Layering images (?)

[MiniFighter]

Hi all,

Not sure what the process is called ..BUT, what i want to do is take a series of shots of a motorbike, car etc (or similar) in action, then layer(?) them onto each other with the final result showing multiple images of the bike/car but in the one shot?

I have seen before a shot of a bike jumping, and the final image showed the bike in the shot multiple times from take off to landing.

I have CS5 and LR at my disposal

LOL, I Hope this make some kind of sense J

Cheers all,

Wayne’o

[George Edwards]

If your scene is identical in each one (using a tripod), just take one of them, place the others in layers on top, then erase around the part you want from each image such that you can only see the bike in each layer. This leaves your main background and the series of jumping bike shots (assuming they aren't so close together that the overlap, if they do, it'll be a lot harder).

[MiniFighter]

This pic belongs to a mate of mine, he has given me the nod to post it up :)

This is what im talking about..what i would like to do.

http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/oo23/dreadful2008/Cinnyflip2copy.jpg

[Epoc]

Hi, setup your cam on a tripod. A wide angle lens is best. I used a Tokina 11-16mm. Make sure the action you want to catch is all viewable in the finder. Use remote trigger if you have one and fire off as many shots as you can when action happens. Pick out the shots that capture the action best and then bring them into CS. Layer each photo onto the last and use layer masks to reveal the next sequence.

Any questions, feel free to ask.

90452

[Rattus79]

Or just set layer style to screen, or is that overlay?

[gorillagirl]

Don't forget to set everything manual so your backgrounds stay the same in each shot.

[MiniFighter]

Soooooo, fast forward a few hours. Done with work, dinners over and 2 beers later i THINK ive got it?

Really craptacular pic to say the least, was in a hurry to get into it so apologies for the pic quality..

Thoughts, feedback???

http://i1151.photobucket.com/albums/o623/Dare2DreamPhotography/LIZZY-1.jpg

[Rattus79]

Processing seems good. No obvious flaws.
Craptacular image shot in craptacular light.

[Ms Monny]

Yep, that looks good!! Might have fun with the kids with this in the school holidays!

[jamesridley]

very smooth going their well done

[Black Dog]

It is IMO termed compositing.

Few things I would deem necessary are a tripod to make sure all captures are framed the same and the depth of field so all shots are in focus across the movement of the subject.

If you open all images in photoshop you can click on the layer in the layers palette and while holding down the "Shift key" drag it into your first frame then release the mouse button before taking your finger off the shift key and the photos will centre. This stops your having to try and register each image.

Using blend modes like overlay and screen won't work the same. Screen mode lightens using the top images as a template so will only show dodge the underlying darker areas. Overlay Would be closer as it does the dodge & Burn but will still be suspect in the mid tones.. Bit of a simplification but erasing the background is the easiest way. Roughly marquee the subject and delete the rest. As long as the frames don't over lap the subject it will be very easy.

Hope this all make sense and is of some help.

[Dabbler]

You know you can actually use Photomerge in Photoshop to do this for you. Select the reposition option and then build your masks. If you're feeling lucky, you can go straight to collage and see what Photoshop does by itself. I've seen these done for wedding photos too. Looked quite bizaare with ten identical brides popping out from behind different trees in the same frame.