Combing two photos

[phochief]

I know this can be done, because I accidentally did it once already but can't seem to figure out how to do it again. I have a pretty background photo and I want to put my product photo on it. So I need to crop around the shape of the product so it's not a square photo anymore.

I want to use one photo as a background (photo 1). I want to crop around the edge of the product (photo 2) and put photo 2 on top of the background photo (photo 1), and combine them as one photo.

I think I did this last time by using the Shape Editor Tool on photo 2 and then holding down the Shift key while selecting both photos and then using Intersect shapes, but when I do that it just gets rid of all the background around photo 2 and doesn't combine them into one image.

What am I doing wrong? Or some step by step guide would be great.

Thanks guys!

[Wayne Randall]

Hi.
You could just select both and under ARRANGE just GROUP them. Quick and easy.

[Soquili]

Hi Prochief,

Welcome to Talkgraphics.

When you use the Shape Editor Tool to draw a shape over the product in Photo #2, use the shift key to select the shape and Photo #2. Then use the Combine Shape > Intersect shape to remove the unwanted parts of Photo #2.

Place the select part of Photo #2 over Photo #1 in the location you want it. You may also want to slightly feather the edges of the portion Photo #2 so it fits in with Photo #1.

You could group them together, but if you want to simply export them together as one image you can select Photo #1 and the portion of Photo #2 before using the File > Export menu.

[Albacore]

Have a look at Egg's movie tutorial when he puts a cow by Ayres Rock!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8XgHkZo1J8

[phochief]

Aaaah.....that's the ticket! I knew it had to be something simple to stump me so easily. That is so cool. Thanks!

Hi Prochief,

Welcome to Talkgraphics.

When you use the Shape Editor Tool to draw a shape over the product in Photo #2, use the shift key to select the shape and Photo #2. Then use the Combine Shape > Intersect shape to remove the unwanted parts of Photo #2.

Place the select part of Photo #2 over Photo #1 in the location you want it. You may also want to slightly feather the edges of the portion Photo #2 so it fits in with Photo #1.

[matelot]

I believe that I was the reason for Egg posting his 'Extraction.......' I was very new to Xara (still am) at the time and was not keen on showing my ignorance so I asked Egg by Private post if he could help me. I volunteered to teach 'computers for beginners' to senior citizens and was amazed and very pleased to see the faces of these 'elders', many of them ranging from 75 - 90+ when they discovered that they too could send msges into cyberspace and receive pix from their grandchildren. Quite a few of them asked if I could help them 'advance' to the point of enhancing and manipulating said pix. Some wanted to make a collage of their descendants (from different families), others wanted to morph their pix of children at an early age to the present day, hence my reqeust to Egg.

I purchased Xara with the intent of helpng them achieve their goals. Though I am still inept with Xara I have been able to use Egg's video (on split screens) and walk some of these oldtimers through the steps. I do this instruction without pay and beg for computers for this purpose. At the moment I have achieved the (for me) dizzying height of placing some of their pix in bottles, incandescent light bulbs and bubbles. (My bubbles are almost 'see-thru' and I must practice getting a bubble with a 'sheen/colour' on it to make it more realistic).

Many thanks to Egg and all who contribute to this Forum. Perhaps one day I will be able to contribute without hesitation.