Since the advent of digital photography, getting a great image is no longer a matter of luck. All you need is a decent camera, a good photo editing program, and some hard work. While there are many photo editing programs available today, the most popular remains Photoshop. Almost everything you’ve ever wanted to do with a photo can be done here. However, you should 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 overlay it on an image of a field. A Photoshop clipping path can be created in two ways. The easy 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. It will then create a clipping path around any areas 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 to do everything by hand. This method involves the use of the pen tool. The pencil tool is actually several tools in one, but for a clipping path you will use the “Add Anchor Point”, “Point Conversion Tool” and “Remove Anchor Point”. Zoom in on the image and use these three features carefully to trace the border. The place it will point to is the center where the program has blended the edges of the object with the background. With time and practice, you will be able to create a perfect cut.
Traditional photos have always been considered fragile. While many still enjoy the challenges and accomplishments of traditional photography, they still support them in the digital world. Why? Because the chemicals used in photo 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 will break down the tints in the paper, causing the images to fade. Moisture can also cause paper to warp and become brittle. While the chemicals used in black and white photography are more stable, if they are left in these conditions long enough they will succumb as well.
