Photoshop advice please

[DigiDiva]

I want totake multiple images of a clock, to capture the moving hands then in photoshop, make on image with multiple hands in different positions..Like its ticking the seconds away (did I explain that properly)? Here's a link to a similar picture

http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/...mage/90498401#

Im not brill on photoshop, and useless with layers/masks. Can anyone advise how? Do I need stacking software?

Thanks.

[Tugboat]

might be easier to do a time lapse image like the one you looked at....I could go through the process but can't explain how to do it,I don't use photoshop for editing very much,I just use it for Topaz...someone else will be able to explain it really well,there are some very clever people on here....ps, loved that image too

[DigiDiva]

It's very creative and I want to do something similar that I can add to my pending website in my kitchen art section.

[graham harcombe]

I can think of several ways to achieve such a merge in PS. But I use Elements 11 of late and this has a facility to select FILE/NEW/PHOTOMERGE GROUP SHOT.

Just load in all your shots and follow the instructions

[Gidders]

You don't need stacking software.

Take you images using a tripod, mirror lock & a remote release to ensure all the static points line up.

Open them all in ps, choose one as the base image & then with the move tool selected & holding the shift key, with each subsequent image drag from the layers pallet to your base image (holding the shift key ensures that the images edges are aligned.

To each layer except the base add a layer mask while holding the alt key - which makes the mask black so the layer is hidden.

Paint on the later mask with white to reveal the hands.

Hope that makes sense

[graham harcombe]

This quickie shows the outcome from my Elements suggestion.

[DigiDiva]

I will give this a try at the weekend. Thanks everyone.

[DigiDiva]

Here it is - thanks for all of the help. I will be able to improve but this was my 1st try and took 1.5 hours to take and process. I like it but need to try with better lighting again.

http://www.worldphotographyforum.com...hp?photo=69110

[sassan]

Yes you did it a good job.
Good advice here and specially Clive's.

The good thing about photoshop is that you can make same thing in many ways and once you master a few tricks here and there, you can navigate yourself, analyzing and utilizing the power known to you.

My easy way to deal in the same line is:

1- All same important points in making the images without any move of camera or change of light.

2- I additionally to what you have done, will add few images in very late or very early phase of leg movement, say if start is at 1 O'clock, on 2,3,4 etc with longer shutter time, narrower F number (Keeping total EV exactly the same with no brighter or darker image. These will add that flow of leg with blur of motion and sense of 4th dimension of "Time". You get the idea?

3- Now to the PS; In the same line, my suggestion is to have your base line image in lower most layer. My always next move is: A together push on "control" + "J" bottoms to make a same exact layer copied and created one layer above (Keeping a lower, Safety / Comparison layer), now I would click several times (As many as you have the other images with leg in a different locations) on the "Create a new layer" icon. To say 4 times here in our eg; Look at figure below, the "Red" arrow pointing to that icon thus creating 4 new layers.
You see the new empty layers: Green arrow area from Layer 2 thro 5 in this example.

4- Now I will open each extra movement images one at a time in the same order I took, say 1:00, 2:00 O'clock etc. Once one is opened, I push "A" along with "Ctrl" bottom at the same time. This selects entire image. Then push "Ctrl" + "C" together to copy. Will close this movement image. Back to original layers, after selecting (Left mouse click on say layer 2 - Green arrow area- so that it is highlighted blue meaning we will be working on that particular layer now), I go to image field and click then push together "Ctrl" and "V" bottom that is Paste image mode.

5- With "Erase" tool selected (from left side of screen), sensitivity 100 %, brush size as appropriate, I will erase the area where other legs are to be seen. You can come back to this layer later on and work as needed. Make sure not to erase the current leg that should remain intact and well seen.

6- Repeat this for every other layer, steps 4 and 5, so that all images are in place.

7- Will go to each layer for a final cleaning as needed.

8- Change the Opacity of each layer as make the final image better so that some of the legs are less visible that others with lower opacity as you see in your original image eg.

9- A deep breath. Saving the large image file in PS format in case I need to work on it later on (Hopefully not) and Flattening the final image, saving it as JPG after making the needed Control, brightness, sharpness changes according to your taste.

Looks complicated but believe me it is very easy to follow and once you do it a few time you can do all the post processing in a few minutes at most.

As is, my suggestion for your current work is to add some motion blur leg movement images as said on top of paragraph here and also to play with Opacity of each layer to get your desire effect and adding a different dimension to image.

Have fun.

[DigiDiva]

Thanks Sassan. That was easy to follow.