A basic PS question

NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
edited January 15, 2010 in Finishing School
Let's say I have multiple versions of the same image (all the same image size and resolution) loaded into PS. I want to put all these images into one document as separate layers, then flatten the image.

My normal method is to choose one image version document as the target, then open, copy and paste each version into that image's document. The result is each image version is contained in its separate layer in the target document. If I had 6 versions of the image, there will be the Background layer of the target plus 5 other layers above it.

My question, actually three questions, are, does PS automatically align all 6 versions of the image pixel to pixel when I flatten, does this method reduce the sharpness of the flattened image (sharpness has not been altered in any of the versions), and does this method make resharpening of the flattened image necessary?

Thanks for any help!

Neil
"Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

http://www.behance.net/brosepix

Comments

  • Thunder RabbitThunder Rabbit Registered Users Posts: 172 Major grins
    edited January 14, 2010
    Howdy.

    No, Ps willl not automatically align the images.

    Flattening will have no effect on sharpness.

    Most importantly, if the blending mode is set to normal, and there is no transparency in the top layer, the only layer you will see in the flattened image will be the top layer. All the others will simply be lost.

    What exactly are you trying to accomplish?
    Peace,
    Lee

    Thunder Rabbit GRFX
    www.thunderrabbitgrfx.com
  • colourboxcolourbox Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited January 14, 2010
    If you're only doing this for the purposes of keeping versions together, I'd just make a stack out of the files in Bridge with the best version on top.
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited January 14, 2010
    Thunder Rabbit wrote:
    Howdy.

    No, Ps willl not automatically align the images.

    Flattening will have no effect on sharpness.

    Most importantly, if the blending mode is set to normal, and there is no transparency in the top layer, the only layer you will see in the flattened image will be the top layer. All the others will simply be lost.

    What exactly are you trying to accomplish?

    Thanks for your reply, Lee, appreciated. And peace to you, too.

    What am I trying to accomplish? Well, what you can accomplish with layers, of course! In one particular case, I want to selectively brighten areas of snow on a mountainside by using channels while retaining very careful contrast work in the previously edited image. So I have several layers of versions of that image in the stack.

    I could save each of these versions as a separate file and then load them all using File-Stack with autoalign. Or I could drag and drop each separate file into a base document while holding the shift key to center them. Or I could copy and paste, as I described in my post above.

    No, just copy-paste is not going to align anything, but the flattening should, no? Since all versions have the same size and resolution specs.

    If it does automatically align, then sharpness should not be affected, if all versions of the image are equally sharp to begin with. But I am not sure of what I am saying or if just the flattening of multiple versions makes it necessary for some reason to resharpen the flattened image.

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited January 14, 2010
    colourbox wrote:
    If you're only doing this for the purposes of keeping versions together, I'd just make a stack out of the files in Bridge with the best version on top.

    Thanks colourbox.

    No, I want to produce an improved version of the image as I described above.

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,962 moderator
    edited January 14, 2010
    If each of your layers is a different version of the same frame (i.e., same pixel dimensions) then they will be aligned exactly by a copy and paste. If the differences are due to application of PS adjustments, you can save some file space by using adjustment layers instead of altering the pixels in copies. It sounds like you might be working too hard. mwink.gif
    My Pics
  • Ric GrupeRic Grupe Registered Users Posts: 9,522 Major grins
    edited January 14, 2010
    If I understand what you are saying...I see no need to do it that way.headscratch.gif

    Open your image>duplicate the background layer as many times as you want...naming each layer...ie "brighten snow", etc....when done>flatten.
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited January 14, 2010
    Richard wrote:
    If each of your layers is a different version of the same frame (i.e., same pixel dimensions) then they will be aligned exactly by a copy and paste. If the differences are due to application of PS adjustments, you can save some file space by using adjustment layers instead of altering the pixels in copies. It sounds like you might be working too hard. mwink.gif

    Hehe, not much chance of me working too hard, unless I see the whip coming out!mwink.gif

    But yes, I know what you mean. It's a rather unusual situation where I am editing in several applications other than PS, and importing the files to PS.

    Thanks for the confirmation, R. You have guaranteed me an easy night's sleep!:D

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited January 14, 2010
    Ric Grupe wrote:
    If I understand what you are saying...I see no need to do it that way.headscratch.gif

    Open your image>duplicate the background layer as many times as you want...naming each layer...ie "brighten snow", etc....when done>flatten.

    Yep, Ric, that would be the normal way if you were working only inside PS. But please see my reply to Richard, above.

    Thanks for your reply!

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • Ric GrupeRic Grupe Registered Users Posts: 9,522 Major grins
    edited January 14, 2010
    NeilL wrote:
    Yep, Ric, that would be the normal way if you were working only inside PS. But please see my reply to Richard, above.

    Thanks for your reply!

    Neil

    Okay.

    What other apps besides PS are you using? (just curious)
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited January 14, 2010
    Ric Grupe wrote:
    Okay.

    What other apps besides PS are you using? (just curious)

    In this case, Ric, it was LightZone, but I also had previously saved PS versions in the stack.

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • TangoTango Registered Users Posts: 4,592 Major grins
    edited January 14, 2010
    we are talking about bracketed shots off a tripod, right?

    PS HDR will align images if handheld shots are fairly close, but PS hdr sucks and your better off making two exposures from one raw file with ACR and then merging them with photomatic.

    If your using bracketed frames from a tripod without ANY movement then layering the images and using masks is a great way to blend dynamic range with a brush. (Marc Muench Method)
    Is that what your wanting to do?

    When you flatten layers in PS no auto alignment will occur, so you can have ghosting if your tripod had any movement within bracketed exposures!
    Aaron Nelson
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited January 15, 2010
    AaronNelson wrote:
    we are talking about bracketed shots off a tripod, right?

    PS HDR will align images if handheld shots are fairly close, but PS hdr sucks and your better off making two exposures from one raw file with ACR and then merging them with photomatic.

    If your using bracketed frames from a tripod without ANY movement then layering the images and using masks is a great way to blend dynamic range with a brush. (Marc Muench Method)
    Is that what your wanting to do?

    When you flatten layers in PS no auto alignment will occur, so you can have ghosting if your tripod had any movement within bracketed exposures!

    Appreciate your informative reply, Aaron, many thanks!

    In the situation I was asking about, I had versions of the exact same image with the exact same image size, resolution, pixel dimensions in the layers stack, which had come from an import from another application and previously saved PS files, as well as newly created layers from channels. Before flattening I used masking and blending modes for the final edit.

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
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