Windshields, Windows, Glass…

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Posted By
BranderChatfield
Jul 26, 2006
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888
Replies
3
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Closed
I’ve seen it done. I am unable to find a tutorial. I am stumped.

Take a vehicle with a windshield where the scenery in the background is visible through said windshield. Clip out that vehicle to place it on another totally different scenic background. The windshield still shows the scenery from the original image.

How do you replace the windshield to be able to appear to have transparent glass in it so you will now be seeing the new background? I don’t mean just completely cut out the windshield and have nothing there. I am talking about having a new windshield that is transparent to show the new background image, as well as parts of the interior of the vehicle. Reflection is not necessary, mainly transparency.

One image file I have received is a single layer of said described vehicle with a transparent windshield — not a group from layers of pieces of art. Anyone able to point me to a tutorial out there or something? I want to learn!

–Kevin

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PF
Peter_Figen
Jul 26, 2006
You first have to retouch out everything that is "in" the window, so that it now appears that you have a clear window. Next, it’s easiest to draw a path defining all the window that will need transparency. Now when you put your car over your new background, you will use the path to make a selection as the basis for a layer mask, on which you will paint to make the window partially transparent, allowing the new background to show through. If needed, it’s easy enough to add reflection or lighten or darken the window area to make it look entirely realistic. This is exactly the route I took on a recent retouching job for L.A. MTA, where I had to composite four Metro busses into one new common background. Have fun.
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BranderChatfield
Jul 26, 2006
That’ll work. Thanks.

Forgot to also mention that on the file I received, it didn’t have masks either. Just a single layer of the clipped vehicle and only the windshield is transparent. Normal blending mode, 100% Opacity, 100% Fill, nothing in the Blending Options, no Layer Styles, no Paths, no additional Channels. I have gone around in circles with this file, and I remain perplexed and amazed.
CN
Cybernetic Nomad
Jul 26, 2006
Try command-clicking on the layer with the car, then have a look at the resulting selection in Quickmasks. This will show you the transparency of the layer

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