Project 1

Masks can be used to control which pixels are concealed or revealed on any image layer except the background. if the mask layer that has been used to conceal pixels is then discarded the original pixels reappear. This approach to montage work is termed ‘non-destructive’. in the full version of Photoshop the mask can be applied to any layer. in Photoshop elements layer masks are only available on adjustment layers, but these can be used to mask the pixels on the layer, or layers, above. Forget cutting and pasting – learn the craft of professional montage using advanced masking techniques https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240522432/e9de808a-b4d7-43c9-bd0b-2cc7af78d378/content/figu3_1_2_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240522432/e9de808a-b4d7-43c9-bd0b-2cc7af78d378/content/figu3_1_3_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>

Select the Quick Selection tool in the tools panel and then deselect the Auto Enhance option in the Options bar. With subjects that are easy to select, the Auto Enhance option can save you time as the edge quality will be refined as you select. The edge contrast of this subject is low in places and no one tool can easily select the entire subject in this image. When this is the case it is better to turn the Auto Enhance feature off and refine the edge later. After selecting the gold man you will notice the selection may not be perfect. You will almost certainly have to remove the areas from under the arms and between the legs from the selection. To do this hold down the Alt/Option key and click and drag over these areas. You may need to reduce the size of the brush when painting over these regions. Do not spend too long trying to perfect difficult regions of the selection using the Quick Selection tool as we will use additional techniques to complete the process. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240522432/e9de808a-b4d7-43c9-bd0b-2cc7af78d378/content/figu3_1_4_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>

With the selection active go to the Layers panel and add a Levels adjustment layer from the Create new fill or adjustment layer menu. The selection will be converted into a layer mask. We can use this layer mask to perfect the selection. Hold down the Alt/Option and Shift keys and click on the adjustment layer mask to view the mask and the image at the same time. The mask is currently indicating the area that is not selected. Select the Polygonal Lasso tool from the Tools panel and set the Feather value to 0 pixels in the Options bar. Click around any area where the mask color needs to be extended to meet the edge of the gold man. Check that you have black as the foreground color in the Tools panel and then use the keyboard shortcut Alt/Option + Backspace/Delete to fill the selected area with the mask color. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240522432/e9de808a-b4d7-43c9-bd0b-2cc7af78d378/content/figu3_1_5_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>

To create the perfect selection it will be necessary to remove any mask color that appears over the subject. To do this make a selection and fill with the background color (Ctrl/Command + Backspace/Delete). When the edge is difficult to see because the mask color extends over the edge of the subject go to Filter > Adjustments > Invert (Ctrl/Command + I). Now you will be able to see the edge clearly and can then make your selection and fill with the foreground color. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240522432/e9de808a-b4d7-43c9-bd0b-2cc7af78d378/content/figu3_1_6_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>

If you have a steady hand you can also choose to paint directly into the mask using the Brush tool. Choose a brush setting of 100% hardness in the Options bar and then paint with black to add to the mask or with white to remove the mask color. Zoom in to the image (Ctrl/Command + Spacebar) to ensure the mask is accurate and use the Spacebar to access the Hand tool that will enable you to drag around the image while you are zoomed in. Alternatively use the Navigator panel to navigate around the edge of your subject.

Important > Before leaving the mask view make sure that the background is covered in the mask color rather than the gold man (Ctrl/Command + I will invert the mask if required). Alt/Option + Shift click the layer mask to return to the normal view. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240522432/e9de808a-b4d7-43c9-bd0b-2cc7af78d378/content/figu3_1_7_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>

Te edges of the mask will need to be refined before it can be used for a high-quality montage. Select Refine Edge from the Select menu and from the View menu choose Selection to hide the selection edge. Double-click the Custom Overlay Color option in the panel to open the Options dialog and set the Color to dark gray and the Opacity to 100%. Select OK to apply the color change. Set the Smooth slider to 5 and the Feather slider to 1.0 and slide the Contract/Expand slider to the left to conceal the white edge that surrounds your subject.

Note > If the subject is gray instead of the background you need to cancel the process and invert the mask before choosing the Refine Edge command. Performance Tip https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240522432/e9de808a-b4d7-43c9-bd0b-2cc7af78d378/content/figu3_1_8_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>

The fact of life is that some extractions can be as painful as pulling teeth! With this in mind Adobe offers you even more magic – the Magic Extractor (Image > Magic Extractor). This is yet another alternative for getting rid of problematic backgrounds. This tool takes a little more time than the Quick Selection tool and is destructive in nature (it deletes the pixels you select with the Background Brush tool) so I would advise duplicating this layer before proceeding. You make little marks or squiggles to advise Photoshop which regions of the image you would like to keep and which regions you would like to delete. Click on the Preview button to see how Photoshop does the hard maths to extract your subject from the background. From the Preview menu choose a matte color to view your extracted subject (choose a different tone from the original background or one that is similar to the new background). https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240522432/e9de808a-b4d7-43c9-bd0b-2cc7af78d378/content/figu3_1_9_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>

In the Touch Up section of the dialog box select a Feather value (usually 1 or 2 pixels) and then choose a Defringe Width to remove any of the remaining background. Not a bad job – if you don’t mind losing the background pixels.

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Open the new background image. Click on the Arrange Documents icon in the Application Bar and choose 2-up. Select both layers in the gold man file (hold down the Ctrl or Command key and click on each layer) and then drag the layers into the new background file to create a file containing all three layers. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240522432/e9de808a-b4d7-43c9-bd0b-2cc7af78d378/content/figu3_1_11_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>

Hold down the Ctrl key (PC) or Command key (Mac) and click on the layer mask thumbnail to load the mask as a selection. Select the layer containing the gold man and then click on the Add layer mask icon at the base of the Layers panel. Click on the visibility icon of the Levels adjustment layer to switch off the visibility or drag it to the trash can in the Layers panel to delete it permanently. The mask on this layer has now served its purpose and can be discarded to reduce the overall file size. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240522432/e9de808a-b4d7-43c9-bd0b-2cc7af78d378/content/figu3_1_12_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>

Go to Image > Transform > Free Transform (Ctrl/Command + T). Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl/Command + 0 to fit the Transform bounding box on the screen. Drag a corner handle to resize the image so that it sits nicely against the new background (you will not require all of the legs to replicate the framing in this project). Press the Commit icon or Enter key (PC) or Return key (Mac) to apply the transformation. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240522432/e9de808a-b4d7-43c9-bd0b-2cc7af78d378/content/figu3_1_13_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>

Zoom in and take a close look at the edges. You may notice a white halo along some of the edges (the old background). This can be removed by making a selection of the problem area (use a 5-pixel feather when making selections that cross over the edge of your mask) and then applying a Levels adjustment (Enhance > Adjust Lighting > Levels or Ctrl/Command + L) to move the edge of the mask. Move the central Gamma slider and the Black input slider to the right to remove any of the old lighter background that may still be visible on the layer above. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240522432/e9de808a-b4d7-43c9-bd0b-2cc7af78d378/content/figu3_1_14_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>

Click on the background layer in the Layers panel and then choose a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer from the Create new fill or adjustment layer menu (new adjustment layers are always placed above the active layer). Select Reds from the Edit menu in the Hue/Saturation dialog and move the Hue slider to the right until the red stripes in the image turn yellow. Adjust the saturation to taste. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240522432/e9de808a-b4d7-43c9-bd0b-2cc7af78d378/content/figu3_1_15_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>

Select the top layer in the Layers panel (the one with the gold man) and choose another Hue/Saturation adjustment layer from the Create new fill or adjustment layer icon. Click on the Clipping icon in the bottom left-hand corner of the Adjustments dialog. Clipping the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to the layer below will ensure the adjustments do not flow down and affect the colors on the background layer. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240522432/e9de808a-b4d7-43c9-bd0b-2cc7af78d378/content/figu3_1_16_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>

Adjust the saturation of the gold man to match the saturation of the yellows on the background layer. Notice how the adjustments are only affecting the layer below. The ability to match the color and tonality of a number of different layers in a composite image is an essential skill for montage work. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240522432/e9de808a-b4d7-43c9-bd0b-2cc7af78d378/content/figu3_1_17_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>

The basic task of replacing the background is complete. We will now paste a copy of the background layer into the lenses of the dark glasses. First select, and then duplicate the background layer (Ctrl/Command + J) and then drag this copy layer to the top of the layers stack. Switch off the visibility of this copy layer by clicking on the Visibility icon. Select the Quick Selection tool in the Tools panel and click the Sample All Layers option in the Options bar and the Auto Enhance option. Click on each lens in the glasses to select them. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240522432/e9de808a-b4d7-43c9-bd0b-2cc7af78d378/content/figu3_1_18_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>

Click on the Add layer mask icon in the Layers panel to convert the selection into a layer mask. Click on the link between the layer thumbnail and the layer mask to break the link between the two components of the layer. Select the image thumbnail on the layer and then go to Image > Transform > Free Transform and enter in a value of around 20% in either the width or height field of the Options bar. Then click and drag inside the Transform bounding box to reposition the resized layer over the glasses. Click and drag on a corner handle to resize further and click and drag just outside one of the corner handles to rotate the layer so that the red stripes appear in the lenses of the sunglasses. You have the option to lower the opacity of the layer in the Layers panel if required. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240522432/e9de808a-b4d7-43c9-bd0b-2cc7af78d378/content/figu3_1_19_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>

Hold down the Alt/Option key and click and drag the Hue/Saturation 1 adjustment layer to the top of the layers stack. This action will copy the adjustment layer and change the red stripes to yellow but it will also affect the color of the golden Viking. Go to Layer > Create Clipping Mask to clip this adjustment layer to the transformed background copy layer and limit the changes to the reflections in the glasses. You can also clip a layer by holding down the Alt/Option key and clicking on the dividing line between the two layers. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240522432/e9de808a-b4d7-43c9-bd0b-2cc7af78d378/content/figu3_1_20_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>

Select Layer 1 in the Layers panel and then go to Layer > Layer Style > Style Settings. Check the Drop Shadows box in the Style Settings dialog. Increase the Size to 120 px, the distance to 80 px and the Opacity to 60%. You will see a drop shadow appear behind the gold man and when you select OK you will see an ‘fx’ icon appear on the layer. Double-clicking the ‘fx’ icon will reopen the Style Settings dialog. Move your mouse cursor into the image window and drag the shadow to the right-hand side of the image (the left-hand side of the gold man) to match the direction of the light source in this image.

Note > This project has introduced a completely non-destructive approach to montage. Any aspect of the composite image can be re-edited as no pixels were permanently changed or deleted on any layer during the process. Although there is a Mask option when using the Selection Brush tool, you are prevented from using the Lasso tools in Elements when working in this mask mode – hence the work we carried out directly on the adjustment layer mask with the mask visible. Same result as the full version of Photoshop – slightly different workflow required to get there.