Headshed

Hello Headshed,
 
in the clonetool options menu select source: ​layers beneath.
with alt click on the bottom layer for the source return to the upper layer to clone.

The simplest way I can think of is to choose your selection method, select the person, copy and paste and then use the move tool to position them.  Use the erase brush to deal with any overlaps and then use the clone tool to cover up the original.  You can adjust the feathering on the original selection and on the erase brush to soften the edges.  If you've got another picture with the person in the right place you can place that over the first image (or vice versa), adjust the transparency so that you can see what you're doing and then selectively erase the bits that are in the wrong place.

Hi All.
I've been struggling to successfully move a family member within a photo. I have tried making a selection of the person copying and pasting to a new layer, I then reduce the opacity and move the new layer to the new position (carefully aligning the position). I then move this layer below the primary working layer and reset the opacity of the moved layer.
All good so far, then I run into the issue, when I clone stamp from the moved layer below to the working layer, no matter how hard I try I can't keep the new alignment from the moved layer into the working layer. I position the cursor use alt and select and then carefully try not to move the cursor before painting in the cloned image. Try as I might, inevitably the cursor moves between selection and painting. Does anyone have any tips or a different process for moving objects / people within a photo? I know that PS Elements has context aware move (which I've found to be reasonably ok) does affinity have anything similar?
 
Cheers
 
Stuart
 
 
P.S sorry as I'm at work, I don't have any images to post to show the issue.

As with so many things, there is a short answer and a long answer.
 
The short answer is that you may be making things too complicated. In your arrangement (dark layer on top, light layer on the bottom) you have made a Lights 2 selection on the bottom layer, moved to the top layer, and want to apply this selection to a mask to allow the lighter portions of the top layer to show, but the darker layers from the bottom layer to peek through. Did I get that right? If that's the case, then once you make the selection on the bottom layer and then select the top layer, just click on the mask icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. This will create the mask you want on the top layer; no need for extra painting on the mask itself.
 
The long answer is that you are assuming that your Lights 2 selection has only selected a certain number of pixels, and not others. But that's not really how luminosity selections (masks) work. In fact, ALL of the pixels are selected. What varies is HOW MUCH they are selected. In other words, a Lights 1 (for simplicity sake) selection will select the White pixels 100%, but will only select the middle grey pixels by 50%. But they are all selected! And that is why you can paint over the entire mask.
 
Once you have that selection active, painting on the mask does indeed get limited to the selection. But, since all of the pixels are selected to one degree or another, you can paint on all of them. If you paint black on a mask with a luminosity selection active, what will happen is that the black will paint over all the pixels, but will paint in varying shades of grey as you apply a brush stroke.
 
For instance, if you have an area of 50% grey, then those pixels are 50% selected. If you paint black in the mask with the selection active, then you are painting 50% grey over the already 50% grey of the mask.
 
I guess that my point is that the luminosity mask already has a greyscale aspect to it, and I'm not sure why you would need to paint on it at all. I've always found that painting onto a greyscale mask is kind of dicey. If you want to alter the mask by painting, you might do better to create a greyscale pixel layer from your selection, paint on that, and then "Rasterize to Mask" and drag the mask to its desired location.

Hi my name is Stuart, like a lot of people I've arrived here from photoshop. My main interest is landscape photography and general family pictures etc. So far I'm liking the software but do find the conversion from PS to photo a little fraught at times. Looking forward to reading through the forums and picking up some great tips..
 
Stuart