Replacing Backgrounds

In yesterday's post, I showed some green screen shots & how the background can be replaced. But I'm about to show you that it can be just as easy to replace the backgrounds of other pictures as well - sometimes it's even easier.

**To make it interesting, I'll be placing before & after pictures throughout this post of backgrounds I've edited or replaced.**

Cloning out parts of a background for wedding photos...

This was done by cloning out the distractions in the background, cropping, & putting a vignette around the photo.

When replacing the background of any picture (like the ones above and below), it's important to remember that the first step is always to duplicate your image in Photoshop. This will allow you to easily slip a background in behind the photo, and you can even go back & erase parts of the background to show parts of the original picture you may not have realized you needed.

Replacing a background for a kids photo...

By lassoing & deleting the background, I was able to replace it with a very festive background and border.

The next step is to select your subject(s) that you want to remain in the photo. I typically do this by using a combination of the magnetic lasso tool (shortcut L) and the regular lasso tool. The magnetic lasso will "stick" to the outer edge of a person/object. The only stipulation to this tool is that I usually have to zoom in pretty close to get an accurate selection.

After I've gotten most of what I want selected, I simply hold down the shift key while continuing to lasso parts that I missed, or parts that I couldn't get with just one grab. If there happens to be a portion that I lassoed & didn't mean to, I simply hold down the option key and it will deselect the portion I didn't need.

Just replacing part of a background - like the window...

The magnetic lasso tool makes photos like this a breeze.
This photo has also been brightened by using levels in Photoshop.

This may sound just a bit backwards thus far... We're cutting out the background, right? Why are we selecting what we want to keep in the picture? Because for me, it's always been easier to select the subject(s) rather than the background. That is simply my personal preference. And after all the selecting is said & done, we then go to the "select" tab and "deselect" (or Apple + D if you like the shortcuts) then simply delete your background.

Backgrounds can also simply be blurred...

Use the lasso to select the couple, deselect for the background then Gaussian blur to your liking.

There is another trick to editing backgrounds of photos, and that is by selecting & Gaussian blurring them to your liking, or simply cloning small pieces out. A few photos above & below show what pictures look like when these techniques are used.

Some photos are so versatile that almost anything can be done to them...

Background selected & Gaussian blurred and the photo was brightened by using levels.

The eyes were also popped by using the magnetic lasso to select just the eye and sharpening with the unsharp mask tool.

The photo was cropped, then taken a step further by replacing the background - no green screen needed!

The most important thing when replacing a background is to take your time. At first it can be quite tricky - and frustrating. It seems especially hard if you only have a lap top touch pad... But don't worry! You'll get the hang of it relatively quickly. I still only have a touch pad - no mouse, so don't think it takes any special equipment other than a steady hand to get a similar effect of these pictures.

This is a great technique for getting rid of a busy background...

A really great photo after a few simple edits.
It was cropped, brightened with levels, background selected & Gaussian blurred.

Finally, don't be afraid to combine techniques you've already learned with the new stuff... You should still correct the brightness & color of your photo by manually adjusting the levels in Photoshop. You can also still get rid of the shadows by using the clone tool - you can even extend parts of clothing or add hair with the clone tool.

Cloning out the background - among other edits...

Makes a professional shot look even more so.

Don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions about replacing or fixing backgrounds. If there's something you just can't seem to get yourself, send it to me & let me have a crack at it. I'm always more than glad to help in any way I possibly can.

I hope this information has been useful, and please let me know if there's anything you'd like to learn more about. Whether it be Photoshop or any other aspect of picture editing, I'd love to know what you want to know!

Green Screen - What's it mean???

I'm sure many of you out there have heard the term "Green screen" if not in a photography sense, then definitely in the world of videography. (You may have even heard it called a Blue screen or Chroma key - I'll touch on these terms in a moment)

Weather forecasters have long stood in front of one of these screens while the images of maps, temperatures, and precipitation are magically transmitted to our TV's.

Out of all truthfulness, there's not really much 'magic' to it. Way back in the 1940's films began using these techniques to create special effects and wipes (a way to transition from one scene to another) According to Wikipedia, "Chroma key [also called color keying, colour-separation overlay (CSO; primarily by the BBC), greenscreen, and bluescreen] is a technique for mixing two images or frames together, in which a color (or a small color range) from one image is removed (or made transparent), revealing another image behind it."

What's this mean to you & me? It basically means that if we use a big green or blue backdrop in our pictures, we can replace that background with just about anything. Why green or blue? Since most of us have a reddish skin tone, green and blue are just about the furthest colors from us. And we can end up with some very great pictures - as long we do it correctly.

Pictured below, you can see what a green screen looks like - it's a HUGE piece of brightly colored green canvas, that's typically held up with poles & clamps. It's not easy to set up yourself - especially when you're first starting out. And the sheer size of the canvas makes it a bit cumbersome.

But there are several keys to successful green screen photo shoot...

~ Be aware of what your subject plans on wearing. If the "green screen" thing is something they want, make sure they are fully aware that what they wear is very important. By letting your clients know ahead of time, they can avoid colors in their outerwear that are similar to the color of the background.
~ Make sure the lighting across the green screen is perfectly even along your entire shooting area. The more even you can get your lighting on the background, the easier & faster it will be to cut out, then paste in a new background.
~ Have your subject stay as far away from the backdrop as possible, while still being in/on the green screen. This also ties in to the shadows... Try to avoid them completely if at all possible. Though this isn't a huge crisis, it definitely makes cutting out the green screen background much easier.
~ Use lighting behind on your subject if possible. I believe this is called rim light... It tends to yield better contrast between your subject and the green background. It also prevents a green 'glow' from the backdrop onto your subject.


Below are a couple of examples of green screen photos that have been completely manipulated...

Original shot (SOOC - Straight out of the Camera)

Green screen background selected & cut out.

This layer has been duplicated & placed on white background to what the photo looks like with no background.

Green screen background replaced with butterfly background

Original picture (SOOC)

Green screen background selected & cut out.

This layer has been duplicated & placed on white background to what the photo looks like with no background. The picture has also been placed into a portrait orientation to fit the background chosen...

Background replaced with baseball background

In this picture, the little boy's pants have also been lengthened by using the cloning tool in combo with the bandaid tool.

As you can probably see, there are a few disadvantages I faced with these photos... They were a bit washed out, and there were still hints of green around the kids (especially the little girl since she was actually laying on the green screen), which is why a dark or greenish background was used to replace the green screen.

The reason the kids were so washed out is because I was still shooting my camera entirely on automatic mode when these pictures were taken. Shooting on auto is NOT a bad thing... The only problem here is that the camera 'saw' all that green (which is actually quite dark without using extra lights) and overcompensated for it.

My apologies for not providing many examples of photos manipulated with green screen technology. To be perfectly honest, I tried it - many times - and found that it just wasn't right for me. I have figured out how to replace almost any background, and I've even found that it's sometimes just easier to do it without the green screen. But don't let me steer you one way or the other; try out green/blue screen shooting if you think it's right for you. That's the beauty of photography: everyone has personal likes & dislikes, strengths & weaknesses.

Tomorrow, I'll revisit the replacing of backgrounds without a green screen. And I'll provide many examples of photos with their non-green screen backgrounds replaced.


**NOTE - This was not actually my green screen. A friend of mine was kind enough to let me borrow it, and for that I am very grateful. It seems that I don't really need one. Or at least I don't want one...!