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TUTORIAL 1: REPLACING A BACKGROUND WITH A DIGITAL BACKDROP
This tutorial is the first of several to get you started using the Creative Sparx Studios Digital Photo Backdrops. For this tutorial, we'll be using Adobe Photoshop to erase a background and replace it with a Digital Backdrop. Don't worry if you're not using Photoshop! The principles and basic actions are the same for most of the other software applications out there, such as Adobe Elements, Jasc Paint Shop Pro, etc.
BEFORE-YOU-BEGIN TIPS:
1. Learn what the various brushes and tools do, and how to adjust their characteristics.
2. Backup your original photos to a CD, DVD, or external drive to prevent deleting or changing them.
3. Organize your photos, so you can find them easily and know where your new composites will be saved.
4. Use the Help Menu, the software manual, or other instructional books to learn how to adjust color and levels. These are important to get your original photos looking their best.
5. Plan ahead for the final print size of your composite. Will it be 4"x6", 5"x7", 8"x10", or larger?
STEP #1:
- Open the photo you'll be working with into your software application. This is your 'Subject Photo.'
- Save this image under a new name, so that you do not accidentally make changes to the original photo.
- Save it as the file type you'll be using - TIFF, PSD, PSP. Do not use JPG, as this will compress the file. You'll want to work only with uncompressed file types, especially if you want to make changes in the future.
- Make sure your Color Mode is set to RGB.
- Scale and crop the photo to the desired size.
- Adjust the colors and levels to your liking.
STEP #2:
- Duplicate the 'layer' (how depends on your software) so that you can call up a duplicate if you make a mistake.
- Hide one of the layers and select the other to begin working on it.
STEP #3:
HINT: Some people use the 'magic wand' or 'eyedropper' selection tool to select areas of the background they want deleted. We do not recommend this; because these tools may also grab areas of your subject that you don't want selected. When you delete the selected areas, you may not realize that you have deleted some of your subject, until it's too late.
- If you want to clear large areas of the background to get started, use the rectangular 'Marquee' tool or the 'Lasso' tool to select large areas and then 'delete' or 'cut' those. Work your way closer to the subject.
- You could also use the 'eraser' tool with a very large brush size and sweep across the background
- Save your image!
STEP #4:
- After you have cleared a lot of the background, lower the size of the eraser and give it a softer edge.
- Zoom in on the photo with the 'magnify' tool to see the detail around the subject.
- Begin erasing the background area touching the subject. Change the size, shape and softness of the brush as you get into more detailed areas. When you zoom in really close, you'll be able to see and erase individual pixels.
HINT: Use a relatively soft brush for the final outline around your subject. A hard edge looks jagged and unnatural when the subject is superimposed over a backdrop.
- Save your image!
STEP #5:
- Insert the Digital Photo Backdrop CD or DVD into your drive and open the backdrop you want to use into your photo-editing application. HINT: It often helps to use a backdrop that is similar in color to the background of your original photo.
- Resize, if needed, the Digital Backdrop to match the size of your subject photo. Use the same resolution - 150 dpi, 200 dpi, 300 dpi, etc. Try not to use 72 dpi. That's for computer monitors, not for print. 150 dpi and above works best.
HINT: Try to scale down to match images. Don't try to scale a photo larger or you'll lose quality.
- Using the 'Move' tool, click and drag the photo layer you were working on (with transparent background) onto the Digital Backdrop. They should match in scale and resolution.
- If you do not have the move tool, or are unfamiliar with clicking and dragging images onto each other, copy your photo layer and paste it onto the Digital Backdrop.
- Use 'Save As...' to save this composite as a new file. You'll also want to save the erased background version to use in the future.
STEP #6:
At this point you should have a pretty basic composite that looks good, but could use some tweaking.
- Catch any areas around the subject you may have missed with the eraser tool. Be sure to have the subject layer selected.
- If you notice in most portraits, the background is not usually crystal sharp. Different focal lengths of the camera create different distances of focus between the subject and the background. Use a light Gaussian Blur on the Digital Backdrop layer to get this effect.
- Using your software's lighting tools, experiment with lighting the Digital Backdrop to match the lighting of the subject. This may involve the use of a spotlight effect, an omni light effect, or a distant light effect. You may also want to add a lighting effect to the subject layer to create different looks.
GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN!!
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