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	Username   Password FM Actions & Plugins support Workflow Guidelines FM Forums | Post-processing & Printing | Join Upload & Sell    end    Archive 2012 · Help Making a Composite Image

Jim Bau Offline • • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #1 · Help Making a Composite Image Last week I was in Tucson shooting the moon rise/ sun set at the Picture Rocks Indian Petroglyphs in the Saguaro National Park. I would like to make a composite image of the moon rising behind the petroglyphs. At the time the moon was actually in the position that I wanted to take the picture, I was not able to get my camera lined up right due to barriers keeping folks off the rocks. I realize that I will need to combine a shot I took of the moon and the shot of the petroglyphs, and adjust the size of the moon layer to make it the appropriate size. I am not sure of how to do it best. I would like to have the moon rising up between two of the rocks with petroglyphs on them. I know it will not be an exact representation of the setting at the time I took the shots. I do not intend to pass it off as anything other than what it is; a composite of two separate photos made to look nice together. So please, I don't want this to turn into another "It's not a true image" debate. I am using Lightroom 3 and CS5. Any help or turorials that you can send my way would be greatly approciated! Jan 16, 2012 at 12:37 PM

Ho1972 Offline • • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #2 · Help Making a Composite Image IF you could post a couple of 1200-ish pixel (long-side dimension) images of your composite candidates, I could better visualize where you're headed. Without seeing them I would suggest using channels as the source for the masks, maybe luminosity masks. Jan 16, 2012 at 01:33 PM

Mr Mouse Offline • • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #3 · Help Making a Composite Image Open the image without the moon in Photoshop. Then use menu File>Place select the moon image file. This will add a smart object layer of the moon over your original image. Add a layer Mask to this layer that only shows the moon. You should then be able to transform this layer to size the moon and move it into the area you want. Blend it into the original layer by adjusting layer opacity perhaps blend if gray setting can also help the blending as adding adjustment layers cliped to the moon layer. Finally target the moon layer layer mask and paint with black over the petroglyphs so they will show and the moon look like its behind them. If you paint too much black you can recover the hidden moon parts by painting with white. Jan 16, 2012 at 09:54 PM

Jim Bau Offline • • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #4 · Help Making a Composite Image Thanks for the replies gents. Here are a few sample shots. Jan 16, 2012 at 11:30 PM

Ho1972 Offline • • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #5 · Help Making a Composite Image This is probably not what you have in mind at all, but the red channel makes a good basis for the moon mask and the blue channel will do for the rocks. If you are not familiar with the process of converting channels into layer masks, just say so and when I'm a little less brain dead I'll try to explain it. Or someone else can jump in. Or, as Mr. Mouse pointed out, you can easily just paint the masks using a brush since the shapes are not complex. Jan 17, 2012 at 12:04 AM

Jim Bau Offline • • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #6 · Help Making a Composite Image That's very close to what I had in mind, just resizing the moon smaller. And if you wouldn't mind, when you revive the ol' brain I'd appreciate the lesson. Thanks a ton for your help! Jan 17, 2012 at 05:52 AM

Ho1972 Offline • • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #7 · Help Making a Composite Image Hi Jim, I'm at work now so I can't use PS to illustrate my reply, but I may not need to. Let's start with the basics: How familiar are you with the use of layer masks? If the answer is, "not very," then googling "photoshop layer masks" will turn up a boatload of how-to tutorials such as this one http://www.thephotoargus.com/how-tos/how-to-use-photoshop-layer-masks/ If you already understand the concept, we can move forward. Let me know when you're ready for the next step. Jan 17, 2012 at 01:46 PM

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