Category: Photoblog

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Compose your header by combining several images – Photoshop

Not all of us are happy with the image that blogger gives for the header.. sometimes it doesn’t fit well with the concept of the blog…. and searching the internet for a relevant picture that conveys the idea behind your blog(Title) is time consuming and cannot guarantee success.

You may have a certain collection of pictures… when put together might give a boost to the appearance of your blog… but don’t know how to go about it… Never mind.. just read the instructions and you will have your own custom header… Checkout the Header here

Just for starters.. I have two images here.
JUST 4 PICS PUT TOGATHER…. NO SPECIAL EFFECTS-

Here…I HAVE MERGED THEM TO GIVE A SINGLE-PIC-LOOK

The idea is to combine the 4 pictures and create a new one that appears to be a single picture…. I have used 20 images to create a custom header for My Photoblog.. check it out

I have used Photoshop to achieve this effect.. Few important guidelines before going about creating your custom collage
PHASE-1

  1. Decide on the dimensions of the final picture you want (normal header is 980 x 200)
  2. Create copies of the pictures u want to collaborate ( this way you always have the originals to fall back on incase your attempts go hay-wire)
  3. Get used to working with the TRANSFORM OPTION…….
    • Resize the picture window.. so that you can clearly see all 4 corners ( by clicking and dragging the right corner of the picture window)
    • Select the entire picture — Ctrl + A
    • EDIT-FREE TRANSFORM (or)—-Ctrl +T
    • Notice the change in the cursor when you position it over  the anchor points (change to double headed arrows) at the corners and in the Left &Right sides (and) at the Top & bottom
      • Click and drag the points in the sides.. .. this will alter the width of the picture
      • Click and drag the points at the top / bottom .. .. this will alter the height of the picture
      • Click and drag the point at the corner.... will alter the width & height at the same time
      • Click and drag the point at the corner while keeping the SHIFT key pressed…. will alter the width & height  and also maintain the ratio between the height and width
    • Notice the cursor change to circular shaped arrow when positioned at a certain angle in the corner
      • Click and move the mouse…. this will turn the picture at an angle
    • Hit ENTER once you have decided to apply the changes
    • IF you donot wish to apply changes.. click on any tool… and a message-box will  pop up asking if you would like to apply the changes.. just say DONOT APPLY
  4. Some information about Layer Mask  ( IMPORTANT.. WE WILL BE USING A LOT OF THIS HERE)
    • As the name suggests… it links to the layer which holds your picture
    •  WHILE DRAWING ON THIS LAYER… those areas are rendered invisible in the picture ( I WILL TELL YOU HOW).. this is called masking selective areas in the picture
    • In case you have masked the wrong area.. and want to undo.. use CTRL+Z
    • Even after undoing.. you are not happy… no need to panic and delete the entire file
    • Just right click on the link symbol  that appears between the image and the mask   
      … and give DELETE LAYER MASK
    • Your picture is again back in its original state
    • You may add a new Layer Mask and continue with masking the way you want it to be
  5. Start with a 400×300 image that holds 2 images….. just to get acquainted with the whole process of the before and after appearance … before trying the 980×200 image for header

PHASE 2—–INSTRUCTIONS TO CREATE YOUR COMPOSITE HEADER

  1. Open Photoshop and create a new file giving the dimentions …. Lets name it Collage.psd
  2. Have a Transparent Background
  3. Open the all the images that you want to combine…( ALWAYS SAVE YOUR ORIGINAL IMAGES AND … USE ONLY THE COPIES HERE)
  4. We are going to resize & transform the images so that they fit into the New file.. ie Collage.psd
    1. Select IMAGE-1 and use the TRANSFORM TOOL  to resize and rotate ………….. PHASE1–STEP3
    2. Apply changes by hitting ENTER
    3. You will notice that the resized picture is already selected …(take care not to click anywhere at this point)
    4. Copy using Ctrl+C  ( or Edit- Copy)
  5. Click on the New file …Collage.psd
    1. Paste using Ctrl+V ( or Edit-paste)
    2. You will notice that the image is added as a new layer in your layer pallete
    3. If the resized image is too large / small… donot worry.. just click CTRL+T to transform the image
    4. Increase / Decrease the size… or rotate the picture… and hit ENTER when you are satisfied
    5. Use the Move Tool to move the IMAGE-1 at a position you feel best
  • Follow STEPS 4 & STEP 5 till you have all the images positioned neatly and arranged according to you wish
  • Save the Collage.psd frequently so that you donot loose any changes… Once you are satisfied with the manner of arrangement of the pics… you may close the individual pictues
  • You may notice that they overlap with once another… and certain pics are displayed only half… here is where the magic of Layer-Mask starts
  • Its advisable to start from the topmost layer and then work towards the layers positioned at the bottom
    1. Select the layer whose areas you want to render invisible… and look here at the bottom of the layer pallete

    2. Click on in the layer palette to add the layer mask
    3. You will notice that the image layer has changed to this
    4. Notice the double outline around the Mask-Layer… this means that the "Layer Mask in selected"
    5. Always make sure that the Layer Mask is selected when you begin the Masking process
  • The Process of Masking the areas in the image which you donot want to be seen
    1. Make sure that the MASK LAYER IS SELECTED

    2. Click on the Brush-Tool … if you see a pencil the
      n click and hold the mouse button down a little longer… you will see the brush… then click it
    3. In the Brush Tool bar ( Seen at the top… just below the Menus)… … click on the down arrow to adjust the diameter of the brush…ie… make the brush large / small
    4. Similarly adjust the strength / hardness also

    5. Select the various styles of hardness from the list given

    6. Make sure that the foreground color is black
    7. Once again make sure that the MASK LAYER IS SELECTED.… the double outline at the mask layer
    8. Now just click on the image.. at the area which you wish to conceal

    9. Notice that the particular area is faded & erased.. revealing the image underneath
    10. Also notice that the Masked-Layer (in the layer palette) will show patches exactly in the same areas where you had concealed.. SAVE collage.psd
    11. Continue procedure…. (h) (i) (j) till you have masked ( hidden) the relevant parts of the image

    12. Once you are satisfied with the appearance of this layer… choose another image ( which is in another layer) and repeat the processes  from STEP-9 ( a,b,c,d,e) STEP -10 (a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j,k,l)
  • You may notice .. as you slowly start masking the layers.. one by one.. all the pics merge into on another to create a single-picture-look… Save your Collage.psd
  • Now save this image as a jpeg by FILE – SAVE AS – choose JPEG from the dropdown box.. and give a name
  • VOILA !!!… your own custom collage is now ready for upload to be displayed

    • Hope I have included every conceivable obstacle that you might face… incase I have missed out any do let me know by dropping a word at the comment section.. Once you get the feel of working with Layer Masks… there is no stopping at the effects you can achieve in matter of minutes. I insist that you experiment with the procedure listed above by choosing 2 pictures and merging them as one… by using layer masks…

    Once your Eyes & hands work in synchronization … then you can go about merging ‘n’ number of pictures to give yourself a customized image that can be used in the header – background .. or just plain composite image .

    If this post has been helpful to you.. do drop a word of appreciation. Your appreciation is my motivation

    From Deepa’s Template Tips

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    Paint.net – Free Image editing tool for those who cannot afford Photoshop

    Photoshop is THE TOOL for image editing… and there can be no second opinion about it..( Ask some die-hard Photoshop fan.. we can come up with umpteen reasons.)..However.. not all can afford to get a copy of Photoshop and the trial versions don’t last more than 30 days & they don’t include all the features that are otherwise available in the complete versionFor those who cannot afford Photoshop… help is near.

    With the .Net technology gaining pace.. can MSPaint be far behind. We have a newer version of Paint called the Paint.net. This is a freeebee so anyone can download it for free (just a click away..and only 1.4MB).. and you get the full version ( so no alert messages telling that the trial period is going to expire soon.). What makes this a great alternative tool for image editing is… its interface is very user friendly…It has all the tools and MSPaint and most of the tools of Photoshop.Moreover they have a Forum to help newbies and a Wonderful Blog telling about the recent updates-features-and many more

    About Paint.NET
    Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for computers that run Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools. An active and growing online community provides friendly help, tutorials, and plugins

    1. Every change you make can be performed in layers.. so that .. incase you are not happy with the change… you can delete the layer .. while retaining other changes made

    2. You can add new layers to brighten your otherwise dark picture ( incase you forgot to turn the flash on)

    3. You can correct the Red-eye.. ( so nomore last minute fiddling to enable red eye in camera)

    4. You can add your own signature Text .. like © Deepa…adding your own copyright..(coool isnt it??)

    5. Supports all major picture formats ( except for Animated Gif files)

    And many many more option… Explore and you will not be dissappointed… The posiblities are immense.. after this.. its your imaginatrion and Paint.net.. They also have a Forum to address user Queries.. So any query.. however trivial.. there is always someone to guide you.

    Here I will just give a small intro on how to add your copywright mark to the pic

    Copyright is something like “© Deepa” which I put in the pictures that I upload to the net.. which means that this pic is entirely mine .To do this is Photoshop.. we need to use the “custom shape tool”… however in Paint.net.. this is the procedure to add © to the pics

    Remember always create a copy of the original picture to work on.. Try not to make any changes .. however slight to the the original.. You may end up loosing a perfectly good picture.. incase the alterations does not come out right

    1. Open the picture to which you want to add your ©  mark

    2. © is a special character.. so you will have to open the "Character Map"

    3. START-RUN -Charmap.exe  .. or Start-Programs-Accesories-SystemTools-Character Map

    4. Locate the ©  as shown here

    5. Either double click the ©  symbol.. or clcik the select button ( or make a not of the "KEYSTROKE combination as shown in the pic"

    6. cick the Copy button

    7. Open the Paint.net window( where you have the pic already opened) and select the Text Tool

    1. Click at the position where you want the copyright stamp to appear.. ( Its wise to have this stamp at any of the corneres.. so that people can admire the picture withought gettng distracted by the stamp)… Dont worry if the position didnot match exactly with what you had in mind…. There is something called as "moving the text"

    2. Once the Cursor blinks.. just paste using Ctrl+V ( or Edit Paste.. or use the KEYSTROKE COMBINATION ).. you will see the ©  appear.. following which you can type your name / time stamp of the photo.. etc etc

    1. You many also choose the font size / style and color

    2. Inorder to move the "TEXT" that you have just now added… just click and drag the Square like thinggy to the postion that you might feel appropriate

    3. Save the Picture as Jpeg once you are satisfied with the changes…

    Do drop in with a word if this post has been useful to you.. also..please express your appreciation by linking back to this post.. after allYour appreciation is my motivation

    From Deepa’s Template Tips

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    Show thumbnail Image preview of your Photoblog posts…using Blidgets

    Photoblogs are a popular way of expression amongst bloggers. There are numerous photo hosting sites such as photoblog.com , Animus3.com , Flickr.com,slide.com.. etc etc.. the list is endless. But there are some Bloggers out here.. who have already established themselves among their blogzone. They would rather host their Photoblog in the same platform ( blogspot / wordpress ..etc etc)..due to established readership. Moving to a mew platform like flicker,photoblog et etc would mean.. they will have to network from square one.

    Its a good idea to display your photoblog pics ( as an thumbnail image preview.) in your main blog.. so that the readers will know about your new Photoblog and can also see a preview of the images whenever you make an update.

    You may see one such preview in my Left-side-bar. This Showing-Image-Preview for Photoblog was developed using the Blidget option of Widgetbox.com. Just follow the instructions if you wish to have such a widget for your photoblog too.

    PHASE 1:- MAKE YOUR OWN BLIDGET

    1. Register yourself with Widgetbox.com

    2. Choose “Make a Blidget” ( meaning… convert your blog into a widget)

    3. Give the URL of your photoblog — continue

    4. Choose the “Layout” as Narrow (for sidebars) or Wide (to show below the header.. or above all posts)

    5. Choose the “Display” as Headlines only & ShowFirst image in each post ( oh Yeah… afterall this is a Photblog)

    6. Its Ideal to choose “Header Style” as Title only (for photoblogs)

    7. Just allow Listing in the Gallery and give a Description of your blog .. dont forget to add tags.. its really useful

    8. Then Publish the blidget at Widgetbox.com

    PHASE 2:- ADDING THE BLIDGET TO YOUR BLOG

    1. They give  you a variety of options as to where you want to use the blidget you have just created.Just move the mouse over the image and see which one is for what

      2. TypePad   Blogger   MySpace   Facebook   Netvibes   Pageflakes   Google   Blogger PostFreewebs   Piczo   Widget Code

    2. You may direclty add your blidget using these options,,..
    3. Or you may use the "getcode option" to get the Javascript code and then add it manually to your blog through template – page elements – new elements
    4. Voila.. Now every one who comes to your active blog can see that You have a Photoblog and Such awesome pictures are sure to inspire them to visit your Photoblog to leave a comment

    What do you say… Liked it.. C’mon.. go ahead and configure your blidget

    AN APPEAL TO MY READERS

    Widgetbox allows the display of english characters only.The boxes you see in my photoblog widget are Tamil (Unicode) characters. I have tried makig blidgets with blogs in other languages as well.. all come out as boxes. I have also written at the widgetbox forums ..Forum for using widgets and Forum for New features.. to allow the display Unicode characters also.

    I hereby appeal to all my readers to kindly support this feature in blidget so that many Regional language Bloggers can also make use of this wonderful feature.Kindly register yourlseves with the WidgetboxForum and Give your support by replying to any one of the thread (To display Unicode Characters) Thread at Forum for Using Widgets or Thread at Forum for New Features.

    This will hardly take a minute or two. Please voice your opinion on this at the forum. Your reply might get us one step closer towards the process of implimenting this feature

    Thank you

    Your appreciation is my motivationKindly link back to this post..of you are impressed by the information provided

    From Deepa’s Template Tips

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    Lightbox code to zoom ( enlarge) pictures without moving away from your blog

    After receiving a request from Priya, who is very much interested in photography and wanted to have her photoblog in blogspot. But the only thing that was refraining her to do so was.. the behavior of blogger to show the enlarged version of the picture in a new window. Like many other’s she too felt that this would inadvertently take here viewers away from her page.

    In this quest with priya.. i landed at an excellent lightbox code at Huddletogather by Lokesh. This entire script( s) is Lokesh’s work and I am putting this here to let my readers know as to how wonderful this feature is.. A must have for any photoblog.. Even otherwise..its a great way to zoom the pictures in your blog..See it in action here. Read more for instructions on how do this

    1. SAVE AND BACK UP YOUR TEMPLATE
    2. Add the following lines just above the </head> tag in your template
      <script type=”text/javascript” src=”http://deepa7476.googlepages.com/prototype.js”> </script>
      <script type=”text/javascript” src=”http://deepa7476.googlepages.com/scriptaculous.js?load=effects”> </script>
      <script type=”text/javascript” src=”http://deepa7476.googlepages.com/lightbox.js”> </script>
      <link rel=”stylesheet” href=”http://deepa7476.googlepages.com/lightbox.css” type=”text/css” media=”screen” />
    3. You may choose any of the layout provided by blogger for uploading pictures ( Small – Medium – Large).
    4. If you notice the html part of the image code you will see something like
      <a href=”url of the picture at blogger”>
      < img src=”url of the pic..the full size” style=”width – height etc depending on the layout”/>
      </a>
    5. Here is what you need to do to activate the lightbox code
      <a href=”url of the picture at blogger” rel=”lightbox”> < img src=”url”>
    6. If you wish to show the pictures as collection (…say..flowers..animals..etc etc).. then all you need to do is

      <a href=”url of the picture at blogger”       rel=”lightbox[flowers]” > < img src=”url”>
      <a href=”url of the picture at blogger” rel=”lightbox[flowers]” > < img src=”url”>
      <a href=”url of the picture at blogger” rel=”lightbox[flowers]” > < img src=”url”>

      <a href=”url of the picture at blogger” rel=”lightbox[picnic]” > < img src=”url”>
      <a href=”url of the picture at blogger” rel=”lightbox[picnic]” > < img src=”url”>
      <a href=”url of the picture at blogger” rel=”lightbox[picnic]” > < img src=”url”>

    7. The above step does not involve blogger labels… so no conflict on codes.
    8. Remember that the lightbox code will get fuctional only after the entire page loads.

    This code works for me and I hope this works for you too. Drop a comment and let me know

    ADD ON:-
    If you want to have a “Zoom Cursor” appear over your pictures as shown here.. the this is waht you need to do
    LOCATE THE FOLLOWING IN YOUR TEMPLATE
    And add the line shown in red.
    .post img {
    cursor:url(http://deepa7476.googlepages.com/ZoomIn.ani);
    }
    This is best viewed in IE. I dont know if FFox supports cursors in Stylesheets.

    Your appreciation is my motivation

    From Deepa’s Template Tips

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