TAP Room Podcast 45: Editing A Sports Portrait Composite
The final product can be quite unique and used in a variety of products - team banners, individual banners or posters just to name a few of the common images that are created.
So how do you start or get started with composite sports imagery? That really depends but one important piece is the usage of Gray, Blue or Green Screens.
Over the years, I’ve learned that for the best composites is the gray screen. It has less color bleeding on the subject and when editing i’ve found it’s easier to edit during the process. Others might say otherwise, but I’m sure it’s like the Apple vs Android discussion, but this is my personal preference.
Lighting and camera settings
For composites, the minimum amount would be three lights, usually for my sports composites I have a fourth and use it as a static light where it has a constant shine on the subject. This gives one side of the subject a little more pop on one side for a bit more dimension for the final image. You’ll have a main light (Key) in the front and the two in the back are used for separation from to use for editing. Depending on the angle, it allows for a nice side glow of the subject.
This would include a key light, fill light and a separation light. Camera settings are also important and shooting for sharp edges will make extraction easier. Make sure the camera aperture is set around f8 to maximize the sharp edges around the person. ISO and Shutter speed is whatever will provide the proper exposure while taking into account the external lights. Be sure to know your lights and make sure the shutter speed is within the lights sync speed.
Once the image is taken and you’re happy with the final product it’s time to separate the image from the backdrop. I’ll go over two ways for this - one is the subject remove tool in Photoshop and the other is the Pen Tool. Both have their uses and there are also other ways to get the job done also.