Amazing D-SLR photo projects. complete d-slr skills course

Transcription

1 complete d-slr skills course Amazing D-SLR photo projects Create incredible trick images with your camera & Photoshop it s easy with this clear & simple guide digital magazine from How to > set up your D-SLR > use photoshop Layers > make expert selections > create amazing scenes

2 ew ls n il sk es cts ag je im o t pr ea un gr f e ur ak o m hf it w Technique amazing images with your d-slr & photoshop amazing images with your d-slr & photoshop project 1 page 4 make incredible images - it s easy! This guide contains four camera trick projects for you to try. Each pic is made in a slightly different way, but they all present a fun and surreal view of the world. project 2 page 8 + = project 3 page 12 Want to create pictures that ll have your friends & family scratching their heads in amazement? You re in the right place! 2 digital photo P hotographers have always loved to create pictures that surprise and amaze the viewer fantastical visual tricks where the laws of nature seem to be bent or broken and things just don t look like they should. These trick photos come in all shapes and styles, but always present a skewed view of the world, so you might find people the size of buildings, objects that seem to float in the air or even subjects fused or superimposed on one another to form a surreal composite. Whatever kind of trick photos you create it s a great feeling to know that the person looking at your work is both impressed by the image and also desperately wondering how it was done. And that s what you ll discover in this special guide how to create amazing images using your camera and software. In the days of film, these types of trick imagery were only possible to create with painstaking adjustments in camera or by physically cutting up a photo and merging it with another. Add to this the fact that you wouldn t necessarily know if your shot was a success until it was developed and printed and it was a complicated process! Fortunately digital photography makes it easy and you ll soon discover that by shooting in the right way, then editing the pictures in Photoshop you can quickly achieve amazing camera effects. turn the page for the first project project 4 page 16

3 What you need A d-slr & Photoshop or Elements What you ll learn How to make water flow upwards Water always flows downhill, right? Well, not in the world of trick photography and it s all thanks to Photoshop! the finished shot A combination of in-camera effects and Photoshop Layers can make for some very surreal results, like this watering can that doesn t obey the laws of physics! amazing images project 1 make gravity defying pics One of the amazing things about digital photography and image editing is the ability it gives you to change the world as it s seen in your pics. Sometimes you ll want these changes to be subtle so that no-one would even know they d been made, like darkening a sky or replacing a foreground for instance. But sometimes you ll want them to be much more dramatic and obvious the kind of thing that will stop the viewer in their tracks and make them take a second and even a third and fourth look at your picture. That s what we re going to do here, creating a surreal scene in which the water from a watering can seems to flow upwards. But how can this happen when we all know that water is supposed fall down? Well, just follow the step-by-step guide and you ll discover the simple trick that makes it possible and quickly learn how to apply it to your own shots, too. turn over for more 4 digital photo digital photo 5

4 What you need A d-slr & Photoshop or Elements What you ll learn How to make water flow upwards shooting the images get the shots you need for this surreal image All you need for this trick photo is two pics one of the watering can and flower and another of the flowing water. One pic is then superimposed on the other using Layers. The shots need to be taken in the right way so they ll work together though, so to start off we ll look at doing exactly that... First Shot Setting up the first shot involves finding a tidy spot in the garden which has a shaded background. The flower pot was placed in the grass and the watering can was clamped into position next to it on a tripod. Getting a low angle and using a wide aperture (f/4) will give you a defocused background and the only other thing to make sure of is focus. The head of the watering can needs to be the sharpest point and the same in both shots, so frame up with your active AF point over this, half-press the shutter to lock on and then fire off a shot. in photoshop creating the final picture Now we ve got the pictures we need for this gravitydefying water effect, all we need to do is blend them in Photoshop the right way and it ll look totally convincing. This involves using the Layers palette and as you ll discover it s easy to do. the start images You can see how we blend the images using the photos we ve taken, so all you need are similar versions of your own. 1 start Tidy things up. Open the first of the images you shot and clean up any areas of concern that appear in the photo (like the tripod supporting the watering can in our pic). Choose the Clone Stamp Tool (S), then hold Alt and click on an area of grass to sample it. Now paint over the black leg in the lower right corner of the shot to remove it and do the same with any other distractions. Planning out your picture before you reach for the camera can be a real time saver and this shoot is a great example. Having decided on the theme, we sketched out a few ideas so we d know which shots were needed. Superimposing the pics is easy, but you need the right shots... camera skills shot at f/4 shot at f/22 Second Shot Next it s time to photograph the water. To make this work with the first picture, and keep the depth-of-field the same you need to use the same aperture (f/4). You ll also need to focus on the head of the watering can again. Finally, make sure you shoot it against a black background and the Photoshop work will be far simpler a black cloth, card or painted board will work perfectly. 2 Make it black. Open the second of your images the water and to make the backdrop perfectly black, press Ctrl+L to open the Levels palette. Click and drag the Black Point slider towards the centre, stopping at a setting of around 50 (hold Alt while dragging and you ll be able to see when it s black). Click OK, then use the Rectangular Marquee tool, dragging it out over the water and head of the can. 3 Just add water. Press Ctrl+C to copy the water, then go back to the first image and press Ctrl+V to paste it in. Go to Window Layers, then in the Layers palette click where it says Normal and change the Blending Mode to Screen. This will remove the black making just the water visible! Click Image Rotate Flip Layer Vertically (Edit Transform Flip Vertical in Photoshop). at 1/640sec at 1/250sec the background matters! It s really easy to spend all your time concentrating on the main subject of your photo but quite often what s in the background can be just as important. In this case the area behind the subject needs to be both blurred and a little darker in order for the light coloured water droplets to stand out clearly. Keeping it sharp with a small aperture like f/22 would be a mistake, whereas a big aperture such as f/4 gives the perfect blurred background to show off the water. watch your shutter speed You may find shooting against the dark background fools your camera into over-exposing and setting a slower shutter speed than you want. If this happens, press the Exposure Compensation button (the +/-) and dial in a negative value, speeding up the shutter and keeping the background dark. Line it up. Use the Zoom Tool (Z) to get a fairly close view of finish HidE the joins. Pick the Eraser Tool (E) and run it the watering can s rose, then press Ctrl+T to bring up Free over any of the upside down watering can rose that s still 4 5 Transform. Click and drag to move the upside down water into showing. Try not to erase the water itself and it will look like it s position. Next, move the cursor just outside the bounding box until it coming out of the original can s holes. Any stray drips of water should turns into a double arrow and you ll be able to click and drag to rotate the also be removed in the same way. Finally go to Layer Flatten Image water for a better fit. Press Enter or click the tick when you re done. and you re done. 6 digital photo digital photo 7

5 What you need a d-slr, a tripod & photoshop or elements What you ll learn how to make people float using Layers amazing images project 2 create a floating portrait picture Use your D-SLR & Photoshop to create a portrait with a difference Here s a camera trick that s sure to give your people pictures a lift a portrait in which your subject seems to float several feet above the floor! If you ve ever seen pics like this and wondered how they were achieved, this is your chance to find out, because here we ll lay the process bare. Done in the right way, it s a technique that always looks impressive but once you give it a go you ll discover it s a really simple one to achieve, too. Making your subject float relies on shooting two separate pictures from an identical position then using Photoshop If you ve seen floating portraits and wanted to shoot one, here s your chance... Layers to merge them into a finished picture. In the first picture, your subject needs to stand on a ladder (or a chair) so they re raised above the floor and in the second, the scene should be empty. When shooting, the camera s position, focus and exposure settings need to be kept identical, so once the pictures are stacked as Layers in Photoshop the only thing that changes between them is the subject and what they re standing on. With everything consistent you can rub out the pixels of the ladder, showing the background through and making it look like it s disappeared. If you re new to using Photoshop Layers, this might sound like a lot to tackle, but it s actually really simple, and a great way to learn about how Layers work. Read on and give it a try. how it s done shooting the images To make this picture work, you need consistent framing, focus and lighting, so first lock your camera off on a tripod, frame up and switch to Aperture priority mode (A or Av). Set the aperture you want, then check the resulting shutter speed, and finally switch to Manual (M), dialling in the same values. lock the focus With exposure set, focus on the subject using your autofocus. Once locked on, switch to Manual focus and don t touch the focusing ring. This way your focus will be the same in both pics even when the subject has been removed. posing the subject Have your subject lean back on the ladder and pointing their toes, taking the pressure off their feet, so it doesn t look like they re standing on anything. Using Manual mode (M) will keep your exposure consistent between pics. background setting You can shoot this floating portrait camera trick anywhere, but putting the subject in an unusual setting definitely helps the overall look of the picture. the finished shot By merging two identically framed pictures in Photoshop one with the subject on a ladder and one empty, you can create a floating effect. 8 digital photo digital photo 9

6 What you need a d-slr, a tripod & photoshop or elements What you ll learn how to make people float using Layers Once your camera s position, exposure settings, and focus are set, it s time to shoot the first picture the one with the subject in. Set your camera s Drive mode to Self-timer and fire off a few shots, getting your subject to vary their pose so you have plenty of options in editing. Review these pics on screen zooming in to check sharpness then, and without changing the camera s position, or settings remove the subject and shoot again. Before firing the shutter, set your camera to self-timer to improve sharpness and zoom in to check it s sharp in the right places. the start images Shot from the same position with and without the subject, these pics will be easy to merge into a floating portrait. 4 blur the shadow. Click and drag within the bounding box to position the shadow at the bottom-right of the pic, then click the tick. The shadow needs softening, so go to Filter Blur Gaussian blur, use a Radius of about 50px and hit OK. Now, in the Layers palette click where it says Normal and pick Overlay, then drag the shadow Layer s Opacity to about 30%. 5 refine the shadow. Once it s blurred, refine the shape of the shadow by pressing Ctrl+T again, then holding Ctrl and dragging the corner handles to distort its shape. Click the tick, then go to Layer New Layer via copy, press Ctrl+T once more and drag the second shadow over to the bottom left. Rotate it 180º as in Step 4, then click the tick. See the panel above for more tips. in photoshop creating the final picture By this point you ll have a selection of pictures, some with the subject in and some empty, so now it s time to combine them using Photoshop Layers. Open the two shots you want to use into Photoshop or Elements, then on the first of them (the one with the subject in it) go to Select All to make a Selection of the whole canvas. Now go to Edit Copy and you can then close that image. Back on the image without the subject go to Edit Paste. step-by-step final touches Give your surreal portrait the finish it deserves Once the basic floating technique is completed you might be tempted to simply leave the picture as it is with a simple floating subject in the scene. But, just, like any other image, it can be enhanced further with a few basic effects. Here we re going to remove some of the more distracting parts, like the door at the rear, and the light above the subject s head. We ll also add a vignette to draw the eye to the centre of the pic, apply a lighting effect to the balloons and finally give the picture a more contrasty look using a Layer Blending Mode. It s all easy to do and here s how... Now it s time to combine the pictures in Photoshop... 1 start erase the ladder. Go to Window Layers, then pick the Eraser tool and click on the Brush presets picker in the Options bar. Choose a 300px soft-edged brush, set its Opacity to 100% and then run the Eraser tool over the bottom of the step ladder. It ll disappear, so take a look in the Layers palette and you ll see a chequered effect, where the pixels have been deleted. 6 Clone out distractions. Press Ctrl+Shift+N to make a new Layer, then hold Alt and go to Layer Merge Visible. Pick the Clone Stamp tool and, using a large, soft-edged brush, Alt-click on a clean area of the rear wall to sample it, then paint over the door. When you get to the bottom, lower the brush Size for a better join. Repeat this process on the light above the girl s head. 2 keep erasing. Continue to erase the steps, but when you get near the subject, click the Brush presets again and choose a smaller, harder brush. Run it closely around the subject s body, 3 make a shadow. Now pick the Polygonal Lasso tool and quickly click around the subject you don t need to be precise. In the Layers palette, click on the Add New Layer icon, then go to 7 Make a vignette. Choose the Elliptical Marquee tool and drag it over the middle of the canvas. Go to Select Refine Edge and Feather it by 250px. Click OK and press Ctrl+J then go to 8 Finish Add a lighting effect. Click OK, add a new blank layer as before, hold Alt and go to Layer Merge Visible. Now go to Filter Render Lighting Effects... For Light Type choose so only they remain visible and none of the steps. If you erase some of Edit Fill Selection, pick Black and hit OK. Go to Select Deselect, then Filter Blur Gaussian blur. Input 10px and click OK. In the Layers palette, Omni then drag the effect onto the balloons in the preview pane. Set the the subject, press Ctrl+Z to Undo the mistake. Have a good look around go to Edit Free Transform (Ctrl+T ). Hover the cursor just outside the Ctrl-click on the one you ve just made, then click the Create New Intensity to 15 and the Ambience to 30, then hit OK. Finally change the the work you ve done, making sure you haven t missed anything. bounding box and click-and-drag it to rotate it about 90º. Adjustment Layer icon. Choose Levels and drag the middle slider right. Blending Mode to of this layer by clicking Normal and choosing Lighten. 10 digital photo digital photo 11

7 What you need A D-slr, kit lens & tripod plus photoshop What you ll learn how to make a quirky image composite amazing images project 3 make a surreal still-life Find out how to create a quirky composite image using a couple of everyday objects... One of the best ways to make an image that gets people thinking is to juxtapose regular everyday objects in a unique or uncommon way. Here for example we ve mixed the familiar in an unfamiliar fashion, combining a peapod and a zip, and the result is an eye-catching surreal still-life. The camera trick here is all about making your finished pictures believable, the more realistic they look, the more at odds they are with our in-built perception of normality and the harder they are to dismiss. In this technique we ll show you how to blend two images and easily create a believable yet intriguing composite photo. We ll start with our peapod photo, shot using nothing more than a tripod, window lighting and some white paper. The next step is to shoot the zip using exactly the same settings, lighting and perspective. This will ensure the zip can be superimposed on the peapod in a seamless way. The actual compositing is achieved by cutting the zip out of its own photo and placing it onto the peapod using Layers and Selections in Photoshop. We ll also add a shadow to help tie everything together. Read on for the full step by step shooting the images make a still-life studio First place some white textured fabric on a sunny windowsill. The window is going to be the main light source, but taping a piece of white A3 paper over the window will soften the light slightly as it shines through. Make sure the paper isn t too thick copy paper should be fine. Next, lean another piece of white paper against a sturdy object in front and slightly to the side of the textured fabric to act as a reflector. Finally, place the peapod in position. Set up your camera on a tripod to keep it locked off. Shooting on Aperture priority mode (A or Av) set your aperture to f/8 or f/11, then set the focus to Manual and focus about one third of the way along the peapod. Changing the focus to Manual will ensure that it remains consistent when we come to photograph the zip preventing a mismatch in sharpness between images. shoot the photos With everything ready to go, and the peapod in position, take the first photo. Next, open the zip until the space between the pull and the stopper is roughly equal to the length of the peapod. Once done, carefully remove the peapod and place the zip in exactly the same location and at the same angle, then take the second photo. setting up the studio You can create your own mini still-life studio using just two bits of A3 paper a window and a tripod. We used a peapod and some textured fabric to help create our shot. the finished image The nature of the peapod lends itself to the addition of a zip giving this quirky and slightly surreal image. the start images Combine these two images to make your surreal still-life. Both have been shot using the same exposure settings, focus and perspective to make blending easy. turn over for more 12 digital photo digital photo 13

8 What you need A D-slr, kit lens & tripod plus photoshop What you ll learn how to make a quirky image composite in photoshop creating the final picture The two photos we ve just taken form the building blocks of our final image. Combining them in Photoshop is where the fun really begins so it s time to open them up and get stuck in. We ll be using the Pen tool to cut out the zip, then Layers to add it onto the peapod. Don t be put off by the Pen tool it s an easy tool to use when you know how. In Elements there s no Pen tool, so just use the Polygonal Lasso instead. Combining them in Photoshop is where the fun really begins... step-by-step 1 start Make a Path. Open your picture of the zip and pick the Pen tool (P). Now click around the edge of the zip, creating a Path. Each click lays an Anchor Point and you can pull on the Control points to make curves around each tooth. Work around until you reach the first point and click on it to finish. In the Options bar, click on Exclude and make another Path around the gap subtracting it from the first Path. Add shadow. Click the Eye icon next to the Background finish finishing touches. Click on the Background Layer Layer, then head to Layer Merge Visible, to merge all zip layers again and choose the Burn tool. In the Options bar, set its 6 7 into one. Click the Eye icon again. Go to Layer Layer Styles Exposure to 5% and Range to Midtones, then paint in some Blending Options (... Style Settings in Elements). Click Drop Shadow and shadow under the zip pull tab. Next click on your zip layer, choose the set the angle to 45º and Opacity to 60%. Set the Distance to 1, Spread to Dodge tool (5%, Highlights) and brush across the far side of the zip a 0 and Size to 2. Hit OK and this will add a shadow around the zip edges. couple of times to brighten it and create highlight effect. Expert advice learn all about the pen tool & selections Path Thumbnail To reveal the Anchor points on your Path, hold down Alt and click on the Path Thumbnail. Paths Palette menu To save a Path with a new name click on the Paths Menu and choose Save Path. 2 Convert Path to Selection. Once you ve gone around your zip and removed the area of fabric visible through the pull tab you ll have your completed Path. With that done you need to bring up the Paths palette, Window Paths. On the Work Path that s visible right-click and choose Make Selection. A dialogue box will appear, so type 0.5px into the Feather Radius option and hit OK. 3 Copy to the Pod. Now we need to copy this Selection across to the peapod image. On the zip image head up to Edit Copy. Next bring up your photo of the peapod. Go to Edit Paste. You ll see a new layer appear in your Layers palette (Window Layers). Now go to Edit Free Transform. Drag the corners of the box to match the size of the zip to the pod and then drag it into position. With so many Selection tools on offer in Photoshop, the Pen tool often gets ignored in favour of options like the Polygonal Lasso tool. But the Pen tool is actually one of Photoshop s most accurate and precise tools, and is especially good at creating Selections. It works differently to other Selection tools because rather than creating a Selection straight off it first makes a Path. This Path can be bent and curved to follow the contours of even the most organic shapes. To lay a Path you start by clicking Anchor points along the edge you want to follow, then drag the Tangent lines that appear to create curves. For a sharp edges hold the Alt key to break the Tangent line. Continue laying points until you have reached the first point and the Path is complete, and can be made into a Selection. Load Path as A Selection For a quick way to convert your Path to a Selection, click on the Load path as Selection icon at the bottom of the Paths palette. This immediately loads the marching ants. The Path Your Path will appear as a thin grey line around your subject. Tangent Lines The length of the Tangent Line determines the curvature of the Path. Control points Hold down Ctrl and drag the Control points to bend the Path perfectly around your subject. Anchor Points These make up the Path and should be positioned on the edge between your subject and the background. 4 Clone out the gaps. With your zip in position on the pod you need to clone out the gaps between its edge and the pod. Pick the Clone Stamp tool and click on the Background layer in the Layers palette. Hold Alt and click on the near side of the pod to sample the area then paint over on the nearside of the zip to fill in the gap with the sample. Repeat on the far side edge. 5 match the zip to contours. Click on the zip layer (Layer 1) and choose the Polygonal Lasso tool. Make a rough Selection around the far zip teeth starting at the point they seems to leave the peapod edge. Next, go to Layer New Layer Via Cut then Edit Free transform and rotate the strand into place. Repeat this process 2 or 3 more times until the whole strand lines up. expert tip! Once you ve made it around your subject click on your first Anchor point to join up the Path. 14 digital photo

9 What you need A D-SLR & Photoshop What you ll learn How to turn people into giants amazing images project 4 Turn your friends & family into giants! Fancy playing with the scale of your subjects and creating images with a twist? Just follow this project and you ll find out how it s done... Everyone has a favourite subject they enjoy photographing, but whether it be portraits, landscapes, wildlife or sport, it s a good idea every once in a while to break out of the comfort zone and try a fresh, exciting new challenge. This is exactly what we re going to be showing you how to do in this technique and we re out to prove that you don t have to be a highly qualified Photoshop whizz-kid to produce amazing digital images. The only things you really need are a bit of imagination to come up with a novel idea, and some Photoshop know-how to turn the idea into reality which is what we re on hand to help you with. Over the next few pages we ve got some great advice, shooting tips and a fun step-by-step lined up for you to follow. the finished image This trick image was created in Photoshop to make it look as if a child is pushing a toy train across a viaduct. See how it s created over the page digital photo digital photo 17

10 What you need A D-SLR & Photoshop What you ll learn How to turn people into giants Camera Technique Capturing the shots with your D-SLR in photoshop creating the final image When combining subjects of different scales, it s vital they are shot correctly. Failure to match the perspective and lighting of your subjects to the background image will result in a poor composite and errors will stick out like a sore thumb, leaving you the painstaking job of having to reshoot the whole thing. Read our guide below and follow our tips and you ll be able to follow the measures we took to ensure our images would blend together perfectly in Photoshop. When you ve got your selection of shots in the can, it s time to start thinking about how these elements are going to be assembled in your software. Provided you ve taken care of the perspective and lighting of your subjects at the point of capture, the job of bringing them together as one image is relatively hassle-free. In the technique below we ll show how to assemble the pics to create a multi-layered composite image. When you shoot your main background image you ll need a large depth-of-field, so close the aperture of your lens to f/16 or f/22. Shooting the background image For our composite, we thought a viaduct would make a great background and by shooting it from a low-angle we d be able to make the child and train appear as giants in the final image. To make sure the background image was sharp throughout we first set the aperture to f/16 and rattled out a few frames. step-by-step the start images To create this amazing final image we re going to be working with three separate images one of the toy train, one of the child and another final image of the viaduct background. Failure to match the perspective will result in a poor composite... Expert Advice Positioning the Props & subject To get the best shots for your final image, shoot the subject and props at the same location, the same angle and the same time of day as the background. This will allow the light to fall on every element of the image in exactly the same way and make it blend together perfectly. 1 start Open the start images. Open the background picture (in our case the viaduct) and that of the subject, then make a cut-out of the child as shown in previous technique using either the Pen tool or the Polygonal Lasso tool. With your selection around the subject made, hit Ctrl+A then Ctrl+C. Return to the background picture and hit Ctrl+V to paste in the child. 2 Select the viaduct. Hit Ctrl+T to enter Free Transform. Hold Shift and drag the top-right corner handle in to make the child smaller. Hit Enter to apply the transformation and use the Move tool to reposition the child in-between the fourth arch from the right. Click the Eye icon next to Layer 1 and pick the Polygonal Lasso tool. Zoom in and click along the top of the viaduct then everything beneath. Take note of the light position If you can t photograph all of your props at the same location and at the same time as your main background image, it s best to draw out a rough sketch of your setup, taking note of where the light falls on your subject in relation to the position of your camera. Doing this will give you something to refer to when you return home and it ll allow you to try to match the same composition and lighting, saving hours of wasted time. Shoot from the right angle Framing up from a low angle allowed us to shoot upwards at an angle that made it look as if the train was running along the top of the viaduct. Keeping the camera in the same position, we then trampled down the grass and fired off a few shots of the child in the field pretending to hold the train. 3 Set the foreground colour. Go to Edit Copy Merged and hit Ctrl+V. Layer 2 will now sit above Layer 1. Move down to Layer 1 and turn it back on. Make sure Layer 2 is highlighted and click on the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers palette before setting your foreground colour to Black. Select the Brush tool (B) and setup a 15px brush. 4 Brush into the mask. Brush very carefully in-between the arch to reveal the child s jeans giving the impression he s standing behind the viaduct. If you make a mistake, hit X to switch the foreground colour to white. Brush over the area to return the original detail before returning to a black brush (X). If you re using Elements, use the Eraser tool on Layer 2 for the same effect. 18 digital photo digital photo 19

11 Technique What you need A D-SLR & Photoshop What you ll learn the golden rules of composite pics expert tip! If you re using Elements you can use the Polygonal Lasso tool instead. Select with the Pen tool. Open your picture of the train and zoom in to 200%. Pick the Pen tool (P) and click on the image to place an Anchor point between the edge of the blue train and the background. Click again to make another Anchor point further down, but hold down the mouse button and drag to bend the Path matching the edge. Work around the train, back to the first point and click it. 5 cut & paste. Right-click inside the Path and choose Make Selection, setting the Feather Radius to 1px before hitting OK. If you re using Elements, pick the Polygonal Lasso tool and click slowly around the train, then go to Select Feather 1px. Now go to Edit Copy and return to the background. Check you re on Layer 1 in the palette and hit Ctrl+V to paste in the train, dropping it behind the viaduct. 6 Follow this essential advice and you ll be making amazing trick images every time... watch out for changes in focus If you want to combine one picture with another in a realistic way, depth-of-field and focus are really important. For this reason it s helpful to shoot the pictures you re using at high f/numbers which will give the greatest front-to-back sharpness, therefore avoiding conflicts. Use a shallow depth-of-field and get the focus in the wrong place (see below) and the elements will look mismatched. Rotate the train. Press Ctrl+T and rotate the train anti-clockwise so it matches the angle of the viaduct. Drag it so the green carriage is in front of the child s arm and hit Enter. Click on Layer 2 before going to Layer New Adjustment Layer Curves. To improve contrast, click on the diagonal line and drag out a subtle S-curve. Now hit OK or exit the palette. 7 When combining pictures to make a composite image you want your efforts to look photo real that is, as though everything is part of the same scene and doesn t feel stuck on or unrealistic. A big part of this is to do with keeping the lighting consistent because if it varies between the different elements your efforts will definitely look fake. Shooting with your light source at the same angle in each pic is a good start, but adding shadows in the right places is important, too. Above you ll see that the shadow on the zip and the peapod are at different angles, so they don t match, but get them the right way round and you re onto a winner. Lower the Sky. Select the Lasso tool (L) and make a Selection through the top half of the sky, selecting the clouds. Go to Select Refine Edge and increase the Feather to 150px. Hit OK. Go to Edit Copy Merged then Edit Paste, select the Move tool and pull the sky down so it appears lower. Click the Add Layer Mask icon. Use a soft black brush to return detail to the child s hair and the train. 8 Stack layers in the right order Crop the image. Select the Crop tool. Draw out a tighter crop box around the main subject and the viaduct. When you re happy with the new crop, hit Enter then go to Layer New Adjustment Layer Hue/Saturation. Boost the Saturation, setting the Saturation slider to +20, hit OK and change the Blending Mode of the Hue/Saturation Layer to Soft Light. Reduce the Layer s Opacity to 70% digital photo Finish Return shadow detail. Pick the Brush tool and set up a soft brush with the foreground colour set to Black and the Opacity set to 75%. Click on the Layer mask next to the Hue/Sat Layer and then brush over the child to reveal some detail in the shadows and any other areas where the shadows are too dark. Now go to File Save As. 10 make sure the shadows match up Perspective is really important in composites and when you bring lots of elements into an image as Layers it s easy to get things in the wrong order. Your Layers will sit in a stack, so to make it look as if this toy train is sitting within the parapet and not on top of the viaduct, it s important it sits below the viaduct in the palette. To change a Layer s order just click drag it up or down in the palette. what next? send us your creations We d love to see what kind of camera tricks you can come up with, so whether you use one of the techniques in this guide, or an effect all of your own making, don t forget to send them in to us at the magazine! You can send your pictures to us at dpimages@bauermedia.co.uk and also upload your favourite shots to our online photo gallery at photoanswers.co.uk where you can also chat about them with other photographers in our forum.

12 essential camera skills Digital Photo magazine brought to life on ipad The Digital Photo app is designed from the ground up to bring a complete photography experience to your Apple ipad and features embedded video lessons to help you learn essential techniques fast! > Experience the beauty of Planet Photo in all its glory on the ipad s high resolution screen > Learn core skills in Photoshop and watch video lessons directly within the app > Swipe and tap your way through the magazine with its plethora of interactive features Available now at 22 digital photo