Anyone here digital photographists and shit?

Captain Insano · Post by **Captain Insano** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 6:20 pm

Ok heres what I need...

INFO.

I want to take some custom pictures of some of my computers and not exactly sure about the best way to go about it from a photographic aspect.

I also need some advice photochopping the original.

WHAT I WANT TO DO IS SOMETHING LIKE THIS:

<img src="http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/images/products/large/320-4111.jpg">

<img src="http://www.notebookreview.com/assets/6929.jpg">

So how do you figure they made that shit happen?

My thoughts are this: Go buy some bright ass flourescent green cloth and use it as a backdrop and create my own "greenscreen" like the movie special effects guys do. Then take my pictures with good lighting.

Then somehow use Adobe Photoshop to select the odd green background and delete. That should create my product just floating on a pristine white background.

Does anyone know how to do this with Photoshop? I know it can be done using a transparent GIF in Macromedia Fireworks...but the problem with this is you end up with a GIF which tends to have shitty quality compared to a JPEG.

The next question is how do you think that 2nd laptop picture was created? I'm pretty positive it wasn't done on a mirrored table or anything... My guess is that they did my above possible technique, then flipped a copy of the picture over, faded it, made the background black, and created a bottom edge that made it look like it is on a table.

Does that sound right?

Anyways thanks for the advice...the main question I need answered though is what program and how can I make a computer picture on a stark white background like the 1st example.

Maeya · Post by **Maeya** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 7:51 pm

I dabble in photoshop and would be happy to toy around with it for you, if you wish. And you are right about the reflection. It's just the same image flipped and faded a bit. In my sig I tried to capture the same effect with the reflection.

With photoshop you should be able to crop your computer out of any background, especially since computers have nice crisp edges, unlike, say, a person's head, for example. So you can use the magnetic lasso tool (the lasso that looks like a triangle) to get nice straight lines to cut the rest of the background out. Then you can use a new layer and add a background in of any color you choose.

Maeya · Post by **Maeya** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 7:53 pm

Oh I use photoshop CS2 btw, but you should be able to do what you are looking for with pretty much any version of Photoshop. Probably a program like PSP, too, but I'm not familiar with it enough to give you advice.

Aatrex · Post by **Aatrex** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 8:04 pm

I echo Maeya's input. The cutting it out and having a stark background is cake. Any PS user could do that in about 30 seconds. I'm not aware of how to add in any of the light reflections, though I think doing those natural wouldn't be too horrid.

If you want me to try and monkey around with some photos lemme know.

Captain Insano · Post by **Captain Insano** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 9:21 pm

The version of the magnetic lasso in Fireworks SUCKS.

Hopefully the lasso in Photoshop works better.

There has to be something to just pick out one color and delete all that color. That would really work a lot better.

It's totally doable using GIF transparencies but the gif that is leftover just doesn't look that good.

Adivina · Post by **Adivina** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 6:20 am

I did some advertising photography when I was in high school, send me a pm if you need anything.

Aatrex · Post by **Aatrex** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 11:10 am

captain_insano wrote:The version of the magnetic lasso in Fireworks SUCKS.

Hopefully the lasso in Photoshop works better.

There has to be something to just pick out one color and delete all that color. That would really work a lot better.

It's totally doable using GIF transparencies but the gif that is leftover just doesn't look that good.

send me the files assking

Ginzburgh · Post by **Ginzburgh** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 11:17 am

Hopefully the lasso in Photoshop works better.

It does. And you can always use the /gasp...pen tool.

Ginzburgh · Post by **Ginzburgh** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 11:18 am

And if you want a clean cut out, try to put whatever you are taking a picture of against a white (or solid) wall or something.

dammuzis · Post by **dammuzis** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 2:35 pm

ill fiddle around with some pics and see what i can come up with as well

that is if i ever stop playing oblivion

Adivina · Post by **Adivina** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 3:11 pm

Pen tool is your best friend for this

Captain Insano · Post by **Captain Insano** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 4:20 pm

The pen tool hmm? I'll be screwing around this hopefully tomorrow and the lasso.

Thanks.

Adivina · Post by **Adivina** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 4:20 pm

mail me the pictures adivinadarkfyre@gmail.com

Ginzburgh · Post by **Ginzburgh** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 5:49 pm

Pen tool is for fine tuning paths and selections.

Captain Insano · Post by **Captain Insano** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 6:12 pm

I don't have the base pictures done yet, but as soon as I do I'll send em over. Thanks Adi.

Eldred · Post by **Eldred** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 10:17 pm

Honestly if your looking for pro quality pic's hire a pro. I'm not saying that you can't take good pic's but it's the lighting that's the bitch, high quality lighting is very expensive, and the pic's you posted I doubt are shot w/ a regulal digital camera. I'd assume they were shot on film still, and if they were shot on a digital they were probally using a medium format camera w/ a digital film back. One thing I know that alot of people will do with the top pic for example is to have a pure white background use a white table, and will overexpose the the pic by probally 2 stops or so. That will still give you a solid subject to work with but it will let your whites compleatly blend together giving them that not there look, they do the same thing with the black.

Adivina · Post by **Adivina** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 9:30 am

Ginzburgh wrote:Pen tool is for fine tuning paths and selections.

No shit, hence the pen tool is his best friend for the editing he wants to do. It will provide a clean selection that he can easily touch up, turn into a selection, inverse and delete the surrounding background. Quick and easy. Much easier than trying to fine tune the background eraser or magic wand.