How is it done? Title appears to flow behind part of image

FotoMagico
1

In your demo video for FotoMagico4, the “Stunning Panoramas” scene shows a panorama scrolling, with text that seems to appear behind the 1st set of mountains, but in front of the rest.

How was a single photo separated in multiple layers allowing for the title to fit between them?

I see the same kind of “image separation” with the surfer that seems to pan at a different speed than the wave.

How is this done?

2

It’s done by creating transparent.png files and layering!! Ain’t it cool?? That isn’t possible in FM3 – which those that refuse to upgrade to FM4 will be missing.

In simple terms (and using Photoshop for this example), create a PS file with a TRANSPARENT BACKGROUND (that’s the “trick”!!) Now place on that image whatever it is you want that you plan to “move” – the surfer for example, or the foreground of one of the panorama layers.

By assembling your slide in the correct layering order, and moving each layer at different rates, it appears that the top layers are moving over the bottom layers (while the transparent part of the layer lets the layers behind it show through).

For the surfer slide, the surfer is on its own layer with a transparent background. By placing it on top of the waves and moving it slightly, it appears the surfer is “catching the wave”. By placing the text layer BEHIND one of the foreground mountain layers that are created with transparent backgrounds and saved as .png files from Photoshop, the same illusion is created.

I’ve used this TWICE on a new slide show I’m creating of our trip to Greenland and Iceland – an iceberg floating on the water in front of a mountain, and a boat moving across the water in front of a mountain scene.

It really makes the slide show “pop” – especially when slide after slide appears WITHOUT any kind of effect like that, and then it just appears out of the blue.

3

Ahhh… THAT’s the trick. Way cool. Thanks, I’ll put that in practice just now.

4

Is it possible to do without PS?

5

I only mentioned PS because that’s what I’m familiar with, but I would imagine any photo app that can create/edit files with transparent backgrounds and save them in .png format will work.

I just did a quick Google search for .png editors and found this freebie that works on both Mac and Windows. I have no idea how good it is or how capable it is, but it IS free (sometimes you get what you pay for):

http://www.gimpshop.com

6

@jenny_lyn: Actually, there is an application already installed on every Mac that gives you this kind of functionality: “Preview”! There are some nice tools in Preview that enables you to quickly make parts of an image transparent:

  • Make a copy of your original image file in Finder, so you have a file to play around
  • Open your image copy with Preview
  • click and hold down on the “Rectangular Selection” tool in the toolbar of the document. You will get a drop down menu which shows multiple options to make a selection in the image.
  • e.g. choose “Smart lasso”
  • draw a line on the edge of the area you want to have transparency, after releasing the mouse button, Preview will estimate the object you wanted to be selected.
  • Now decide if you want to have transparency inside or outside with the “Invert Selection” command of the “Edit” menu
  • hit the delete button on your keyboard to make the selection transparency. You may be asked to use a copy of the image in PNG file format, because JPG can’t have transparency.
  • Save the image and use it in FotoMagico!