Levitation photography

[mrmal]

Can one edit photos to turn the pictures into a "Levitation Photo" where you take two pictures, one with your subject on a step ladder or whatever and another of just the background, layer both photos, remove the ladder and the result is your subject floating in air. I would appreciate if someone skilled at this procedure would produce a training video that I could watch and learn how to do it. I have seen these pictures done with Photoshop but I need to learn how to do it in Affinity which I have.

I have attached a copy of a photo I got in my email as an example.

Thanks

 

Gord

 

[Callum]

Hi Gord,

 

Please could you provide the images that you are using so that i can make a video demonstrating how to do this for you :) If you don't want to post them here please send me a private message :)

 

Thanks

C

[David4]

l would also be interested in view the suggest video.

 

Kind Regards,

 

David4

[anon1]

you just open the two pictures in AP

paste the one with the person sitting on the chair on top of the empty one (the one with no person on a chair)

add a mask to the top layer which is the one with the person on the chair

mask out the chair

 

do a merge visible (cmd alt shift e)

select the person with some selection tools (the top of the body does not have to be precise)

cmd j to paste the selection on a new layer

go to liquify (or filter > distort > deform) and reshape the body part(s) that touched the chair so that they don´t look punched inwards/ strait/ flat

 

- you do the selection and cmd j to avoid deforming of other stuff in the background of the image, remember those PS fail pictures where there is a squizzely shaped door next to someones body? That´s when you know....

 

you may want to finish up with a slight drop shadow beneath the person (depending on the light situation)

 

hope that helps

 

EDIT:

for taking pictures, use a tripod and set all manually, don´t change focus between the two shots 

Edited May 25, 2016 by MBd

[mrmal]

I haven't taken any pictures yet as I didn't know how to do this. I will take a couple of pictures at home here and  attach them to my next response. These will be nothing fancy, just something for training purpose. Thanks.

 

[R C-R]

As a variation on what MBd suggested, you may be able get reasonably good results by just using a photo of someone posed in the desired "levitated" posture & masking out everything else in the photo. This would be easiest if the photo was taken with the person in front of  a simple, contrasting background like a green screen, but that isn't absolutely necessary.

 

Once everything else is masked out &, if needed, body or clothing parts are reshaped as MBd suggested, save this file. (You may be able to skip the reshaping step if the clothing is loose & arranged to cover whatever the person on, like a chair or stool.)

 

You can then use the place tool to position this file over a photo of the room or other background you want the person to appear to levitate in. To complete the illusion you will need to match the lighting of the person to what it would be in that setting as closely as possible, either by making sure that was done at the time the photo of the person was taken or (possibly) with the Affinity Photo Lighting filter.

 

The advantage of this approach is the two photos do not have to be taken at the same time, or even by the same person. The disadvantages are that the masking has to be done very carefully & it can be very difficult to match the lighting conditions convincingly, but it enables otherwise impossible images, like someone floating near a skyscraper or in a historic scene that no longer exists.

 

EDIT: I forgot to mention that as MBd indicated, for best results you will also need to pay attention to the focal length of the lens used for each of the shots. The illusion will never look convincing if say the background shot was taken with a wide angle lens & that of the person was done with even a mild telephoto because the perspective will be different. It is a more subtle difference than lighting coming from the wrong direction but even if people don't know exactly why it looks faked, they will know that it was.

Edited May 25, 2016 by R C-R

[mrmal]

Hi Gord,

 

Please could you provide the images that you are using so that i can make a video demonstrating how to do this for you :) If you don't want to post them here please send me a private message :)

 

Thanks

C

Callum:  I have tried several times to send you a reply and upload a couple of images but images would not upload. Keep getting error500. These photos are about 9 MG jpegs.

 

I also tried a private message but couldn't make it work.

 

I am not a real techie  person so any help would be appreciated.

 

gord

[MEB]

Hi mrmal,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

There's a few restrictions in place for new users to avoid spam/spammers. That's probably the reason why you are having issues with uploads and PM's. They should be lifted after a few posts.

Meanwhile if you want, you can zip the files and upload them to my Dropbox account using this link, then i will send them to @Callum.

[mrmal]

MEB (Miguel):

 

I uploaded an archive file to your drop box; hope you got it.

 

My Affinity login is mrmal which I didn't state in the upload.

 

thanks

 

gord

[MEB]

Thanks Gord,

Yes, i've got it. I've sent the files to Callum, so he should get back to you soon.

 

Cheers,

[mrmal]

Callum:

 

or whomever can help.

 

I tried to do the levitation thing with the same two pictures I sent you, but can't figure out how to import both pictures into two layers so I can erase the stool.

 

I know it must be very simple but could you give me some advise on how to do it.

 

Thanks

 

Gord

[MEB]

Hi Gord,

Open the first image as usual, then drag the second from the Finder to the canvas. The image will be added as a new layer. You can then use the menu Arrange ▸ Align Middle and Arrange ▸ Align Center to position it exactly over the original one.

[mrmal]

Thanks to MEB.  I followed your instructions and it works very easy.  Not to get on to more difficult photos; 

 

Thanks again

 

gord

[mrmal]

Should be "Now to get on to more difficult photos"