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Merging an image into an existing image


oodya

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Hello all,

I have a quick question - if someone can help please?

Basically, if I have an image of a monitor - and I want to change what the monitor is showing e.g. please see the attachment - I would like to change the 'acer' displaymonitor.jpg.

If I had another image - say an image of a dessert - say the dessert image was 2000px x 2000 px and the monitor image was 800px x 800px - if I quickly opened both files and wanted the dessert to fit into the monitor display section (either the full dessert image or part of it) - what would be the best way for me to do this.

They way I am thinking (probably not correct) would require me to use the rectangle marquee tool - to select the area on the monitor that I want to replace, but I am unsure of the process for this.

Would anyone kindly be able to advise?

Thanks,

Oodya
 

MrToM

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Fitting a square image into a rectangular hole is going to mean compromise somewhere but as to method it just takes some simple transformation.

(If you have the option to convert the 'dessert' layer to a 'Smart Object' then do so.)

With the 'dessert' layer above the 'monitor' layer and selected, just use CTRL + T to go into transform mode.
Transform the image to fit.

Job done.

Question is....which way to go?

Transforming by 'Height' means gaps down each side, which you'll have to 'fill' with something...

dessert_by_height_MT_01.jpg


Transforming by stretching (scaling) will obviously stretch the image....although it fits...

dessert_by_stretch_MT_01.jpg


Transforming to 'Width' means it fills the space but you lose some of the image top and bottom...

dessert_by_width_MT_01.jpg

With this last one you'll need a 'Mask' to hide the image outside the area of interest.

Regards.
MrToM.
 
Last edited:

IamSam

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Here's another method you can use.

Create a new layer above the image.
Use your Polygonal Lasso Tool to make a selection of the screen.
Screen Shot 2015-08-03 at 10.29.21 AM.png

Fill the selection with white.
Hit Cmd/Cntrl + D to deselect.
Screen Shot 2015-08-03 at 10.29.57 AM.png

Open the image you would like to appear on the monitor. Make sure it's the uppermost layer.
You may have to use the Free Transform function to re-size the new image to fit.
Screen Shot 2015-08-03 at 10.31.22 AM.png

On the new image layer, right click and select "Create clipping mask"

Done
Screen Shot 2015-08-03 at 10.31.43 AM.png

Screen Shot 2015-08-03 at 10.39.21 AM.png

If you want different images to appear on the monitor, just add them to the stack and use the clipping mask.
The uppermost layer/image will appear on the monitor until you turn it off.
Screen Shot 2015-08-03 at 10.43.40 AM.png

Screen Shot 2015-08-03 at 10.43.47 AM.png
 

Tom Mann

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Open both images in Photoshop (ie, as separate documents).

Click somewhere in the dessert image to make it the active document.

Type control-A (for a PC) to select the entire 2000x2000 image of the dessert.

Type control-C to copy what you just selected.

Type control-F6 to switch to the other document, the monitor.

Type control-V to paste the image of the dessert as a new layer on the top of the layer stack in the monitor document.

Since the material you added is larger than the size of the original document, keep hitting control-(minus sign) to keep zooming out till you see the entirety of the dessert image.

Click the move tool. Usually it's on the LHS of your screen, at or near the top of all the tool icons. It looks like two double headed arrows crossed at 90 degrees.

You should now see tiny gray squares at each of the corners and along each of the edges of the dessert image. These are the handles which allow you to re-size and re-shape at image.

Click and hold the handle in the upper left hand corner (U-LHC) of the dessert image. Move your mouse diagonally till the handle is positioned at the U-LHC of the window area of the monitor image. Release the mouse button.

Do the same for the handle in the lower LHC of the dessert image. If the two images are perfectly square and both have a 1:1 aspect ratio, the desert image should now be located quite closely to where it needs to be and very close to the correct size.

Tweak as needed.

If you can't get it exact for some reason (eg, the monitor screen is not exactly 1:1 vert-to-horiz, the edges or corners of the monitor are slightly curved, the photo of the monitor was taken at an angle, you don't like the added image to have sharp edges, etc.), post the two images, and we can go from there.

Tom M

PS - Sorry there are no pix in the above tutorial, but I'm not at my computer at the moment.

PPS - There are other ways to do what you asked, but the above is one of the most straightforward and the technique involved, the Move tool, is important for many, many other uses of Photoshop.
 

Tom Mann

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Geeze, you guys are fast, and I mean FAST. In the time it took me to type up some instructions, you both had prepared instructions complete with pix. oodya, you can ignore my typed instructions. Theirs are better. :cry:

LOL,

Tom M
 

IamSam

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What's funny is that we all hit about 1 hour after the post.

MrToM watches me and tries to beat me to the post, it's those pesky spy Penguins! :rofl:
 

MrToM

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More worrying is that I hit it virtually as soon as it showed up.....so why did it take an hour to show in the forum?

My 'Spenguins' are slackers! :rofl:

Regards.
MrTom.
 

IamSam

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More worrying is that I hit it virtually as soon as it showed up.....so why did it take an hour to show in the forum?
Not exactly sure............that's a very long pause. How quickly are your text only posts appearing?
 

Tom Mann

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FWIW, my text-only post showed up immediately.

T

PS - Now I don't feel quite so bad -- I started working on my bare-bones, text-only version (no masks, no clipping, etc. ) only a few minutes before I hit "send", and then it appeared immediately.
 
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IamSam

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The real trick is adding back the screen reflection.
It would be rather challenging for a Ps novice even if I could explain what I did.

Screen Shot 2015-08-03 at 11.22.46 AM.png
 

MrToM

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Not exactly sure............that's a very long pause. How quickly are your text only posts appearing?
My posts are fine, its the original 'thread' that didn't show up straight away.

I didn't notice the time until you mentioned it but there must be a reason why we all replied within a very short time slot.

Maybe none of us actually 'saw' the original thread starter post for an hour....and all jumped on it as soon we did?

Too coincidental?

Regards.
MrToM.

EDIT:
This may explain why sometimes when we reply almost immediately to a new thread that the OP doesn't then respond back.....because in reality they posted over an hour ago but nobody could see their thread?

Meantime they have moved on assuming nobody is going to reply.
It may be the case that the OP CAN see their new thread......but no-one else...?

You know the ones I mean IamSam.....those 'popcorn' posts we sometime get.

Just a thought.
 
Last edited:

oodya

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Absolutely wonderful - I had no preference as to which one to try so I tried MrTom and IamSam's solutions - they both worked perfectly - I learnt something new today.

Thank you Tom Mann too - I will be checking out your solution tomorrow as well.

Thanks to everyone for your help - it is much much appreciated :)

Keep up the good work
 

Tom Mann

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I think you can ignore my text tutorial. I didn't know how advanced you were, so it is more basic that what you have already done! It's only a brief intro that covers cutting, pasting and resizing objects using the handles.

Tom M
 

Zeealex

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for the reflection, if you want a basic ( pretty crude) one, just use a grey-white gradient, make it fit the screen with either of these three gentlemen's wonderful tutorials, and then set the blending mode to soft light, adjust the layer opacity as required.
 

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