Help for creating Cutouts for The Pride style posters   home

The Pride can be created using any of our poster Templates Unlimited -- more examples
The Pride style poster using Football 04	The Pride style poster using Soccer 01	The Pride style poster using Baseball/Softball 04	The Pride style poster using our horizontal borders using Lacrosse 01 Download Lacrosse The Pride demo fully layered demo showing you how we created this poster	The Pride style poster using our horizontal borders using Football 04

Recommended for those familiar with Photoshop and/or Elements -- not for beginners, for beginners we recommend the Border style poster using Templates Unlimited -- tutorial @ http://www.artisticaction.com/howto_details.htm

Step-by-Step with images of how to do a cutout and create The Pride style poster is now available online details

A cutout is the player "cutout" from the background of the photo. 

With the cut-outs, at least for me, it just took a lot of practice.  I tried demos of Corel Knock-Out and Extensis Mask Pro and they worked alright but didn't give me what I wanted without doing a lot of touchups, so I found it easiest to do them this way (with Photoshop of course)  --

To create a poster print with a cutout image (to do this with the demo just hide or delete the Border, PlacePicHere and For templates like this layers ( the demo will still have a white box in the background but it will still give you a good idea of how your posters will look.  Of course the full version of the templates do not have the white box in the background.
 
1. Open Poster Template in PhotoShop or Photo Elements
2. Save as a different file name
Add a Main player photo
3. Open main photo to use as cut-out selection
4. Make any photo color corrections
5. Use your favorite method for making a cut-out selection and place on top background layer
(see or tips for making a smooth selection)
Optional lightly feather the selection
6. Ctrl + Click (Mac Command + Click) on Main Cut-Out layer

7. Select > Modify > Smooth -- Sample Radius enter any number from 2 to 10 px and OK

8. Select > Modify > Contract -- Contract by 2 or 3 px and OK
9. From Menu click Select > Feather > Feather Radius -- enter 5 then click OK
10. From Menu click Select > Inverse and then Delete key
11. Deselect main cut-out -- Ctrl + D (Mac Command + D)
12. If all looks fine then create a copy of this layer
13. Double click on layer under the one you just copied to add a Layer Style
pick Layer Style AAWhiteShadow (this style is included on your CD or DVD)
SAVE

Tips for making a smooth selection:


I start out making a rough outline of the object that I want to cutout from the background using the Lasso then I inverse and delete.  I find it easiest to work on a white background.  So I Ctrl + Click on the layer the image is on and copy and paste it into a new image with a white background and save is as a PSD

Then I use the Magic Wand --
with a tolerance of about 30 to 40, with Add a Selection hi-lighted.  Start carefully picking spots outside the images to keep.  If it selects inside the image to keep then click Ctrl + Z (Mac Command + Z)
Select as much or little as you like at a time but before hitting delete feather your selection of 2 pixels
To feather -- from the Menu  Select > Feather > 2 px
Doing a slight feathering will smooth out your selection as to not have a jagged edge.

Repeat these steps as many times as need to remove the background - lower the tolerance as needed. 
Another good tool for removing the background is the Lasso or Magnetic Lasso set them with a 2 px feather and the Add a Selection highlighted, if you selected too much then click on the Subtract from Selection
SAVE and use this cutout in Poster #1, Magazine Cover #1 and Trading Card #1


Repeat these steps as many times as need to remove the background - lower the tolerance as needed. 
Another good tool for removing the background is the Lasso or Magnetic Lasso set them with a 2 px feather and the Add a Selection highlighted, if you selected too much then click on the Subtract from Selection
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Add a background photo of player
1. Open photo to use
2. Make any photo color corrections
3. Using Lasso tool make a rough cut-out of player
4. Bring into poster template and place behind main photo
5. Desaturate ( to desaturate from menu click on Image > Adjustments > Desaturate)
6. Set layer blend mode to luminosity, adjust Opacity to your liking (usually about 90%)
7. Optional -- if not happy with the way in looks then add a layer mask and using a large soft brush paint out what you want to remove, recommend painting instead of erasing since you can always paint stuff back in.
SAVE
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We also offer border overlay templates. They are as simple as dragging an image in behind the border overlay
and changing the text.  For the ones with the cut-outs it is a little more involved of course.  Another tip
when taking the photo have only the player in sharp focus and the background blurred, very easy to extract
an image from a blurry background (but you probably know that).
 
You are welcome to download a template demo and try it out to see if our templates will work easily for you @
http://www.artisticactionposters.com/LacrosseDemo_2005/PrideLacrosse01Poster01_DEMO.zip

With "The Pride" style posters I have posted only the top image is a cut-out the background image is just a rough cut-out, the instructions for how to create these are included with the demo.


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If the steps above aren't working for you with your version of Photoshop or Elements then we suggest searching the help files that came with your version of PS or Elements, search Google for tutorials and/or YouTube

Cutouts can also be used for the All Action and Pro I and II  and future Pro poster kits
All Action poster kit All Action poster kit can be used for any sport	All Action poster kit	All Action poster kit	The Pro I horizontal (vertical also available) Can be used for any sport Cut-out is optional	The Pro II horizontal (vertical also available) Can be used for any sport Cut-out is optional