Photo processing question

[Steve K]

Hey all,

I've seen a lot of great pictures on here that have real nice "finishing" work on 'em -- nice thin border frames with some stylized copyright sigs -- how do you make those?

Here's one example:

http://www.fencecheck.com/forums/index.php/topic,7933.330.html

I have Elements 4.0, and photoshop CS (barely used this yet).

Any pointers appreciated -- thanks!

Steve

[gdedward99s]

I use Adobe7 "canvas" option after I size the image to about 800. the canvas can be 0.1 up to 0.5 in size. Elements has canvas option but it works slightly differently where you tell it the ultimate photo size like 8x12. You can choose colors and do it more than once.

The text icon is the letter "T", just pick somewhere on the photo and type away. Again, I size the image to 800 first, then set the font size to 18-24.

Some of the photoshop gurus on here can tell you much better how to do it especially how to imbed the copyright so its very hard (impossible) to remove.

-ge

[Comet]

I'ts pretty easy in CS.

Get your picture in the dimensions you want, then go to Image -> Canvas Size and increase your canvas size by how ever many pixels you want, and select what color you want the extended canvas to be...  this gets your first border around your picture.  If you want more borders, you can continue with the above and change colors yet again.

There is also something called STROKE in Photoshop.  to do this, use select all then edit -> stroke and this lets you put a border inside the picture without extending the canvas.  Again, you can change colors.

Creating borders where the picture casts a shadow on the background would be the advanced lesson, and would take a bit more time.

For your copyright, I choose a particular font, then select a size that doesn't overwhelm the shot, and just type the text where you want it on the shot.  For the copyright symbol, you hold the ALT key (on a PC) and type 0169.  On the layers palate, you can select the text layer, then select the fx button on the bottom of the palate to add a drop shadow or to emboss the text on the picture.

The below shot's border was created using the above methods.

[Steve K]

Thanks guys, that helps a lot -- I now see the light 

[Pierce]

Just remember that bracketing the letter c, like this: (c) is not recognized as a copyright symbol. You need to use the actual copyright symbol, which is: ©

Here's what the government has to say about copyrights:

http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html

[Steve K]

Cool, think I got it -- this is fun. You wouldn't want to know the truly complicated way I was trying to get this effect before 

Now I just need to look into that drop shadow stuff...  Thanks again!

[IcecreamLtDan]

For the drop shadow stuff, take a look at Larry Grace's excellent tutorial on that right here on these very forums.

http://www.fencecheck.com/forums/index.php/topic,2340.0.html

[k5083]

Just remember not to go overboard.  Many have noted a strong negative correlation between the amount of attention given to borders, self-promotion and copyright notices and the quality of the actual photograph.

August

[Steve K]

Duly noted, August... this is just for my own enjoyment. I'm certainly not trying to say my pics are "all that".  I've got a loooong way to go to touch so much of the awesome results I see here on this site, amazing work!

I just wanted to give my own personal photographs that I liked the best (whether they're technically great or not) "special treatment" -- the copyright stuff is just something that seems like a good idea when posting photos online, too. People who grab 'em and use 'em are not always that judicious about how "great" a photo it may or may not be, either. But, you're probably right in that I probably don't need to bother -- I guess I look at it as just part of a signature these days, rather than a belief that anyone would actually want 'em for anything. 

And I'm just trying to develop some Photoshop skills...

(And that's for that tutorial link Chris!)

[Jan-Arie]

Question when i open a raw file in ps the resolution box says 240 Dpi i have a Canon 1D Mk2 .
But sometimes when i want to print a picture via an internet printing company i get a warning that the resolution is not enough

Then i tried this i opened the file in ps go to image size and chance the dpi from 240 to 300 dpi now the software from the internet company says it is enough Resolution to make the print.

So my question is how far can you go with the dpi on this subject.
The size of the print is 70x50 cm

[Yojimbo]

its shouldn't matter what DPI the image is - the pixels are enough to print 20x30in

on the topic of borders

How to produce my drop shadow frame

First we need to sort out how big the final border is going to be and where in the frame the picture will sit, and how big and what shape the shadow is going to be. A little

tiral and error to give you a border size you are happy with.

With the resized Photograph in the border where you want it to be we'll begin.



We need to add the shadows for adding later to the action.

Select the pen tool (Shift + P / P) and draw one side of the shadow (we'll duplicate it later)

Make a new layer (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+N) call it shadow



Press D to make sure you have Black as your Background colour, and then fill the path (in the path tool pallet select the menu and fill path...) - make the shadow smaller than you think you need it, we'll enlarge it by using Gaussian blur later to soften the effect..




Duplicate it (Ctrl/Cmd + J), hide the original shadow layer


then goto Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur... (choose a setting of 8.0) this will be the softest of the shadow - select

multiply from the pallet menu and set the opacity to 80%.


Again create a new layer call it Inner Shadow


Holding Ctrl/Cmd click the hidden shadow layer, this will create a new selection (marching ants) in the shape of the shadow on the Inner Shadow Layer. Goto

Select>Modify>Contract>4px

Fill the selection Edit>Fill>Foreground Color (hold Alt/Option and press Backspace)

Goto Filter>Blur>Gassian Blur (Ctrl/Cmd+Alt/Option+F) and choose a setting of 3.0 again select Multiply and an Opacity of 78%.



Right thats 1/2 of our shadow made.. we have to mirror this for the right hand side.. holding Shift click on Background this will select all of the layers from Inner Shadow to Background. In the side menu on the Layers Pallet select Merge Layers (Ctrl/Cmd+E)

Using the Marquee tool (Shift+M/M) select the left hand side of the Background layer..

Duplicate the selection Ctrl/Cmd+J, using the Free Transform - Edit>Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd+T) flip the layer on the horizontal plain - right click flip horizontal and place


On the right hand side. When in place hit the tick in the info tray (double click inside the transform or press return)

Merge Down - Pallet menu Merge Down (Ctrl/Cmd+E)


Next we're going to add the copyright to the border.
Create a new grayscale document with a transparent Background 141px wide x 19px high, use the Type tool (Shift+T/T) and using a clear typeface (font) type in the Copyrigh info, then when your happy set the Opacity to 50% and save as Copyright 2007.psd in a new Directory/Folder.

Have a logo? we'll add that next.

Adding Logo

Open your logo into photoshop (if its an eps file - rasterize to a hight of 30px) if you're opening a raster file resize to 30px, then drag into the border file (drag the layer from the open logo onto the border file)

If it fits ok, we're in business, save the Logo as PSD file into the same Directory/Folder as the copyright, if not then transform to fit (Ctrl/Cmd+T)

If you've had to resize then copy out into a new document and save.

Now we have to cut the shadow up so that we can make it fit in either portrait or landscape mode.

Using Guides, draw 2 horizontal and 2 vertical lines (the horizontal lines must be the same distance from the left and right side)


Now using the Knife tool (Shift+K/K) slice the corner. Once all the corners have been sliced, rename each to reflect each - top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right


Hiding the photo, Save for web, File>Save for Web (Ctrl/Cmd+Alt/Option+Shift+S) - choose JPEG, Quality 100, Select each of the corners and save to the same Directory/Folder as the copyright



Its Showtime!

Open a photo - In the actions pallet add a new action either by the action menu 'New Action...' or by clicking on the new action button this will make a new action and call up a dialogue box, give the action a name, and if you like an action key (F1-12).

Hit OK and the action will automatically start recording.
now we have to resize the photo to fit within the finished border, goto File>Automate>Fit Image... and type 738px into width and height.

Hit Ok

Now we have our photo sized in either portrait or landscape mode.. then we need to sharpen to allow for the resize - Filter>Sharpen>Sharpen... next we have to take the shapen back a little so as not to over sharpen the image so we'll fade the image to 60% Opacity - Edit>Fade Sharpen... (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+F) select 60% Opacity and Mode>Luminosity


So we don't effect the photo, we need to duplicate it.

Now we have to add the border around the edge of the photo, goto Image>Canvas Size... (Ctrl/Cmd+Alt/Option+C) and we're going to add 38 pixels all the way around the image. To do this we use the relative check box (this adds or takes away pixels) select white to use as the Background and hit OK.



Extra height needs adding to allow for the extra information at the bottom of the border - again we goto the Canvas Size command.. selecting relative again put 16 pixels in the height box and click the middle top square in the grid and click OK.


Select the Background Layer

Open the first of the Shadow files - Top Left - then select all - goto Edit>Select All... (Ctrl/Cmd+A) and Copy the image - goto Edit>Copy... (Ctrl/Cmd+C) and close the file - File>Close (don't save changes) (Ctrl/Cmd+W). Now with the photo we are editing paste the image - goto Edit>Paste... (Ctrl+Cmd+V).


Select Background and while holding Shift click on the new Layer. Goto Layer>Align>Top Edges, again Layer>Align>Left Edges.


Duplicate the open, copy, close, and paste with Top Right - Select Background and holding Ctrl/Cmd select the new layer. Goto Layer>Align>Top Edges, again Layer>Align>Right Edges.


open Bottom Left, copy, close, and paste - Select Background and holding Ctrl/Cmd select the new layer. Goto Layer>Align>Bottom Edges, again Layer>Align>Left Edges.


Last open Bottom Right, copy, close and paste - Select Background and holding Ctrl/Cmd select teh new layer. Goto Layer>Align>Bottom Edges, again Layer>Align>Right Edges.



again Layer>Align>Left Edges then select Layer 6 and using the move tool (Shift+M/M) and the cursor keys tweek the copyright into position.


Open the Logo file - Select all, copy, close and paste - select the Background and holding Ctrl/Cmd slect the new layer. Goto Layer>Align>Bottom Edges, again


Layer>Align>Right Edges, select layer 7 and tweek with the cursor keys make layer multiply.


Goto the side menu on Layer Pallet and select Flatten.

Stop Recording

Fin!

remember tweek to your own tastes

[Comet]

wow, there are a lot of steps there. 

Here is what I do for drop shadows.

Extend your photo's borders using the canvas size function and stroke as mentioned above already.

Select only the image portion of your file (not the borders) and cut that selection from the photo.

Create a new layer

Paste your photo on the new layer

using the layers effects, apply drop shadow to your new layer.

Voila

[Comet]

Question when i open a raw file in ps the resolution box says 240 Dpi i have a Canon 1D Mk2 .
But sometimes when i want to print a picture via an internet printing company i get a warning that the resolution is not enough

Then i tried this i opened the file in ps go to image size and chance the dpi from 240 to 300 dpi now the software from the internet company says it is enough Resolution to make the print.

So my question is how far can you go with the dpi on this subject.
The size of the print is 70x50 cm

A lot of printers request that you have at least 250 dpi for your photos to print optimally. I know this to be true of Mpix.com.  WHCC.com requests 300 dpi.  If needed you can change your native camera dpi in photoshop, but the software interpolates the color data in between pixels to blow up the file.  Personally, I think the dpi is more of a guide than a rule, sine I've printed photos from the 20D, 300D and the 1D Mark II at 16in x 24in without changing the native Dpi, and you can't see any degradation of the image.

Here is an exerpt from Mpix's faq:

Digital Cameras measure their resolution in pixels. These pixels are NOT measured per inch, but are a total count of how many pixels were used to capture the entire image. If you take a digital photo at 1600x1200 pixels, the total pixel count of the captured image will be 1,920,000 pixels. Whether you print this 1600x1200 image as a 8”x10” photo or an 16”x20” photo, it will still have 1,920,000 pixels.

Photos intended for print should be taken at the highest [pixel] resolution possible for the best print quality. Printing at different sizes does not change how many pixels are in the original image. Lower resolution photos printed at larger sizes stretch the pixels beyond the point where they look clear and sharp. The best printer can not make a low resolution photo look better than its original quality… but it sure can make beautiful prints when given a high resolution photo to work with!

Print Size Minimum Image Resolution
Wallets 150x250
4x6 400x600
5x7 500x700
8x10 800x1000
16x20 1600x2000
20x30 2000x3000

 
 

 

[Yojimbo]

wow, there are a lot of steps there.

thats why its recorded as an action