another howd they do that..

http://www.egomedia.com/default2.html

Im really just interested inconverting my photo into the two shades black and white/transparent, as in the background here...

Thanks

Originally posted by TheDPQ.

"First, DESATERATE your image! Very important.

Next, Go to Image>Adjust>Brightness/Contrast.
I turned the contract allll the way up, you might wanna play with the brightness settings if you want.

Next, select all the black. Be sure to have 'contiguous' CHECKED on your magic want options (this way when you select black it will select EVERY little bit of black on the entire image)

Next, create a new Channel (go to channel pallet and click the 'create new channel' button the bottom of the pallet) now, deselete your section, and reselect the channel.

NOW go the PATHS pallet and create a new WORK PATH.

Now, CTRL-CLICK the new work path layer. Now go back to the LAYERS pallet and FILL a new layer with whatever color you want (you might have to invert selection, depending on how you did it)"

Very simple.

On the top menu options go to

Image>adjust>threshold

Adjust the slider to the amount of black and white that you want.

Or....

If you want a smoother look,after adjusting the threshold, then go into the image's channels.

Duplicate one of the channels and gaussian blur it a bit (not too much as to make the image just a giant blur, but enough to blur all the edges of the picture).

While still on the channel, go to Image>adjust>levels and take the leftmost and rightmost arrows inward towards the middle arrow until the image sharpens back up.

Make a selection of that channel by going to select>load selection and choose that channel, invert the selection while you're at it. Go back to your layers, make a new layer and fill it with black. Make a white layer behind it and merge them together.


Afterwards, its a simple matter of adjusting opacity and blending modes to melt the image into the background as they do on that site.

Thanks for your reply,

however if I follow these directions word 4 word i get a completley black photo. I think I see what you are getting at though. select all the black in the image and fill with a new color, I dont see where a channel or workpath is necessary in accomplishing this...

Here's a comparsion of Bogus and my methods and how they look differently....


=>Clicky<=

If you use the paths way it smoothes it out, I think.

well both of the methods worked! it appears in your image, Cookie, that the render on the right captured more detail. I found the same result here

hmm now im torn between smooth lines or detail..

I'm fine until I get to the part where I deselect after making a new channel. When I make a new work path, there's nothing in it. I think I'm doing something wrong, could you explain that part a little better? ps.......cool tutorial....

I believe what you need to do is create a new channel FROM THE SELECTION... the same applies for the work path...

I understand that, she said to deselect, THEN make a new path.....that's where the confusion lies.