Photoshop Compositing Secrets - Matt Kloskowski [71]
STEP FIVE:
Now, position each layer the way you’d like it for the layout. Get the Move tool (V), click on the layer in the Layers panel that you want to move, then click-and-drag it into place. (Note: Press-and-hold the Shift key while dragging to move them along the same horizontal line.) I already have them in numeric order if you’re following along, so start with Dancer1, then Dancer2 next, then Dancer3, and so on. As long as you don’t put them too close together or overlap any photos, you shouldn’t have to do any masking right now (we’ll talk more about that in a minute). This is actually one of the most important parts, because there is some strategy to it. First, I always take a look at the photos and see which one would be a good focal point. That photo should go in the middle. The rest of the positioning kinda becomes an art form. I played with several different layouts before I found this combination and I think it works well, since some of the angles in the body of one pose complement the angles of the body in the pose next to it.
STEP SIX:
The other thing you’ll want to be careful of is to make sure the heads are all on the same level. So, we’ll use Photoshop’s guide feature. Go to View>New Guide. Click on the Horizontal radio button, enter 4 inches as a starting position, and click OK to create the guide. You’ll see a cyan-colored horizontal guide appear across your image. Chances are it’s not in the right place, though. With the Move tool still active, position your cursor over the guide. Then, just click-and-drag it so it’s directly over the head in the middle. Then, reposition each layer, so all of the heads appear right below the guide.
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Tip: Clearing the Guides
Once you’re done with the guide, you can go to the View menu and choose Clear Guides to get rid of it.
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STEP SEVEN:
Okay, you could be done here. Notice I said “could,” right? All that’s really left is to crop the extra space out of the image. So, just grab the Crop tool (C) and drag the cropping border out over the image to crop it, as shown here. So, why’d I say “could” earlier? Well, I think the layout looks cool, but it’s a little too plain for me. Each pose is separate and in its own space, so to speak. None of them intersect, or even come close to intersecting, with each other. When you’re creating a composite like this, I think it significantly improves the final image to bring them all closer together, and even have them appear as if they were in the same frame.
STEP EIGHT:
Let’s start at the left side. Click on the Dancer1 layer, where he’s doing a split in the air (wow!), to target it. Then, using the Move tool, while pressing-and-holding the Shift key, move it to the right, closer to the next photo. Eventually you’re going to see the white background from the Dancer1 layer (which is on top) overlap on the layer below it (the Dancer2 layer). That’s the problem we run into when we start moving the photos closer to each other.
STEP NINE:
The fix is simple. With the Dancer1 layer still targeted, click on the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers panel to add a layer mask. Press D, then X to set your Foreground color to black, get the Brush tool (B), and paint with a small, soft-edged brush on the mask to hide the white background, so we can see his feet from the Dancer2 photo. Since the actual body parts don’t overlap each other, the masking should be pretty painless. You’ll be able to get away with some simple and quick brushing to hide the background, and you shouldn’t have to get really detailed just yet.
STEP 10:
Go ahead and work through the other layers to bring them closer to each other and add layer masks to paint away the background. To me, this final image looks way better than the original one. Instead of five