Using v7 (I'd love to upgrade but finances won't allow it). I have a picture
of my mother and three work friends which was taken in a car park, hardly
the most inspiring of locations, I'm sure you'll agree. They were off on a
walk as one of her friends was leaving.

What I thought I'd like to do is apply gaussian to the background, but I'm
not sure how to mask off the figures. I don't usually use PS, I've just
started to realise how versatile PSP8 is. Failing that, does anyone have any
other suggestions? There is one of them halfway up Coombe Hill, with the
monument (memorial to our soldiers who died in the Boer War) behind, but the
figures aren't brilliant. Maybe someone can give me a link to a tutorial
showing me how to take the figures from one photo and merge them into the
background of another?

Any - and all - suggestions gratefully received.

"Cerridwen" <cerridwen@celticnet.com> wrote:

> I don't usually use PS, I've just
> started to realise how versatile PSP8 is.

You are an ideal PSP8 user - stick with that program.

The Doormouse

--
The Doormouse cannot be reached by e-mail without her permission.

Cerridwen wrote:

> Using v7 (I'd love to upgrade but finances won't allow it). I have a
> picture of my mother and three work friends which was taken in a car park,
> hardly the most inspiring of locations, I'm sure you'll agree. They were
> off on a walk as one of her friends was leaving.
>
> What I thought I'd like to do is apply gaussian to the background, but I'm
> not sure how to mask off the figures. I don't usually use PS, I've just
> started to realise how versatile PSP8 is.

Stick with PSP8 if that's what you're used to. It'll do the job.

If you want to use PS, read the manual info on selection and masking. It's
the most fundamental procedure, and maybe a third of the tools in the
package are dedicated to doing it.

> Failing that, does anyone have
> any other suggestions? There is one of them halfway up Coombe Hill, with
> the monument (memorial to our soldiers who died in the Boer War) behind,

I doubt most people in here know what you're on about, but I do. I grew up
able to see the Coombe Hill monument from my bedroom window. :o)

> but the figures aren't brilliant. Maybe someone can give me a link to a
> tutorial showing me how to take the figures from one photo and merge them
> into the background of another?

This might help: http://www.worth1000.com/tutorial.asp?sid=161017, but if
you don't yet know how to make a basic selection and mask you're looking at
a lot of learning. Merging figures from one photo to another and getting a
realistic result is very hard. You've got to get it absolutely right, or
the eye won't be fooled.

Try here : http://graphicssoft.about.com/cs/ph...tutorials/index

Cerridwen wrote:
> Using v7 (I'd love to upgrade but finances won't allow it). I have a pictu
re
> of my mother and three work friends which was taken in a car park, hardly
> the most inspiring of locations, I'm sure you'll agree. They were off on a
> walk as one of her friends was leaving.
>
> What I thought I'd like to do is apply gaussian to the background, but I'm
> not sure how to mask off the figures. I don't usually use PS, I've just
> started to realise how versatile PSP8 is. Failing that, does anyone have a
ny
> other suggestions? There is one of them halfway up Coombe Hill, with the
> monument (memorial to our soldiers who died in the Boer War) behind, but t
he
> figures aren't brilliant. Maybe someone can give me a link to a tutorial
> showing me how to take the figures from one photo and merge them into the
> background of another?
>
> Any - and all - suggestions gratefully received.
>
>

"Cerridwen" <cerridwen@celticnet.com> wrote in message
news:c8tn3i$59j$1@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk...
> Using v7 (I'd love to upgrade but finances won't allow it). I have a
picture
> of my mother and three work friends which was taken in a car park, hardly
> the most inspiring of locations, I'm sure you'll agree. They were off on a
> walk as one of her friends was leaving.
>
> What I thought I'd like to do is apply gaussian to the background, but I'm
> not sure how to mask off the figures. I don't usually use PS, I've just
> started to realise how versatile PSP8 is. Failing that, does anyone have
any
> other suggestions? There is one of them halfway up Coombe Hill, with the
> monument (memorial to our soldiers who died in the Boer War) behind, but
the
> figures aren't brilliant. Maybe someone can give me a link to a tutorial
> showing me how to take the figures from one photo and merge them into the
> background of another?
>
> Any - and all - suggestions gratefully received.

Switch to maks mode in the tool bar.  It's right under
the color selector. Use the black color with the paint
brush  to outline  the part  you want  to blur.  Use the
white  color to  remove parts that you didn't mean to
color.  After you  have a  nice  outline  click  the  box
next  to the  one you  clicked before  under the color
selector.  It  will  change  the  "mask",  that  part  you
colored  into a  selection. Under the selection menu
choose  'inverse' and  you will have a nice selection
to use the blur tool on.

I love this tool because I invented it in an old version
but  in  a  clumbsy  way  and  was  surprised  to  see
Adobe do the same thing in a later version.