Images curled on the page or....

[mikecox]

I'm working on a wedding picture project and would like some suggestions.

Here's what I have in mind.

I've cropped a dozen or so individuals out of the crowd image in the panoramic image at the bottom of this picture.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/10wNo83NcTLQLfn66Nz7q7kkmZPIz1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=10wNo83NcTLQLfn66Nz7q7kkmZPIz1)

What I want to do is add those cropped images to a montage at the bottom of the screen; using a blurred image of the of all the chairs; when they were empty, as a background, and keeping the full panoramic view at the bottom; where you see it in the example.

What I'd like to do is something like making the cropped images stand away from the background; as if they were slightly curled away from the page.

I was thinking of using the "transform" functions, somehow, to "skew" or "distort" the images.

That or something else... anyone want to venture a suggestion?

[emkayess65]

Hi, you can download this filter

Page curls are available as add-ons (filters). Although it can be done manually, you may want to use one of the add-ons. Try Mac's Page Curl:
http://morepunkinstuff.tripod.com/filters/Mac/mac.html
Juergen
http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38069
I have not tried this. Yet...

Or
You can download an action from PanosFX.com.
Elements actions are on the left. Free.
bbconcave will make your picture look like this.
http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1n5FgTxWrhK1lbyYtIQtj2pPST71_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1n5FgTxWrhK1lbyYtIQtj2pPST71)

Or you can do it manually by using the Shear filter.
Filter>>Distort>>Shear
This involves several steps.
Not - if you want to apply the effect to several photos.
You have to turn the picture first and then turn it back and make the shadow.
http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1WLr8E7KQfjWS0RKVkoOW8Zu1bJV_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1WLr8E7KQfjWS0RKVkoOW8Zu1bJV)

Not...
HTH
mks

[Martha]

Here (http://www.pixeladdiction.com/bb/articles.php?action=viewarticle&artid=19)ia a tutorial for a bent photo effect. Flickr has several also.
Martha

[mikecox]

Here (http://www.pixeladdiction.com/bb/articles.php?action=viewarticle&artid=19)ia a tutorial for a bent photo effect. Flickr has several also.
Martha
Great tutorial, thanks; it will come in handy. :)

I think I will try mks's suggestion for this project, since I have so many images.

Iwill just have to figure out how to get an Add-On and get it installed; since I haven't install an "Add-On" before. :o

btw how do you get a link to display as "Here" instead of a URL? :confused:

[mikecox]

Hi, you can download this filter
mks

Thanks for this suggestion. I am going to take a stab a dl'ing these Add-ons:)

[Diana]

btw how do you get a link to display as "Here" instead of a URL? :confused:

Type the "Here" in your message, then drag across that word to highlight it, then Click on the icon at the top of box where you type your reply - the one that looks like a globe with a paperclip at the bottom. Hover your mouse pointer over the icons & you'll see the one that says "Insert Link." A Hyperlink window will open asking for the URL of the site you want to link to.

Hope this helps.

Diana

[riversidema]

Here (http://www.pixeladdiction.com/bb/articles.php?action=viewarticle&artid=19)ia a tutorial for a bent photo effect. Flickr has several also.
Martha

Great, I thought I was done for the day...Now I have ANOTHER project to try. My back is getting sore from PSE today:rolleyes:

[mikecox]

Hi, you can download this filter

Page curls are available as add-ons (filters). Although it can be done manually, you may want to use one of the add-ons. Try Mac's Page Curl:
mks
Thanks for the links. I've installed them and am working with them.

They're great! :D

[mikecox]

Here (http://www.pixeladdiction.com/bb/articles.php?action=viewarticle&artid=19)ia a tutorial for a bent photo effect. Flickr has several also.
Martha

I couldn't find Edit/transform/rotate 90

I used Image/free transform (or Ctrl-T) then rotated the image 90 degrees clockwise.

Why not just rotate with image\rotate?

But I'm not getting the same results as page 4 of the tutorial.

Here's what I get: What am I doing wrong?

[emkayess65]

Hi Jim, turn off the eyeball on the bottom layer. Your overlap will disappear.
At least that's what happened when I tried to replicate your problem.
Or you can fill the bottom layer with white (page2) of the tutorial.

As to the rotating. In Elements the rotate is under Image >> Rotate.
The tutorial is written for Photoshop. Apparently the rotate is in a slightly different place
under Edit. Usually the differences are small.
Good luck with your project.
mks

[Martha]

I couldn't find Edit/transform/rotate 90

I used Image/free transform (or Ctrl-T) then rotated the image 90 degrees clockwise.

Why not just rotate with image\rotate?

But I'm not getting the same results as page 4 of the tutorial.

Here's what I get: What am I doing wrong?


I have PE 5 and have Image>Rotate and in the bottom section can rotate the layer. You can do it with Transform or the move tool also.

I haven't done this lately but I think that when I worked with the shadow layer, I turned it counter-clockwise. Mainly I just tried to get it to look like the pictures in the tutorial. I'll try another today and let you know exactly what I did.
Martha

[mikecox]

Hope this helps.
Diana

Yes! Thank-you very much! :D

Here is a shot of what I came home to the other day! (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1XSf9kNWqgxr4PSvMuIkiLBskfF9u)

It's so cool :cool:

[mikecox]

I have PE 5 and have Image>Rotate and in the bottom section can rotate the layer. You can do it with Transform or the move tool also.

I haven't done this lately but I think that when I worked with the shadow layer, I turned it counter-clockwise. Mainly I just tried to get it to look like the pictures in the tutorial. I'll try another today and let you know exactly what I did.
Martha

What I noticed was the no matter which way I turned the image the curve only appeared on one edge; not both, like in the example.

Also, how do you get a clean curve, since the "Underline areas" option creates pixels below the curved area :(

[Martha]

Here is what I did: I hope it's a help since I'm not great at writing directions. Feel free to Private Message if you want.

I duplicated the layer and enlarged the canvas 50%(height) and 100% (width).

I made a layer under "Photo" layer and filled it with white. (Turned off the background layer-I left it in case I should need it for any reason)

(Now, To get a black image the same size as your photo, you can create another layer underneath "Photo". With this layer selected, Ctrl-click on "Photo" and fill with black-you have a black shape below "Photo" to use for the shadow.)

Turn the "Photo" layer 90% CW and apply the shear filter. (Sometimes it doesn't do just right unless I drag the photo as far to the right side of the canvas as I can) Then restore it to 90% CCW.

Since I have allready made my black shape, I turn this black shape layer 90% CW, apply Shear, and turn it 90% CW. Blur and reduce opacity.

On the sheared images, one side is convex and one concave. "Photo has the rounded convex side at the bottom and shadow has it at the top .

To shape the shadow, Ctrl + T and push the round part at the top down (center top square). Hold CTRL and push the squares on the side and bottom to make them look correct-I wrote on the photo below what I did.

What I noticed was the no matter which way I turned the image the curve only appeared on one edge; not both, like in the example.
Sometimes one side is flat-I drag the photo over before applying the filter to fix this
Also, how do you get a clean curve, since the "Underline areas" option creates pixels below the curved area
I don't see anything about "underline areas". Where is it? I haven't noticed it before. If you make your shadow from the photo itself (-as above-) the lines should be smooth. Maybe the extra pixels come from the blur?

Too, I usually put a border (stroke) around the photo.

Martha

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1UvBt4aGJeBWBf59O8wP3g0wiNMvBR0_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1UvBt4aGJeBWBf59O8wP3g0wiNMvBR0)

[Dooley S]

What is 90% CW? I have PSE6 and don't have anything called 90% CW. To try and work around on my own, I have rotated the selection, rotated the layer, and no matter what combination I do, when I attempt to apply the shear, it moves the pixels, from top to bottom in the center, toward the top. The edge does not change, it is only distorting the image.

[mikecox]

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1UvBt4aGJeBWBf59O8wP3g0wiNMvBR0_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1UvBt4aGJeBWBf59O8wP3g0wiNMvBR0)

Hi Martha,

The problem have, and haven't figured out why, is with the straight bottom.

I haven't studied the instructions you included here but your results are kind of like mine; at the bottom. The top curse nicely, but the bottom doesn't curl the same way.

When I work the process the bottom is always straight :confused:

What I'm looking for is a curl on the top and bottom, as though then entire picture is curled up, on both sides, vertically; from top to bottom.

[Bayla]

What is 90% CW? I have PSE6 and don't have anything called 90% CW. To try and work around on my own, I have rotated the selection, rotated the layer, and no matter what combination I do, when I attempt to apply the shear, it moves the pixels, from top to bottom in the center, toward the top. The edge does not change, it is only distorting the image.


I think CW stands for Clockwise and CCW for Counter Clockwise....

Bayla

[Dooley S]

Bayla...oh duh! lol Of course that doesn't help my problem at all. At least the two posters above are getting a curve at the top, I'm just getting a smearing upwards of the pixels down the center.

[Dooley S]

I have played with this some and have much more luck with Transform>Shear than with the free download. I saved this as a jpg and png -- I read somewhere that the png would save it with a transparent backgroung, which it did.

My image is curled nicely however when I drag it (the png file) onto an aqua background, there is some white background that is filling in the curve between the top two corners, and another white area filling in the curve between the bottom two corners.

So I guess this would work fine if you're working on a white background. Or is there some way to get just the curved photo and its shadow onto a colored background without any leftover white background? --OR-- How do you cleanly get the white from the old background out? Everything I've tried to clean it up, it just looks sloppy.

Thanks in advance!

[Dooley S]

Nevermind I just answered my own question. Instead of dragging the photo onto the background (which creates a frame layer) I copied the curled photo then pasted in into a new transparent layer. Yay!