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  1. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2000
    Location
    Placitas, New Mexico, USA
    Posts
    41,487

    Default Re: Removing background & otherwise "fixing" a photo

    See this old Xara Xone Workbook (Method 2 further down the page) http://www.xaraxone.com/webxealot/workbook36/page_4.htm

    And see this Workbook article Drawing with the Shape Tool http://www.xaraxone.com/webxealot/wo...workbook_2.htm

    What you need to do is create an accurate outline around the image using the Shape Tool. I like to draw with the Make Line option enabled, and create a series of connected straight line segments. Then I use the Shape Tool to drag the line segments into curves. The last point of the outline has to connect with the first and this will create a solid filled shape.

    Place the shape (mask) behind the photo (Arrange > Send to Back) and with the mask still selected, hold down the Shift key to select the photo.

    Then from the Arrange menu, select Apply Clipview.

    The attached XAR files shows the results.
    Attached Files Attached Files
    Last edited by gwpriester; 27 April 2014 at 06:01 PM.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2001
    Location
    Surrey, BC, Canada
    Posts
    2,379

    Default Re: Removing background & otherwise "fixing" a photo

    Hi,
    Here is my version.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Fitrman.png 
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ID:	101757  
    Intel i7-2600 processor 3.4GH, Windows 10 64Bit, 12GB Memory, Geforce 960 2Gb graphics card

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Sloan, NY (Suburb of Buffalo, NY, USA)
    Posts
    132

    Default Re: Removing background & otherwise "fixing" a photo

    Wow! Holy Moley!! Thanks to you both! Nice job, Scotty!

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Sloan, NY (Suburb of Buffalo, NY, USA)
    Posts
    132

    Default Re: Removing background & otherwise "fixing" a photo

    I'm not quite done yet but, my gosh!, how much simpler that is than the way I've been working on it!! Thanks,Gary!

    Doofus as it sounds, I keep forgetting about all the information and tutorials available in the archives of Xara Xone. The problem is that I don't do this kind of work on a regular basis. With everything else going on I don't get to really spend the time learning, much less perfecting, these techniques until it's "do or die", like now.

    I'm going to make a conscious effort to spend at least a two or three hours a week going through some of the tutorials, especially the basics and the things I know I'm going to have to do eventually. The 2014 Inspection is coming up in a couple of months and I need to prepare for that.

    Thanks again!
    Last edited by unfaithfulsfan; 27 April 2014 at 09:54 PM. Reason: missed a word

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2000
    Location
    Placitas, New Mexico, USA
    Posts
    41,487

    Default Re: Removing background & otherwise "fixing" a photo

    Glad I could point you in the right direction.

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Sloan, NY (Suburb of Buffalo, NY, USA)
    Posts
    132

    Default Re: Removing background & otherwise "fixing" a photo

    Here's the final specimen. I don't know what I did wrong but I just could not get the hang of cleaning up the insignia and hat band.

    But I'll tell you guys one thing: Thanks to all 3 of you, especially gwpriester, I did in about 3.5 hours what I could not get done in 3.5 days. It's not the greatest but hopefully it'll be good enough to make the plaque.

    I'll see what Al thinks and go from there.

    Thank you all very, very much!!

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Mr_Bill_S.jpg 
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Size:	31.3 KB 
ID:	101764

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Alexandria, VA, USA
    Posts
    968

    Default Re: Removing background & otherwise "fixing" a photo

    You're welcome, it looks good! Now that you practiced, you may want to try to copy the badge from another picture and paste it into your 'final'. The picture #1 in your first post looks like a good candidate for a badge source; perhaps other individuals pictures may match better. Just thinkin'...
    ~Fred

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Sloan, NY (Suburb of Buffalo, NY, USA)
    Posts
    132

    Default Re: Removing background & otherwise "fixing" a photo

    Thanks!! Still amazed at how much faster the process went with the right tools. I shouldn't be, though, since that axiom applies everywhere. It's like trying to change a flat tire using a pair of pliers to remove the lug nuts when a perfectly good lug wrench is in the trunk. I'm sure the way I was working on it has its virtues, just not in this case.

    I'll try that with the insignia. I'm just wondering if there's a way to clean up the entire image in order to enlarge it.

    Chief Wieberg was impressed & grateful and has sent the image to the plaque maker. Hopefully it will be sufficient. The chief showed me one of the plaques last year but it was photographing another event at the Fire Hall at the time and I only got to see it for a few seconds. Now I can't remember what it looked like.

    Thanks so much again for the help and the links!

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Aug 2000
    Location
    Placitas, New Mexico, USA
    Posts
    41,487

    Default Re: Removing background & otherwise "fixing" a photo

    It looks really convincing. So ya done good.

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Sloan, NY (Suburb of Buffalo, NY, USA)
    Posts
    132

    Default Re: Removing background & otherwise "fixing" a photo

    Aw, shucks!


 

 

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