Assassin - The Photoshop: Professional Retouching and Compositing Tips, Tricks, and Techniques - page 511

Tip
When you use the Spot Removal in Camera Raw with Type set to Clone or Heal, a
red pin indicates the area you brush over and a green pin indicates the source
chosen by Camera Raw to cover it with. If necessary, drag the green pin for a
better result.
Composition
We've retouched the file in Camera Raw and now we'll move it to Photoshop to create the
composite image.
1. Now that we are finished in Camera Raw, Shift-click Open Object in the lower-
right corner to open the image in Photoshop as a Smart Object.
To improve the composition and overall balance of the image, we'll move the
model into the center of the frame and widen his stance.
2. Go to Edit > Free Transform. In the options at the top of the screen, ensure that the
chain icon isn't depressed, and then increase the width (W) to 103% ( Figure
11.14 ). Then press the left arrow key on your keyboard eight times so that the
model is shifted to the left and is now central in the frame. Press Return/Enter.
Figure 11.14
Selecting the Model
I photographed the model against gray seamless paper with the intention of using the blend
mode compositing technique to add a new background. But we'll be adding a scene as op-
posed to a solid background, so we cannot use that technique and will need to make a se-
lection.
For an image like this, with dark clothing against a fairly dark background, my choice is to
use the Pen tool on the body and then Refine Edge on the hair.
1. With the Pen tool (P), and the options at the top of the screen set to Path, draw out
a path around the model's body but leave out the top of his head and hair ( Figure
11.15 ).