Collage

Helen O · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2003 6:57 pm Post subject: Collage

Okay, this is kinda fun. What needs to be done to make this here collage y'all are talking about for the SBS?

Helen O · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2003 7:23 pm Post subject:

I could have swore that there was a thread on site that was about the front page photo's. I must be losing it. Xmas Eek

I'm looking for some of those great pics that Bill has posted on the front page in the past. It might be fun to play around with the collage thingie that I just found in my photo shop software.

I'm looking for good to great photo's of C-Dory's in action or at rest.... or any of our best pics. So, feel free to post a link of your's or anybody's pics.

Anybody know where the pic is that we had on the front page showing a bunch of 19' and 16' cd's running in formation?

Helen O · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2003 10:00 pm Post subject:

ummm guys..... I like playing with computers, but I'm artistically challenged. I'm open to suggestions, feedback, ideas, requests or comments. Would appreciate some feedback.

Rock-C · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2003 10:51 pm Post subject:

lookin good. Thumbs Up

Keep it coming CoolSmile

Pat Anderson · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2003 11:28 pm Post subject: Re: Collage

Not bad! Actually, we are hoping Redfox aka Greg Davidson will make up a photo collage, including his Alaska photos and a bunch of photos from down here. Yes, for the SBS. Bill is going to print it out on a humungo plotter, 3 feet by something else, so the pix need to be pretty high resolution, can't just snag them out of the albums. If Greg falters, I see you are waiting in the wings! I sent him a CD full of my photos, why don't you do the same? One of the ones I sent him was Helen O in the fog...

Helen O · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2003 11:45 pm Post subject:

Good evening Pat. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think Greg fired himself from the collage job. You can read about it on his latest post on this thread. http://www.c-brat.net/viewtopic.php?t=12&start=45 I am no where near his artistic talent level with photography, but I do have free time and enjoy playing with my photo software. Sooo, unless someone else steps up and volunteers I'll play with it and see what happens. I realize that I need hi definition pics for any collage that leaves this site. Right now I'm just playing with the software and getting to know how it works. If someone with good taste could guide me, we might be able to come up with something suitable.... maybe not. If there is no interest then I probably ought to spend my time out fishing instead. Wink

but then again, I can't fish worth a crap either. Mr. Green

Pat Anderson · Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2003 9:41 am Post subject:

There was a thread. Actually, I took a fair number of those front page photos, including the one of the boats running together (actually Patty took that one, drats) and the Christmas boat pic that is currently up. And it does look like Greg has begged off of the SBS collage project, nobody except me has responded with photos. I have made up a collage board the old fashioned way, with prints, but they are all my photos (includes many boats and people though). A Photoshop collage with text (not unlike what you have done) that Bill can print out on the plotter would be better. And it would be better still if it had (A) a bunch of Greg's Alaska photos and (2) the best photos from everybody else. Shall I send you the CD with my photos too? Do you want to take a crack at a collage? I doubt if you are going to be able to do it with the reduced size photos available on the site, you probably will need the high resoluton that came out of the camera if it is going to look like anything. Mike and Bill, jump in here, but shouldn't the text (centered or whatever)say:

www.c-brat.net
A Home for C-Dory People!

Do you want to take a crack at making a Photoshop or Photoshop Elements collage file and get it to Bill to print on the plotter?

Da Nag · Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2003 11:16 am Post subject:

Here's the front page photo thread. Tip - the search engine here works pretty well... Laughing

As for the collage - I'm no artist/graphics expert either, but I'll play around with things as well. For any of you wanting to try your hand at this, here are a few tips:

- Start by making your blank canvas 36" in the smallest dimension; it's up to you whether you do it portait or landscape. I like wide screen formats, so I'm doing mine landscape, at 64" wide by 36" tall; this makes it a 16:9 format. If you like a more traditional format, 48" wide by 36" tall gives you a 4:3 format.

- Do not increase the size of any photos; the quality will suffer horribly. You'll notice it will take quite a few photos to fill up 36" x 48".

- If you are using PhotoShop or PhotoShop Elements, keep the original, finished product in the native file format (PSD) - do not convert it or save it as a JPG or GIF. The PSD quality is better, and will allow me to make a better print.

- If you want to post your creation here, save a copy of it as a JPG, upload it to your photo album, and place a link in this forum. The album software will automatically reduce it when you upload it to a reasonable size.

Have fun...

Helen O · Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2003 12:25 pm Post subject:

Bill

After playing with my "Photo Suite 4" yesterday, I found all your comments to be true. Thanks

Pat

As far as which slogan we use: First we need to decide what the intended use of the collage is. Who is it going to and what are they going to want to use it for? Are we trying to promote www.c-brats or the C-Dory boats?

Da Nag · Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2003 8:08 pm Post subject:

OK - I've added a photo album for this project. It's called 2004 Seattle Boat Show Collages, under Cruises and Events. Everyone can upload - direct link is here.

When you have a creation to display, pop it in there and drop a note in this thread with any details.

At a mutually agreed upon cut-off date, we can lock the photo album, and have a vote. As usual, we have to let CM vote twice, or he gets all whiney.

Sound like a plan? Other ideas?

TyBoo · Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2003 11:19 pm Post subject:

B~C · Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2003 11:41 pm Post subject:

Wow..cool stuff guys, maybe the factory would be so kind as to crank out some collage posters to give to us C-Nuts

Redƒox · Guest

I'm back to quack....

Pat or anyone, all you do in "PS Elements" is: File, then select "Photo-merge" and then click the"add" and nothing else. From there, make sure the "Image reduction" is set to "None". There are settings you may have to adjust, once the mixing area and the photo's load. The one that's called "snap-to" make sure it's off, if your blending photos and not stitching them.
It's super-easy. I just might be up to the task, yet, if your all satisfied with the standard-resolution that I have to go with on site here. My biggest problem is the slow dial-up modem we have and selecting through a hundred-zillion photos to add in the collage.
My heart is there with ya's, I just might pop-up something yet, in the mean-time, I think your all having too much fun at this...

Pat Anderson · Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2003 11:16 am Post subject:

Bill - maybe we should move this to a new thread called "(Teach Pat) How to Make a Collage in Photoshop Elements." What is so maddening is that the Adobe manual starts with how you will do all these wonderful things "easily and intuitively." And for Greg, it is "super-easy." Grrrr...

So, I followed Greg's directions below. File -> Photomerge ->Add, Image reduction none. Sor far, so good, get the Photomerge dialog to add files. Selected all the photos I wanted, clicked OK.

First error was something like "too many photos, rendering won't fit in memory" - and I have 512 megs of memory on the desktop. Oh, well, select fewer photos, let's try just three or so to start. I can always add more later, right?

OK, now I get to the main Photomerge window. I can select the thumbs and drag them to the (canvas?). I can move them around. But I see NO tool to set the (canvas?) size. I see no tool to resize individual images. I see no tool to zoom out to see the whole composition. I see no tool to add more photos if you want to. I see no tool to remove a picture (maybe that is just drag it back up to the thumbs or something, but selecting a right clicking does squat). OK, well, I guess I can do all that when I get back to the main Photoshop Elements work area, right? So I save the photomerge as (something) so I can come back to it later (maybe) and click OK.

Back at the main workarea, I now have it in a regular PS window with my three merged photos in it. It is a locked layer and the lock thingee is grayed out. Can't move things around, resize individual images or squat.

Freehand, which has a reputation for being a hard program, was very easy to use to create my collage, I set a page size of 36" x 24", zoomed out so I could see the whole page, imported photos, resized each one as needed, moved them around, moved them forward and backward, added my text - all in about 15 minutes. Saved it as a Freehand file, then exported it as a Photoshop file (it loaded fine into Photoshop Elements, but again, could not change it).

I want to use Photoshop Elements, I like the way it blends the edges, maybe use some of the filters (ha! That's a good one, right?). So what the heck am I missing here? How come kindergarteners can do this and I can't?

Redƒox · Guest

Pat sounds like you are in it alright. There is a little "slider-like-dealy" to the right of the "canvas" to select the size of the pix on the canvas, to deal with getting a whole-bunch of them on there and seeing all them. I guess that sort of "resizes the "canvas" it is a "merge" program however! so it's not going to have the resize settings, the program was intended for "sequential" photo's for merging, but I find it's great for the collages. Your right, you will have to resize the images first, before blending them, there is no setting for that in "photomerge" Also up on the upper-left corner, there is the little "hand" button. That will enable you to see the area your working on if the images get to be so many that the "work-area" cannot be made large enough. When you are done blending the work, then you can go back over to the "slider adjustment" (to the right) and have a look-see before you save it. Once you click "OK" that's it! there is no more fixing it. And also, you have to get all the ones on the canvas at once, it will not let you add more (I wish it would!)
It's definitely a "tight-ass" program! (lol) keep playing with it!
Hey, I hope you have the "full program" and not just a "limited addition" ? that could make a difference ?!
OK I hope that all came through OK, I'm sort of in a hurry to get this out to you...

PS: TyBoo. I got the "Christmas thread started over on my site for you now that you asked me to.... Very Happy