Being able to make precise selections in Photoshop opens up an infinite number of creative possibilities to you. I certainly understand the goal of many photographers to ‘get it right in the camera the first time’, but that misses the point if you see yourself as a photo artist rather than a photo realist, aka photo journalist. The photo artist in you can create any reality you want without the restriction of what’s real – just like other artists, from sculptors to painters. This image is a three-photo composite. The 1939 Delage Aerosport on grass is one shot, the Great Smokies National Park in the background is another picture, and model Lauren Isabella is the third element. I photographed Lauren outdoors in diffused light against a black velvet background so I could easily select her for a composite with one of my classic car shots. I used the quick selection tool in Photoshop to select her, then contracted the selection with Select > modify > contract by one pixel. I then feathered the selection with Select > modify > feather, also one pixel. I then used Edit > copy to place the photo of Lauren in the clipboard (Photoshop's temporary holding place for a photo or part of a photo) followed by highlighting the car photo and using Edit > paste. Finally, Edit > transform > scale sized Lauren correctly.
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