How to Create Studio Backdrops in Photoshop

Studio backdrops are often used for still photography or film and television productions. They provide attractive backgrounds for interview subjects or portrait photography. Having a ready supply of diverse muslin or canvas backdrops to meet the need of every production situation can be a costly investment. A digital alternative allows you to create these needed backdrops on your computer and add them to the digital image after the shoot has wrapped. Using Adobe Photoshop CS4, you can matte subjects from images that use green screen backdrops, into a new image that replaces the green screen with a backdrop created in Photoshop.

Things You'll Need

• Adobe Photoshop

Instructions

1. Open Photoshop and create a new project by selecting "File" then "New." Size your image at least as large as your raw photo or video file. You can always decrease the size of your backdrop without loss of quality. If working with digital video files, select "Film & Video" from the new file presets and select an appropriate-size video format from the "Size" pull down menu.

2. Select the Gradient Tool from the Tool palette. The Gradient Tool is shared with the Paint Bucket Tool, so if only the Paint Bucket Tool is visible, click on the lower right corner of the Tool icon to change to Gradient. When the Gradient Tool is selected, note the menu change in the top margin. The gradient options are available in a pull down menu.

3. Enter the Gradient Editor by clicking on the pull down menu on the top left margin of the Photoshop CS4 desktop. If you hold your mouse over the presets, a text balloon appears showing you the gradient type. Select the first preset, "Foreground to Background." Select your foreground color from palette options at the bottom of the Tools tab. Consider tasteful neutral colors for a backdrop--gray, dark blue, whatever works best for your subject matter. Use the Gradient Tool to experiment with dragging the tool anywhere within your image canvas. Note how the depth of the gradient depends on how far you stretch the gradient line. The longer the Gradient Tool line extends beyond the canvas, the more gradual the color transition will be. Attractive backdrops will use subtle transitions. You can use whatever combination of foreground and background colors you like to create multicolored transitions. Let your good taste guide you in color selection.

4. Consider organic sources for your backdrops. Use Photoshop to import photo images of marble, wood or stone surfaces. A combination of creative photography and Photoshop filters can yield amazing new backgrounds not found on any muslin studio backdrop.

Tips & Warnings

• Green screen is most often used for key effects because pure green is the least common wardrobe color and least likely to be confused with other colors commonly found in clothing. Nevertheless, if planning a photo shoot using green screen you intend to replace with digital backdrops created in Photoshop, make sure subjects avoid wearing green.

References

• Adobe.com: Apply a gradient fill