How to integrate a larger cut-out group of people in a design

Question

Is there a good strategy to integrate a larger cut-out group of people (e.g. orchestra, band, conferences, team, etc.) in a print designs (cover page, poster)?

Many designs use images that keep the natural image background / bokeh (e.g. outdoor group portraits).

There are many cut-out portrait shots (single person) used this way, e.g. 1, 2. These examples provide an even background. Therefore they might be easily integrated into a cover page design. But it seems that hardly any photos of larger groups (e.g. > 20 people) are used this way.

Answer 1

A good "strategy" would be to search for a picture that has been taken in front of a solid colour background (maybe some websites with photographic resources like 123RF or fotolia offer search based on transparency or background colours).

You would then be able to remove the background colour in Photoshop, save it as a .PSD file, and include it in your design without the background.

In case you don't find such a picture that can be easily edited, you might need to use the pen tool to remove the background yourself.