help with photoshop elements collage in a heart shape

[stu]

Hi guys I'm very new to pse and my kids have agave me a challenge to out 72 pictures into a heart shape on a canvas 20 x16 I have sat there for ages playing, is there an easier way to do this thanks stu

 

[MrToM]

...is there an easier way to do this...

Than what?

What have you tried so far?

Its not a difficult task, but there are many variables involved so we'd need a bit more info as to the specs of the project.....20 x16 could mean anything.....we could take a guess but its easier if you tell us.

What is the ultimate goal for this? Printed onto paper or just digitally based as on a website for example?

How big are the images you are using?
Will they need to be scaled in some way?
Is there a background?...etc, etc.

Also which version of PSE are you using?
What platform are you on?

The more info you can give us the more specific we can be in a solution.

At the moment you're at the "Create a heart shape and place your images around it" stage.....which is probably no better than suggesting nothing at all.

I'm not sure if anyone here still uses PSE on a daily basis but I'll fire up the only one I have, PSE 13, ready just in case.

Regards.
MrToM.

 

[stu]

Than what?

What have you tried so far?

Its not a difficult task, but there are many variables involved so we'd need a bit more info as to the specs of the project.....20 x16 could mean anything.....we could take a guess but its easier if you tell us.

What is the ultimate goal for this? Printed onto paper or just digitally based as on a website for example?

How big are the images you are using?
Will they need to be scaled in some way?
Is there a background?...etc, etc.

Also which version of PSE are you using?
What platform are you on?

The more info you can give us the more specific we can be in a solution.

At the moment you're at the "Create a heart shape and place your images around it" stage.....which is probably no better than suggesting nothing at all.

I'm not sure if anyone here still uses PSE on a daily basis but I'll fire up the only one I have, PSE 13, ready just in case.

Regards.
MrToM.

Sorry Mr tom I lost what I was trying to ask, I have pse13, I have been scaling the pictures down manually and arranging in a heart shape , I have been asked to get the finished picture put on a canvas 20 x16 inches , thanks for your time Mr Tom

 

[MrToM]

...Sorry MrToM I lost what I was trying to ask...

No worries...happens to the best of us.

So have you actually done what you set out to do then?
I'm a bit confused now as to what you need help with.

Don't tell me I fired up PSE 13 for nothing!

Scaling and arranging is the way to go, yes.....was there something else you needed to know?

I found that copying and pasting the images into the working document automatically entered into the scale mode anyway so it was just a case of scaling and positioning....I didn't find a way to import more than one image at a time to a respective layer but maybe you have?

Admittedly PSE 13 doesn't make it as easy as in full versions but with a little patience it creates the same result.

Anyway...if there is still something we can help you with, just shout.

Regards.
MrToM.

 

[stu]

I'm halfway throw the project and need to add the other pictures but it's just taking a while , but this looks like the only way to do it ? Thanks stu

 

[MrToM]

I see....

Unfortunately the reason why elements is 'elements' is because of the restrictions.....it kind of does it all but not to the extent of the full blown versions.....so yeah, it takes time.

I doubt I'd find a quicker solution, to whatever method you are using now, before you finished it anyway but if I do I'll let you know.

I was going to suggest resizing the images first but I'm not convinced it would be any easier or quicker to be honest.

At least being half way you know how long its going to take you to finish it.

Regards.
MrToM.

 

[stu]

OK thanks ,stu

 

[Tom Mann]

There is a much simpler, less tedious way to make collages: Use a program specifically designed to do exactly that, not Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.

For example, to make the image shown below, I put something like 40 images of farm animals in a folder, and then used Google's free (and extremely reliable) program, Picasa, to construct a collage of all of these pictures. It took all of one button press and about 1 second of computer time to do this:

View attachment farm_animals-square_collage.zip

You can find many nice tutorials on how to use the collage feature of Picasa just by Googling {picasa collage tutorial}.

Then, using a heart shaped clipping mask (...not sure if this is available in "Elements", but if it isn't there are alternatives that are available in "elements"...), in another few seconds produced this:

View attachment farm_animals-ps01a-01-with_heart_shaped_clipping_mask.zip

If you are interested in this approach, let me know and I'll post more details / answer any questions you may have. Note that Picasa gives the user many different options about how to organize the pictures (eg, randomly overlapping, matrix, space-filling, etc., editing where certain pix go, etc.). Other collage making program give even more options.

HTH,

Tom M

PS - Because the clipping mask prevents the viewer from seeing photos that are beyond its boundary, if you have a base set of pix, most of which should appear within the confines of the shape, there are various ways to ensure this, some simple, some a bit more complicated, just ask.

PPS - Because the size of the larger of the two images was over 6000 pixels wide, I had to zip the files in order to fool the forum uploading software into accepting them. Just unzip them and view at 1:1 (ie, 100% zoom) to see the quality.

PS #3 - Here is a lower resolution preview version of the final result.

 

[dv8_fx]

Hi guys I'm very new to pse and my kids have agave me a challenge to out 72 pictures into a heart shape on a canvas 20 x16 I have sat there for ages playing, is there an easier way to do this thanks stu

I don't use PS Elements. But just to add to your work procedure and probably make you start all over again or incorporate it in case you didn't think about it.... ......

Crop out the main subjects in the photo. In this way, you minimize on unwanted negative space and distractions in photos and can get to position more images into the required heart image. You can position them in the same manner that Picasa will .

In doing the layout positioning of images, don't think of the final size. Arrange the images to fit inside the boundaries of the heart shape you have in mind for it. And for as long as the subjects in each image can be viewed well when you zoom out to view what you've done, you're good.... Don't worry of images that may get slightly cropped out along the edges.

When done and you happen to have an image bigger or smaller than expected , simply re-size the final image to fit the intended size.