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Bizarre Uses of Merging Photos in Photoshop

Sunday, April 5th, 2009 – running time 14:27
Photo merging allows you to put many individual photos together to create a larger image. This week, we're going to look at merging for photo solutions you may not have heard of before.

Use two images to get rid of an unwanted object
Bert uses two similar photos of a tree and it's shadow that are not exactly the same, taken only a few feet apart from each other. Layer one image on top of another, select both layers, and choose Edit > Auto-Align Layers (Auto) to distort image, making them visually aligned. Crop the image to the desired boundaries of the image. Create a layer mask on the top layer, and brush a black mask over the unwanted (black hides). Since the two images were auto-aligned, the final image appears to have no unwanted object in the shot.

Use two images to add a new object into a photo
Don't have a photographer to shoot a photo of you and your wife? Simply plan ahead when putting two objects together in a single photo using Photoshop. This example involves adding Bert's wife into a photo with him, derived from two pictures shot separately. Layer the photos on top of each other. Select both layers, and choose Edit > Auto Align Layers, as we did in the previous example. Crop the image to the desired boundaries. Create a mask on the top image, then use a brush to create a mask which will reveal the bottom layer. Apply styling such as shadows to create a realistic effect.

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Highlights
Netflix ( 0:06, 1:51, 1:54, 2:09, 2:19, 0:06, 1:51, 1:54, 2:09, 2:19 ) pant leg ( 11:23, 11:26, 11:23, 11:26 ) Blu-ray ( 1:59, 1:59 ) texture ( 4:06, 4:08, 4:06, 4:08 ) Netflix ( 0:06, 1:51, 1:54, 2:09, 2:19, 0:06, 1:51, 1:54, 2:09, 2:19 ) pant leg ( 11:23, 11:26, 11:23, 11:26 ) Blu-ray ( 1:59, 1:59 ) texture ( 4:06, 4:08, 4:06, 4:08 )

Automatically Generated Transcript(may not be 100% accurate) ( more )

" This episode pixel perfect you've brought do you buy and Netflix and godaddy.com. Hello and welcome the pixel -- it would be very Monroe it. On today's show we're going to look at some design uses of the merge functions in Photoshop. But first. And his background. It was sent by Stewart would just check this thing now. Kind of cool president. And you know she's looking -- the content. The man. That's really cool no load that but anyway you can see a -- who were able to hook up there but we're looking at it. So now. Before we start let's thank our sponsors godaddy.com. Where you can get reliable secure web hosting without the long term contract. Godaddy hosting plans are bigger and better than ever with 99%. Up time. Free 24 sevenths support and no annual commitment. And did a -- pixel wanted to see this being right there and when you check out you'll save an additional 10% off your entire order. Get a piece of the Internet at godaddy.com."

" Also want to thank Netflix for sponsoring pixel perfect. With Netflix you can rent over 90000. Titles online including lots of Blu-ray titles with free shipping both ways to your home. They now have over forty shipping centers so almost all deliveries happen in just one business day. The Netflix plans start from four dollars and 99 cents an as a new member you can get a no risk two week free trial membership. Check it out at www. Netflix.com. -- flash. Pixel perfect and remember you do have that type in net WWW. When using this code."

" The map. Onto the shelf. Now you know about photo merge it's been around for awhile right. For emergency lipstick on -- different pictures of put together that are really cool things about the of that photo with the prison right here on the screen isn't. Image -- merger a bunch of though -- infected with. -- vertically and horizontally to create this image. What can you would do this welcome print out this political image we could do some really cool like go in here and take that image and go do something like this -- would take. Human shape from layer and we'll turn into a spherical panorama. And then once just circle panorama. Sit -- real fast. There we go in there and start looking at things that we can travel around and look at ceiling in look at the floor and just travel around this thing. And to see -- from all different angles. And so -- it's like or is that you became. Part of the -- it's travel around the net which is really cool. But. I tell you what. We're gonna do is gonna look at some parts about merging things that the little different. Serve a different purpose now I have said many times in the show is that look at what something does. And understand that is sometimes you'll see that that becomes an answer to some problem you're faced with. Here -- would -- that today by using -- fair for kind of functions that most people might not really think about. Okay I got on the screen right now I got this photograph. Nice at a photograph that I just thought. It's really cool it's just so you might say well big deal tree in the chat but I like things like this is this -- And this cool shadow of itself right there against is great texture. This beautiful brick texture backed Ellison -- bush has done and format here. But there then my problems seed it right there that whole. That little sign right there sought to you what to do the situation like this is is what I did I took the shot is my shot and I can. But I knew that whole we'll have to go so what I did is I shifted my position a few feet over and looking through my lens that I can see that went. The image being hidden by the poll was exposed I knew that -- had what was going to need later. So I took a second shot. And right you'll see. It's just second shot now we look into them together they look pretty much by the same shot however. You know is that the poll here is going right through his area of the shadow and right here that area the shadow is exposed. See that. So what I'm going to do now. Is I'm gonna take this image which is exactly the same size images the other. Now I didn't put designed tripod they aren't exactly -- at the top portion of these think if you have a tripod that would make things easier but I -- tripod I was just. Organized street is shot solid state doesn't dragon did -- don't hold down my shift key is gonna fall right position over the other. Now when I look at my layers palate you see that they're not exactly the same. Right so what I'm going to do now and I'm gonna take that layer. And select the one below it. And it -- here. And I have this little thing on that at a coal auto align layers to see that auto align layers and click on that. And a state auto which means going to distorted. The -- needs to in order to make these two match up click okay you see little movement happen. And here you go it's gonna do a photo aligning layers. And boom there's little shift happen. So now you notice that the background also became a -- became -- zero. Sort of converted the background into a layer so they could take the two layers and line them up so now when we look at this we see that the players -- lineup. To say that but that little sign of the design is moving itself as a trivial little bit but that's okay. Another go in and crop this so I'm going here and that's to their bottom when -- the most -- photos going managers select this area right through here. Like so. And then go ahead and crop the whole image crop. There you go now it can be selected and there we see we have this so what I wanna do get a little closer here. Real close to the receipt that's signed is that objectionable sign which is in the image below up so want to do is I'm gonna take in this later appear. They on top I'm gonna give a layer mask. There's a layer mask and in that layer mask I'm not gonna think black member of black hides. And I want to go India and let's get my size brush just go with a let's say 35 minutes those grew bigger hundred yeah regulates the heart. Nice when it holy card just enough and has such a pain in. In the -- to back up. And that's that the pain in the side. And look at that. There's -- signed gun. No fancy cloning back and forth which would take a lot of time clone he would get the bring me the bricks lineup now. Auto align lined up all the bricks and everything looks nice and even everything's clean but now -- take off my sign. Might have mask to see that they sign is still there. Turn mass spec on the as a sign the sign is in the one underneath. There it is moved over but I would be able to go in there and totally take the sign out by simply taking two shots with a slight movement of out. Four feet or so depending on how far you're looking at this thing how far you have to move before you can see the parts of being obstructed by the image. Now."

" There was taken something out what do I want to put something it doesn't Germany recently and my wife and I were. Going through the town of -- up -- was asleep amateur is taken pictures of things and there was nobody there. Kind of take a picture to tool box and nobody is exhibit -- and so we did is we plan that. From navy use the put us together in Photoshop it's to -- Photoshop so we planned it byte by any particular spot again I'll try -- So you just gotta make sure that you're standing in the same spot when you take the picture and -- Fairly accurate as to how are you getting it and definitely plan your subject where you're standing. So as in front of this hotel. In a little town called Rothenberg in Germany and here we see that we have two shots. As one of me. And one of my wife confronted the same hotel now she's standing here. So I figured that if you stand out to be standing right here and added as you see I am standing right off to the side there. So what's going to happen now. It and they go in here and I'm gonna go in and let's just take. Me. And bring me into this -- going to take. I just held on my shift key dragged it over it -- move tool and one images on top but the other. There and that is slightly off this close of one of the back. And what I'm going to do now is I'm gonna go in there and take this guy and mask right so. I you know what we'll do is I'm gonna turn this -- to -- layer. And put that on -- me. And there. So now. I'm gonna go and actually gets its yet if basket there are some I got this little scene here I'm gonna take both -- And come in here and say auto align layers. Gonna choose auto is gonna go and air figured that out."

" And that."

" There they are so now I can see that they've done quite a bit a little twisting this on the go in there and based on this one. I'm gonna go and is select this area. Right through their like that. And crop the image. As my crop. The select. Coming real close so we can see -- hosting right here and what I'm gonna do now is I'm gonna set up a mask for this one. And with a black. And my brush I'm gonna start to. Mask this area out. There. -- put myself in there and going to get a much smaller brush they get really tight into these areas and to start bringing my foot in that there. Who -- on this edge. And it helps to be careful when you're doing this stuff you wanna make sure you get a fairly accurate. -- in there. The most here and just start -- read along the edge of her jacket there. Get this nice -- curvature. And through here."

" And during my code in. And I am standing directly behind there now Andy who shadow India so I'm gonna do is back into the lair I wanna take my. Burn tool and as and a little darkness back here. Ready to this pant leg of mine -- you back here. Area and that pant leg it's just a little shadow back there so -- Standing behind their right through there and blue shadow made the in my coat. That's where. I'm standing behind in everything that now I am now directly behind -- the two of us -- the same picture. Taken separately we to have anybody who could take the picture for us so we took two shots nature that we planned it ahead of time. Make sure that the positions where were accurate or fairly accurate so that I'm staying warm place and she's standing the other. And then the shot was taken from approximately the same angle. That exact it helps that I'm sitting on has produced an elaborate and so on. When she took -- she sort of these so she's not gonna get the exact same angle and how much she tries -- she was looking into it when I took the picture. But the -- approximate. You're looking at the same shape. At the same angle auto -- is gonna take care of the rest hasn't put the two pictures. Merge into one and only -- the -- you don't want to expose the element underneath. On previous example we took something out that we -- want in this case we put something in that we want it. Right. Hold you up purpose for merger marriage is not just to create these collages know in this case it was to pick some pictures that we wanted to be one -- we merged them together. If there's anything you'd like to see on the show email via -- at revision3.com. Almost you can check out the form that revision3.com. Forward slash fonts they can join on discussions about the show. Thanks again to Stewart would for submitting -- background image to get it one more time."

" Spooky stuff and yeah that they you fill out there that's really cool so anyway."

" Remember you can have your back. I'm really seen here is test green. But you guys have your -- we're back there with the name emblazoned on the screen and you get to fifty minutes of of fame and -- could expand on -- grip. Send your designs to -- revision3.com. And your background should be 1280 by 720 pixels and a JPEG -- Hope you learned something from this remember it's not what I did it's how I did it that's the part of learning sit there and play that's where -- learned that their -- Hope to see you next week."

" And."

" This episode pixel perfect you've brought do you buy and Netflix and godaddy.com. Hello and welcome the pixel -- it would be very Monroe it. On today's show we're going to look at some design uses of the merge functions in Photoshop. But first. And his background. It was sent by Stewart would just check this thing now. Kind of cool president. And you know she's looking -- the content. The man. That's really cool no load that but anyway you can see a -- who were able to hook up there but we're looking at it. So now. Before we start let's thank our sponsors godaddy.com. Where you can get reliable secure web hosting without the long term contract. Godaddy hosting plans are bigger and better than ever with 99%. Up time. Free 24 sevenths support and no annual commitment. And did a -- pixel wanted to see this being right there and when you check out you'll save an additional 10% off your entire order. Get a piece of the Internet at godaddy.com."

" Also want to thank Netflix for sponsoring pixel perfect. With Netflix you can rent over 90000. Titles online including lots of Blu-ray titles with free shipping both ways to your home. They now have over forty shipping centers so almost all deliveries happen in just one business day. The Netflix plans start from four dollars and 99 cents an as a new member you can get a no risk two week free trial membership. Check it out at www. Netflix.com. -- flash. Pixel perfect and remember you do have that type in net WWW. When using this code."

" The map. Onto the shelf. Now you know about photo merge it's been around for awhile right. For emergency lipstick on -- different pictures of put together that are really cool things about the of that photo with the prison right here on the screen isn't. Image -- merger a bunch of though -- infected with. -- vertically and horizontally to create this image. What can you would do this welcome print out this political image we could do some really cool like go in here and take that image and go do something like this -- would take. Human shape from layer and we'll turn into a spherical panorama. And then once just circle panorama. Sit -- real fast. There we go in there and start looking at things that we can travel around and look at ceiling in look at the floor and just travel around this thing. And to see -- from all different angles. And so -- it's like or is that you became. Part of the -- it's travel around the net which is really cool. But. I tell you what. We're gonna do is gonna look at some parts about merging things that the little different. Serve a different purpose now I have said many times in the show is that look at what something does. And understand that is sometimes you'll see that that becomes an answer to some problem you're faced with. Here -- would -- that today by using -- fair for kind of functions that most people might not really think about. Okay I got on the screen right now I got this photograph. Nice at a photograph that I just thought. It's really cool it's just so you might say well big deal tree in the chat but I like things like this is this -- And this cool shadow of itself right there against is great texture. This beautiful brick texture backed Ellison -- bush has done and format here. But there then my problems seed it right there that whole. That little sign right there sought to you what to do the situation like this is is what I did I took the shot is my shot and I can. But I knew that whole we'll have to go so what I did is I shifted my position a few feet over and looking through my lens that I can see that went. The image being hidden by the poll was exposed I knew that -- had what was going to need later. So I took a second shot. And right you'll see. It's just second shot now we look into them together they look pretty much by the same shot however. You know is that the poll here is going right through his area of the shadow and right here that area the shadow is exposed. See that. So what I'm going to do now. Is I'm gonna take this image which is exactly the same size images the other. Now I didn't put designed tripod they aren't exactly -- at the top portion of these think if you have a tripod that would make things easier but I -- tripod I was just. Organized street is shot solid state doesn't dragon did -- don't hold down my shift key is gonna fall right position over the other. Now when I look at my layers palate you see that they're not exactly the same. Right so what I'm going to do now and I'm gonna take that layer. And select the one below it. And it -- here. And I have this little thing on that at a coal auto align layers to see that auto align layers and click on that. And a state auto which means going to distorted. The -- needs to in order to make these two match up click okay you see little movement happen. And here you go it's gonna do a photo aligning layers. And boom there's little shift happen. So now you notice that the background also became a -- became -- zero. Sort of converted the background into a layer so they could take the two layers and line them up so now when we look at this we see that the players -- lineup. To say that but that little sign of the design is moving itself as a trivial little bit but that's okay. Another go in and crop this so I'm going here and that's to their bottom when -- the most -- photos going managers select this area right through here. Like so. And then go ahead and crop the whole image crop. There you go now it can be selected and there we see we have this so what I wanna do get a little closer here. Real close to the receipt that's signed is that objectionable sign which is in the image below up so want to do is I'm gonna take in this later appear. They on top I'm gonna give a layer mask. There's a layer mask and in that layer mask I'm not gonna think black member of black hides. And I want to go India and let's get my size brush just go with a let's say 35 minutes those grew bigger hundred yeah regulates the heart. Nice when it holy card just enough and has such a pain in. In the -- to back up. And that's that the pain in the side. And look at that. There's -- signed gun. No fancy cloning back and forth which would take a lot of time clone he would get the bring me the bricks lineup now. Auto align lined up all the bricks and everything looks nice and even everything's clean but now -- take off my sign. Might have mask to see that they sign is still there. Turn mass spec on the as a sign the sign is in the one underneath. There it is moved over but I would be able to go in there and totally take the sign out by simply taking two shots with a slight movement of out. Four feet or so depending on how far you're looking at this thing how far you have to move before you can see the parts of being obstructed by the image. Now."

" There was taken something out what do I want to put something it doesn't Germany recently and my wife and I were. Going through the town of -- up -- was asleep amateur is taken pictures of things and there was nobody there. Kind of take a picture to tool box and nobody is exhibit -- and so we did is we plan that. From navy use the put us together in Photoshop it's to -- Photoshop so we planned it byte by any particular spot again I'll try -- So you just gotta make sure that you're standing in the same spot when you take the picture and -- Fairly accurate as to how are you getting it and definitely plan your subject where you're standing. So as in front of this hotel. In a little town called Rothenberg in Germany and here we see that we have two shots. As one of me. And one of my wife confronted the same hotel now she's standing here. So I figured that if you stand out to be standing right here and added as you see I am standing right off to the side there. So what's going to happen now. It and they go in here and I'm gonna go in and let's just take. Me. And bring me into this -- going to take. I just held on my shift key dragged it over it -- move tool and one images on top but the other. There and that is slightly off this close of one of the back. And what I'm going to do now is I'm gonna go in there and take this guy and mask right so. I you know what we'll do is I'm gonna turn this -- to -- layer. And put that on -- me. And there. So now. I'm gonna go and actually gets its yet if basket there are some I got this little scene here I'm gonna take both -- And come in here and say auto align layers. Gonna choose auto is gonna go and air figured that out."

" And that."

" There they are so now I can see that they've done quite a bit a little twisting this on the go in there and based on this one. I'm gonna go and is select this area. Right through their like that. And crop the image. As my crop. The select. Coming real close so we can see -- hosting right here and what I'm gonna do now is I'm gonna set up a mask for this one. And with a black. And my brush I'm gonna start to. Mask this area out. There. -- put myself in there and going to get a much smaller brush they get really tight into these areas and to start bringing my foot in that there. Who -- on this edge. And it helps to be careful when you're doing this stuff you wanna make sure you get a fairly accurate. -- in there. The most here and just start -- read along the edge of her jacket there. Get this nice -- curvature. And through here."

" And during my code in. And I am standing directly behind there now Andy who shadow India so I'm gonna do is back into the lair I wanna take my. Burn tool and as and a little darkness back here. Ready to this pant leg of mine -- you back here. Area and that pant leg it's just a little shadow back there so -- Standing behind their right through there and blue shadow made the in my coat. That's where. I'm standing behind in everything that now I am now directly behind -- the two of us -- the same picture. Taken separately we to have anybody who could take the picture for us so we took two shots nature that we planned it ahead of time. Make sure that the positions where were accurate or fairly accurate so that I'm staying warm place and she's standing the other. And then the shot was taken from approximately the same angle. That exact it helps that I'm sitting on has produced an elaborate and so on. When she took -- she sort of these so she's not gonna get the exact same angle and how much she tries -- she was looking into it when I took the picture. But the -- approximate. You're looking at the same shape. At the same angle auto -- is gonna take care of the rest hasn't put the two pictures. Merge into one and only -- the -- you don't want to expose the element underneath. On previous example we took something out that we -- want in this case we put something in that we want it. Right. Hold you up purpose for merger marriage is not just to create these collages know in this case it was to pick some pictures that we wanted to be one -- we merged them together. If there's anything you'd like to see on the show email via -- at revision3.com. Almost you can check out the form that revision3.com. Forward slash fonts they can join on discussions about the show. Thanks again to Stewart would for submitting -- background image to get it one more time."

" Spooky stuff and yeah that they you fill out there that's really cool so anyway."

" Remember you can have your back. I'm really seen here is test green. But you guys have your -- we're back there with the name emblazoned on the screen and you get to fifty minutes of of fame and -- could expand on -- grip. Send your designs to -- revision3.com. And your background should be 1280 by 720 pixels and a JPEG -- Hope you learned something from this remember it's not what I did it's how I did it that's the part of learning sit there and play that's where -- learned that their -- Hope to see you next week."

" And."

mari1ee

Started discussion: April 6, 2009 @ 9:30am GMT

Episode 120 - Bizarre Uses of Merging Photos in Photoshop [Discussion]

Photo merging allows you to put many individual photos together to create a larger image. This week, we're going to look at merging for photo solutions you may not have heard of before.

Watch or download now!

dirtyhat
8 months ago
Before it got cancelled I would catch an episode now and then of Pixel Perfect but ever since its been brought back I have started watching it on a regular basis, and I most say I like it, a lot. Very informative... glad it was brought back. I use photoshop a lot more than I would have before, now that I have some basic skills with it...
recklessftw
8 months ago
This one was excellent!! They are all good but the way bert showed how we can use the photo merge for something like iths was really impressive. I'll be using this method for quite a few things.
magregerschaffer
8 months ago

Nice

Great episode, this is exactly the kind of thing I've always wanted to do in Photoshop.
Yvesken
8 months ago
Fantastic episode. This is the kind of magic trick that many people haven't heard about. I have tons of pictures with obstructing objects on them. Now here's a way to fix that without messing around with cloning. Thanks!
coosbaytv
7 months ago

feature grayed out!

I went to try this in CS3 and the feature is there, just grayed out...

Any ideas why?

FYI: I had gone through the process as Bert showed and had two images of similar setting into one document and both layers were selected.

thanks!
oldarney
7 months ago
That wallpaper was hot, just the type of wall paper i like. Has anyone been able to get their hands on an HQ version of the wallpaper. I would really apreciate any info.

BTW the background was made by Stewart Wood
Stewart wood
6 months ago
WoW, i just found out that my image was used. The image is called "To the heavens" large size is 2318X1274. Been so bussy with work i can't beleve i missed this lol
If you want to use the large version feel free to send me a pm.
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