Post Processing Looking for advice.

[Alysia]

Hello y’all.

When adding multiple photos of multiple people to create one large group image, how are you determining the best size for each new layer? I’m working on a multi-person composite, and wondering if there is a tip or trick I’m unaware of for this. Perspective and using transform to scale the layer is fine, however this is a little more difficult for me.

Normally I shoot on a tripod with a fixed focal length/distance to subjects/tripod height and strobe exposure for every person, however, I got very sick and a helper/Pro-Photog shot for me, on one of my four nights and actually didn’t do any of those things. I was so sick (why he covered for me) I didn’t double check or better direct him. I take full responsibility for not being more careful even tho I was deathly ill. Now I’m trying to clean up the inconsistencies. For example, some frames the subject is filling the frame, in others the subjects are at many different distances to the camera. Not many are shot from the same “anything”.

Any advice welcome from the experts. I’m just curious if there is a hint/tip/trick/lesson I need to research to get this project completed. I’ve scoured the internet and maybe I’m not searching for the right terms, but I’m not finding what I’m looking for.

Thanks in advance for your time and help.
AlyP

 

[jkemp]

Not sure I get what you are asking about... maybe post some pictures to illustrate the problem ?

 

[Alysia]

I’m traveling and not at a computer right at the moment. Here’s a scenario.

For example:
Say I’m shooting a group of players for a football team. Instead of taking a team photo, I take individuals on separate nights to build a team photo later. All shot from the same angle/perspective on a tripod, lighting, focal length and distance to subject. So that they are all shot at their correct height size etc as the next person. All over consistency making it easier to composite, then bringing them into the composite I don’t have to guess heights etc for building a team photo.

Now, I get deathly sick one of my shoot nights and my “helper” shoots for me at a different height and not from the same distance to the subject, leaving me guessing heights of each player that will be placed in this composite etc.

My question is, is there a preferred method to be sure we have accurate heights of players I didn’t shoot (sick night) in the images so that it is more realistic when composited with the ones that are of a consistent height from my shots.

I just want all of the hypothetical players to be as accurate as possible in their placement by height in the image.

Hope this helps and thank you for your response to this post. I really appreciate it.

 

[jkemp]

Ok I get it. It's easy to get lost with this kind of stuff...

One way I like to deal with this is by building myself a reference shot by duplicating the same subject at various distances. Since it's the same subject, you take away the differences between subjects, and concentrate only on the perspective scaling part... Once it's done and you feel you nailed the perspective, you can start to bring in the other folks... Align their feet to the references, so they stand at the right distance, and then scale them to match (nearly) the reference. Keep in mind some folks are taller or shorter...

Is this of any help ?

 

[Alysia]

Yeah, the perspective is the easy part for me, it’s the heights I am struggling with. I know there has to be some secret or method to the madness, I am just missing it...

 

[IamSam]

it’s the heights I am struggling with.

I may be repeating something similar to what jkemp stated above.

Adjusting height accurately depends on whether or not you know the heights and sizes of the player(s) that you photographed compared to those that your assistant photographed on the sick night.

If you have photos that you know are correct in height and size, can these not be used to gauge the height and size of the players photos from the sick night who are the same height and size in real life?

If player A is the same height and relative size to player B (sick night), then their unmatched/different photos can be matched in a lowered opacity style overlay. Resulting in player B's height and size being adjusted fairly close to player A from the photos you have taken.

Make any sense?

 

[Alysia]

In a perfect world that does make sense, however, I have no idea the heights and sizes because I wasn’t there, and clearly he doesn’t feel comfortable making that judgement call.

So at this point, it’s a guessing game...I just know that so many people do composites and there has to be something that is being used to gauge actual height similarities to avoid situations like this. I can’t be a unicorn, or maybe I can lol.

 

[jkemp]

Yeah, I think in your case, you'll have to guess...

I suppose there would be a way to determine height mathematically, given you have both the focal length of the lens used, and the focus distance in the metadata... but I'd not venture into this and just go the "guessing game" way.