Can someone help me with the BG

[kyliebug]

My friend wants the background to blend in - she doesnt want the baseboard or carpet to show and I am clueless. Can someone give me step by step instructions?
Thanks so much
Traci

[TonyW]

Traci: That's one of those rare pictures where the magic extractor works quite well if you have PSE4 or PSE5. Duplicate the layer, then using the magic extractor mark the foreground with the foreground brush, mark the background with the background brush. Preview to check that you have it right. Apply it and then click on the background layer and Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and push the slider all the way up and you should get something like this:

580

Tony

[kyliebug]

Thank you SOOOO much Tony.............I am off to try it out. It looks great. I am going to try and make the BG whiter too. Hope thats possible.
Traci

[karen donnybrook]

Kylie,

I have had a quick go and what I did was select the background and put it on its own layer; used the clone tool to make that area the same colour as the rest of the background, then put a texture on the background layer.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1wp8HZC0RIyFL9RDItOTRdkWqW4hNE0_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1wp8HZC0RIyFL9RDItOTRdkWqW4hNE0)

Karen:)

[karen donnybrook]

Tony you beat me :D

Karen

[TonyW]

Traci: Once you have the background as a separate layer you can use any background you want and use a texture just like Karen did. I just used the quick and dirty 2 minute method :D

Tony

[TonyW]

Tony you beat me :D

Karen

Ah but you took the extra time to add texture :D

Tony

[Daviskw]

Boy you guys are fast... oh well I did one so may as well post...lol

I did not add a back ground but did make a selection but then just cloned the background over ... and used a levels adjustment layer to lighten the folds where I lightened the background to match.

But like everyone says you can change backgrounds after you have the selection.

Butch

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/15Yg2QL99gw3jeVOu0i9JTDvjcz1q1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=15Yg2QL99gw3jeVOu0i9JTDvjcz1q1)

[karen donnybrook]

Kylie,

As you see there is more than one way to achieve what you want. Please let us see your finished image, thanks.

Karen :)

[kyliebug]

Traci: That's one of those rare pictures where the magic extractor works quite well if you have PSE4 or PSE5. Duplicate the layer, then using the magic extractor mark the foreground with the foreground brush, mark the background with the background brush. Preview to check that you have it right. Apply it and then click on the background layer and Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and push the slider all the way up and you should get something like this:


Tony

Tony, ok I tried it but having an issue. When you say click on the background layer and Filter............is this the background layer after I exit the magic extractor? I am confused.......told you I don't know what I am doing.

[msbrad]

One word...
Totally adorable!
m
oops..sorry that is 2 words.:eek:

[kevq]

Traci,
here's a quick one I did, using elements 5.
I used the magic wand tool set at 15 % and with the add to selection button clicked. Then I did select inverse, Control J.
Then I opened a page and dragged the photo into it, selected a background from the flower bg and using hue and saturation made the background pinish and then added a texture. It's a beautiful photo and needs to be made special.
Kev.:) :) :)

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/19q9lCv5zkXweEjcWxCRZwbJWHI6HJ_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=19q9lCv5zkXweEjcWxCRZwbJWHI6HJ)

[msbrad]

OK Kev, I have a ??
How do you do the 'fixings' to some one else's photo so small
sized like that??
m

[kevq]

m,
the image I worked on was 8 x 10 inches. I saved it to the web and made the size much smaller - 3.2 x 4.
Kev:) :) :)

[TonyW]

Tony, ok I tried it but having an issue. When you say click on the background layer and Filter............is this the background layer after I exit the magic extractor? I am confused.......told you I don't know what I am doing.

Traci: after you delete the background (which is what the magic extractor does and others are doing by selecting and deleting) you finish up with it looking like this in the layers palette:

581

I blurred the bottom background layer but you can put anything there and it will show through the transparent hole you've made in the top layer.

Tony

[msbrad]

Ok, thank you.
m

[kimi_boo]

What a Fantastic Picture!! :D
She is just a Cutie.

[Wendy]

Oh it is just adorable !! :)

Wendy

[Cmcburnett]

It never ceases to amaze me how helpful everyone is in the forum. You guys all did such great work on the photo. The baby is precious, so you guys had a beautiful picture work with and took it one step further.;)