Videos on Compositing using Photoshop Layers

Here are four great videos showing you how to build composite pictures using layers in Photoshop. Being a television program they are aiming at the widest audience possible, so some of it is a bit basic. However there is lots of good useful stuff in there too.

I have written a few notes under some of the videos pointing out one or two things that I disagree with. They have shown you the simplest way to do things which is not always the best.

Their methods will be fine for beginners but I just want to point out where the video is at variance with best practice.

Introduction

Choosing Images and Masking

Notes on Video 2. You don't need the fancy graphics tablet to draw masks. I actually have an ordinary Wacom tablet (not on screen like theirs) which sits in a drawer while I draw masks with my mouse.

I would recommend making the duplicate layer before you start anything, and saving the file as a .psd. Then turn off the background layer and work on the duplicate.

Working with Layers

Tidying Up the Mask

Notes on part 4. Using the 'eraser' as they do in the video is not really the best solution. A better idea is to use a 'layer mask' for this job which enables you to reverse the procedure and paint back in what you have erased if you make a mistake, without relying on 'undo'.

The 'brightness and contrast' tool is not the best choice but it's OK for beginners. The professional choice would be the curves tool, applied as an 'adjustment layer'. This is a bit more complicated to use but much more flexible and, most importantly, reversible.