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Need help with foster pet Collage project


J

jasonjeremiah

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I wasn't sure if this should be posted in the newbies section or not, but thought I would post here and hopefully it will be moved if not in the correct forum. I need help creating a collage for my wife as a Christmas gift, so time is of the essence. Just to give you an idea of what I'm trying to accomplish, my wife and I have been fostering kittens for the past several months for our local SPCA. I have tried to keep a catalog of photos of all of the kitties that we have fostered. Creating the actual collage itself is not what I'm having trouble with. I have a program that will take all of the photos that I've input and will automatically create a collage to the shape and size that I want. What I need help with is the design after that.

I would like to use Photoshop to create several different effects but am having no luck translating my idea successfully onto the screen. I would like to use the collage I've created as the overall background image, but in black and white. On top of that black & white photo collage of the kitties, I want to overlay a transparent silhouette of two cats facing each other forming a heart. I have downloaded a clip art outline that I can use to create the silhouette. I want the underlying black & white photos from the collage that fall within the confines of the silhouette to be in color and slightly magnified and shadows underneath. I want to also add text that is transparent as well and colorizes what pics are underneath. I realize this is a multi stepped project that would take a great deal of explaining, but if anyone could give me any guidance at all, it would be greatly appreciated. I'm having a difficult time translating the ideas in my head to key Google seach words that would point me in the direction of what I'm trying to accomplish. I've tried finding a similar project or tutorial but am having no luck. Thanks so much!
 
If I understand this correctly my friend, you would like black and white (Greyscale) background of the collage you have made with a shape/silhouette of something in the middle (Two cats facing each other) that reveals the colour version of your collage.

Here's a quick video I have made for you that will briefly run you through this process.


Start with your colour collage, if it's labelled as 'Background' double click it to unlock.

Now Press Ctrl+J to duplicate this layer.

Select the bottom layer and then go to:

Image>Adjustments>Desaturate (This should make your lower layer grey scale)

Now hit:

Shift+Ctrl+N to create a new layer above the Grey Scale layer

Place your silhouette on this 'middle' layer. Once you have it where you want it (Central/middle) hold your Ctrl Key and click on the silhouette layer. You should now see marching ants on you upper layer.

While these Marching ants are still selected, Left click on the coloured layer and then 'Add Vector Mask'

You should now see the coloured version of your collage appear in the shape of the silhouette. Alternatively you can create a clipping mask by pressing Alt+Ctrl+G - Using a Clipping mask instead of a Vector mask just means that the mask itself cannot be edited but the choice is yours.

You should not end up with something like this:

clipping.jpg

Also if it's any help, here is the .psd for the video above:

View attachment clipping.psd

Hope this helps, and of course I really hope this is what you meant hehe
 
I'm hoping someone can help me out again. What if, instead of a silhouette I wanted to use text but wanted everything inside the text to be in color, while everything outside of the text shapes remained black and white.
 
You now have enough posts to provide a link. I should have said, but I assumed wrongly that you would, PM it to me and I'll post it. Sorry for being vague.
 
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