Images for a Blog – Photoshop Elements – Magic Extractor

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Images for a Blog – Photoshop Elements – Magic Extractor

 

Images for a Blog

Images for a blog

Compound Imagee for this blog

Today’s post is going to be a bit of stretch for some, but since this is my favorite tools, I thought I’d share.  I use this tool to work on images for a blog several times a week.  I’m not a graphics designer, and I can’t say what I create is art, but it usually gets the job done.   Since Google gives extra credit to blog posts that have an image with the post’s keywords in the “Alt” field, this is important stuff.

Okay What is the ALT Field?

For those who aren’t familiar with this term, when you put an image on a website there are a number of fields you can fill in.  The SRC (source) field is the most important since it tells the browser where to find the picture.  Without that one the image can’t be displayed.  One of the optional fields is the ALT field.  This field is used by software called “blind readers” that blind visitors use when they visit your site.  Since the blind visitors can’t see the image, the software finds the ALT field and speaks the words that it finds there.

Photoshop Elements – a Powerful Image Editor.

I have been using Photoshop Elements for years.  It retails for about $80 and has many of the same horses as Photoshop, its $600 cousin.  It will read and wrote PSD files (the native files that the large Photoshop program uses )  This means that when you buy Public Label Rights (PLR) packages that come with  eBook Covers as a PSD file, you can edit the file and change it so that you are unique.   Or perhaps you have a button you want to use and you don’t like the box around it.  Or perhaps you want to merge two images and create one.  There are lots of things you can do to images for a blog and the Magic Extractor helps with many of them.

There are tutorials and help files all over the internet and on YouTube so I won’t go into the details of using Photoshop Elements.

Royalty Free Images

One of the issues you need to concern yourself with when you use an image is the legality of using the image.   You either need to have taken the shot yourself or you need to find a site that tells you that their images are Royalty Free.   There is an eReport on my Resources page that lists free sites that I have found  http://HalePringle.com/Resources.    Just because you can go to Google and search the images section does not mean that you can legally use the images you find there.

In addition to free sites there are sites that sell you the right to use their images.  The three biggest I know are http://iStockphoto.com, http://Dreamstime.com and http://123RF.com.   I usually end up getting my images from 123RF.com.  They usually have what I want and a single image costs about  $0.95.   (You only need the SMALL image for blogs and they usually cost 1 credit.  You can buy 40 credits for about $38. )

Pin On Top of PeopleWhich brings me to today’s topic.   There are times when what I want to do is merge two images and create one final image.   To do this, one image will be on top of the other.  You must get rid of all the top image except the piece you want.   Here is an example where the image background is NOT transparent.   ———>

 

The Problem with the PIN Image

As you can see in the image on the right, if I just drag one image on top of the other, all I see is the top image.  To fix this we need to get rid of the “Background” on the pin image and just leave the pin.   We do this by making the background transparent, so we can see right through it.

 

 

 

 

Making the Background Transparent.

There are a number of ways to get rid of the background.  You can use the eraser tool and erase all the image except what you want to keep.   You can use one of the cropping tools,  like the magic lasso, and mark the edges of the piece you want to keep.  You need to carefully mark all the way around the part you want and then crop it out.   These require a delicate hand and takes time.

Another way – the Magic Extractor Tool

The Magic Extractor tool lets you click on the stuff you want to keep, click on a button and then click on the part you want to delete and then click on Preview.  Many times that is all there is to it.   There are additional steps you can take to help the automatic system, but often times the system will do the job very well.

An Example – the Magic Extractor Tool

Today when I went looking for images for a blog post I was planning, I was working on an ad for an upcoming Webinar on Pinterest.  I decided I wanted something different and came up with “People Around the World  with a Pin in it”  Of course I wasn’t’ expecting anyone to have that image so I needed to create it.  Not being an artist, this means basically “cut and paste.” 

People Around World-COmputersHere is what I started with,  two images I found on 123RF.com.  One is the image on the left and the other is the white pin on a white background that you see above.

 

As I said, Photoshop Elements allows you edit one image and then drag another image on top of it.  Each image is in its own layer so that you can resize and move each image independently, but they end up looking like one image.

 

Making the Pin’s Background Transparent

Menu for Magic Extractor and pinStart by editing the PIN image and invoking the Magic Extractor tool. You click on the menu option IMAGE  –> Magic Extractor – as shown by the red arrows.

 

Mark What We Want to Keep.

Red donts on PIN - keep this

When your image opens in the Magic Extractor window it is ready for you to tell it what you want to keep.  Click or drag the cursor in the area you want to keep.   The system defaults to leaving red dots or a red line as you click or drag.

 

 

 

 

Now Mark What You Want GONE

blue Dots on Pin

Next, you click the second icon from the top over on the left and click or drag the cursor in the area you want to turn transparent.   This will leave blue dots or blue lines.

Click on the PREVIEW Button and see the Results

Preview the Pin

As I said, there are other buttons that let you shade areas you want removed that the system missed or areas that the system took out and you didn’t want them taken out.  In this case the system did a pretty good job of keeping the Pin and getting rid of the background.  The checkerboard pattern is Photoshop Elements way of telling you that the area is transparent.

 

The Combined Image

Pin on top of world with transparent background

Now when I save the image I will have an image that I can drag on top of the World Image.   Here is the image right after I combined them.  I still needed to resize the PIN image, position it and in this case I recolored the Pin and I put a border around it.  You can see that image at the top of this post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PS – If you are interested in driving free traffic to your blog or your business, the free Webinar is January 24, 2013 at 8:00 CT.  

I recomment it strongly!

Here is the link you can use to register for the Webinar.  http://HalePringle.com/pinterest-invite

Creating Perfect Images for a Blog using the Photoshop Elements Magic Extractor

 

Until next time, you have a Great Day!

Dr Hale

 

 

↓ ↓ If this post gave you some ideas – Go ahead & comment below.  ↓ ↓

 

Hale Pringle

Hale Pringle Ed. D.

 

Hale Pringle – Hale Yes!

Skype hale.pringle

Email: HaleYes@HalePringle.com

 

P.S. If you are working to move your business online and it all seems overwhelming, I can help!  Take a look at http://HalePringle.com, or sign up for the free coaching call. You can email me or give me a Skype call. I’ll give you the benefit of my years of experience and many thousands of dollars in training and searching the rabbit hole called Internet Marketing and Network Marketing. I can help you with Lead Generation, the feeling of overwhelm, blogging, and even career change. Add that to the finest mentoring on the Internet (Ann Sieg’s Team and Inner Circle) and you have a Winner!

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About Hale Pringle

Dr. Hale is an Internet Entrepreneur and Network
Marketing expert. His greatest pleasure is
helping people and he does just that, drawing
upon the immense resources that he has gathered
over the years in his unquenchable thirst for
knowledge.

Dr. Hale lives in beautiful, sunny Florida with
his wife, two dogs and a cat. His four children
are grown and are scattered around the state.

An eternal optimist you will hear him say
regularly: “Is this a Great Day?” The answer is
always, “Hale Yes!”

If you need help with your online marketing or a
network marketing opportunity Dr. Hale is the go
to man. “Hale Yes!”

Comments

  1. Thank you so much for this fantastic post! I have bookmarked it to come back to it as well. What great information – thanks for sharing it.
    Rebecca
    Rebecca Mugridge recently posted..RECIPE – Kenilworth Ricotta, Carrot & Zucchini RollsMy Profile

    • Rebecca,

      Thank you very much. I’m sure you know how much it makes and author’s day when someone says “Oh I can use that info!!” So you just made my day! 🙂

      Thanks again,
      Dr. Hale

  2. Thanks so much for all the fabulous tips. Have bookmarked your page. thanks for visiting my blog. Enjoy your day.
    Suzy recently posted..Day 21 – Exercising – friend or foe?My Profile

    • Thank you too Suzy, I don’t know if you are a night owl or live in a far distant time zone. I often comment on your site in the UBC since we both post LATE at night.

      Regards,
      Dr Hale

  3. Wow! Thanks Hale, I always struggled with this one. Even though I have the full version of Photoshop on my computer I would end up getting my daughter to do these sort of jobs and it was a painstaking task going carefully around the image. I didn’t know about the Magic Extractor. I take it that it’s probably included in the full version, I’ll have to have a look for it now!

    • Abigail,

      Part of the reason I took the time to write this one was “If you don’t know it exists, we don’t even look for it.” I have no idea how long the Magic Extractor has been around but it surprised the heck out of me when I ran into it.

      Thanks for the comment,
      Dr. Hale

  4. Thanks for this great info, I too have bookmarked. I guess I am fortunate and don’t need a lot of pics from the net as my site is about food and I make and take my own pics, but sometimes I do need some and it can be a little daunting, so I will be back to learn more from you.
    Best wishes
    Cher ~ UBC
    Cher recently posted..Raw Kitchen IngredientsMy Profile

    • You are most welcome Cher,

      I just said that I’d be on the look out for you and here you are. Of course you posted this before the one I commented on so I’ll keep watching 🙂

      Regards,
      Dr. Hale

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    get data concerning my presentation focus, which i am going to present in institution of higher education.
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    joined your rss feed and look forward tto seeking more of your great post.
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