What's new
Photoshop Gurus Forum

Welcome to Photoshop Gurus forum. Register a free account today to become a member! It's completely free. Once signed in, you'll enjoy an ad-free experience and be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Suggestions for solid color background


kiltro

New Member
Messages
3
Likes
0
Hello,
I've removed background from a pic while keeping shadows.
I've then added a new solid colour background, but it still look a bit fake.

Senza titolo-1.jpg

I dont know if I'll use this exact colour but it will be a light one.
It still look a bit like a collage to me
Can you give me some suggestions to make it look better?
 

IamSam

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Messages
22,722
Likes
13,258
Hello.

You did a great job isolating the subject.

Let's look at what I think gives you the impression that it looks fake.....

Bottom...
Looks real!
Screen Shot 2022-06-20 at 11.47.23 AM.png

Top....
Not very real as there is nothing in the BG offering depth.
Screen Shot 2022-06-20 at 11.46.59 AM.png

Sometimes a simple gradient in the upper half of the BG can help.
Screen Shot 2022-06-20 at 12.25.29 PM.png
 

Babine

Guru
Messages
2,698
Likes
3,769
Selected the objects to a new layer, applied curves adjustments to the BG to lighten and shift the light source to photo left somewhat, merged down then sharpened the objects in darken mode. Maybe a pattern or overlay of some sort in a minimal opacity applied to the BG would make for a better separation?

Senza-titolo-1.jpg
 

thebestcpu

Guru
Messages
2,989
Likes
2,752
Hi @kiltro
When I examined the image, the saturation component of the main subject and background were very much the same. That's one way that there is competition between the two.
So I focused on making the background less saturated (wtih same Hue) and then using a stronger graduent (same Hue again) with a clearly delineated line for the eye to catch the boundary between the base and the background.

I also noted that you did not have an embedded color profile so I assinged ito the sRGB color profile. That insures better consistent colors across viewing browsers.

I liked it yet that may not be the way you want to go. Just one more idea to consider along with other great ideas already shared.
John Wheeler

Change-Background-final.jpg
 

JeffK

Guru
Messages
2,486
Likes
2,890
My batting average hasn't been great here lately - but John did something that others hadn't which was to create a "back" to the image providing a delineation that gave a sense of where the objects were in space:

1655918135071.png

I looked at other still lifes, and even with a black background, there was a change in tone front-to-backunless the objects were sitting flat on a surface. If, in this image, they were sitting flat on the surface, I think the shadowing would cast differently. Here the objects seem more propped up the camera.

Staying with the same color, and also adding a bit of black-to-transparent gradient, here's what I tried:

still life.jpg

Just a thought...
 

Top