Invert Sequence

Buergday · Guest

So, I was bored at work today and decided to make a sequence photo of a local rider here in Sonoma County. He's doing a straight invert here, but he's got a whole bag of tricks up his sleeve. This was just the only complete set of photos that I had to work with. Whatcha think?

listen2cky · Posted: May 11, 2004 2:42 pm Post subject:

that is actually really good. I really need to buff up my photoshop skills.

vance · Guest

awesome. How long did that take?

intotheflats · Posted: May 11, 2004 2:46 pm Post subject:

That is really cool. Cool

jojotherider · Criminal Joined: 24 Jun 2003 Posts: 93 City: Puyallup, WA

Really nice. Thanks for sharing your handy work. What kind of Camera did you use? Is it digital or are the pics scanned?

WakeOn · Posted: May 11, 2004 2:49 pm Post subject:

SWEET!!! That looks great!

Email me, I want to put it on the site. Got any more?

BillJ · Posted: May 11, 2004 2:52 pm Post subject:

In addition to what camera did you use, how many frames per second were you shooting?

Nice job on the sequence....

Buergday · Guest

WakeOn: I already emailed it to you - check your aol inbox. I don't have any more because the cd rom you sent doesn't have any more complete photo sets. I'd be happy to make more though.

Vance: Thanks - took about 30 minutes

jojo: Thanks, but I didn't take the pix. I just created the sequence and added the graphical elements.

I just noticed something - I put Lake Sonoma on the photo, but it actually looks like they were riding at Berryessa that day. Whoops.

actiondcpd · Posted: May 11, 2004 3:11 pm Post subject:

Buergday, That is awesome. Nice work.

goodricht · Posted: May 11, 2004 4:51 pm Post subject:

Damn nice stuff! I like the surrounding design as well!

RUSSIAN · Posted: May 11, 2004 5:04 pm Post subject:

I don't think thats berryessa, I don't think there are any houses like that on the water. that still a great sequence though

Face-Plant · Addict Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Posts: 703 City: Riverview

Very nice, it makes me want to get into photoshop stuff

M3snow010 · Outlaw Joined: 11 Apr 2004 Posts: 124 City: Rochester

thats way good. and it only took you 30 minutes, damn.

rybassett17 · Addict Joined: 11 May 2004 Posts: 562 City: Cadillac

Thats pretty sweet is that digital????

enjoi004 · Newbie Joined: 22 Apr 2004 Posts: 4

dang thats really nice, high quality looks like it should be in a mag or sumthin

LSR · Outlaw Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 120 City: Healdsburg

Dave - very nice work my brotha - That was taken on Clear Lake CA. Can you post the shots of Cory on his skate.

Thanks Again Dave,

mike@wakeon.com
WWW.WAKEON.COM

Dutch · Addict Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Posts: 589

Buergday, You did that in 30 minutes? What kind of masking technique did you use in PS? I'm curious cause that's really fast for all that cutout work. Nice job.

Josh R · Posted: May 12, 2004 6:29 am Post subject:

Once you do a few, you can start doing them pretty quickly. It's not all that hard when you've got the technique down and have a system.

I knocked this one up in around the same time. Not quite as sophisticated with outer graphics or the like however...

BTW, Looks very nice Buergday.

WakeTech · Addict Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 949 City: Edmonton

This may be a stupid question but I'll ask anyway. When you do these sequences are they from a camera (digital) or from a vid cam and take the photo's out of frames on the video ?

jt09 · Ladies Man Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 22083 City: Austin

Buergday, legit all the way!

WakeOn · Posted: May 12, 2004 7:31 am Post subject:

It's on the site, thanks Dave.

rishling · Criminal Joined: 04 Mar 2004 Posts: 68

That looks awesome. How do you make that, do you use a certain computer program to do it?

Dutch · Addict Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Posts: 589

Josh R, ok, then I'll ask you too. What masking technique did you use to do it so quickly? Magic wand? air brush with a mask? whatcha useing?
I'm decently proficient with Photoshop, so I know I could do these if I try one, I'm just wondering what technique you guys are using. I'd probably create a mask and then paint out around each clip of the guy, then cut and paste them into the first or last image.
Josh, nice work on yours too.
I love sequentials.

prior40 · Addict Joined: 20 Feb 2004 Posts: 579 City: Palo Alto

thast first pic was definately clear lakle, looks like it was taken near my place actually Very Happy

those sequences are awesoem though, wish i had the ability do do stuff like that

salmon_tacos · Posted: May 12, 2004 8:49 am Post subject:

Dutch,

I've done a couple of really quick sequences (I haven't captured anything worthy of really high-quality work) and here's how I did it:

1. Take the first image in the sequence and then paste each successive image on top of it. So you have a series of layers with the top one being the last frame.

2. Make the canvas size bigger for the next step.

3.. Go through all the layers, starting with the first one, making them about 50% transparent, then move them around so the backgrounds line up. This is really easy...just like focusing a camera. After you line up the background, make the layer 100% opaque again.

4. Go through each layer and quickly make a "loose" selection (a couple or few pixels outside) around the rider or rope. Invert the selection. Feather it by a few pixels. Make sure to deselect any area of the layer you need for background (areas outside the previous layer or areas where you want spray or the trail of the wakeboard through the water to show). Edit -> Clear.

5. Since you lined up the backgrounds already, it will look pretty good. Go through and touch up anything that looks funny using the paintbrush in clear mode.

Edit: Oh, I forgot to mention on step 3: you MAY have to rotate the layer a bit to line it up if the camera was rotated during the sequence. This is a little harder but I'm sure you can figure it out using various references within the background. You can also obviously move the layer transparency back and forth to show you what you want. Also, after making the layer 100% opaque, I like to toggle it from visible to invisible a few times to check the alignment and see if the background "moves" when I do it. If it looks like it moves to when you make the layer visible, nudge the layer in the opposite direction and try again.

Buergday · Guest

Salmon Tacos:
I couldn't have described the process better myself. Personally, I like to use the eraser tool (with a feathered brush) to blend the images together. The, I use the eraser tool with a solid brush for the detail where the images overlap. Most of the blending is done freehand, rather than using a mass-seletion tool, like the magic wand. The magic wand tool is cool, but not for removing backgrounds from behind detailed subjects.

LSR:
I'll work on that one today, and post it up in a little while.

Josh R:
Nice work man! Your stuff is always impressive.

WakeTech:
Those were from a 35mm camera - not mine though, so I'm not sure exactly what equipment he was using. You can also do them from a video, but the quality suffers (usually not high enough resolution). Here's one that I did of me a long time ago from a 8mm camcorder. You can see the obvious difference in quality. Also, it was my first sequence attempt, so I didn't have the technique down yet.

salmon_tacos · Posted: May 12, 2004 9:22 am Post subject:

Buergday,

Does the eraser tool do something for you that the paintbrush doesn't or is it just a different way of doing the exact same thing?

Buergday · Guest

Well, I use the eraser tool to blend the layers together, rather than cutting out sections with the magic wand or the lasso. Just like you said in your description - I line up the backgrounds of all the layers, but then I use the eraser tool at various opacities to blend the layers. Once they are seamless, I merge them and make any small detail adjustments. Does that answer your question?

WakeTech · Addict Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 949 City: Edmonton

Buergday,

That's still a pretty good sequence, thanks for the info

salmon_tacos · Posted: May 12, 2004 10:54 am Post subject:

Buergday,

No. Very Happy

I was wondering about the difference between the eraser tool and the paintbrush tool in "clear" mode. Both erase portions of the active layer.

Regarding the use of the lasso: I just like to cut out the majority of the background with a feathered mask just to save time. The results are usually no worse than with painstaking erasing on water, trees, and sky. I go in and touch up the all the areas that matter anyway, i.e. around the rider and rope (especially when he overlaps with himself on a fast 7fps frame rate).

Buergday · Guest

Oh - I see. I'm not sure about the difference. I just always use the eraser tool.
Here's another one that I just did this morning, per LSR's request.

Buergday · Guest

The center photo was out of focus and overexposed, so even after a bunch of color/brightness/contrast and hue adjustment, it still doesn't match the rest of the frames. Oh well.

salmon_tacos · Posted: May 12, 2004 12:50 pm Post subject:

Boater: "Officer, he went that way and he was riding a yellow wakeskate!"

...

Officer: "Hey, you on the orange wakeskate! Did you see somebody on a yellow wakeskate?"
LSR: "No, officer. Heeheehee..."

Rolling Eyes

WakeOn · Posted: May 12, 2004 12:55 pm Post subject:

Damn that looks GOOD!

Buergday · Guest

Thanks WakeOn!
Hey, I'm confused - Mike, which one are you - LSR or WakeOn? And who is the other one?