Since the advent of digital photography, getting a good photo is no longer a matter of luck. All you need is a decent camera, a good photo editing program, and a bit of hard work. While there are many photo editing programs available today, the most popular is still Photoshop. Almost anything you have ever wanted to do with a photo can be done here. However, you need to start with the basics, like Photoshop’s clipping path technique.
You can think of a clipping path as a pair of scissors. Creates a line around an object in your image and allows you to remove the object and place it inside another image. For example, you can take a photo of a dog sitting in your studio and superimpose it on a field image. A Photoshop clipping path can be created in two ways. The easiest way is with the Magic Wand tool. This can be found in your tool palette. Once you click on a part of your image, Photoshop will sample the color of that pixel. Then it will create a clipping path around any area with similar shades of that color. This is good for simple shapes, but can cause ghosting or jagged edges around more complex images.
The other Photoshop clipping path method is doing everything by hand. This method involves the use of the Pen tool. The pencil tool is actually multiple tools in one, but for a clipping path, you will use “Add Anchor Point”, “Point Conversion Tool” and “Delete Anchor Point”. Zoom in on the image and use these three functions carefully to trace the edge. The place it will point to is the center of where the program has blended the object’s edges with the background. With time and practice, you can create a perfect cutout.
Traditional photos have always been considered fragile. While many still enjoy the challenges and achievements of traditional photography, they still endorse them in the digital world. Why? Because the chemicals used in photographic paper are very sensitive to sunlight and air. Acid in hot, humid air can destabilize color casts in photos and cause them to fade more quickly. Light has a similar effect and breaks down dyes on paper, causing images to fade. Moisture can also cause paper to warp and become brittle. While the chemicals used in black and white photos are more stable, if left in these conditions long enough they will also succumb.
