Photoshop Creative

Just a few days ago I came across a technique that I saw somewhere (forums, blog, books, tutorials) but cannot seem to find it again.

It was pretty simple and worked so well that I didn't take the time to write it down because I thought I would remember it. Ha!

When placing a selection onto a new background, it was a way to slightly change the coloring so that it looked like the lighting conditions when the photos were taken were the same. Maybe somehow using the average function? I have done everything to try to go back and find it but need
Elaine

I have been looking with no luck so far. Can you add any more detail to what you are looking for. Even part of the name of the tutorial will help. Or who wrote it??

Thank you Suzi,
No I have no idea whether it was this forum, another forum, a tutorial or a book. I have been doing all of these almost nonstop so I don't know how to go back and find it. I have been trying to go over everything I have done the last few days with no luck. It really worked well as far as duplicating the lighting conditions of both photos and the selection was adjusted ever so slightly to blend in with the background.
Thank you so much for taking the time to try.
Elaine

I found it! It works great.

It was posted in this forum by GeneVH.

Here's something you can try when you use a digital background like that. I use it on my portraits and it seems to make them look better, like they belong together.

After you have moved your subject onto the background and have made all your adjustments, make a copy of the background and move that layer on top of your subject layer. Then go to Filter -> Blur -> Average on that layer. This takes all the colors and combines them, and may look kinda weird, but bear with me here.

After the averaging is done, then drop the opacity on that layer way, way down, to around 5% or so. Just enough to get the effect of the layer and thats about all you want. I have found that this balances out the lighting of the entire portrait making it look like your subject was actually standing in front of that background. This gives you the lighting that would have been reflected off the background as if it had really been there and makes everything appear a bit more natural. Especially if your moving a picture that was shot in totally different lighting.

I am so glad you found it...I the place I didn't look was on this forum

Hi,
When that background technique showed up in the forum, not long afterwards appeared another tut that will soften the edges of the heads that are in front of the "manufactured" background. I'm pretty sure that it came from Jane. I used both of these techniques of a group photo of relatives which needed a lot of work. The outcome was much better than I got by just adding a new background. Here it is:

Here's another trick that sometimes works well if you think you have a hard-edge selection. Get on the "head layer" and reload the selection (ctrl+click thumb)z. Then modify the selection - contract - not much 1 or 2 px (depends on resolution of your image). Then - invert (ctrl+shift+i) - and then Ctrl-J. Because you inverted the selection, you now have a thin outline of the selection on that new layer.

Now apply a gaussian blur to that "outline layer". Not much, 1 or 2 px. That softens the edge. Because it's on a single layer you can screw around and blur more or less if needed.

I love this forum!

Steve

Thanks Steve for reminding me of that one too. This time I am not going to depend on my memory, but will record them so I can look them up when I need to do this again.
Elaine

Tx for re-posting these. i somehow missed both and have also copied and saved. Now just have to remember I have them.

I think somewhere we need to made a thread with all these tips added to that for easy access. Now where is Julie she is great at organizing things!!!!