edited: please check out my Christmas card

[s_gosney]

and offer feedback...It's in my reply to Eileen. Thanks!

Could someone pretty pretty please answer a dumb question for me? I have some pics that I want to use but they have junk in the background (I didn't start out as a good housekeeper, and having an active toddler has not helped :)). What is the best way to get rid of this stuff? TIA!

[mudder17]

Well, it partially depends, but you can either fade the background drawing a circle around the subject or use the lasso and actually trace the subject and then fade the background.

You can do this one of two ways:

1a) Use either the lasso feature to trace around the subject or a circle or oval or square to trace around the subject.

1b) At this point, I usually copy and paste the subject in a different layer. You can either feather it (I usually do between 15 and 25 pixels) or leave it at 0 pixels.

1c) I then delete the original layer, and play around with background colors until I am happy with the combo.

2) Instead of copy and pasting the subject ino a different layer, you can invert the selection tool and hit delete. Then you can fill the background with a single color. I don't like this method as well, though, because filling in the background will sometimes bleed into the subject.

Okay, so here are a few examples:

1) In this one, I faded the background with an oval and used the feathering option of around 25 pixels, I think. As you can see, I have some laundry hanging in the background, but it's not quite as prominent:

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/31050.jpg

2) In this case, I faded the background using the lasso option and it takes a bit more out, but in this case, I don't like the effect as much:

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/31051.jpg

3) Here's one where I completely removed the background, using maybe 5 pixels in the feathering option, just to soften it a bit. I copied and pasted the subject into a different layer and then brighted the subject (there wasn't quite enough lighting) and played around with different background colors:

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/31052.jpg

4) You can also do this just to create a mood, even if the background isn't that distracting. In this one, I just used a simple oval and didn't add any color to the background:

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/31054.jpg

5) And just for the fun of it, this is from the front cover of this year's calendar:

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/31053.jpg

I know there were a couple of threads on this very subject including one by (I think) lminzer. Try doing a search for photo AND background AND fading.

HTH a little and please ask any questions if any of this is unclear.

Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_4_Kaya+is.png
Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[s_gosney]

Thanks, Eileen, for the detailed help! I ended up running out of room before I got to the picture I was talking about....plus it was one with bubbles, so it was going to be difficult to get rid of the mess behind without losing the bubbles too. I will definitely keep your tips in mind if I change things up and end up using it though.

I'm going to go ahead and stick my card in here instead of starting an all new thread. I'm not thrilled with it, but my 15 page final is due on Monday and I haven't started, so I've got to pick my battles at this point. I know it's not wonderful, but if you got this in the mail would you think it was just *awful*?

I started out not wanting to do a real griddy look, but now the randomness is kind of bothering, but I am overly anal about symmetry in general.

Oh yeah, this is just the front, so the main greeting will be inside.

ETA: I see that the shadows are overlapping with the text, so I will fix that. I'm looking for an overall impression. Is the lack of symmetry/alignment yucky or okay/*stylistic*? ;)

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/31055.jpg

[Wife_and_mommy]

I like it!! Considering all you have going on, I'd consider it a hit. I think most(if not all) receivers will be impressed. You also did a good job of assembling the pics so even though it's not symmetrical, they fit nicely together. I wouldn't worry about that.



http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif[/img][/url]

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/dogdogcrd20040405_4_My+child+is.png

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/p/dev035pb___.png

[bostonsmama]

From a symmetry standpoint, i think the chocolate face pictures is cute (and very fitting for the text), but it detracts from teh picture on the swing, which I'm guessing is largest and thus supposed to be the focus, right? So, I'd either remove it and strech the dolly stroller picture up and center that in place, or swap it with the playing in leaves pic since you already have a pic of that outfit. I like all the pics...but the one on the swing is great. I also think you have to keep the one in the cabinet (even though it's not as matchy) b/c it's totally appropriate to the quote listed. I'd also shrink the text. Otherwise, it's absolutely adorable!

Larissa
who's gettin in the holiday mood

"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them." -
James Baldwin

[mudder17]

Let me look at the bubbles pic and I'll see if it gives me some ideas. For now, I would shrink the chocolate face to the width of the stroller pic and swap them. From a symmetry standpoint, I think it would balance the orange outfits (so two on the bottom and outside and one on the top sort of centered) and angle the other outfit (chocolate and cabinet). Depending on the size of the card, I MIGHT shrink the text a little, but I don't think that's necessary. I do like the way you did the shadowing effect, though. It works very well with asymmetry. :)

Other than that--the card is adorable and I would love to receie something like that. Great job, especially considering all the other stuff you have to do! I still need to finish ours, LOL! My only excuse is that I had a 13-picture calendar to finish first, but now that it's done, I don't really have an excuse. :P


Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_4_Kaya+is.png
Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[s_gosney]

Thank you! :)

[s_gosney]

oh wow, I didn't even think about what I wanted to be the focus. :) I suppose that might be a good thing to think about. Thanks for your feedback. I'll definitely try playing around with arrangement as you suggested. Thanks!

[s_gosney]

Thanks, Eileen! I'm going to try playing around with the arrangement based on you and Larissa's suggestions.

I'll attach the bubble pic here, and one other one that was in the running as well. It's so hard when you have so many good pics and so many people who don't get to see the everyday progression of your kiddo. I want to share them all! But, my sis already said it's too busy. hmmph. We'll see.

Thanks again!


http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/31067.jpg


http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/31068.jpg

[sidmand]

I really like the bubble picture. I don't think you need to get rid of the background stuff to use. It's hardly noticeable and there's going to be toys in the background of almost any kid picture--IMO!

I might get rid of the chocolate picture though. It's cute, but your DD looks a bit possessed! I don't mean to say that in a bad way at all, but especially for people who don't see her all the time, the other pictures give a better sense of her overall.

The other picture is really cute too, but I'm thinking by the time you crop it so you just see her it may be too small an image to work with the others.

Great job on the card. I hope I didn't offend you at all!

Debbie

Mom to Sawyer!
http://lilypie.com/baby1/060607/0/3/1/-5/.png[/img] ([img)

[mudder17]

...which I think you should use, by the way.

I think I agree with Debbie. For the most part, you can't really notice the background because the front is so cute! But if you want to do anything at all, I would suggest lasso'ing her and some of the bubbles and lightening them up a little. So for a rough example, here's the original and here's the one where I lightened it up. The third one is where I didn't brighten her up as much but I darkened the background a bit more. I think the third option is what you probably want to do--brighten her up a little, but darken the background at the same time. This way you don't run the risk of washing her out, but you deemphasize the background even more.

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/31069.jpg
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/31070.jpg
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/31071.jpg


Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_4_Kaya+is.png
Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[KrisM]

I think it looks pretty good. I agree with swapping the chocolate and stroller pictures. The only part of the non-symmetry that bothers me (a very orthogonal person) is that the top of the cabinet picture and the top of the chocolate pictures almost line up. I'd make it more obvious that they don't line up, so that it doesn't look like they're just off a bit.

[s_gosney]

not offended in the least. DH was helping her "fly" and she's just had chocolate (obviously), so the possessed look was just one of those weird things caught by a camera. I think I'll try sticking the bubbles pic in its place and see what happens.

Thanks again for the input and sorry to pop this thread back up again. I just didn't want you worried that I was offended!

[s_gosney]

That looks like a good solution. Thanks!

[s_gosney]

Thanks! It's always nice to meet another "very orthogonal person". :) That reminds me of an exchange between my dh and myself the other night. He had hung our stockings where from left to right it was my stocking, his, then dd's. Well, mine and his are identical and hers is quite different. It was bugging me, but I hesitated to say anything because I was appreciative of his help. So when I finally asked "Will it bug you if I switch your stocking with Kylee's?", he just cracked up laughing at me. I say "what's so funny?" and he says "if you don't know what's funny, then you don't know yourself very well." I think he was just testing me to see how long it would take for me to comment...:)

[KrisM]

Funny! It would bother me, too. I've started a scrapbook for DS and all the pictures are very straight and evenly spaced. Not very creative!