Composite Assignment!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I know we talked about doing a composite assignment and I found a site on FB that has some cute overlays to help us get started. They are cheap and I emailed the owner of the site and asked permission to copy and paste her instructions here in working with composites. I figured it is a place to start and maybe we should just jump in and help each other along the way.

First up....here is her website. I plan on working with the polar bear image and see what I come up with. I tried before with another image and it just looked stupid. I will post it in the comments for laughs.

http://capturedbycarriephotography.bigcartel.com/products

Second up....her instructions. These are more about how to use her overlays...which most of us know, but it is a start.

One high-resolution instant download of this Polar Bear on Hill Digital Background in a .jpg file format for personal or professional photographic and business use only.

Created in Adobe Photoshop.

Polar Bear on Hill photo by: Carrie Ann Grippo-Pike with © Captured By Carrie Photography & Product Shop

How to use a Digital Background: 
A Digital Background is simply a digital image (.jpg) that can be used to enhance a portrait or create a certain scene or work of fine art that you are envisioning. It is a medium for you to insert elements you have taken in your own photos such as people, animals or objects. Most often a Digital Background is a photo of a scenic landscape, historic landmark or fantasy fairytale world.

One of the benefits of digital editing of images in Photoshop, is the ability to use these Digital Backgrounds/Scenery – putting a subject into/onto a scene completely different from the one you used when you took your image.

Instructions for use: 
1. Load the images you want to work with on to your computer. You will need the Digital Background/Scenery that you want to use as well as a photo containing people, animals or objects that you would like to composite onto the Digital Background. 
2. Open Photoshop. Select “File” from the menu and choose “Open.” In the dialog that now appears, locate the Digital Background image that you loaded in step one and open it. 
3. Select “File” from the menu again and choose “Open” once more. The dialogue appears and this time locate the photograph(s) containing the elements that you want to add to the Digital Background image. For the purpose of this instruction list, an “element” is an object, person or animal in the photograph that you want to extract for use on the Digital Background. 
4. To apply your elements to the Digital Background, drag, place, cut out or select all/copy/paste the elements (as a new layer) on top of the Digital Background you want to have them on. 
5. In the Layers Palette, you can then change the pasted elements opacity amount, fill amount and blending mode to taste. The blending mode is the pull-down menu at the top of your Layers Palette (by default, it will read “Normal”). You may wish to blend in “Screen” mode prior to performing a free transform, simply to be able to see what you’re doing while you work. 
6. To use Photoshop’s free transform tool, press CTRL + T (COMMAND + T for Mac users), then pull the small boxes found in each corner of your pasted elements with your mouse until your elements are where you want them to be within the Digital Background. You can also utilize free transform to move the elements around on your image, enlarge them, or shrink them. Hold down the “Shift” key when doing this to keep the elements to scale if you want them that way. 
7. Position the elements on the Digital Background where you want them to go, including flipping them or rotating them. Add a Layer Mask, then using a soft black brush, paint away the elements to reveal objects underneath. 
8. Once finished adding your elements to the Digital Background/Scenery, flatten your image. THEN you can treat/edit your photo with actions/presets or by hand so everything blends together as one overall, seamless piece and to give the image a finished look.

and finally...her note to me...

Hi Laurie!
Thank you so much for checking with me, and yes! Feel free to copy/paste my instructional notes into your Group! And please let me know if you or the other members have any questions about using it once you get going!
Thanks so much :-)
Carrie Ann

Now I know this is more about using overlays, but thought we could start here and post further instructions as we get deeper into this assignment. I plan on working on my assignment this week. 

AS I FIND USEFUL TIPS, I WILL ADD HERE..

One thing that is important for a good composition is to match the color in all the images you are using for your composite. Here is something I found on doing that.

http://www.peachpit.com/articles/printerfriendly/706213

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

Great job!!!

[DJ & Chance]

Wow--you get to teach the class!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Wow!

[Linda and "Toby"]

Thank you everyone! You are so funny DJ! 

In PS CC, I used a MacPhun plugin called "Intensify" to give it that grungy look, and then (in PS) I went to Window > Extensions > Adobe Paper Texture Pro > and selected a "French Kiss" vintage overlay texture that I got awhile back. I set the Blend Mode to "overlay" to make it look like it was painted on the wall, behind the wrought iron.   

Does that make sense? Here's a link to download the image if you'd like to play with it: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5h7IXyJKznoNTl3a1p5UjRwZ0U

Is everyone familiar with using Plugins? The Google Nik Collection is free (it used to be several hundred dollars) and has some really good ones that are fun to play with. And if you've never played with Photoshop extensions, go to www.frenchkisscollections.com, subscribe to the newsletter, download the French Kiss Overlay Sampler (on the FREEBIES page) and then follow the steps above. It's SO MUCH FUN to do! :)

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thanks for all this information. I need to check out the frenchkiss site.

[Camilla and Darwin]

I love compositing! I'm really late to the game here but I tried to composite some pumpkins onto an image of Darwin. I put each pumpkin on individually, then layered them behind and in front of Darwin - and adjusted each individually with blurring and adding shadows. They still look super fake to me - which I'm guessing has something to do with the shine being in a different spot on all of them. Ha ha. Suggestions?

[F, Calla & Luca]

I love it!

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

I think you did a great job Camilla.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I am so happy to see you post. We have missed Darwin and his pumpkins :)  I love Darwin and the right side. It is something about that front left pumpkin, if that makes sense. It just might be too perfect or something. BUT, I think you did a great job

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

Love this photo but the pumpkins look fake.
Two thing going on.
First, the perspectve. Based on the rest of the image you would see more of the top of the pumpkins.
Second you have strong harsh light going on in the rest of the image so the light hitting the pumpkins doesn't match.
Sorry, I'm probably more critical than the average person so take my advice as that. My only intention is to give constructive feedback.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I for one love your thoughts.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I agree...I don't think we can learn to do a composite without honest critiquing.