Composite Image

[VancouverGirl]

Hi, I'm trying to put two images together following the instructions given by Scott Kelby in his book PSE 5 (for dig. photog.s) on page 67 (in case you want to follow along!!). He talks about dragging and dropping one image onto another, with exact allignment seemingly automatic (something he calls "pin registered"). I of course don't seem to be able to achieve exact allignment. I'm holding the shift key down as I move the image over top, but to no avail. What am I doing wrong?

Cheers,

Eleanor

[jlwilm]

Hi Eleanor,

Hi Eleanor,

I have the same book for PSE4. I am using Windows XP platform.

I assume you are trying the trick for bracketing raw images technique.

I tried the instructions “by the book” and it doesn’t work in 4 either. What I have to do is after doing the Drag and Drop is to get a full image of the image to which I have added the darker layer and still with the move tool active move it so that the outside edges match up. As soon as it gets close, it seems to snap into place.

I don’t use this often, but when I do, I zoom into a small spot with good detail and checkout the alignment – seems to be spot on all the time.

I think a better alternative for achieving this is to do:

Click on the darker Image – to select it
Select, All (selects the entire image)
Edit, Copy (puts a copy of the dark image in the clipboard)
Click on the lighter image – activates it
Edit, Paste – copies the image as a new layer

It looks like the Edit, Copy/Paste route gets the same pinhole registration as the images are identical in size, etc.

John

[TonyW]

Another trick is to set the blend mode of the top layer temporarily to difference and then move the top image with the arrow keys a pixel at a time until it's as black as it will go. If the images aren't exactly identical it may not be totally black but you can pretty easily see when you have exact registration of the two.

Tony

[jlwilm]

Interesting. I hadn't thought to try the blend mode as a way of checking this out.

Now, the problem continues.

If I do a layer copy, set the blend mode to difference, perfect blackness.

If I try my Select, Copy, Paste route and then use difference, the result indicates that there is not perfect alignment. Or rather, I don't get perfect alignment when I try the Scott Kelby thing with raw images.

I do get perfect alignment if I try it from a JPEG copy - no problem.

With raw, I can get close by using the arrow keys, but not perfect. I am using the latest RAW processor for PSE4.

How can you nudge pixel by pixel. I have tried pressing the CTRL key - which nudges it, but I don't get black screen, ever.

John

[jlwilm]

Did a little experimenting on my own.

The absence of a black screen when I set the blend mode to difference is due to the basic difference between the 2 version of running the image thru camera raw. Logically, it should be different!

Tried things with JPEG and camera raw stuff that was identically processed and find that the “snap to” and Select/Copy/Paste process both SEEM to produce the desired pin registration that is desired in this technique.

This is based on checking for black screen where I expected it and zooming in to the pixel level and checking out alignment.

Seems perfect in both scenarios, just not as declared in the Kelby book.

Can anyone else suggest a way of getting perfect alignment than these two alternatives?

John

[VancouverGirl]

Hi guys,

thanks for the tips. I tried the edit: copy: paste and it worked really well, alligning itself perfectly.

Thanks again!