How to place several close up detail clips into an existing photo

[six-h]

I have a problem with a manufacturer concerning the failed closure on their product.

I want to send them a "Group shot" of several bottles and I have prepared that by enlarging the canvas in readiness to receive the additional close-up shots of each unique ID, for each bottle.

Thinking I could just use the elipse tool, then select "Inverse" and "Cut", I would end up with an eliptical picture which I could then "drag" onto the enlarged canvas.

...Wrong!

what happens is that the entire canvas is blotted out by the black background of my eliptical  insert!

How do I make the background of each of these eliptical close-up's transparent so that I end up with the group shot visible and each of the eliptical "unique I.D's" visible on the same canvas?

Hope that's clear! 🙂

[hatstead · Accepted solution]

• Open the picture file of one bottle, and go to Image>Resize>Image size, and read the resolution (px/in). Write it down.
• Go to  File>New>blank file and enter the dimensions that you will require to accommodate the bottles, the resolution value which you have ascertained in px/in, and Background color. This will be your canvas.
• Activate the Lasso tool or the Magnetic lasso tool, and make a selection of bottle A.
• Go to Edit>copy to place it on the clipboard, go back to the "canvas", then Edit >paste
• Activate the move tool to position A. Note A should be on a separate layer.
• Do the same for B, C, D, etc. Each bottle should come in on a separate layer
• For  orientation, you can open the grid - this will not print.

[hatstead]

What happens when you follow the work-flow I suggested to you above for your project?

[six-h]

I discovered that I was over thinking it!

The easiest way I found to achieve the desired result was just to use the Eliptical Marquee tool to select the ID Detail, click on Edit > Copy, open the Enlarged Canvas and click on Edit > Paste, repeat for each bottle and I have what I need.

It may not be the right way, but it was (luckily) quick and simple!

[hatstead]

ok. Glad that it works for you. Select>>Copy>>Paste.

[Peru Bob]

"what happens is that the entire canvas is blotted out by the black background of my eliptical  insert!"

If you double click on the layer in the layer panel first (this unlocks the layer), then it will have transparency instead of black.

[six-h]

Thanks Peru Bob, but I think I'm missing something, double clicking on the layer invokes a "Colour Change", ...though I cannot see any actual change!