Photo composites are a great way to express
your creativity and vision as an artist. You can craft images that
otherwise cannot be accomplished. Many people shoot landscapes or
architecture, which make fantastic backgrounds of a scene. But not
everyone has access to models and fine garb. Therefore, using free stock
images of models is a viable alternative. A good resource is e.g. http://www.deviantart.com | faestock.deviantart.com | jumeria-nox.deviantart.com | kuoma-stock.deviantart.com
Whenever using free stock images, you should mention the source and
carefully read the terms of use. Also seek permission to use other
people’s photographs if they don’t have a terms of service.
Since the model has typically been shot in a
different environment than you used to photograph your background, one
of the occurring problems is to match the color and light, which is
essential to make the final composite believable.
What is most important to me is that any composite scene is first most believable, so that it conveys a story. My ultimate goal is to integrate the images well enough that you can’t tell it’s a composite. I feel that the viewer can’t truly appreciate the image with distractions from technical oddities, so I work hard to remove them from the composites I create.by Frank Bramkamp, Hobbyist photographer
Selections Tip
Cleanly
selecting out a model is much more elaborate process than replacing a
sky. Most of the time I only use the tools inside Photoshop, like the
Quick Selection tool. When doing this, you’ll notice color fringing
around the subject. Be careful as this is extremely important to remove.
Any fringing will immediately make your composite look like a
composite. I suggest that you proceed in small, careful steps refining
the selection based on the image’s edges.
After you have
a clean selection without fringes, use a small radius blur and darken
the midtones to be rid of any tough spots. The blurring will help the
transition of the subject’s outer edge and will blend it with the
background.
For geometric selections, such as
machinery, architecture, or vehicles, use the Pen tool to create a
path. This gives you full control over the selection, and you can go
back for fine detailed adjustments later. The Pen tool makes easy work
of machined shapes.
Color Adjustments
After
retouching the model into the background, adding shadows, dodging and
burning, I use Exposure for the final color adjustment. A global color
adjustment to the final composite is a huge advantage. It harmonizes the
colors of the different images in the piece. Photos from different
cameras, taken on different days with different color temperatures, need
this final touch to bring them together.
My
secret weapon for color matching is to use the Average filter in
Photoshop. This will produce a representative color for the background
image. The layer filled with this color, set to the Color blend mode at a
low opacity, will allow you to mask out trouble spots.
More on color adjustment here: http://photoshopcafe.com/tutorials/color-matching/how-to-match-color-photoshop-composites.htm
