Blend pasted item into photo? (to erase the edges)

[Larry800]

I've spent a lot of time looking for a solution to this.  The ones I'm finding would be extremely time consuming (such as using the manual color correction tool, and doing many cuts of the piece being added, using layers and transparent gradients.)  Here's an example of what I'm trying to blend.  The smudge tool shows how easy this should be - as the colors are already fairly close - but the tool destroys the image when used for this purpose (hair and skin features).  Gradient blurring also destroys the features.   It is impossible to match up the pieces by adjusting brightness, lightness, and/or hue.  The two pieces should be blended towards each other, erasing the joining line. 

[MJW]

7 minutes ago, Larry800 said:

I've spent a lot of time looking for a solution to this.  The ones I'm finding would be extremely time consuming (such as using the manual color correction tool, and doing many cuts of the piece being added, using layers and transparent gradients.)  Here's an example of what I'm trying to blend.  The smudge tool shows how easy this should be - as the colors are already fairly close - but the tool destroys the image when used for this purpose (hair and skin features).  Gradient blurring also destroys the features.   It is impossible to match up the pieces by adjusting brightness, lightness, and/or hue.  The two pieces should be blended towards each other, erasing the joining line.

 

Using layers and gradients (or feathered edges) is probably the way to go. It isn't particularly time-consuming. If you aren't willing to spend the time to get a good result, you probably won't get a good result.

[Larry800]

I demonstrated for myself how easy this task should be for paint.net and/or a plug-in.  If you take the three color values (RGB) for a point above the joining line, and the values of a point below it (for example 96,58,41 and  140,88,66) and create 10 equally spaces points between them (the middle is 118 73 54) you get a usable result.  I am hoping someone already wrote a plug-in to do this.  You select the region and draw the dividing line, and it does a blend - you say how sharp/wide the blend should be (5 points or 20...).  I write software, but I haven't written plugins for paint.net.  I just don't have time get into this.   It would be great if it was a project I was getting paid to do at work - but of course I would still do the research in advance to make sure someone hadn't already done this. 

[Eli]

Maybe using Gaussian Blur (clamped) and adding some noise Grain. 

[MJW]

45 minutes ago, Larry800 said:

I demonstrated for myself how easy this task should be for paint.net and/or a plug-in.  If you take the three color values (RGB) for a point above the joining line, and the values of a point below it (for example 96,58,41 and  140,88,66) and create 10 equally spaces points between them (the middle is 118 73 54) you get a usable result.  I am hoping someone already wrote a plug-in to do this.  You select the region and draw the dividing line, and it does a blend - you say how sharp/wide the blend should be (5 points or 20...).  I write software, but I haven't written plugins for paint.net.  I just don't have time get into this.   It would be great if it was a project I was getting paid to do at work - but of course I would still do the research in advance to make sure someone hadn't already done this. 

 

What you propose strikes me as a less effective, far less flexible method of achieving what can be done quite easily with layers and edge feathering. I write software; I write plugins; but I don't have the time to write plugins that I don't think are needed.

[Red ochre]

You could try TR's Dodge and Burn in Blur mode.https://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?/topic/32126-trs-dodge-and-burn-blur-and-sharpenfeb-25th-2015-re-posted/&page=1

 

...Or do the same manually by duplicating the layer, blurring the bottom layer, selecting the top layer and using the eraser at maximum softness along the join.

 

If you want to create a plugin to smooth contrast, tone, hue etc. perpendicular to a line, I'm sure you would get help from the forum should it be needed.

 

You could also investigate the 'Wireworm' PS plugin run through the PSfilter, as suggested by Pixey in another topic here.

https://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?/topic/111423-how-to-remove-blue-sky-from-behind-hair/&do=findComment&comment=531806

[AndrewDavid]

Thanks for the practice in trying different methods @Red ochre @MJW and @Eli suggested. Time well spent. But it does take time and patience. Without the original photos I estimated the line @Larry800 was looking for.

 

Edited June 23, 2017 by AndrewDavid
spelling error

[Larry800]

3 hours ago, Eli said:

Maybe using Gaussian Blur (clamped) and adding some noise Grain. 

Thanks for the suggestion.  I would like a more gradual blending.  This method smooths out features, and will be worse with a wider blending area.

 

[Larry800]

30 minutes ago, AndrewDavid said:

Thanks for the practice in trying different methods @Red ochre @MJW and @Eli suggested. Time well spent. But it does take time and patience. Without the original photos I estimated the line @larry was looking for.

 

That's a good looking blend, but not what I need.  The blend area needs to be around 1/2 inch wide, so it matches the photo as a whole.