Photoshop Compositing Secrets - Matt Kloskowski [3]
As you read through the book, you’ll see I’ve covered the gamut when it comes to compositing. Compositing is many things to many different people, so I really tailored the projects so that everyone, no matter what type of photography and imaging you’re into, would get something from the book. I’ve covered everything from ultra-grungy/edgy composites with dramatic lighting and Photoshop special effects, to real-world family/professional portrait composites that no one would ever know were composites, and everything in between. And you’ll see the setup info, the background, the selection process, and the final compositing techniques that made it all happen.
Compositing has truly become a passion of mine over the years. I hope, as you read through this book, that it becomes yours, as well. Enjoy!
How to Follow Along with This Book
I know that people love to follow along with Photoshop books, so I wanted to take a quick moment here to tell you some things I’ve done to make it easier for you.
Accessing the Download Images
I’ve made all of the images I use in the book available for download on the book’s download website. Here’s the link: www.kelbytraining.com/books/compositing.
You Don’t Have to Read the Book in Order
Most projects don’t necessarily assume you’ve done another project in the book. So, feel free to jump in at one that looks appealing to you. I do refer back to other tutorials in certain projects, but you should be able to follow along wherever you jump in. However, I do think you should read “10 Things You Need to Know About Compositing” first, and follow it up with Chapter 1 (Selection Secrets) right after that. After that, just about anything is fair game. Also, I would work through at least four or five chapters before tackling the “Advanced Commercial Composite” in Chapter 16. That one assumes you know a lot of the selection, lighting, and shading tips and tricks we’ve used throughout the book, as well as how to do these things without a lot of explanation.
Each Chapter (AKA: Composite) Has Several Tutorials in It
Compositing isn’t just about pasting a person onto a different background. There’s lighting, shadows, selections, backgrounds, and special effects that all play a key role. Almost every project in the book includes a tutorial on: (1) the background photo, (2) the selection process, and (3) the overall composite. Each part is important. In fact, sometimes the background is just as important as the portrait, because our goal is to place people somewhere that they’re not. If the background (or environment) didn’t play a big role, then we’d never go through this trouble.
Jump into A Chapter Where You Want
I wanted to make this book as useful as possible to a wide audience, without making it too generic at the same time. So, I wrote each compositing project in a way that lets you jump in where you want. For example, if you’re a photographer that does all of your own post-production Photoshop work, then maybe you’ll want to read a whole chapter from the lighting setup, to the selection process, all the way through to the composite. But, let’s say you’re a designer or retoucher, and someone else usually hands you the photos to work on. No sweat. You may not care too much about the lighting setup part of the chapter. So, you can just jump into the selections and compositing tutorials. Or, maybe you’re mostly interested in compositing. Skip the setup, skip the selections, and jump straight into the compositing tutorial.
Now, if you’re really impatient and you just want to dive in and do the composite (maybe the background isn’t of interest to you for a certain project), no sweat, you can skip the background tutorial. When you get to the compositing tutorial,