Kc,
Yes, you can select some of the greenery, copy it amd then paste over the heads to cover them up. There are always many methods to attain a certain goal. Here is one way to accomplish what you’re asking…
* Have your Layers Palette visible along the right side of your workarea. It should always sit there as you need to refer to it frequently. This is so you can view different layers when/if you create them, select a particular layer to make an edit to and millions of other reasons. Understanding layers and the ability to make good selections (cut-outs) are the two most important skills to possess to utilize the power of the program.
* When opening any image for the first time, it will consist of one layer, named "Background" by default. Some editing functions are not allowed on the Background layer. So, just double click the layer in the Palette and accept the offer to name it Layer 0.
* Create a new blank layer in the Palette above Layer 0. Do this by clicking the icon of a page at the bottom of the Layers Palette. You now have an image consisting of two layers. The top one is transparent. Viewing an image in this program; it is as if one is viewing an image by looking down through the stack of layers. One can only see more than just the top one if part of the upper layer is transparent or of less than 100% opacity.
* Assuming you have enough greenery to "cover up" the faces, you need to delinate the area of the faces with a selection line and then move the selection line over on top of the greenery and copy it.
* Make sure you have the original layer active in the Layers Palette. Get the polygonal lasso tool, set the feather amount to 1 or 2 pixels and with the image way zoomed it (control key and plus sign) start outlining the area you will need to cover. Click, move the mouse a little bit around perimeter, click, move mouse and continue until you are real close to starting point and then double click to let the "marching ants" line join.
* Place the cursor inside the outline and drag on image until it is over the greenery. * Go Edit>Copy
* In Layers Palette, make upper blank layer active by clicking on it * Go Edit/Paste
* Use the Move Tool (top right column in Toolbox) to position greenery over the faces. * If you need more greenery, just do it again.
* Can fine tune your added greenery with eraser tool, lowering the opacity of the layer and other things.
* When finished, File>Save As, name it and make sure to change the format to .psd.
Note: You could also have used the Clone tool to copy the greenery, stroke by stroke.
Many images come into PSE at a resolution of 72 ppi, not suitable for printing. If intended to be output to print, change image resolution to about 300ppi.
Come back if you run into a snag with this.
Nancy
Thanks so much! I’ll need to print out these instructions and try to follow them step by step. Thanks esp., too for the tip re: the 72ppi res. That IS what mine were saved as, and I would have never known re: the printing.
One question right off the bat:
you say "Have your Layers Palette visible along the right side of your workarea. It should always sit there as you need to refer to it frequently." My Layers palette won’t stay open. As soon as I move back to my image to work on it, the palette closes, and I have to go back up to the tabs where it’s listed (on the upper right hand side) to reopen it. I don’t see any place to tell it to stay open — is that right?
KC
KC,
You are welcome.
It will remain on your workarea if you just click on part of the tab, hold mouse button down and drag to convenient place for you on workarea. The place which steals the least amount of workarea for you. You can also, at any time, just hit the tab key on keyboard and all "extra" stuff will temporarily hide so you have the whole screen to view your image. Hitting the tab key again will restore everything.
Nancy
KC,
By the way, when you finish editing your image, might be a good idea to post back with image dimensions in pixels and desired print size. It is easy to destroy your image by going about it incorrectly.
Nancy
Ok, I’m back — tonight I had time to work on the image. Didn’t get too far. I started trying to follow the steps you gave . . . I messed up and decided to close out the image without saving changes, reopen it and just start over. But when I closed the image, the layers palette, which I had moved down to the window as we discussed, DISAPPEARED and I can’t find it. I’ve done the tab/tab thing, I’ve closed all the other windows, etc — it’s just gone. I assume I could close the program and re-starting the program would reset everthing, but there’s got to be a better way!
Hard to believe I considered myself to be a very computer literate person . . . until dealing with this program. I’ve never seen anything so user unfriendly!!!
Thanks again for your patience and help —
KC
KC: The program is sort of like a goo pet: once it’s trained, it becomes very friendly indeed….!
To get your Layers palette back, go to Window and click on Layers; it should appear at that point. Not sure why it disappeared, but with it open on the desktop and out of the Layers palette, click on its More button and uncheck the Close to Palette Well line. If that doesn’t work, you may need to go through the Delete Preferences routine – but let’s try that first.
That didn’t work — also tried closing program and reopening it – that didn’t work either 🙁
ps — I keep getting messages from my McAfee that I’m getting SYN flood attacks — I’m going to try going off line and rebooting.
KC
KC: Did you try Reset Palette locations (last choice in Window menu)?
OK, NOW I’m worried — I just rebooted and the layers palette is still gone — vanished!
what now?
KC
Chuck – thanks so much! that recovered it . . . what’s with this palettes thing, anyway ;-}
KC: I don’t know for sure, but occasionally something like that happens. Hopefully, it won’t happen again, but at least now you know a way to recover. Hang in there with learning the program; it really is worth the initial struggles.
Nancy/Chuck – finally got it!!! Thanks so much — without your help I think I would’ve just given up on the program — now I’ve gotten my photo looking pretty good. I have another issue with it, but I’ll ask that in a new thread, because it’s not about background.
I’ll get back to you later re: the pixels issue — ‘been working on this for hours and it’s time to turn in 🙂
KC
