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[ 51 ]› › D Y N A MI C R ANGEStep One: We need to load both images into
Adobe Photoshop to work on them simultane-
ously. We’ll be switching back and forth between
them and using different elements from each.
Step Two: Within the image of the focused
tower, using the Quick Selection tool (W), select
the tower. As you draw inside the tower with the
tool active, Photoshop will automatically find the
edges to make an approximate selection. When
using this tool, the algorithm Adobe Photoshop
uses to find the edges is pretty spot on, but it can
miss certain thinner details at the edges. Also,
notice that it may limit itself at pronounced lines
within the limits of the tower, so be sure to check
that all the inner areas are selected. You can add
areas to the selection by clicking on them or by
painting over them, and you can remove areas
from the selection by doing the same while hold-
ing the Option (PC: Alt) key. You can also change
the size of the brush with the keyboard shortcuts
of the Left Bracket key ([) to decrease, and the
Right Bracket key (]) to increase the size. Don’t
worry about selecting the element at the very top
of the tower for now; we’ll take care of that later.
Step Three: After we’ve selected the majority of
the tower, we can refine the selection to capture
some of the thinner details. With the selection
still active, click on Select and Mask up at the top
in the Options Bar to open the tools that allow
us to refine our selection. I find that the Over-
lay View mode, which is enabled by pressing V,
works best to see my selection easily. This makes
the selected area appear normal and the area
outside the selection has a red overlay by default.
To catch the finer details in this image, expand
the Edge Detection section in the Properties
panel and adjust the Radius of the selection to
68 px. This will select the finer details surround-
ing the bulk of the tower, aside from the very tip
(again, we’ll deal with that later). Click OK at the
bottom of the Properties panel.