To those who know about photo editting

Tom Wirth · Aug 5, 2014

Please help! I know very little about editing my photos and could use a primer. Many of you have seen some of my wwyd posts which include photos of situations which were generated on my own table here at home. Within those photos you may have seen in the background things like a small iron dog or a piece of furniture which seemed out of place for a pool room.

I would like to crop that kind of thing out of the image and leave only the pool table. I may be okay with replacing the backdrop with a solid color. Removing everything except the pool table would leave more or less a trapezoidal image. I don't want that.

So any helpful suggestions and information on how to accomplish my goals would greatly be appreciated. I have windows 8 and no added photo editing programs but I'm not opposed to purchasing one if that's what it takes.

Thanks in advance,

Tom

Cory in dc · Aug 5, 2014

Low-tech approach: Use the Snipping Tool to crop it.

1. Just go to "Search" and type in "snipping" and you'll see an icon to open it.
2. Your screen will grey out a bit. Use your cursor to create a rectangle around the part you want to save.
3. The image will be captured in the Snipping Tool. Click the disk icon to save it to your favorite directory. Then upload to 1p.org.
4. Let us know what it really is that you don't want us to see!

tylerdurden · Aug 5, 2014

I would try "paint", which you probably have.

Right click on the photo you want to edit, then go to "open with" and hopefully paint is there.

Click on the dotted rectangle thing in the tools bar on the upper left side.

Make the rectangle around what you want to show.

Then go up to "image" and then "crop".

You can use the eraser to brush things away too. There is also a brush and a paintbucket to fill large areas with color. It is somewhat intuitive but will take some time to get the feel. If you want type, you'd use the "A". There are always good beginners tutorials on youtube (search something like "windows paint tutorial").

Then you will have to "save as" to save your new, edited file. You can keep the original if you want, or overwrite it.

If you want to go berzerker you buy photoshop, but I really don't think you want that much, it is like the NASA of photo editing programs.

Tom Wirth · Aug 5, 2014

Thanks for responding Cory. As an example here is an image which I would like to edit. I wish to clear the background, leaving only he table but that requires cropping in an angular way around the table. My editing tools seem to allow only vertical and horizontal cropping. If I edit that way it cuts off too much of the table. What's a body to do?

Tom

BTW might as well take a look at this situation and think about what you would do if your pocket were the lower left.

tylerdurden · Aug 5, 2014

To do what you want I'd use the polygonal lasso or pen tool in photoshop, and it would be a quick job. I suppose it is difficult to answer because it's hard to know what programs you are working with.

You could just use the eraser tool in paint, but it will look kinda sloppy due to your hand/mouse driving the lines of the eraser.

It is kinda like one pocket, there are no easy answers and things take time, but here is a quick cutout with the lasso tool in photoshop. I think somebody will be able to help you with a less complex program though, I just don't use any of them except this one...

Tom Wirth · Aug 5, 2014

That's great beginning tyler.

Now is there any way to superimpose the table onto another photo so the table image does not look so stark?

Tom

Jimmy B · Aug 5, 2014

I think all the wwyd shots should just be reproduced on Table Layout Diagrams. It is quick and easy to clear balls and drag them to where you want with this clear nice overhead shot. Then not only would it be clear how far a ball is off the rail,( We just had an argument about that), you wouldn't have to say who is playing, and the people who already saw the match you are talking about and already know what was shot, would not have to disqualify themselves.

http://www.billiardsthegame.com/onepocket/

here's the linkage...

NH Steve · Aug 5, 2014

Tom that kind of photo editing is a piece of cake for me -- but that is because I have Photoshop and am very experienced using it. There is not a simple way to do that kind of photo alteration. Cropping, lightening, darkening, rotating and adding text and things like that are easy with many common photo editing programs, but doctoring image content like what I am hearing you describe is a bit more like photo surgery, lol

Cory in dc · Aug 5, 2014

Tom Wirth said:
Thanks for responding Cory. As an example here is an image which I would like to edit. I wish to clear the background, leaving only he table but that requires cropping in an angular way around the table. My editing tools seem to allow only vertical and horizontal cropping. If I edit that way it cuts off too much of the table. What's a body to do?

Tom

BTW might as well take a look at this situation and think about what you would do if your pocket were the lower left.

Everyone else is right: with my solution, you're limited to rectangular cropping, as in the example below based on your picture. On the plus side, I did this in 3 seconds. The other solutions probably take a few minutes.

Is this for 1P.org, or for your new 1P book?

P.S. Thin the 5 and bring the cueball back downtable, trying to get the 5 to the middle diamond or so.

lll · Aug 5, 2014

Jimmy B said:
I think all the wwyd shots should just be reproduced on Table Layout Diagrams. It is quick and easy to clear balls and drag them to where you want with this clear nice overhead shot. Then not only would it be clear how far a ball is off the rail,( We just had an argument about that), you wouldn't have to say who is playing, and the people who already saw the match you are talking about and already know what was shot, would not have to disqualify themselves.

http://www.billiardsthegame.com/onepocket/

here's the linkage...

jimmy although i agree the billiardsthegame table layout is very clear to reproduce layouts
but my only resevation on using them exclusively
is
in the "old days" we used the cuetable from pool.bz
we had ALOT of great wwyd and even better discussions
(before the days of flaming among the inmates...

)
all those layouts are lost now (at least i dont know how to ressurect them )
because pool.bz got hacked
just sayin...

Skin · Aug 5, 2014

Yeah, Larry, this is what you get now when you try to post a Wei Table. But you can still make them and post them on the pool.biz site. There just doesn't appear to be any way to get them over here.

[link removed]

There also is a great 3D table that I tried on here back when we could post the images. It didn't get much traction then but I'll bet it would now because you can rotate the table and really see what's available. Here's a link. You have to have Adobe Shockwave, of course, to see it.

[link removed]

I suppose you could always put together a Wei Table and just post a link to it (like I did) if anybody still wants to use it. Inconvenient, but better than nothing, maybe.

Skin

P.S. I found an old avatar of mine that I had forgotten about there at the pool.biz site. My grandpappy, Boil, who went crazy. That's him after he won the Christmas 8 ball tournament at the asylum.

Skin · Aug 5, 2014

This is a shot from the wwyd #12673 thread.
[link removed]

This is the table shot above done on a 2D WeiTable. Go to the link and click on "3D" on the table rail. The table will open in 3D where you can use the Help link at the bottom left to learn how to manipulate the table. But you have to join pool.biz in order to use the 3D program.

[link removed]

This is what it looks like in 3D if you can get it to come up. At the site you can spin the table around to see all the angles and you can tilt it up. It's a great tool.

[link removed]

Skin

Miller · Aug 5, 2014

i'm not familiar with the wei table tool. have to check it out.

i like using "paint". if you have a PC, its probably on there.

i think after tinkering around with it for a couple of hours (or less) just about anyone could do it. all you really need is to experiment with the line and text tools.

for a still picture (it has to be saved somewhere), you just click "paste from" and it pops up.

for posting stills from dvd, you just get to where you want to be, pause the video, and do function+print screen. then you just open paint and click on "paste".

after editing an image, just be sure to "save as" a jpeg, name it, and its simple to post as an attachment from there.

tylerdurden · Aug 6, 2014

Tom Wirth said:
That's great beginning tyler.

Now is there any way to superimpose the table onto another photo so the table image does not look so stark?

Tom

Yeah. You mean something like this?

Really one of the main strength of photoshop is to layer things on top of one another. You can think of photoshop as a way to take a bunch of pieces of different pictures, and make one picture using layers.

You could add barstools, a window with waves outside, you could even put mosconi in there. Whatever you want. Of course lining up all the lighting and making it look consistent takes time, but this is really what photoshop is all about - adjusting pieces in your image and being able to make independent adjustments to other layers you may or may not add. This is why you hear and see photographs and video shot on those green screens, because they can then be more easily cut out and put wherever the artist pleases. But the lighting has to line up, that is the hard part, so they simulate the lighting they know they will be putting the subject into when they shoot.

I know people, my mom in particular, who have gotten very into photo editing as a hobby. It really is amazing and I highly recommend it if you would like to be doing a lot with photos. It will make your images look so much better if you have just the basics down. And for the forum here it is great of course.

Lightroom is a cheaper program that is very powerful, but it wont allow you to do the layering. You could do everything else you can think of in there though. I suppose I would recommend photoshop if you want to do the layering, but I know it is very expensive and time consuming to learn.

For anybody that did take the plunge into photoshop or lightroom, check out Lynda.com, Chris Orwig in particular has some great great online downloadable classes like "photoshop for beginners". He's very good at explaining things to the inexperienced. It is quite the investment to get into this stuff, and it will be frustrating, but rewarding. You can also edit video in lightroom and photoshop now, so you get that advantage as well.

I have tried to help people on here from time to time with it all, but it is kinda futile if you don't first have photoshop.

NH Steve · Aug 6, 2014

lll said:
jimmy although i agree the billiardsthegame table layout is very clear to reproduce layouts
but my only resevation on using them exclusively
is
in the "old days" we used the cuetable from pool.bz
we had ALOT of great wwyd and even better discussions
(before the days of flaming among the inmates...)
all those layouts are lost now (at least i dont know how to ressurect them )
because pool.bz got hacked
just sayin...

Not sure it was because it got hacked or not -- it also could be simply because the cuetable programmer completely withdrew support for public use of his program, once he created his own site.

Skin · Aug 6, 2014

NH Steve said:
Not sure it was because it got hacked or not -- it also could be simply because the cuetable programmer completely withdrew support for public use of his program, once he created his own site.

Steve, have you happened to check to see whether this site has the most recent version of CueTable player? That's what allows the diagrams to be seen. I noticed a technical post over at pool.biz dated in June 2010 that said a new player program had been written. I don't remember when our ability to see the Wei tables disappeared. Maybe it was after 2010 and this is not the problem. Just a thought for you.

Skin

Skin · Aug 6, 2014

View attachment 10505

Ha! I got a Cuetable posted (hat tip to MIller!). The way to do it is to use the screen capture button (looks like a camera) on the tools bar on the bottom of the Cuetable. Save to your computer as a jpeg (I used Paint). Then insert it as an attachment here. These ought never to disappear from the threads unless the attachment itself is deleted by the user.

Skin

Skin · Aug 6, 2014

You can also adjust the size of the Cuetable by editing your saved jpeg.

View attachment 10507

Skin

lll · Aug 6, 2014

skin check your pm
dont want to hijack/derail toms thread
:focus

Tom Wirth · Aug 6, 2014

tylerdurden said:
Yeah. You mean something like this?

Really one of the main strength of photoshop is to layer things on top of one another. You can think of photoshop as a way to take a bunch of pieces of different pictures, and make one picture using layers.

You could add barstools, a window with waves outside, you could even put mosconi in there. Whatever you want. Of course lining up all the lighting and making it look consistent takes time, but this is really what photoshop is all about - adjusting pieces in your image and being able to make independent adjustments to other layers you may or may not add. This is why you hear and see photographs and video shot on those green screens, because they can then be more easily cut out and put wherever the artist pleases. But the lighting has to line up, that is the hard part, so they simulate the lighting they know they will be putting the subject into when they shoot.

I know people, my mom in particular, who have gotten very into photo editing as a hobby. It really is amazing and I highly recommend it if you would like to be doing a lot with photos. It will make your images look so much better if you have just the basics down. And for the forum here it is great of course.

Lightroom is a cheaper program that is very powerful, but it wont allow you to do the layering. You could do everything else you can think of in there though. I suppose I would recommend photoshop if you want to do the layering, but I know it is very expensive and time consuming to learn.

For anybody that did take the plunge into photoshop or lightroom, check out Lynda.com, Chris Orwig in particular has some great great online downloadable classes like "photoshop for beginners". He's very good at explaining things to the inexperienced. It is quite the investment to get into this stuff, and it will be frustrating, but rewarding. You can also edit video in lightroom and photoshop now, so you get that advantage as well.

I have tried to help people on here from time to time with it all, but it is kinda futile if you don't first have photoshop.

Tyler, This might just be my best option. That is if I can learn to do without too much difficulty what you did with this image. I thank you and I thank all others who have added their wisdom to helping me with this problem. That wei program and the pool.bz program will come in handy too.

Tom

To those who know about photo editting

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