Cropping Images

[metrowestcoach]

I apologize I may have posted this earlier in the wrong section...

Hello,

I am really new and completely lost. I have searched to find the answers but nothing seems to help- or I just don't understand the technicalities of the answers. Here is what I am trying to do. I am trying to create a collage of photos by editing images, cropping them, and then placing the many croppedd images in Publisher so that the final product looks like a bunch of photos that wer printed, cut with scissors and pasted around and on top of each other to create the collage. The problem is that each of the methods I attempt results in an image that is rectangular with the cropped part the part I would like to keep and the area outside the crop being white. I don't want the white- just the irregular cropped part. Is there any way to do this? And please understand that I am not proficient in the use of these softwares so be very detailed in your help.

Thanks

[Ego Eram Reputo]

Sounds like you need the polaroid collage tutorial. Don't be put off by the title, it is easily adapted to any type of photo collage. Here's the link: viewtopic.php?p=100555#p100555

[metrowestcoach]

Thanks very much for the try but I want the collage to look like I used scissors to cut the player's out of the picture and pasted the cut-outs on a poster board. This tutorial demonstrates how to get the entire rectagular photo onto the poster board.

[Simon Brown]

Try this: viewtopic.php?f=34&t=26942

[metrowestcoach]

Not exactly what I am looking for. I do appreciate the attempt, though. I guess I am not being clear enough. Let's assume I have a picture of a man standing between two other men. I want to be able to take that photo and crop the man out of that photo and save the image of the man so I can place that man in a document- but I want the image to end up being just the outline of the man...I don't want the man inside a white rectangle. I want the final product to be a cut out of the man. Maybe what I'm trying to get is impossible...unless I actually print the picture, cut out the man, and paste him (along with all the other images I will be cutting out) onto a posterboard and then scan the posterboard. I just thought there must be a way to do this in some software.

[oma]

viewtopic.php?f=34&t=28790&hilit=cutting+out+images

you need to cut the man using line tool or paint.brush the above link to a quicky tut by Simon shows this. he uses paint brush but my preverance is line tool which gives a cleaner edges. you might also search for alpha masking that gives the best cleanest finish. .

the man you cut out is then file >saved as a .png remember where you saved him!

open the new picture you want to insert him into. clik layers (along top line file, edit, view, image, layers etc

clik import from file. you will be asked which picture. that's why you need to remember where you put him when you saved as a .png.

he will be on a new transparent layer and you can move him around as you wish.

just keep using import for all the items. the program will automatically add them in on separate layers. that way you can move them around as you wish.

when you think you are done

save as ""name collage" .pdn ( get used to saving the .pdn working file. as sure as rain you will notice something later and you can still go back and change. )

and then

save as "name collage".jpg or .png. (this is the one you can print out.)

it will ask you when you do the save as "name collage".jpg or "name collage.png"

if you wish to flatten say yes.

NOTE :

things you might want to do before combining all the pictures into your collage is to resize the images after you cut them out individually and before you same them as png's. that way you don't have to deal with it in a multi layer image. resizing is done this way clik image (along top line file, edit, view image

once that drop down box opens clik resize. I'd leave the maintain aspect box checked so your items don't get too skewed.

hope that helps.

ciao OMA

[metrowestcoach]

Thanks for the help. What I was trying to do is cut-out the images, save them as jpeg files and import them into another program. Bad idea- I guess. It will certainly work much easier to do this all in Paint.net as layers and then use the final product in the other program, saved as a jpeg. Thanks for the clarifications.

[oma]

yes once you get used to woking with layers its very easy. just remember if you want transparency around an item it is a .png never a .jpg.

but what are you going to use the .jpg for in another program. perhaps it all can be done in this program and save the hassel.

ciao