BetterPhoto Q&A
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How Can I Extract a Clients Head?

I am going digital and would like to know if instead of using different backdrops I could automatically place them into a scene already set in Photoshop, a western street say. This would have include the surface they stand on, in this case a dusty road but it could just as easily be the moon.

I presume Photoshop can do it, but can the process be automated? I don't really want an assistant or myself a having to spend hours blending images together.

I have heard of blue screen technology for weather presenters but would I need some kind of screen and surface they should stand on so Photoshop can extract them more easily?

Ok it's high noon and my desperados are ready to dual. How do I automatically get the correct number of shadows on the street to give it depth. It could be a lone gunman or a veritable posse.

Finally heads. I know you can put some ones head on the cover of a Time magazine mock up but again the placement and blending etc. takes time.
How can I automatically do all this.

Thank You all.

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May 10, 2001

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May 10, 2001

In addition to following Jeff's suggestion above, I would look at Extensis' Mask Pro. It is a plug in for making decent clipping paths at the touch of a button. Look around at the competition, too; I believe I saw some others that are doing similar tasks.

I'll bet this job will get a lot easier if you use a video camcorder and capture frames from it. I have a feeling that the green or blue screen process will work better with this video method. However, the quality of a captured frame is probably not going to be as good as a high-end digital camera. If you want to provide the customer with large prints, the video method may not be good enough.

Now... off with their heads!

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May 10, 2001