Multiplicity

[jamison55]

In the Self Portrait thread, Andy posted a link to a thread on FM where folks were posting really cool composites (http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/304069).

Here's my first attempt:
http://i.pbase.com/o2/30/516430/1/52477794.smten.jpg

[Vich]

Cutting out people - how do you do it so well - always been a mystery for me? You take the kid shots with a blue background or something?

[jamison55]

No cutting involved with this technique. Simply put the camera on a tripod and keep moving the kid between each shot. I then copied the multiple baby shot and pasted it on the single baby shot and history brushed the single baby in.

[Balrog]

Very cute kid, and nicely done! :)

[aparmley]

Good work Jamie -

Also try the layer mask method.

1. open main image.
2. open next photo you want to add the subject to main image. [ giving you two open files]
3. ctrl A on next photo, ctrl C [to copy image], then bring up main image, paste next photo on top of main image. next photo will be in new layer. change that new layer filled with the next photo to layer>layer mask>hide all.
4. next photo in own layer will disappear underneath main image [hide all].
5. hit b for brush tool
6. hit d to reset color swatch then x to change default foreground/background color so white is foreground color.
7. paint in next photo's subject.
8. Save image - this becomes new main image. Repeat until finished.

There are the crude grammatically poor but quick and easy to follow instructions if you want screen shots I will do that for you if the request is made - but I think those instructions should be easy to follow. I like this technique because if you mess up painting in the next subject from the next photo, you can switch your foreground back to BLACK [by pressing d again] and paint back in the main image [ when portions of next photo and main image overlap]. real fun!

Good work again Jamie - Hope this thread multiplies!

Pun very much intended!

:D

BTW here was my other attempt from the same night as those posted in the self portrait thread.

http://parmley.smugmug.com/photos/44668369-M.jpg

[Vich]

No cutting involved with this technique. Simply put the camera on a tripod and keep moving the kid between each shot. I then copied the multiple baby shot and pasted it on the single baby shot and history brushed the single baby in.
Checked out the FM link. Nice trick! Can definately see this one getting used a lot! Impressive! Like the guy said "anyone seeing one wants to buy one". Nice novelty.

I am very weak in PS. History Brush? Looking at the help on using History Brush now. Maybe its time to go get that PS book and spend some time. You've inspired me!

EDIT: Cross posted Andy's. Thanks Andy, I'll go give it a try.

[aparmley]

I am very weak in PS. History Brush?

I believe in your history bar, looking at the last few steps recorded, you find the step you'd like to go back to click on it then click on the little icon box on the very last step you made then click the y button. this allows you to essentially paint in where you want the steps performed after the place in the history you selected to go back to. its easier with pictures to explain. I'll try

history palete
[ ]step 1
[ ]step 2
[ ]step 3

so you want to apply step 3 only to a few sections of the photo. You then click on the text of step 2 to highlight, then click in the box to the left of step 3, lights up a little paint brush icon, then press the y button, history brush, and then paint in step 3s results where you want them. I think thats right ?? ?

[jamison55]

Good work Jamie -

Also try the layer mask method...

Thanks for the steps, Andy. I could't figure out the whole layer mask thing last night (thus the history brush method). I want to try it again with even more Lukes, so I'll give the Layer Mask a try.

[aparmley]

Thanks for the steps, Andy. I could't figure out the whole layer mask thing last night (thus the history brush method). I want to try it again with even more Lukes, so I'll give the Layer Mask a try.

With more Lukes that may fall infront or behind other lukes. I think the layer mask is the order of the day. . .

Explain to the wife upfront its a technique and its fun to do and luke is the perfect model - otherwise, she might think bad things if she comes across a photo you manipulated with a 100 lukes - "He thinks hes everywhere! OH NO, hes being smothered!" LOL =) then again - the more likely reaction may be - I've had days just like that! hes everywhere! but something tells me that day, is a few months off yet when he starts standing and walking . . . you'll have to make a photo with about 500 lukes - luke hanging off the shelves, luke swinging from the curtains, luke in mid air flight from sofa to love seat, over the coffee table. . . :D

Its early. . .

[Glenn Kennedy]

At least they weren't pink elephants

[Vich]

I believe in your history bar, looking at the last few steps recorded, you find the step you'd like to go back to click on it then click on the little icon box on the very last step you made then click the y button. this allows you to essentially paint in where you want the steps performed after the place in the history you selected to go back to. its easier with pictures to explain. I'll try

history palete
[ ]step 1
[ ]step 2
[ ]step 3

so you want to apply step 3 only to a few sections of the photo. You then click on the text of step 2 to highlight, then click in the box to the left of step 3, lights up a little paint brush icon, then press the y button, history brush, and then paint in step 3s results where you want them. I think thats right ?? ?Thanks for the detailed Andy. Still; it's advanced for me. Perhaps "weak in PS" doesn't describe how raw I am to layers. I know of them, I've never succeeded in doing anything with them.

I need to find a few dummy proof (ie: step by step screen shot) explanations that I can rotely duplicate here. Do you know what this is called in PS's help index? I think they have such tutorials.

[aparmley]

Thanks for the detailed Andy. Still; it's advanced for me. Perhaps "weak in PS" doesn't describe how raw I am to layers. I know of them, I've never succeeded in doing anything with them.

I need to find a few dummy proof (ie: step by step screen shot) explanations that I can rotely duplicate here. Do you know what this is called in PS's help index? I think they have such tutorials.

Well, even though I am off today. My old man would still insist I be "Productive." So here you are my friend. The Magic revealed!

First lets open our images. If you have more than one thats fine. There is a cyclic work flow here that only needs to be explained once - bringing in image 2 into image 1. If we have more than 2 images to combine simply save Image 1 after Image 2 has been properly super-imposed [for lack of a better term] onto image 1. then simply open image 3 repeat the steps treating image 3 like image 2 and so forth. . . Sometimes its best to evaluate your images find the one which will be the "Top" image in all of them, the one that holds the fore-most foreground position and use that as image 1.

http://parmley.smugmug.com/photos/45905249-L.jpg

Now we need to select image 2 entirely - simply have image 2 selected in photoshop and hit ctrl+a - you'll see the marching ants around the image. Now ctrl+c to copy - you can use the edit menu as well, edit>select all, edit>copy.

http://parmley.smugmug.com/photos/45905245-L.jpg

Lets reselect image 1 now so we can paste image 2 ontop of it

http://parmley.smugmug.com/photos/45905265-L.jpg

Please excuse my error on the instructions. the 3rd photo is supposed to read, "..Notice in the layer pallete *image 1*[not layer 1] is selected.

Here I am selecting paste from the edit menu; you could certainly just hit ctrl+v as well.

http://parmley.smugmug.com/photos/45905258-L.jpg

The result of pasting image 2 ontop of image 1

http://parmley.smugmug.com/photos/45905274-L.jpg

We don't need Image 2 anymore lets close that file. Now, make sure Image 2's layer is selected and choose Layer > Layer Mask > Hide all as shown.

http://parmley.smugmug.com/photos/45905242-L.jpg

And the result of this action is

http://parmley.smugmug.com/photos/45905268-L.jpg

You should be seeing Image 1 as it was before any of this. Notice the black box applied to "Layer 1" [Image 2's layer]. This has cause the layer to disappear. Now, we want to reveal the subject in that layer. So we hit "B" to select the brush tool - I like a hard brush, not the soft brushes for this and also lets hit "X" so set the foreground color to white. The white will remove the black mask we applied to this layer, thus revealing the contents of that layer where we paint white. [Since we have not reselected any layers we can simply paint back in the subject from "layer 1" [Image 2's layer we pasted]. If for some reason you find that you deselected that layer simple rehighlight the layer by clicking on the Black box - the layer mask! - otherwise you will paint white on your photo.] It is impossible to not make a mistake. if you paint over image 1 all you need to do is switch back to black, hit "X" again, and now your can fix your mistake by painting back Image 1 - it acts like an eraser tool, but only erases Image 2's contents that were painted in with the white brush tool.

http://parmley.smugmug.com/photos/45905253-L.jpg

We are done

http://parmley.smugmug.com/photos/45905270-L.jpg

Again, if you have more images to add, this is where we'd save Image1, open image 3, treat image 3 like another image 2 and repeat all steps.

The result after a little crop and BW treatment for fun :

http://parmley.smugmug.com/photos/45905279-L.jpg

Hi Vich!
a very crude example. not too much thought put into it. =)

Hope this helps a bit.

[aparmley]

Oh yea I forgot here are two more I made wednesday, it was slow at work!

http://parmley.smugmug.com/photos/45905547-L.jpg

http://parmley.smugmug.com/photos/45905546-L.jpg

[Vich]

This is too cool.

I was cracking up my buddy yesterday with the multiple timed tripod shots. Can't wait to EMAIL him the results.

I'm at work today (alone and "quiet, too quiet") and just taking a lunch break. Will check it out tonight.

BTW: When you say you're bored at work, you seem to bring new meaning to it! You've really gotta ask your boss for some more assignments!

[Vich]

OK, finally got a chance at it.

Hey, nice instructins! The "Layer" pull-down is a little different in my version, but the "hide all" was under "Add New Mask".

The starting photos were just the Small Jpeg and I didn't get very creative nor have any other series of photos to select from, but it's good enough for trying it out. Also noticed I moved the tripod on one shot - need to get that remote (too bad it's not wireless on the 20D - and too bad it costs $60:( ).

Oie! It works mate! Thanks for the coaching!

[Bill Markwick]

What a great thread! The instructions are better than most Photoshop books. I've printed it out and I'll have a go at the techniques.

Regards,
Bill

[jamison55]

"Jeff Goldblum is watching you poop" ROTFLMAO:D :D

[aparmley]

"Jeff Goldblum is watching you poop" ROTFLMAO:D :D

Indeed! :D That was a halloween print out! Scary thought there. . . =)

Please excuse my error on the instructions. the 3rd photo is supposed to read, "..Notice in the layer pallete *image 1*[not layer 1] is selected.

Thanks guys.

[Bluedog]

This stuff is good ... LMAO @ you Andy ... :D

[aparmley]

... LMAO @ you Andy ... :D

What?


WHAT ? ? ?

;)

[aparmley]

Hey! I gotta get my numbers up. . . Have you seen the TPS reports, Mr. 179 more posts than . . . wait a tick . . . this post alone makes the number -1 so Mr 178 more posts than me!

:D

[Clyde]

A portrait of the artist as a clown...

[aparmley]

Very nice clyde, looks like you have the technique down, judging by how you handled the overlap of both of the "Grey Sweater" Clydes. :D



Another tip - Always shoot Manual so you can be sure the exposure is the same and use F8.0 so that you can be sure you will be in focus.

[Esoterra]

how do you work with overlapping? As I try this, I seem to erase the image layered before the one I am trying to overlap.

[aparmley]

Esoterra - I am positive I answered this issue in the instructions, but if I didn't and/or if it is unclear :

When using the layer mask tool we needed to switch the brush color to white, we did this by first setting our brush foreground/background colors to default by pressing D - the default is black foreground, white background. Then to get white we hit the X key, that should flop those colors so you should see white on top as your foreground color and black on bottom as your background. This is how we were able to paint away the "Black mask" applied to image 2 to reveal the part of it we want to expose. If you make a mistake, meaning, if while painting image 2 onto image 1 you covered part of image 1 and you would like to keep that part, simply hit the X key again, which will change the colors back to default, black as your foreground color. Using black allows us to paint back image 1 [your background layer] - think of it as removing the part of image 2 you just exposed leaving the background layer visible again.

I hope that helps and is clear. if it is as clear as mud let me know and I will whip up some example screen shots for you.

[Vich]

Hey! I gotta get my numbers up. . . Have you seen the TPS reports, Mr. 179 more posts than . . . wait a tick . . . this post alone makes the number -1 so Mr 178 more posts than me!

:D
True man of your word. Numbers are up! :D

[Esoterra]

Vich thanks for popping this thread to the top. I was looking for it and couldnt find it. Lets get some more pics posted here- any takers??

[mishti]

Andy,

I've always been really fascinated with multiplicity pictures and was searching on the net for some tutorial. I knew there was a way to do it using Photoshop but it'd been a while since I last used ps and couldn't recollect the trick. Anyway, I chanced upon this thread and stole your 'couldn't-be-better' instructions for Vich. I clicked a couple of pictures last week and followed your trick to layer them together. It's still pretty crude but I'm happy that I atleast got started on it.

So, first, THANKS A LOT for enumerating the steps along with screenshots (wow, who does that!?!) and second, here are the pictures that I created. Feel free to critique.

Regards,
Mishti

[Vich]

Great going Mishka!

BTW: The new Photoshop version, CS3, is supposed to have some great layer auto-sensing. If perfected, it looked like it would get the lines done and at least as well as laborously using a mouse in Actual Pixels view.

[rickalm2000]

thanks for the in depth tutorial aparmley these are my first attempts and I really got a kick out of doing them.

this was my first try
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l34/xtiguy/meshootingself.jpg

this my second, pouring me a cold one
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l34/xtiguy/beerme.jpg

and one of my roomates
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l34/xtiguy/hearnospeaknoseeno.jpg

[aparmley]

Andy,

I've always been really fascinated with multiplicity pictures and was searching on the net for some tutorial. I knew there was a way to do it using Photoshop but it'd been a while since I last used ps and couldn't recollect the trick. Anyway, I chanced upon this thread and stole your 'couldn't-be-better' instructions for Vich. I clicked a couple of pictures last week and followed your trick to layer them together. It's still pretty crude but I'm happy that I atleast got started on it.

So, first, THANKS A LOT for enumerating the steps along with screenshots (wow, who does that!?!) and second, here are the pictures that I created. Feel free to critique.

Regards,
Mishti

Mishti -

Many thanks for you remarks! I'm glad you guys (gals) found my tutorial useful and more to the point your using it to have some fun! Mishti - thats a gorgeous model you have there, don't let go of her! ;) (edit: Whoops, my mistake - these were self portraits?)

Rickalm200 - nicely done, love the beer idea, although you may want poor a few for the other fellows, they look like they could use a mellowing out. :D

[danidabi]

Here is my first attempt at a multiplicity. Needs some work but it was fun to try it out:)

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a160/danidabi/multiplicity.jpg

[Honest Gaza]

Ok...here's my attempt

(Thanks to Aparmley for the technique)

[Vich]

Ok...here's my attempt

(Thanks to Aparmley for the technique)

Check out the Adobe videos on the new CS3. This stuff should become a lot faster.

[aparmley]

Dani | Gaz : Nice work. Thanks for sharing.

[jaymackwright]

Aparmley: This threat proves you are a talented teacher – way to go! I had a blast working with your instructions and even learned something – thanks a bunch for your efforts. Please post some more of your knowledge, your students are ready for another lesson.

http://JMW.smugmug.com/photos/124601761-M.jpg
My offering is lame compared to you others here. However, in my defense, this was made with PS Elements 5 (Xmas gift). I enjoyed working on this so much I purchased PS CS2!

later,