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js10053 · Joined: 01 Feb 2005 Posts: 126

Hello,
I had a picture that I took of a goat a while back, I really liked it, but the background seemed to be in the way. I've attached the original. I've been working on trying to edit this photo so that I can still submit it. I tried to isolate the background and then put in a cloud texture that I made. I've been experimenting with making backgrounds and I'm still working on improving them, I did one before that turned out better than this one, but I just wanted some opinions. The link to the new photo is:

http://photobucket.com/albums/y77/js10053/?action=view&current=GoatClouds.jpg

Thanks

fncdigital · Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:01 pm

edges are way too rough, see the new stick thread in Tips and Tricks.

js10053 · Joined: 01 Feb 2005 Posts: 126

Okay, I wasn't sure about that, I thought they looked too rough, but I was trying to keep the goats fur texture. Is this better?

mtu1969 · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Posts: 87 Location: Munich (Germany)

Better, but

the "horizon" is sloping, which troubles me and the skin is cropped in the foreground

rodehi · Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:34 pm

My attempt

fncdigital · Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:45 pm

better edges, although id know more at 100% however, the thing that bothers me, is the sky isnt realistic, doesnt match.

Also photographicly speaking, they wouldnt be as sharp becaise of the DOF. Unless you were using a very short focal length lense.

js10053 · Joined: 01 Feb 2005 Posts: 126

Okay, does the horizon look better here? I'm going to work on redoing the clouds. I'm not exactly certain why the clouds turned out this way, but the first attempt I did with this turned out better.

js10053 · Joined: 01 Feb 2005 Posts: 126

I'm trying to get my background to look more realistic, but I can't seem to get the settings to match what I did the first time (Should have wrote it down) Do you have any other ideas of what I could do, or something I could put in the background? I'm using PhotoShop Elements 3.

FredS · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 298 Location: Toronto, Canada

What about putting in the backgroung some bale of straw?
It will be nice and more realistic!

Frederic

js10053 · Joined: 01 Feb 2005 Posts: 126

Yes, that would be interesting. How would I go about doing that? I'm very new to PhotoShop and I'm learning as I go.

Thanks

js10053 · Joined: 01 Feb 2005 Posts: 126

I've been working on the clouds, they look a little better. I'm wondering if the clouds look too close to the goat and makes it look fake. All opinions are very much appreciated.

Thanks

Justified · Joined: 20 Feb 2005 Posts: 22

Here's my thoughts. The sky at the moment doesn't look like sky. I notice you have a sky picture in your gallery, how about taking a sky picture from the right perspective and using that.

Also, the 'horizon' wouldn't be where it is. In reality you would have far more background with the horizon in the distance, at the moment the animal is sitting on the edge of the world. So with that in mind, you could go out and shoot a landscape for the background you want - try and get similar lighting and shoot from the same low viewpoint and keep in mind when you are framing the shot where the animal will sit. To demonstrate I've made a rough example of the sort of thing I mean. And credit for the picture should go to "marcelox" from sxc.hu (stock.xchnge).

Hope all this helps, have fun.

Tim · Joined: 10 Mar 2005 Posts: 458 Location: UK

I was about to suggest exactly above.
Go take another photograph. Photoshop fill effects are good for one thing: Effects. The clouds are not really meant for replacement clouds, just giving a cloudy effect IMO.

Besides. You're a photographer. Photoshop schmotoshop :-) (kidding)

js10053 · Joined: 01 Feb 2005 Posts: 126

That is so amazing. It makes the picture look fantastic. I guess I will have to wait a few months to submit this one as all the grass in my area is dead from the snow. So now in the meantime I can decide where would be a good place to take the picture.

Thanks so much

Justified · Joined: 20 Feb 2005 Posts: 22

okay, i've sent you that site mail with the info you asked for, and also an additional link that you may find useful.

So for the benefit of others who have maybe been following this thread, this is a link to a tutorial on one method of isolating images to insert new backgrounds.

http://www.russellbrown.com/tips_tech.html

the tutorial is Advanced Masking, but there are other usefull ones there too.