Expert: LizaL - 10/12/2004

Question
Hi Lizal,

I am using Photoshop 6.0, on a Pentium III, 800 Mhz PC, 256+ RAM, 120GB HD.

I am a complete novice in Photoshop. I've just barely stumbled upon how to load an image into the program.

I am trying to produce an image the size of a magazine cover from a picture that I believe was created in Photoshop, using a digital photograph and various other pictures for background. I am trying to use a copy of this (from a CD) to make a magazine cover. How do I do this?
How do I enlarge the entire image to full page (8.5x11 or 9x12) size?
I'd like to use the people as a live shot (on top of a background), how do I get them to full page size without stretching out of proportion, and is it possible to remove them off of this picture, modify the background and place them back?
How do I fill in the background after part of an image has been removed?

So far, I've tried copying the two people after selecting them using the magnetic lasso tool, on to a new layer.  I also tried to extract the images from the background, but lost the background. I haven't figured out how to recolor the background (without defect) after removing some type, that I'd like to move to another spot; (I need to add more type, but also completely remove other type that's on the image I have) and how to get it to full page size and put another title on it.

I hope that I've been able to explain sufficiently what I've done, and what I need, and thanks so much for your assistance in advance, Lizal.

Expecting to hear from you soon.  Thanks again.


Mary  

Answer
Hi Mary!

Don't worry, you won't be a novice for long if you're using Photoshop! You'll pick up on things in no time.

Meanwhile, to try and answer your question -

1. First, let's talk about the size of the image you want to use for your cover. The best and really only acceptable way to change the size of a bitmapped image -- that is to say, a photo -- in Photoshop, is to use the Image Size command. This is found under the Image pulldown menu (it says Image Size..., and it's in the third section of commands). You resize in this menu for a couple of reasons:   1.  it doesn't stretch things all out of proportion like selecting something and dragging the handles will do    and  2. you can decide here on the exact size of your final image.

When you use this menu, though, bear in mind that if you're starting with a very small photo (say a 3x5) and blowing it up to 8x10, you may lose some resolution. It all really depends on the quality of the image you're using.

But when using Image Size, unless you're shooting for some kind of different effect, keep Constrain Proportions checked. Also keep Resample Image checked, with Bicubic selected as the method. Resampling just means that if you blow the image up and Photoshop needs to compensate and add pixels, it'll do it. (That's the "in a nutshell" explanation, LOL!)


2. About filling in the background when you've removed part of it -- I'm sure you know that Photoshop is a bitmap program. That is, when you lay one picture directly on top of another, then try to remove it, you'll remove whatever else was underneath. Not like line art, huh, where you can stack and layer things and not damage them.

There are several ways to get damaged pieces of your background back and intact. One of the quickest and easiest is the clone stamp tool. This tool is shaped like a little rubber stamp -- and in the tool palette, it's the fifth tool down on the left. (I'm using Photoshop 7, though, and since you're using 6, it might be in a different spot. But it is shaped like a little rubber stamp. Additionally, if you hold your cursor near ANY of the tools for a few seconds, you'll most likely see that tool's name pop up near your cursor. This is called Tool Tips and is turned on and off in the General preferences.)

Anyway, select the clone stamp tool and find an area of your background that is close in appearance to what you damaged. Hold down the Alt key and click at the same time. This will let Photoshop "sample" that undamaged part of the image, under your cursor. Then click on the damaged area. The "sampled" part of the image will appear as you stamp away with the clone stamp tool.

This clone stamp tool keeps on sampling, though, and will move all over your image as you move your mouse to different parts of the picture, so be careful what you're cloning! You might accidentally copy something you don't want. Experiment a little first.


3. Using the cloning tool might not be a bad way to remove the type you don't want, providing it's not a lot, and it's fairly big. Just Alt+Click on a benign part of the image, and clone-stamp over the type.

Type is handled differently in Photoshop, and when you create it, it automatically goes on its own layer. So once you create your type, you won't have to worry that it'll mess up your background.


4. You can remove the people quite easily, and there are a variety of ways to do this. One of the quickest and easiest would be to make a copy of the layer the people are on -- and to do this, go to your Layers palette. Just select the layer (click once, don't double-click), then drag that layer to the page icon that's just to the left of the trash can.

You should have two identical layers. Use the bottom one for your background. On the top layer, use the Extract command. It sounds like you used this already, so I won't go into great detail. But if you have a complete copy of your image on the bottom layer, directly below the top layer, it won't matter if you lose the background. In fact, that's just what you want to do, for the top layer.

For now, turn off the bottom layer so you can see what you're doing more easily. Do this by clicking on the little eye icon to the left of the background layer. On the top layer, using the Extract command, extract the people. With the bottom layer still turned off, you can go in and fine-tune your "people" layer. Erase any "garbage" left behind from the Extract command, move the people around around, etc. Your people should move pretty independently now that they're away from the background.

Now turn on the background layer again, and turn off the top (people) layer. This is where the cloning stamp tool could come in handy, as you could use it to cover up where the people were. on that layer. Or, now that your people aren't on a layer with a background, you could even bring in a whole new layer from another image.

This is a quick, easy way to do what you're wanting to do. There are many more other, perhaps more exacting ways to do this, and if you like, I can share some of those with you too. But for someone just starting to work in Photoshop, this might be a good method to learn with.

I have no doubt you won't be a novice for long! But if you need any other tips or advice, please don't hesitate to post back. Or especially post back if I've been unclear about something. I know I got a little wordy, but sometimes, and especially with Photoshop, there's just no other way! :)

Hope this helps!

Lisa