Sequence shots.....help please - DPChallenge Forums

06/16/2005 02:15:06 PM · #1

My camera has a pretty decent burst mode, and I've got some nice sequence shots of my friends snowboarding. In some of the snowboarding magazines I get, they always have one picture that shows the person all through it. I tried doing this with the panorama tool, but the blending cut out parts of the people. I'm fairly new to PS, but is there a way to use Layers to get this right??? I have PS Elements 3.0. Thanks for your help,

Kevin

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

06/16/2005 02:45:20 PM · #2

just bumping.....no one knows?!?!

Nuno

Nikon D700

06/16/2005 03:00:11 PM · #3

Let me see if I get it right: you have some sequential shoots of a person doing snowboard... more or less the same backgrond.. diferent position each shoot for the person right?

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

06/16/2005 03:06:52 PM · #4

To use the panorama tool you'll probably have to line the images up manually to get what you are looking for.

The alternative is to create a canvas the size of the finished project and paste/align each image the way you want. Each image pasted will be in a different layer.

06/16/2005 04:17:43 PM · #5

For these shots I positioned a master base layer (the shot with the pesron furthest away from the camera), aligned the other shots on layers above (in order of distance) and masked out the backgrounds on each, leaving just the subject. Very easy, simple and quick. Total work about 15 mins/half an hour.

Bebe

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

06/16/2005 04:20:28 PM · #6

Oh, Imagineer, you're too good. This is exciting. Can you explain how you so quickly masked the backgrounds?

sabphoto

Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+

06/16/2005 04:22:04 PM · #7

Excellent job Imagineer.

06/16/2005 04:29:30 PM · #8

thanks so much for the help
I'll play around and see if I can't do it...if not, I'm talking to imagineer

06/16/2005 04:36:27 PM · #9

how do you layer the pictures?

I figured it out...but they're all solid, and I can't see what's under the other unless I move it out of the way

Message edited by author 2005-06-16 16:42:13.

Beetle

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

06/16/2005 04:46:24 PM · #10

Jon - Mr Imagineer, Sir - you are inspiration personified!

06/16/2005 05:23:05 PM · #11

Thanks - too kind!

This is a screen grab of the layers.
To the right is the layer mask (Menu > Layers > Add Layer Mask > Reveal all).

All I did was reduce the opacity of the top layers, accurately position them (if your shots were handheld like mine were) then click once on the layer mask box on the right and airbrush the subject until it disappeared. I then click on the mask and hit [cmmand]+[i] which inverses the mask and shows my subject instead of hiding it. Reset the opacity to full strength and voila!

Once you get this technique sorted your Photoshop world will open up a lot wider, since layer masks are a golden key to so much freedom. The main benefit is that you never delete anything, just hide it.

Edited for extra clarification!

Message edited by author 2005-06-16 17:24:41.

Artifacts

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

06/16/2005 07:39:03 PM · #12

Here is a floral composite of a burst of three images of a single bee pollinating a Saguaro Cactus Blossom (State flower of the great State of Arizona, USA)

This applies Imagineer's method:

06/17/2005 06:56:50 AM · #13

Mulder - was this any use as I don't use Elements? There's certainly a variation on this if you don't have layer masks.

Bebe

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

06/17/2005 07:47:19 AM · #14

Many thanks Imagineer. I was hoping that PS had some hidden function I had never heard of that said "mask everything that's the same as the layer below" (wouldn't that be cool?), but your method is quick & much better than how I would have done it anyway. I'll try it. Thanks!

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM

06/17/2005 10:09:50 AM · #15

Bebe - it has. If you group your linked layers into a set you can then apply a layer mask to the whole set, which does exactly what you want!
: )

liv4him330

Canon EOS-7D

06/17/2005 10:20:01 AM · #16

Imagineer you should really consider writing a tutorial on this subject since it seems like you really have it down.

xcharrier

Canon EOS-1D X

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

06/18/2005 02:19:06 AM · #17

Here is a seq I completed and while I agree that it is good to keep everything in tact as Imagineer stated... I find it easier to put the layers in order and erase the top image. I tried the layer mask and I found it difficult to see what I was hiding when it came to the intricate details. I also had trouble trying to adjust the brightness/contrast, levels, and other details after the layer mask was applied. Is there a way to do that, that I'm not aware of?

Same sequence with some of the layers at 40% opacity

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

06/18/2005 03:41:01 AM · #18

xcharrier (or anyone) - if it seems difficult to see what you're hiding/showing then temporarily add a bright red layer beneath your active one. This will show clearly where your mask edges are so you can work on it and then hide the red layer when finished. Alternativley, apply the 'colour' blend mode to the red layer which will still show what's beneath as well as defining your edges.

skief

Pentax *ist DS

06/18/2005 04:15:40 AM · #19

Why layer a bee on one flower, just find one flower with three bees on it...

Tamron AF 18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Canon

06/18/2005 01:00:06 PM · #20

WOW xCharrier, now that's what I call a burst mode!!! and the processing must have taken forever...it took me like 15 minutes with just 3 pictures!

aaronb532

Canon EOS-20D

06/18/2005 01:29:08 PM · #21

Here's a couple of sequences I did using my Rebel.

Now that I have a 20D I am really looking forward to seing what I can get with longer sequences.

xcharrier

Canon EOS-1D X

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

06/20/2005 05:16:41 AM · #22

Originally posted by Mulder:

WOW xCharrier, now that's what I call a burst mode!!! and the processing must have taken forever...it took me like 15 minutes with just 3 pictures!

Thats the 1DMII for ya... 8 fps :) About an hour of processing time... hardest part is getting all the layers brightness/contrast/levels to match.

cbonsall