Change Background- Using Photoshop 6.0 (up through CS2) This Tutorial shows how to use one photograph, in this example the photo of the Livery, as a background for a different photograph, the Cowboy. To accomplish this, we will be using Layers and a Layer Mask. Photo to be used as the Background Photo of a Cowboy Step 1: Open the file called Rural 160.jpg and make a duplicate of it. Step 2: Open the file called Cowboy.jpg. Step 3: We need to copy Cowboy.jpg and paste it in Rural 160.jpg as a layer so that we can work on it. Start by selecting Select from the Menu bar. Select Select from the Menu bar. Copyright 2006. Mosaic Design Services. All Rights Reserved Page 1 of 10
Step 4: Select All from the drop-down list. Select All from the drop-down list. Step 5: Select Edit from the Menu bar. Select Edit from the Menu bar. Copyright 2006. Mosaic Design Services. All Rights Reserved Page 2 of 10
Step 6: Select Copy from the drop-down list. Select Copy from the drop-down list. Step 7: Click on the window for Rural 160.jpg to select it. Step 8: Here is where we paste Cowboy.jpg into Rural 160.jpg as a layer. First select Edit from the Menu bar. Select Edit from the Menu bar. Copyright 2006. Mosaic Design Services. All Rights Reserved Page 3 of 10
Step 9: Then select Paste from the drop-down list. Select Paste from the drop-down list. Copyright 2006. Mosaic Design Services. All Rights Reserved Page 4 of 10
Step 10: Use the Move Tool to position the Cowboy where you want him to appear in relation to the background. Click on the Move Tool to select it, then click in the photo and drag the Cowboy where you want him to be positioned. The photo on the next page shows where the Cowboy has been positioned in the Tutorial. Copyright 2006. Mosaic Design Services. All Rights Reserved Page 5 of 10
The photo below shows where the Cowboy was positioned. Step 11: To let the Livery background in the lower layer show through, we will use a Layer Mask on the new layer so as to hide the wood paneling. Select Layer from the Menu bar. Select Layer from the Menu bar. Copyright 2006. Mosaic Design Services. All Rights Reserved Page 6 of 10
Step 12: Select Layer Mask from the drop-down list. Select Layer Mask from the drop-down list. Step 13: Select Reveal All from the drop-down list. Select Reveal All from the drop-down list. Copyright 2006. Mosaic Design Services. All Rights Reserved Page 7 of 10
In the Layers palette, there should be a white colored thumbnail to the right of the underexposed thumbnail, like the one highlighted below. This is the Layer Mask. You can paint the Layer Mask using black, white, or any shade of gray. White reveals, black conceals, and shades of gray affect the transparency. Image on the left shows the thumbnail of the Layer Mask. Step 14: To set the Foreground color to black and the Background color to white, press the d key on the keyboard. If the colors are just the opposite, then press the x key to switch them or click on the bent double-headed arrow next to the color swatches. To set the Foreground color to black and the Background color to white, press the d key on the keyboard. If the colors are just the opposite, then press the x key to switch them or click on the bent double-headed arrow next to the color swatches. Copyright 2006. Mosaic Design Services. All Rights Reserved Page 8 of 10
Step 15: Before we can start painting on the Layer Mask, we need to select the Brush Tool in the Tool bar. Select the Brush Tool in the Tool bar Step 16: In the options for the Brush, select a brush that is big enough to start on the background. In this example, a setting of 150 was used. Select a size for the Brush in the options bar. Step 17: Using the Brush, paint out the wood paneling. Don t worry if you paint into an area that you didn t mean to paint. All you need to do is switch the Foreground and Background colors by pressing the x key and paint back in the area. Then press the x key to switch the colors back. Also, you can change the size of the Brush according to the area that you want to paint, use a smaller brush for fine detail work and a larger brush for big areas. Copyright 2006. Mosaic Design Services. All Rights Reserved Page 9 of 10
The Layer Mask should look similar to the one below. Remember the white areas are to reveal the top layer and the black are conceals the top layer, allowing that part of the lower layer to show through. This is how the thumbnail for the Layer Mask looks after painting away the wood paneling background. Below is the final photo where the Cowboy is standing in front of the Livery. Copyright 2006. Mosaic Design Services. All Rights Reserved Page 10 of 10