You may need to rotate the Uncle Fud layer horizontally, left-to-right.
Do this if the lighting is different for Uncle Fud and for the
group.
Check Uncle Fud's
Light Direction
Look at the lighting on Uncle Fud.
Figure out where the light is coming from.
Look at the shadows and highlights.
Let's say the light is coming from the left side
in the Uncle Fud photograph.
Check the Group's
Light Direction
Next, look at the group photograph.
Is the light coming from the same direction as in the Uncle Fud
photograph?
Let's say the light is coming from the right side
in the group photograph.
When you put Uncle Fud into the group, he may look odd.
He's lighted from the left.
Everyone else is lighted from the right.
Back & Front Lighting
If one photograph has light was coming from behind—and the other
photograph has light from the direction of the camera—there would
be no need to flip Uncle Fud.
5 - Flip Uncle Fud
Do the following, if necessary.
6) Make sure the
Uncle Fud layer is active (highlighted).
7) Go to Image
> Rotate > Flip Layer Horizontally.
Make sure you select—Flip Layer Horizontally—not—Flip
Horizontally.
Uncle Fud has flipped.
A person may look different when he or she is flipped left-to-right.
However, correcting the difference in lighting probably outweighs
any unnaturalness due to the flipping.
This is even more true when the face is small in the group photograph.
6 - Move the Uncle Fud Layer
To move the Uncle Fud layer to the group photograph, do the following.
8) Make sure the
Uncle Fud layer is active (highlighted).
9) Press Ctrl +
a.
You'll see the marching ants on the edge of the image.
10) Select the
Move tool.
11) Click, and
hold, on the large image of Uncle Fud in the center of your screen.
Don't click on the Uncle Fud layer in the Layers panel on the right side.
So, you've clicked on Uncle Fud in the center of your screen,
and you're holding the mouse button down.
12) Drag Uncle
Fud onto the thumbnail of the group photograph in the photo projects
bin at the bottom of your screen.
13) Double click
the thumbnail of the group photograph in the project bin.
The Uncle Fud layer is now on the top of the layer stack in the
Layers panel on the right side of your screen.
If you haven't already done so, go to
Move a Layer.
Uncle Fud
Background copy (Group of people)
Background
Layer Stack in the Photograph of the Group
Note:
Edit the Group Photograph, Now
You have moved the Uncle Fud layer to the group
photograph.
You're finished with the Uncle Fud photograph.
From now on, you'll be editing the group photograph only.
7 - Reposition Uncle Fud
14) In the group
photograph layer stack, make sure the Uncle Fud layer is active
(highlighted).
15) Select the
Move tool
16) Click, hold,
and drag Uncle Fud.
You can reduce the opacity of the layer to better see how to
integrate Uncle Fud into the group.
Fine tune the position by using the arrow keys on your keyboard.
You'll probably have to resize Uncle Fud.
His head may be too small or too big.
8 - Grid
You can use a grid to make it easier to resize Uncle Fud.
17) Go to View
> Grid.
18) Use the Zoom
tool to enlarge the face of the person in the group nearest to Uncle
Fud.
Let's say Aunt Joan is next to Uncle Fud.
19) Count the
number of boxes from the top of Aunt Joan's face to the bottom of
her face.
Note: Grid Box Size
If the grid boxes are too small or too big, change their size.
Go to Grid in Preferences.
Windows
Edit > Preferences > Grid, or press Ctrl + k.
Mac
Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Grid.
9 - Resize Uncle Fud
Let's say the height of Aunt Joan's face is eleven boxes.
Uncle Fud will be "standing" behind Aunt Joan.
So, make his face a little smaller than eleven boxes.
20) Make sure
the Uncle Fud layer is active (highlighted).
21) You may want
to deselect the eye icons of the other layers, so you can see Uncle
Fud more easily.
22) Go to Image
> Transform > Free Transform, or press Ctrl + t.
A box will appear around Uncle Fud.
23) Position the
cursor directly over the bottom right corner of
the box.
The cursor will change to a straight double
arrow (not curved).
Press and hold Alt, click and hold the mouse button down, and
move the corner of the box to resize Uncle Fud.
Pressing and holding Alt keeps the aspect ratio of the Uncle
Fud layer intact.
Again, make his face a little smaller than eleven boxes high.
24) Click the
green check mark to keep the transformation.
If you make a mistake when resizing Uncle Fud, it's best to go
back to just before you resized the layer.
The Free Transform tool adds and deletes pixels.
Therefore, if you resize and click the green check mark, and
do it again, and again, the Uncle Fud layer will degrade.
Use one of the following methods to backtrack.
Undo Arrow
So, if you don't like the new size of Uncle Fud, click the blue
undo arrow icon until you return to the operation you did just before
using the Free Transform tool.
Undo History
Go to Window > Undo History.
There, select the operation done just before using the Free Transform
tool.
Then, close the Undo History window.
You'll go back to just before you used the Free Transform tool.
Note:
Tucking Uncle Fud into the Group
Uncle Fud's body isn't tucked into the group yet.
He's floating above the group!
He doesn't have legs!
Not to worry.
We'll tuck him into the group after correcting his Levels and
color.
10 - Levels
27) If the exposure
and contrast of the Uncle Fud layer are different from the group,
do the following.
a) Make sure the Uncle Fud layer is active (highlighted).
c) Make sure the Levels adjustment layer is active (highlighted).
d) Group the Levels adjustment layer with the Uncle Fud layer.
If you haven't already done so, go to
How to Group.
Because they're grouped, the correction from the Levels adjustment
layer will be confined only to the Uncle Fud layer.
The Levels adjustment layer won't affect the group.
e) Return to the Levels adjustment panel.
f) Make your Levels corrections to match the exposure and contrast
of Uncle Fud with that of the group.
g) Click OK.
The layer stack will look like this.
↓ Levels
Uncle Fud
Background copy (Group of people)
Background
Note:
What about Doing
Levels for the Group?
You used Levels on the Uncle Fud layer.
When we're almost finished, you'll do Levels on all of the layers
to make the entire photograph look its best.
11 - Color Correct Uncle Fud
The color of the light that illuminated Uncle Fud, in his original
photograph, may have been a different color than the color of the
light on the group.
People won't notice slight variations in the color between Uncle
Fud and the rest of the group.
So, you don't need to match the color perfectly.
28) If the colors
of Uncle Fud and the group are substantially different, try one
of the following two color correction methods.
Automated Method
Correct Uncle Fud's Color
a) Make sure the Uncle Fud layer is active (highlighted).
b) Go to Enhance > Adjust Color > Adjust Color for Skin Tone.
c) Click on Uncle Fud's cheek.
Sliders
Use the sliders to fine tune the color.
The Tan and Blush sliders affect the skin tone.
Is Uncle Fud more tan, or more blush?
The Temperature slider can be used to cool (blue) or warm (red)
the color.
Better?
Does Uncle Fud's color match the group better?
If not, correct the skin tones in the group.
Do the following.
Correct the Group's Color
d) Make sure the Background copy layer is active (highlighted).
e) Go to Enhance > Adjust Color > Adjust Color for Skin Tone.
f) Click on Aunt Joan's cheek.
But, don't click on her too-thick rouge.
You have now color corrected both layers.
Their color should be similar now.
Photo Filter Adjustment Layer Method
If you're somewhat skilled at judging color, use a Photo Filter
adjustment layer.
a) Make sure the Uncle Fud layer is active (highlighted).
