Fig1

Lesson 5

Park Life

Aim: Using layers and shadows to create depth in an image.

Download fig1.Open it up in Photoshop and save it in your folder as parklife.psd.

Now scan one of your own images of a person or animal, or find an image on the web.

Fig 2

Select your image and cut round it. I used the Magnetic Lasso tool ( under the Lasso tool). Copy it (Edit , Copy) and select your parklife.psd image. Now paste the person (Edit , Paste) into this image.

Fig3

Size the person down if necessary. Remember that you make sure that you are on the correct layer, then go to Edit, Transform, Scale….or you can put percentages in along the top on the menubar.

Fig4

Tidy up the edges of the image. I used the Eraser tool with a soft edge.

Fig 5

To make the person look as if they are behind the bench we copy the area of the bench that the person will be behind. Use the Rectangular Marque Tool (top left in the tool box) and make sure you are copying from the correct layer, in this case the Background layer.

Fig 6

Now that you have selected an area of park bench, copy it and paste it. At first you will not notice anything different in the picture. This is because the new layer (I've named it "part of bench") that you created is sitting over the bench. Now move that layer above the person by left-clicking with the mouse on the layer you want to move and dragging it above the layer with the person (I've named it Jamie).

Fig 7

Use the Eraser tool get rid of the areas of bench that you do not need.

Fig 8

The image still looks a bit flat. A shadow would help. Right click on the person layer and choose Duplicate layer.

Fig 9
Go to Image, Adjust, Brightness/Contrast. Adjust this layer until it looks like a shadow.

Fig10.

Look at the other shadows in the image to judge the angle of shadow. Scale and rotate the shadow.

Fig 11
If necessary, remove some of the bench layer with the Eraser tool to see more shadow.
Note. Another way to do this would be to select the whole bench in Fig 5 and erase the bits of the bench where shadow would show.

Fig 12

You could change the opacity of the shadow to fit in with the other shadows in the picture.

Fig 13
Slightly blurring the shadow will give a more natural effect. I went to Filter, Blur, Gaussian Blur.

Fig 14.
Add as many people etc to the photo, eg you could use the same method to place someone looking from behind a tree. I have put another person sitting on the bench

This lesson can be downloaded in word format.

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