Expert: Wedding Photographics - 2/22/2007

Question
Don,
I'll try to be brief.  I'll be doing photo keychains at corporate events.  I've been asked about the possibility of doing digital backgrounds (sometimes theme/holiday related).  I know that the idea is to make your subjects the stars, but I'd like to accomodate the request.

I purchased a Sony Snaplab printer/Sony Cybershot camera.  The plan was just to print straight from the memory card and do minor editing on the Snaplab, however, with digital backgrounds, the laptop will come into play.  Adobe Photoshop CS2 was recommended to use with a green screen.  Unfortunately, the process to cut the image and paste onto the digital background will take about 10 minutes per photo.  I have to complete the product on-site and will not be able to devote this much time to the process.  Are you aware of any "commercial event" type software that simplifies this process?  Thanks so much for any advice on the subject.
Angie  

Answer
Hi Angie,

I just found your question laying around in the "Unanswered Questions Pool". I see your question was asked last February 2007. You have probably already found a solution. But just in case and for other visitors of AllExperts, here is how I do it.

I use a green chroma-key background. Blue is probably more popular only because it is less an eye-sore to see hanging in the studio day in and day out.  But now and then people wear items which have this blue in it and that is no good.

The "puke" green of the green screen is easier to remove without effecting your subject's clothing or other items - the vast majority of the time.

I have hundreds of digital stock backgrounds I purchased from Creative Sparx Studios (http://www.creativesparx.com) who currently actually sell through EBay.

To get my subject(s) easily and quickly out of the image, I use a photoshop plug-in called Mask Pro 4.0

This plug-in is even able to seperate strands of hair and even rid the green screen as it appears through a bride's wedding veil! Then when I use the Move Tool to put the subject(s) in front of the selected background, you can see the new background through the subject(s) hair strands and even through a bride's veil.  Obviously, this provides a very natural look and most people inspecting the photographs don't suspect a thing.

- John
http://www.weddingphotographics.net