Superimposing images in Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0

On Mon, 1 Sep 2008 07:59:40 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

Hello,

I have two clipart images and am trying to do the following:
1) Put one clipart image (ie: a beach) as the background.
2) Put the second clipart image (ie: a person) on top of the
background.

The problem is, when I do this, the white area surrounding the person from the second image is also shown on the background. I would like the background image of the island to shine through these white areas on the person image. You know, so that it looks like the person is actually on the beach.

I’m afraid I’m new to this program and am not sure how to do this. I guess I need to set up some sort of a mask or layer or
transparency…but can’t seem to find out how. I’ve played around with it and am more confused than ever.

Can someone explain to me in step-by-step fashion what I need to do in order to achieve this effect?

Thanks for your time…
Sam

Make sure that you have the layer palette open, then in the layer palette, select the top layer which has the person in it and then select the eraser tool and erase the white that surrounds the person. Erasing the white area will allow the beach to show through.

Talker

wrote:

Hello,

I have two clipart images and am trying to do the following:
1) Put one clipart image (ie: a beach) as the background.
2) Put the second clipart image (ie: a person) on top of the
background.

The problem is, when I do this, the white area surrounding the person from the second image is also shown on the background. I would like the background image of the island to shine through these white areas on the person image. You know, so that it looks like the person is actually on the beach.

I’m afraid I’m new to this program and am not sure how to do this. I guess I need to set up some sort of a mask or layer or
transparency…but can’t seem to find out how. I’ve played around with it and am more confused than ever.

Can someone explain to me in step-by-step fashion what I need to do in order to achieve this effect?

Thanks for your time…
Sam

I can’t be able to picture the picture you have in mind, but *if* you just spend little time to learn some very basic command(s) of Photoshop then you should be able to do MUCH MUCH more than your imaging.

1. LAYER, you really need to learn how to use and take advantage of LAYER

2. QUICK MASK, you REALLY REALLY REALLY need to learn the basic of Quick Mask which is one of the MAIN KEY for what you are trying to do. And when you master the Quick Mask command then you may be surprise that it could be your daily use command, or I use Quick Mask on around 95-98+% of all my retouching and processing.

Layer and Quick Mask are ones I can’t go without them. How to use Quick Mask (I am not talking about creating a Masked Image but using Quick Mask command) then you can always GOOGLE and you should be able to find plenty on youtube (I hope as I never tried myself).

Also, you may want to learn the generation instead of wasting time seeing someone trying to SHOW OFF the Quick Masking which could be misleading, or have you scared.

wrote in message

Hello,

I have two clipart images and am trying to do the following:
1) Put one clipart image (ie: a beach) as the background.
2) Put the second clipart image (ie: a person) on top of the
background.

The problem is, when I do this, the white area surrounding the person from the second image is also shown on the background. I would like the background image of the island to shine through these white areas on the person image. You know, so that it looks like the person is actually on the beach.

I’m afraid I’m new to this program and am not sure how to do this. I guess I need to set up some sort of a mask or layer or
transparency…but can’t seem to find out how. I’ve played around with it and am more confused than ever.

Can someone explain to me in step-by-step fashion what I need to do in order to achieve this effect?

Thanks for your time…
Sam

if you have CS 3
make your selection on the person and go to REFINE EDGE

earlier versions go to
menu and look for select>modify>contract

contract selection by a few pixels and then use FEATHER to soften the cut out edges

in the newer PS you can see as you go
earlier versions by guessing and adjusting

also when you cut out a figure it will lack same light as the background there are methods to make them match better for a realistic result (lighting effects for example and/or color adjustments)

if you want a realistic look make sure to add back shadows to your person that is cut out or it will look floating

making good selection edges is critical

as Joel suggests masks are much safer to correct error in cuts they are editable and can be changed as erasing is permanent lost

some people like the extract tool
or background eraser better for this type work

I often begin with the magnetic lasso and add/subtract with magic wand if the background is all one color easier to
select color range (and or wand the background) and inverse for your cutout

make note the tolerance settings change the cut off edges!!!

So many solutions. The OP has not defined exactly what his clip art is, and here I presume it is of pure black and white (not grey, no color).

Open the background image. Set File-Mode to RGB
Open the foreground image. Set File-Mode to RGB
Drag the foreground image to the background image window. Open the Layers window.
Click on the top layer.
Just above is ‘layer mode’ and it says [normal]
Set it to Multiply

There ya go.

The problem that without the quote of original message not many people can figure out what you (we) are talking about.

In message , Joel
writes

wrote:

Hello,

I have two clipart images and am trying to do the following:
1) Put one clipart image (ie: a beach) as the background.
2) Put the second clipart image (ie: a person) on top of the
background.

The problem is, when I do this, the white area surrounding the person from the second image is also shown on the background. I would like the background image of the island to shine through these white areas on the person image. You know, so that it looks like the person is actually on the beach.

I’m afraid I’m new to this program and am not sure how to do this. I guess I need to set up some sort of a mask or layer or
transparency…but can’t seem to find out how. I’ve played around with it and am more confused than ever.

Can someone explain to me in step-by-step fashion what I need to do in order to achieve this effect?

Thanks for your time…
Sam

I can’t be able to picture the picture you have in mind, but *if* you just spend little time to learn some very basic command(s) of Photoshop then you should be able to do MUCH MUCH more than your imaging.

1. LAYER, you really need to learn how to use and take advantage of LAYER
2. QUICK MASK, you REALLY REALLY REALLY need to learn the basic of Quick Mask which is one of the MAIN KEY for what you are trying to do. And when you master the Quick Mask command then you may be surprise that it could be your daily use command, or I use Quick Mask on around 95-98+% of all my retouching and processing.

Layer and Quick Mask are ones I can’t go without them. How to use Quick Mask (I am not talking about creating a Masked Image but using Quick Mask command) then you can always GOOGLE and you should be able to find plenty on youtube (I hope as I never tried myself).

Also, you may want to learn the generation instead of wasting time seeing someone trying to SHOW OFF the Quick Masking which could be misleading, or have you scared.

PS Elements 5 doesn’t have Quickmask!

Mike

[The reply-to address is valid for 30 days from this posting] —
Michael J Davis
http://www.trustsof.demon.co.uk
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"John J" wrote in message

So many solutions. The OP has not defined exactly what his clip art is, and here I presume it is of pure black and white (not grey, no color).
Open the background image. Set File-Mode to RGB
Open the foreground image. Set File-Mode to RGB
Drag the foreground image to the background image window. Open the Layers window.
Click on the top layer.
Just above is ‘layer mode’ and it says [normal]
Set it to Multiply

There ya go.

he didn’t say this
it is of pure black and white
why u presumed it?

KatWoman wrote:

"John J" wrote in message

So many solutions. The OP has not defined exactly what his clip art is, and here I presume it is of pure black and white (not grey, no color).
Open the background image. Set File-Mode to RGB
Open the foreground image. Set File-Mode to RGB
Drag the foreground image to the background image window. Open the Layers window.
Click on the top layer.
Just above is ‘layer mode’ and it says [normal]
Set it to Multiply

There ya go.

he didn’t say this
it is of pure black and white
why u presumed it?

Hi, Kat. I gave the solution to one possibility in hopes that he was working with such. When I think of clip art, it is usually of strictly B&W. The other types are stock photo, stock art, graphic art, etc… It’s a terms thing.

"John J" wrote in message

KatWoman wrote:

"John J" wrote in message

So many solutions. The OP has not defined exactly what his clip art is, and here I presume it is of pure black and white (not grey, no color).
Open the background image. Set File-Mode to RGB
Open the foreground image. Set File-Mode to RGB
Drag the foreground image to the background image window. Open the Layers window.
Click on the top layer.
Just above is ‘layer mode’ and it says [normal]
Set it to Multiply

There ya go.

he didn’t say this
it is of pure black and white
why u presumed it?

Hi, Kat. I gave the solution to one possibility in hopes that he was working with such. When I think of clip art, it is usually of strictly B&W. The other types are stock photo, stock art, graphic art, etc… It’s a terms thing.

when he said beach and person plus fringe, I assumed photos