this technique:
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| Made by Barbara S, as seen at PagesoftheHeart |
2. FUN WITH FILTERS
Your program comes with filters… probably lots of them! A filter is a set of pre-designed actions and effects that you can use to add digital textures and effects to your photos. It is also possible to add-on filters to your program, though you need to be sure that whatever filters you download or purchase will work in your specific program. A quality add-on filter will come with compatibility listings and directions on how to install the filter in your photo editing software and computer.
In Photoshop, the filters are easy to find and listed for you from the Menu Bar:
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| Filters in Adobe Photoshop CS |
Simply clicking around on the various filters will give you different effects and textures. Have fun experimenting with these while you’re getting to know your program. In many programs, when you choose a filter, another window will open to give you further options using that particular filter.
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| More Filter Options |
With just the 11 basic filters listed in Photoshop CS, the different possible variations of those filters make it possible to have no two filters exactly the same- ever! Below are just a few examples of the different filters in Photoshop:
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| Filter: Accented Edges |
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| Filter: Colored Pencil |
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| Filter: Rough Pastels |
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| Filter: Solarize |
3. COLOR or DESATURATE IN SECTIONS
By using your selection tool, and applying the different filters to only sections or portions of the picture, you can create interest and focus on a particular part of the photo. The selection tool comes in many forms and names in different programs. In Photoshop, you can find the Lasso Tool in your tool bar:
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| The Lasso Tool in Photoshop |
Using the Lasso takes some practice, but you’ll eventually get used to it. If you right click on the Lasso tool on the tool bar and you’ll see even more selection tools.
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| More Lasso Tools! |
Alternatively, you can also use the Marque tools to make a selection. The Margue tools are standard shapes like rectangles and ovals. (To get perfect squares and circles, be sure to hold down your shift key while you drag your mouse.):
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| The Marque Tools in Photoshop |
Your selection will show as an animated dotted line (“marching ants”). Then you can click on your filters as usual to apply the various filters to the selection only. This works great with color/black and white combos, as seen in the layout “Carry Your Heart” by POTH member Bridget Withers:
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| Made by Bridget Withers, as seen at PagesoftheHeart |
Well, that should be more than enough to keep a new digital scrapper busy for a while! Have fun getting to know your program and keep pushing your digi-skills to a new limit.
© Copyright 2007 by Pagesoftheheart.net
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