When I take photos of scenes or sections of my layout, I always want to hide the framework or junk in the background that is not part of my layout. My question is, what software or app do you use to crop your photos?
I have attached a photo from my old layout to illustrate my point. In the attached photo, for example, I would like to crop out the dark green fabric that served as fascia. How would you do it?
Rich
I use LView Pro, it was much easier to learn than Photoshop. It is a pretty powerful photo editor and easy to use. I’m sure it’s not for everyone but it has done me well for 20 years or so.
Photoshop is much more powerful but for me it has a steep learning curve, too much for my OLD as dirt brain.
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Mel, your “mature” brain continues to impress me. I doubt that I will be doing the same things you do when I reach your age.
Simon
Rich:
For quick-cropping I just use the photo editor that was included with Windows 10. It is just called “photos” on my computer.
I has a crop function where you just drag the white circles on the image to crop. It is very fast and simple to use.
Your sample image does not leave much when the creen skirt is removed.
-Kevin
“Cropping” isn’t exactly what I think you’re asking about. To crop a picture means to remove part of the picture. Say you take a picture of your layout that turns out well, but you realize that the way you framed the picture left some of the basement wall visible above the top edge of your backdrop. In that case you could crop - remove - the top 10% of the picture so the basement wall isn’t showing over the top of the backdrop. It makes the dimensions of the picture smaller. I think you’re talking using a process to replace part of the picture with something else, while keeping the dimensions the same?
I’m not sure you can crop that particular photo and capture the overall scene. Its a nice overall layout type of photo. If you did crop it, it would be in effect, digitally zooming in on a smaller portion of the layout which would be fine but possibly losing resolution.
If you want to minimize the forground or background non model I recommend the following: compose the original image to not include it or minimize it. After that, I use the free program GIMP / GNU to manipulate the forground or background (similar to photoshop, not as powerful though). It can crop no problem. But sometimes I color in the background or forground. Or, add a background image. This one has been cropped to an odd size and a background sky added thats hiding a bunch of shelves in the background.
Mini Palisades by Eric Miller, on Flickr
My daughter is super good using Photoshop so I had her add in the mountains behind my trestle. I sent her both pictures and Walla it was perfect.
I use that picture for my blog home page. My trestle and my kitbashed AC-9 and her mountains.
I added the text.
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
For simple cropping of a photo, I use plain old MS Paint. It works on a variety ( a small variety) of formats. If you have a PC, it’s most likely already available. Not sure if you’re a Mac user.
I didn’t know! [:O] I guess I never questioned it, thought it was a rocky backdrop. [:^)]
All of the great and realistic photos you guys show in here? I’m disillusioned! [|(]
[swg]
Mike.
Yeah, I wondered if cropping was the right term. What I would like to do is to replace the appearance of the dark green fabric with just a dark green or even black foreground while keeping the dimensions the same.
Here is another photo. I would like to block the view of all that stuff on the right side of the photo while keeping the layout view intact.
Rich
In other words, I want the area inside the red lines blacked out.
Rich,
I know this is not the answer you are looking for, but it is what I do.
When I am photographing near the layout edge, I have a piece of camoflage printed hardboard that I clamp to the fascia. Then I pile on cheap lichen and moss from the Dollar Tree craft aisle.
I then use the “photos” program to blur this area to a soft focus and blend it into the layout scenery edge.
I will see if I have an example on this computer.
-Kevin
There’s the old fashioned way to do it, too. Get a big sheet of foamboard (comes in black or white). Paint it sky blue as an additional color choice. Position strategically. No need for software.
I have almost all of Walthers backdrops glued to foamboard. This is a great suggestion for up close photography with a poor background. You will need something bigger for large shots.
-Kevin
You’ll have to do a digital ‘insertion’ to replace an artefact in the original image that is objectionable.
Or, you can use hand towels, terrycloth in this case, which I sprayed with brown Rustoleum, then with Product 77, and then sprinkled with ground foam to make it look like terrain.
It’s what you see left of the bridge.
Otherwise, you’d see spruce 1X4 end-plates on the module supporting the far abutment.
In this image, it’s covering the same problem, but on the opposite side of the operating pit, other end of the same bridge:
Ya know what, guys, that is a great idea. Ditch the software idea and just go with some sort of backdrop scenes or foreground blocks. I like it. [Y]
Rich
My son can do some neat things with Photoshop, like my main street pic background, but not me. If not for a piece of light blue foam core poster board the background of the tug shot would be the hood of the family car and my roll-away tool box. Regards, Peter
Rich, my Mac lets me crop photos, make them clearer, alter exposure and colours, and oherwise tinker with them.
However, when I used Windows XP on an earlier computer, it was possible to use “Paint”, a free add-on, to change stuff like the aisle in your photo into faux scenery.
This picture of the icehouse in Dunnville, which was very close to the edge of the layout, was altered using “Paint”…
…the “muddy water” in the “ditch” is actually part of the unpainted Masonite fascia), while the weeds in the foreground are blotches of colour from “Paint”. I don’t recall the actual procedure, but it must’ve been very easy if I could do it…
(Click on the photo to enlarge it)
Perhaps there’s something similar in the computers in use nowadays.
Wayne
A 3 minute photoshop results in this:
LOL its a huge field of grass, that I sampled from within the photo.
I couldnt find any pictures of grass fields taken at a similar almost vertical angle.
If you just want to conceal your green fabric you can just draw black over whereever you want to hide. Simple.
If you want to make a picture look nice, I would take the photo at a much lower angle, and frame it a bit better. Right now, the grassy patch takes up like 1/3 of the photo. Taking the photo at a lower angle would also reduce the amount of stuff that has to be removed.
I personally dont mind exposing the background(which would be my unfinished basement walls) in my photos. I just apply a heavy vignette, and have a low aperture photo (creates heavy blur) like this:
Obviously my goal isnt to make my photo look realistic, but rather to draw the viewer’s eyes to the subject.
(I also do a bit of color and light adjustments, and artificially make light up the headlights, etc.)
Hope this helps,
Charles
PS Gimp or Photoshop may have a learning curve, but imo its a useful skill to have. Gimp is free, and can do most things you’ll need.
Wow, that is impressive results for three minutes of effort. Very nice.
I will need to get into Photoshop at some point. This was a great example.
-Kevin
It helps a lot, Charles. That is awesome.
Rich