Theme: Soccer boy

[Hazel Grant]

Applied a technique I learned in a seminar to this shot of my grandson playing soccer.

1. Make copy of photo (background copy)
2. change mode of bkgd copy to difference
3. Use Move tool and press arrow key to the right once or twice and
down once or twice.
4. Flatten image
5. Image to invert
6. Image to desaturate
7. Adjust contrast, sat as desired.
8. Create blank layer and paste original color photo there under the background copy
9. Use eraser tool to erase BW areas where you want the color to show through.
10. Flatten

[Diane Miller]

Very cool! But doing some steps differently can give you more flexibility and an easier workflow.

It's simpler to just duplicate the BG instead of opening a copy of the image then copying it into a new blank layer. Then work on either layer you want, turning off the eyeball on the top one when it's in your way.

I'd drop in the color layer on top of the BG -- there is more erasing that way, but you will have valuable flexibility to move and resize the figure. Then I'd add a mask to the color layer and paint on it with a black brush to "erase" (and un-erase with a white brush) you'll have great flexibility in how sophisticated the mask is. (Do erasing in big areas with a large, hard brush.) If you're like me, at some point you'll see a small place where the cutout of the figure could be better. And skip the final flatten because you might see that tweak months from now.

Leaving the figure on its own layer also lets you do a Levels, Curves or whatever and clip it to that layer, to make tonal adjustments later.

Don't know if you're using Elements, though -- some of these steps might not work there. I'm not sure how masking works with it.

[Hazel Grant]

Thanks. I'll try this. Not using elements. Using PS

[Cheryl Slechta]

Great OOTB idea, Hazel. Thanks, Diane, for the detailed explanation

[Kerry Perkins]

That's really cool Hazel! I love the way the boy jumps out of the scene. Interesting technique, I like how the offset layer creates a line art look, almost embossed. Good idea!

[Anita Bower]

A creative idea, just right for this forum. The line drawing bg is excellent--love the look and feel of it. The colorful soccer boy doesn't work for me--he looks like a flat cut-out pasted on. But, I think you've got an idea worth perfecting.

[Wendy Kates]

Hazel, I like the idea, and the background, but I can see Anita's point about the image of your grandson looking like a cut-out. I'm wondering if using a softer brush when painting back the the edges of his image would help to "blend" him into the background? Not sure...just a thought.

[Diane Miller]

Try increasing the contrast on the boy's layer. Will help some.

The use of masking instead of erasing (and not flattening!) will let you touch up the edges after the fact, whichever layer approach you use -- the original or my suggestion. Softening the edges in places may be a good ides -- hard to be sure from the small JPEG here.

[Hazel Grant]

Thanks for the compliments and yes, I can see now the too-much contrast of the color to the bw. I will work on that on another photo. thanks for your honest comments.

[Diane Miller]

For me, the boy has too little contrast....

It's a neat idea -- do try it on another image or on a redo of this one. A good commercial for the advantages of working in and keeping layers.