Removing Tourists
August 19, 2008
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© Dndavis |
Have you ever waited patiently in front of a landmark, maybe a fountain or cathedral, hoping that there would be a magic moment when there was no one in the frame--no dogs, no kids, no tourists taking their own pictures?
I've spent many such moments, not always patiently. Sometimes I would give up, other times the image wouldn't be what I wanted because I needed to snap away in the .5 seconds when the coast was clear.
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© Chiyacat |
I have discovered an almost unbelievable function in Photoshop: the ability to combine multiple photos and create a composite in which there are no people (or dogs). To do this, you need to take several pictures of your subject. It doesn't matter how many people are in them, as long as there are at least two shots showing each part of the landmark (in other words, there need to be at least two shots in which no one is standing in front of any particular point). Once you get back to your computer, fire up PS, align the layers, and voila--a clean image.
There are a couple catches. First, I believe you need the extended version of PS to do this. Second, the first time around, it's a little tricky (at least for me) to sort out all the steps. However, once you get the hang of it, it's a piece of cake. Just look in PS help under 'align layers.'
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© Denkyw |
Photo credits: Chiyacat, Yew Wah Kok, Dndavis.
8 Comments
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PublishDavulcu
Great help ... thanks
Sophiesourit
good news if such thing is possible....
Well, the only thing with eddion is ...well it is fast just few minutes...yep ...but few minutes for hundred pictures... damned it is whole day... So another option is to get upe early, very early and be on location before the tourist ...then when they arrive ..have a cup of coffe enjoying place ...:)
Charlesoutcalt
Bugsy, I meant to mention this, too, and forgot. Thanks for reminding me. I took some shots over the weekend at ISO 3200. They weren't so great on their own, but I used the median feature, and much of the noise disappeared. I've been trying Noise Ninja, too, and like it very much so far.
Bugsy
yes, this is one of the most amazing photoshop features. it also works really well for removing grain from images because grain is placed randomly, PS can pick apart the grain once you have enough images overlayed.
Py2000
I ran into the same problem as well, and this sounds like a good idea.
Sparkmom
What a neat idea! Thank you for sharing!
Charlesoutcalt
Just be sure you take a few photos of the subject, and make sure you have at least two clear views of each point of it. It helps considerably to keep your vantage point and exposure as consistent as possible, too.
Bradcalkins
Good thinking! I'll have to keep this in the 'tool box' next time I'm travelling...