THE MISSION
Place a figure on to a backdrop and add shadows to make a creative composite
Time needed 30 minutes
Skill level Intermediate
Kit needed Affinity Photo
Compositing is one of the tasks that Affinity Photo does best. With a few simple skills, we can cut out our subject and transport them anywhere we like. There are a few important factors to consider for a successful composite. The first is your initial subject selection… We begin by making a precise cut out using selection tools. The best place to start is usually Affinity Photo’s Selection Brush, which has a ‘Snap to Edges’ setting that lets us quickly isolate a person. It helps if the subject is photographed against a plain backdrop like a wall, sheet or any other surface that contrasts with them, as this makes it easier for the tool to snap onto the edges. After, we can enhance the selection using the Refine Selection command. This is a must for improving the tricky parts of the cutout, like hair.
When our initial cutout is complete, we move on to the task of fitting it with the backdrop. Not every backdrop will look right, as the perspectives need to (at least roughly) match up. Then we can adjust the backdrop to make the composite more realistic by adding a shadow. Little touches will help to ground the subject in the scenes, which helps to sell the effect.
This story is from the August 2021 edition of PhotoPlus : The Canon Magazine.
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This story is from the August 2021 edition of PhotoPlus : The Canon Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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