Need Advice for Group Photo Printing/Framing

Llywellyn

I have a group photo, and I've been requested to investigate printing/framing options--nothing too horrid, except the specs I've been given are making me scratch my head a little on a slick and easy solution.

The "client" isn't a client--he's actually my boss. The group photo is from a conference we arranged last week, and I happened to bring my camera and pop off a shot. Everyone at the conference now wants a copy because Buzz Aldrin is in the photo. So I'm doing this on the side, no money for effort. Thus, the way that will end in the least amount of headache would be awesome.

They've asked that I identify everyone in the photo and specifically mentioned doing a silhouette of the group on the back side of the photo to identify folks. Questions that come to my mind:

1. What's the easiest way to create a silhouette with outlines in Photoshop? I need the outlines because the middle of the group photo would become one blob of black otherwise. I thought about using a gradient (people in the back row a dark color, next row forward a lighter shade of that color, next row an even lighter shade, and so on), but that began to feel like it would be a lot of trouble. :huh
2. How would you (as an "end user") prefer to read the names of those identified? Simple L to R caption at the bottom? Numbers on the silhouettes that correspond to a numbered list of names? Names on top of the silhouettes?
3. They want this printed double-sided--okay. Fine for all types of paper that wouldn't look great under a group photo. They're going to want this framed. Does anyone have print company/paper recommendations for printing a double-sided photo? Or should I just print the photo and print the silhouette sheet separately and smoosh them together?
4. I figure the framing will be encased in glass on both front and back without backing so people can flip the photo to read the names. I know a local custom framing place I will check with, but I wanted to see if there were any online options. :deal

There are so many ways I could approach this project, I really wanted to solicit opinions from the experts here before I trundled down an uneasy path. :thumb


Mods: I wasn't sure if this fit better here or in Finishing School. Please feel free to move it accordingly. :thumb

DougNorCal

I'd stay away from double sided
Can't help with the silhouettes/outlines, but if I was a viewer of this group photo I'd hate to be required to flip it back and forth. I'd prefer a legend across the bottom with the silhouettes/outlines and numbers in each one and
then a table with the names.

Just my $0.02

darryl

How many people are we talking about?

Llywellyn

Thanks for the input. It's about 80 people.

Jane B.

Llywellyn wrote:

Thanks for the input. It's about 80 people.

How straight are the rows? I have found this makes a big difference in following if just names for Row 1, 2, etc. under the photo. If at all hard to follow, I prefer numbers on the people and then a list of who is which number. Why would the ones with the numbers have to be silhouettes? I have done a number on color using black or white numbers depending on what color clothing the individual is wearing. This has always been on a different sheet for me. Such as a 5 by 7 at the top (with nbrs. on the people) of an 8.5 X 11 sheet and the numbered list of names below. Not sure of 80 would fit at a readable size for that or not. Nor have I done this as a pro but strictly for fellow members of a group for the benefit of those of us in it to remember years down the line.

Good luck with whatever method you decide to use.
Jane B.

Llywellyn

The rows are reasonably straight, but I think now quite straight enough to make the L to R caption the most readable option. It occurs to me I should just upload the darned thing. I'll jump right on that!

The silhouette idea is just for slick graphic design representation, which is why I was soliciting other ideas that would be equally cool/nice to look at but perhaps not quite as time-consuming. It's a picture of them with Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin after all, thus I (and my boss) want it to look a little more fancy-shmancy.