inserting missing person in team picture

[Peru]

I have a team picture which is missing one athlete. I was able to get a photo of the athlete and successfully cut it out and resized and positioned her.

It looks "Photoshopped" in that there is a distinct difference between the perimeter of the athlete and the rest of the team.

What would be the best way to improve the team picture? I'm using PE 9, but can purchase PE 11 if I can do it easier or better with PE 11.

[Steve Grisetti]

The main thing is to make sure the resolutions of both pictures match before you do the cut and paste. And, of course, you'll want the lighting and color temperature to be the same.

Also, softening the edges of the cut-out with some feathering will make the cut look more natural. My three-part tutorial on "photo faking" might help.
http://muvipix.com/products.php?searchp ... =0&btn.y=0

Finally, rather than cutting and pasting between pictures, try combining the two photos using the Photomerge Group Shot tool in Photo Elements. That's exactly what's it's designed for -- adding a person from one photo into another.

[Chuck Engels]

The other thing that I think is important is lighting, make sure the light is coming from the same direction in both photos and adjust the levels to match as closely as possible. Many times images look photoshopped do to the shadows or light being in the wrong place on the added image.

[momoffduty]

Use masks on the player to change the exposure or curves or levels adjustments. Play around with each to see which one works best. The tone of the single player needs to match the others. Then throw a photo filter on top of all layers. I've done this for web use only and not sure how it will print out.

[Peru]

How quickly I forget.
I'm going to get Steve's PE 11 book as soon as I buy PE 11 (when the boxed version comes out and the price drops around Xmas time).

I watched those tutorials when they first became available, but completely forgot what I "learned."
After another look, I think all I need to do is apply the gaussian blur to the added photo layer and adjust the radius appropriately.

The resolution and the lighting are OK, as the photo was taken in exactly the same indoor location using the same background and identical lighting.

I'll give it a try tonight when I get home to my editing computer.

Thanks, Steve, Chuck, and Cheryl.

[momoffduty]

Good that it is the same lighting. That should make things much easier. If it doesn't work, place the person as an inset to the photo with a small frame around the head shot, maybe lower corner of the photo. Good luck!

[Peru]

Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur @ .3 did the trick!