Ugh, photoshop headache. Skate shots.

Ghoste · Mar 12, 2005

I'm still learning my photoshop and slowly getting there. I'm just trying to learn how to overlap entire images. Like, I have a sequence shot of my friends skateboarding and I had to cut each thing seperatly instead of overlapping the entire image becuase I can't figure out how. Everytime I select the first layer and then try to open the next one it opens in a seperate box with a different set of layers and I want it to be in the first box. Understand what I am saying? Becuase I don't =p. This is the shot I'm trying to get.

I couldn't figure why it looked so fake and then I realized the shadows were gone out of the 2nd and 5th layer. Any help would be great.

Ghoste · Mar 12, 2005

Ugh, I keep looking at the shot and it looks so bad. The shots came off of a CD since they are film shots. And they screwed up printing 'em or something becuase the 5th layer was all screwed up. In the full picture the skater is all the way up to the side of the shot. And then when I put him on the original it is not next to it and his hand is cut off =p.

tr0gd0o0r · Mar 13, 2005

how'd you cut the images out of the original photos?
it looks fine to me except for the 2nd and last shots. I think you're right w/ the shadows. did you use a lasso or something to cut the people out?

if so, did you use a tripod or handheld?
if handheld, how similiar are the backgrounds?

if background == similiar then draw a select a square around the skater and paste it into the original photo. line up the backgrounds and the skater should be appropriately positioned. and the shadows should be included. then erase and segment that overlaps body parts. this is just an idea . i've used this method before and it worked well (but there were also no shadows for me to really worry about cuz he was over water.

p.s. i'm not extremely experienced at this and my solution may provide no real fix at all

Rogue Monk · Mar 13, 2005

You should use a tripod for this kind of shot. That way the background stays in the same place. It's also easier with digital because you don't have to worry about the scans being accurate.

But so long as you're close....

Open the images in PS. Each one will be in it's own window. Then, you use the "move" tool and hold shift while dragging those other layers to your base image. Holding shift forces the layers to center perfectly.

From there you can delete or mask (prefered) as needed. Because all the backgrounds line up, you don't need to be pixel perfect.

JohnMF · Mar 25, 2005

you can use the pen tool to accurately cut around the person, or use a mask

MostlyDigital · Mar 26, 2005

Rogue Monk, could you explain those directions a little further? I tried that with a few of my pictures I have, and then i dont know what to do with the mask, or deletion of layers? I tried lowering the opacity of them, but it doesnt show up right. Thanks for any help.