p.1 #1 · question on creating sports posters with action cutouts in Photoshop
Hi all - - I am not a Photoshop user, but the company I freelance for uses it to create custom sports posters. They recently spent a lot of time creating hockey posters on speculation (one for every player at a tournament) that did not sell as well as hoped. The posters were beautiful, but overpriced (in the mind of the parents) because of the time spent in editing the images.
They started with a base action image, and then superimposed another cutout (around the edges of the player) on top of the base image. They added borders & titles & printed on metallic paper.
I am wondering if there is a Photoshop plugin, or easy method within Photoshop to pull out an action image without painstakingly tracing all around it with a mouse (down to the edge pixels) - copying & pasting into the next image.
If there was some sort of plugin that could extract the image that was just generally selected, that would be awesome, but I have never heard of such a thing.
Maybe this is the wrong forum - - I thought about also posting this in the post-production forum - - so let me know if I would be better off asking there.
p.1 #2 · question on creating sports posters with action cutouts in Photoshop
The short answer is... no. I have now pretty much run the gamut on every cutout plug-in and in the end... everyone needed close inspection or final edge tweaking which didn't save me any time. So im back to using lasso tool but have gotten it reasonably quick enough to still make it time efficient and cost effective.
p.1 #3 · question on creating sports posters with action cutouts in Photoshop
+1 to what Paul said. I use the magnetic lasso tool to a certain degree and then still have to refine the edges with a quick mask, bit you can invest in certain professional tools such as tablets, etc that will really speed your selection process up tremendously.
p.1 #4 · question on creating sports posters with action cutouts in Photoshop
So, further to what Paul said, does CS5 offer improved lasso capabilities compared to CS4? I only have CS4 to work with, unless I download Adobe's CS5 trial version.
I too want to make a sports poster for several of the shots I've taken at the MX track.
p.1 #9 · question on creating sports posters with action cutouts in Photoshop
Chris brings up a great point regarding outsourcing the cutouts. Let's face it folks, for one reason or another sitting behind a computer doing photoshop clippings isn't for all of us. It may be lack of software, skill, time or you just flat out hate doing them. Anyway, there are several places to send your photos to and have the clipping paths done for you. Turnaround time has always been the thing that has stopped me from utilizing this option. Most places will most likely be 1-3 days turnaround and will charge you a few bucks each photo to do this for you depending on how in-depth the clipping is (multiple people in a single photo, etc. will most likely be more expensive). If you don't want to do these yourself, you could always strike up a relationship with one of the members here like Chris and I am sure they might be interested in doing your clippings for you. Best of luck!
p.1 #12 · question on creating sports posters with action cutouts in Photoshop
Like the guys mentioned above magnetic lasso tool for most. Followed up with a little edge refining using eraser tool. Practice with frequency of anchor points for your taste. This works for me and football, with helmets and short haircuts.
For girls and the sports they play I have used a plug-in called Mask Pro by On One. This comes in handy for the areas where hair needs to be cutout.
p.1 #13 · question on creating sports posters with action cutouts in Photoshop
I use the extract filter for the hair and the pen tool for everything else. The pen tool does take a little bit longer, but with enough practice it goes pretty fast with terrific results. I never did have much luck with spec posters. I created more sales with some templates I made that did not require any cut outs.
p.1 #14 · question on creating sports posters with action cutouts in Photoshop
One thing worth adding, whatever tool you use, beit lasso or brush... be sure to do it on a mask layer. I never use erase tool because once it's gone, it's gone forever. When I open a file, I create a duplicate layer. When the selection is done, I refine it, contract one pixel, smooth one pixel, feather one pixel. Then create a mask layer and drag that masked layer onto the poster where I can refine it further if need be. The original is never affected this way. I'm adding and subtracting the mask to reveal or conceal what I need.
p.1 #15 · question on creating sports posters with action cutouts in Photoshop
I use Topaz remask for my initial masking (it's very quick, pretty accurate and works well with hair). Topaz does a good initial job, but I usually do my fine tuning with cs5 refine mask, dodge/burn and smudge tool. I also save all my masked subjects as Smart objects that way I can adjust and fine tune/tweak on 2 different "levels" if needed. Full res smart objects make for a large file, but I can tweak, resize, adjust the subject without the worry of degrading the original file.
p.1 #17 · question on creating sports posters with action cutouts in Photoshop
Sorry, but I just found this thread. I am fairly new to making my own posters. I do a collage poster that usually consists of one photo for a base layer (usually a shot of the home court for basketball), then putting on that one central full-face photo of the athlete, and anywhere from 4-8 smaller action shots around that one. I have been guilty of using the eraser tool, I'm afraid! However, I don't do that step until after I have copied the original and drug it onto the base layer, where I erase to make it fit with the other photos. At the end of it all I still have the intact original if it is needed. Listening to you guys talk, I wonder if I am going about it all wrong! I would love to see the end results some of your guys work (your sports posters); could you point me to your websites where you have some examples? Thank you for any help!
p.1 #18 · question on creating sports posters with action cutouts in Photoshop
Morris in MT wrote:
Sorry, but I just found this thread. I am fairly new to making my own posters. I do a collage poster that usually consists of one photo for a base layer (usually a shot of the home court for basketball), then putting on that one central full-face photo of the athlete, and anywhere from 4-8 smaller action shots around that one. I have been guilty of using the eraser tool, I'm afraid! However, I don't do that step until after I have copied the original and drug it onto the base layer, where I erase to make it fit with the other photos. At the end of it all I still have the intact original if it is needed. Listening to you guys talk, I wonder if I am going about it all wrong! I would love to see the end results some of your guys work (your sports posters); could you point me to your websites where you have some examples? Thank you for any help!
p.1 #19 · question on creating sports posters with action cutouts in Photoshop
P Alesse wrote:
Wendell... I tried one awhile ago and I just couldn't get used to the feel and comfort, so I went back to the mouse.
This may be a case of personal preference.... I bought a tablet not to long ago and it has changed my world...
It's like everything else, if you know someone that has a Tablet give it a try and see what you like, rent one or worst case find a store with a good return policy, give it a whirl and if you don't like it take it back.
Anyway, there are several places to send your photos to and have the clipping paths done for you. Turnaround time has always been the thing that has stopped me from utilizing this option. Most places will most likely be 1-3 days turnaround and will charge you a few bucks each photo to do this for you depending on how in-depth the clipping is (multiple people in a single photo, etc. will most likely be more expensive). If you don't want to do these yourself, you could always strike up a relationship with one of the members here like Chris and I am sure they might be interested in doing your clippings for you. Best of luck!