How to drag & drop photos into silhouettes

[BLKP]

Using PS CC.

I have one file with about 20 different architectural photo pieces in it (columns, etc) & another file with 4 different silhouettes (painted black designs).

I want to drag and drop the photos into each of the silhouettes, (essentially 'kitbash' new architectural designs) while containing the photos within the silhouettes and not obscuring their outlines.

If possible, I'd also like to be able to drag and drop the same photo rapidly, without removing it from the original file (i.e. having it re-materialize or self copy after each drag & drop).

[KanikaS]

Moving to Photoshop General Discussion​

[JJMack]

Can you describle what you want to do users with no  knowledge of 'kitbash' new architectural designs

[BLKP]

Sure -- I want to drag and drop photos (which are each on a separate layer) into black painted silhouettes, and arrange the photos within the confines/outline of the silhouette.

[JJMack]

You can create a template psd file like that and populate it manually or with Photoshop Automation.  So the population process can be manual,  interactive, Fully automated and even batched.  Your images will be resized to fill your Black image areas, Positioned over the image areas and mask to confine the placed,  transformed and position images to the black image areas.  The image areas do not have to be black they could as easily be white like the background.  The template only need a background layer and its contents can be anything for example a plain white background.

Photo Collage Toolkit

Photoshop scripting is powerful and I believe this package demonstrates this. Here is a video showing a 5 image collage PSD template  being populated with images:

The package includes four simple rules to follow when making Photo Collage Template PSD files so they will be compatible with my Photoshop scripts.

1. Size the photo collage templates for the print size you want - width, height and print DPI resolution.
2. Photo collage templates must have a Photoshop background layer. The contents of this layer can be anything.
3. Photo collage templates must have alpha channels named "Image 1", "Image 2", ... "Image n".
4. Photo collage templates layers above the background layers must provide transparent areas to let the images that will be placed below them show through.

There are fifteen scripts in this package they provide the following functions:

1. HelpPhotoCollageToolkit.jsx - Online Help
2. TestCollageTemplate.jsx - Used to test a Photo Collage Template while you are making it with Photoshop.
3. CollageTemplateBuilder.jsx - Can build Templates compatible with this toolkit's scripts.
4. LayerToAlphaChan.jsx - Used to convert a Prototype Image Layer stack into a template document.
5. InteractivePopulateCollage.jsx - Used to interactively populate Any Photo Collage template. Offers most user control inserting pictures and text.
6. ReplaceCollageImage.jsx - use to replace a populated collage image Smart Object layer with an other image correctly resized and positioned.
7. ChangeTextSize.jsx - This script can be used to change Image stamps text size when the size used by the populating did not work well.
8. PopulateCollageTemplate.jsx - Used to Automatically populate a Photo Collage template and leave the populated copy open in Photoshop.
9. BatchOneImageCollage.jsx - Used to Automatically Batch Populate Collage templates that only have one image inserted. The Collage or Image may be stamped with text.
10. BatchMultiImageCollage.jsx - Used to Automatically Batch Populate Any Photo Collage template with images in a source image folder. Easier to use than the interactive script. Saved collages can be tweaked.
11. PasteImageRoll.jsx - Paste Images into a document to be print on roll paper.
12. BatchPicturePackage.jsx - Used to Automatically Batch Populate Any Photo Collage template with an image in a source image folder.  Images Rotates for best fit.
13. BatchPicturePackageNoRotate.jsx - Used to Automatically Batch Populate Any Photo Collage template with an image in a source image folder.
14. PopulatePicturePackage.jsx - Used to Automatically populate a Photo Collage template Fill with the same single image and leave the populated copy open in Photoshop.
15. PCTpreferences.jsx - Edit This File to Customize Collage Populating scripts default setting and add your own Layer styles.

Documentation and Examples

[Chuck Uebele · Accepted solution]

You can place the image in your silhouette file, size the image to fit you silhouette, then change the blending mode to lighten. That way the image will not show over anything that is white, only the black of the silhouette.

[BLKP]

This, combined with grouping all the photo pieces into one group and duplicating that group allowed me to achieve the desired result.

Thank you.

[chrstiana283912913y16]

never gonna give you up