Design thread

Re: Design thread *Updated 12/18*

Sorry to jump back for a second, but...

bd, I don't trust that magic wand any farther than I can throw it. If I'm doing a cutout, it's pixel-by-pixel or nothing for me.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 12/18*

I'm with you on the wand, shottie, but in this case, it came in handy.

Normally, I do a path with the magnetic pen tool and then use a clipping path for the overall cutout. Interior stuff is done by removing the pixels.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 12/20*


I use pen tool for pretty much every cutout, and eraser for a little fine tuning. And fine tuning Maria Sharapova's stringy hair can take a loooong time. Color range feature is better than the tragic wand.

So if anyone in the newsroom is wondering, that's the answer to the question: "Why has BTExpress been staring at that Sharapova photo for so long?"

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 12/20*

You guys are much better than me. It's pen tool followed by an inverse and a little friend I like to call "feather 2 pixels" I can usually clean up the rest. Pixel by pixel? That is admirable.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 12/20*

Well, actually, that's what I do too, Rob.

The feathering covers a multitude of sins. In fact, I clip, then feather, inverse, feather AGAIN and clear.

By "pixel by pixel," I assumed it to mean that I clip pretty fine on the photo, and I do. I blow it up pretty big to clip.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 12/20*

All the pieces of art being the same size in the CP made me not really focus on anything on the page. Since the Cowboys are your team, I would have done a Cowboys picture main art size, and have the other eight at secondary size. And the rail art and the column mug bumping put me off a bit. Since it's a column, it seems strange for it to be in a hard-news play spot. It might have been better down the side, and would have packaged with the NFL better.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 12/20*

There are a few really good plug-ins out there that make cutouts easier, running a few hundred. But in their absence, it's the pen tool or bust for me. I've found the blur tool makes hair easier, but for tennis rackets or nets, I just block out an afternoon and follow another designer's advice: "Just jack with it until it looks right."

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 12/20*

I'm a big fan of the magnetic lasso to create a first selection, inversing it, and then going into Quick Mask mode to clean up any oddities created by the tool, as well as adjusting brush sizes and hardnesses to feather hair and motion edges. Then, of course, exit quick mask, inverse, contract the selection 2 pixels and feather 1 pixel. Only trick is to go a little wide when masking out football face masks.
As for nets/rackets, I just avoid them (Discretion is the better part of valor?), though I've seen folks just do a rough selection with the path tool, and then motion blur the insides of a racket.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 12/20*

I love me some magnetic lasso (which sounds like something Wonder Woman would carry). Thing is, I usually do a little bit at a time, then veer off into the "safe" area and head back to the starting point, thus taking out a small chunk each time. If I try to do it all at once, invariably I screw something up 2/3 of the way through and make a diagonal incision across the player that looks like Jack the Ripper planning out cold cuts, thus forcing me to start over.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 12/20*

That's what CONTROL-Z is made for, amigo.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 12/20*

Hey, no fair. You stole that from me!

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 12/20*

We all hate those inside team photo pages, but this is kind of a different idea to help.