Looking for a workflow help - image creation.

[Stumped]

So I have tried unsuccessfully with Adobe online help and searching the internet..... Im pretty sure this is a simple task, but I cant and/or dont know how to figure it out. Id like to be able to start with a stamp scan, which I typically do in .jpg or tiff, in 762 or 1200ppi. I want to be able to select the top corner "stars" and bottom letters - guessing by cropping?? To be able to create the little diagrams as in the bottom of this image. Im on a Mac and I have Photoshop or Lightroom. Im more familiar with Lightroom. A very beginner in PS and I do not have a good understanding of layers. I do not this is a time consuming project or task - I just cant figure it out. Thank you for any help.....

Can anyone tell how to do this to create the little images like in the bottom of this? I start with the stamp scan like what's on top:

 

[tspear]

That is a task for a pixel or bitmap editor. Not Lr.
You are better off using Photoshop since you have it. As for how to do it, I can give you directions in Windows Paint, but that is about the level I do pixel editing which would be no help at alll....

Last point, looks like this is very scriptable to save you time. But you would need to talk to someone who knows Ps.

Tim

 

[johnbeardy]

Definitely Photoshop, activate the Marquee selection tool (M), maybe hold Shift which constrains the selection to square, select a star, and then use Cmd J which puts the selection into its own layer. Repeat with other stars.

But I suspect you may know this already, and it's definitely layers that will help you. So I am a bit puzzled about the problem you're having.

 

[Stumped]

Definitely Photoshop, activate the Marquee selection tool (M), maybe hold Shift which constrains the selection to square, select a star, and then use Cmd J which puts the selection into its own layer. Repeat with other stars.

But I suspect you may know this already, and it's definitely layers that will help you. So I am a bit puzzled about the problem you're having.

Thanks John. I just barely know PS and the layers stuff is confusing to me. I have tried searching a lot of different phrases, etc., online and in Adobe with no luck. Cut & paste and combine using adobe photoshop, etc... I am familair with the photoshop layout so I was hoping someone cold help with a step by step for me. I have looked on Adobe and there is a LOT about merging photos, transparency, etc. And even an app they try to get me to subscribe to.

But id just like to keep it simple and that leads me to thinking of cutting and pasting side by side to make a new image.

 

[Stumped]

Definitely Photoshop, activate the Marquee selection tool (M), maybe hold Shift which constrains the selection to square, select a star, and then use Cmd J which puts the selection into its own layer. Repeat with other stars.

But I suspect you may know this already, and it's definitely layers that will help you. So I am a bit puzzled about the problem you're having.

so I selected one "J" and did as you said, command J. When I tried to do the 2nd one, I get this error:

How do I then combine them once I figure out how to do the 2nd one?

 

[Stumped]

so now I have this:



But, I cannot get them closer. When I try to move one, they are locked together and will not combine.

 

[johnbeardy]

That's because they are on the same layer, and if no pixels are selected, PS assumes that you want to move the whole layer.

Sorry if this is too basic, but Cmd click a layer to select all the pixels on that layer. Or select an area using the Marquee tool. Once selected, you can copy them.

I'd also suggest copying these stars to a new document. Select using Marquee, then copy.

 

[Stumped]

As you might be able to tell, nothing is too basic. I somehow got them to move to another layer. But, now when I export and view the image, the background is all white. I cant figure out how to make the background the same size as my combined selections. Anyway, thank you for trying. I was hoping it wasnt too complicated - but I guess I was wrong. Ive spent about 6 hours today alone on it. adobe never called back and the last time I talked to them they told me that it wasnt their job - only if I had a problem with a function - not how to do a project.

Thats why I was hoping for a step by step. Does anyone know if there is a lesson session I can buy somewhere?

 

[johnbeardy]

I'm unsure how much you understand, so rather than giving you complete A-Z steps , I give A-F and see if you come back asking about step K after figuring out G-J on your own.

One idea for you here is to merge those small layers created by Cmd J, so see the little menu at the top right of the layers palette. That can put those stars onto the same layer, if that helps you.

Or you can take that Cmd click a bit further. Cmd click the thumbnail in the layer palette - the pixels on that layer are selected. Shift+Cmd click another layer's thumbnail and the Shift adds this layer's pixels to the existing selection. You can then copy the combined selections to a new document.

I cant figure out how to make the background the same size as my combined selections.

The other area to look at is the Image menu and the commands such as Crop, Trim and Reveal. Crop crops to the selection, while Trim also crops but doesn't need a selection and figures it out from the pixels. So in your case, you might use Shift+Cmd to make a combined selection of those stars, and then use Image > Crop. Or you might use Image > Trim which would crop the image to the pixels, removing your white space. There's rsrely one way to do something in Photoshop.

Reveal is also handy in case you move a layer's pixels out of the crop area - Reveal "crops outwards" so everything is in the larger "canvas". Play with these and you'll soon get the idea.

I took a long time learning Photoshop, back in the 1990s! It's a big beast and I don't think people do "learn Photoshop" as a whole, even from books and videos. Instead they get there by learning to do their own specific tasks, which is where bits of books and videos work best, and the individual skills gradually accumulate into a more general confidence at approaching the kinds of things you want to do. So in my view the way forward is a little at a time, and just like this - having a clear idea of your goal, and then figuring out the specific tools you need to get there. Next time, you'll have a slightly different problem and you'll add another tool to your armoury, then another...

 

[Stumped]

This is a little confusing.... I use the Marque tool to select one letter, r click, layer via copy. And I get a 2nd layer with the letter. I then use the M tool to select the other letter and right click, layer via copy. I then get an error message, "Could not make a new layer from the selection because the selected area is empty." So I then have to go to the layer panel and move the highlight to my original image , go back to my 2nd selected letter, right click again and select layer via copy and the layer 2 appears. hen I have to go to the original image layer and unblock the 'eye' and I then can move the 2 images freely. Seems like a lot of steps.

I would think one could select 1 letter then the other and then combine the 2 into a new layer where they can be freely moved independent of one and another.

I can make 2 new layers and merge them so the 2 letters are on the same layer, but them they are locked together again...

 

[johnbeardy]

"Could not make a new layer from the selection because the selected area is empty."
You need to keep an eye on the Layers palette and note which is the active layer. This message indicates that it isn't the layer which contains the original image, and you're probably on the one which only contains the first selection which you only just copied onto its own layer.

So yes, you "then have to go to the layer panel and move the highlight to my original image".

If a layer is hidden, you can't select and copy from it. So again, you have to make it visible.

 

[Conrad Chavez]

This suggestion comes in from a totally different angle. It isn’t easy to set this up in any image processing program I know of without scripting or too many manual steps, but if you have experience with the Adobe InDesign page layout application, you can take advantage of its ability to set up frames in advance that handle images in a specific way based on the settings in the Object > Fitting > Frame Fitting Options command. In the demo below, the following options are set:

• All frames are set to not change the image size, by setting Fitting to None. (This requires that images already be at the correct size in inches/cm, at 300 ppi, so that the corner markings are not too big or small at import.)
• Each frame is set to pin the image to a different corner, by setting Align From.
• All frames are set to a default Crop Amount (inset from edge). But assuming stamps have inconsistent border widths, manual adjustment may be needed.

That manual adjustment can be done two ways, as shown:

• By adjusting the Crop Amount values in Frame Fitting Options after each image is added.
• By manually moving each image inside its frame, by dragging the Content Grabber (the “donut” in the middle) or by adjusting content (not frame) position values in the Control or Properties panels.

When done, InDesign does allow exporting as PNG, JPEG, or PDF.

If you are doing a lot of these, it is highly recommended that you test and perfect one page of all your grids, then save that as a Parent Page. Then any additional pages you need to make can be based on that Parent Page with all of the frames already preset to align image corners as needed. All you would have to do is drop an image into each frame, and manually adjust positioning inside each frame.

Photoshop has frames, but this is not practical to do there because they are quite limited compared to the frames in InDesign.

Apologies if the demo animation is too small, fast, or glitchy; I had to get it to be under the attachment file size limit.

 

[Stumped]

This suggestion comes in from a totally different angle. It isn’t easy to set this up in any image processing program I know of without scripting or too many manual steps, but if you have experience with the Adobe InDesign page layout application, you can take advantage of its ability to set up frames in advance that handle images in a specific way based on the settings in the Object > Fitting > Frame Fitting Options command. In the demo below, the following options are set:

• All frames are set to not change the image size, by setting Fitting to None. (This requires that images already be at the correct size in inches/cm, at 300 ppi, so that the corner markings are not too big or small at import.)
• Each frame is set to pin the image to a different corner, by setting Align From.
• All frames are set to a default Crop Amount (inset from edge). But assuming stamps have inconsistent border widths, manual adjustment may be needed.

That manual adjustment can be done two ways, as shown:

• By adjusting the Crop Amount values in Frame Fitting Options after each image is added.
• By manually moving each image inside its frame, by dragging the Content Grabber (the “donut” in the middle) or by adjusting content (not frame) position values in the Control or Properties panels.

View attachment 20648

When done, InDesign does allow exporting as PNG, JPEG, or PDF.

If you are doing a lot of these, it is highly recommended that you test and perfect one page of all your grids, then save that as a Parent Page. Then any additional pages you need to make can be based on that Parent Page with all of the frames already preset to align image corners as needed. All you would have to do is drop an image into each frame, and manually adjust positioning inside each frame.

Photoshop has frames, but this is not practical to do there because they are quite limited compared to the frames in InDesign.

Apologies if the demo animation is too small, fast, or glitchy; I had to get it to be under the attachment file size limit.

Thank you Conrad. This looks to be like a good way to go - except - ill have to learn the Application. Ive never used that one. I am still trying to set this up in PS and have just ordered a book by an author of the same name - haha!! My current PS book was 5 years old!!! let me look at this ...

Here is where I am now - just messing around trying to get comfortable with the PS and trying not to loose my cool. Its all a little frustrating.

THANK YOU for taking the time to lend a hand - much appreciated. Wm

 

[Conrad Chavez]

I thought about it a little longer, and it looks like there is a way to do this in Photoshop while minimizing the manual mouse work. I don’t have time to iron it out enough to post that today, but until I do, the basic idea is to build one pre-aligned four-square grid of masked Linked Smart Object images already in the proper corner positions, copy that in a specific way (not using a normal Duplicate), and then for each version you need to make for each pair of stamp images, relink that copy of the grid to the image pair that goes with it. The replacement linked images should position themselves into the same corner positions as the previous images linked to those Smart Object layers.

 

[johnbeardy]

I wonder if smart objects are a bit too much at this point, and certainly learning InDesign would be.

@Stumped, select the pixels on those 4 little layers and copy them to a new document, which you can then crop. I've given the methods (eg Cmd Click the thumbnail) in previous posts.

 

[PhilBurton]

Perhaps @Califdan can help you out with some one-on-one tutoring. Once you have a basic framework set up, you can always do some tweaking later on.

 

[Rob_Cullen]

I am 'late to the party' but a short video that might help the OP with the question first raised.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rioconc5ujpdzs6/Vide0 32.mp4?dl=0