How to make object pasted into image look natural? [closed]

Question

Is there any Photoshop 101 / techniques on how to properly move object so that object moved don't boldly scream "Photoshop!" at the viewer.

note: I am not asking about the video specifically, I am asking about moving people from probably different place in general

Answer 1

After 5 hours of learning I have compiled these:

Mindset

1. Make sure the placed image ratio is good to make it more realistic. This can be attained by checking with the other object in the output picture, like trees, or other peoples' height. You are not going to place human with the size much smaller than the other human at the same picture. Similarly, you also must not place a person with the height higher than a tree.

2. Get the right perspective. Sometimes, when an object is placed in an odd perspective, image is going to look very bold that it has been photoshopped or copy pasted.

3. Lighting. It is important to pay attention to light source, like the sun, and make sure our object is appropriate with output background light source. This can be done by adjusting the lighting of object and adding shadow with referencing other shadow in output image.

Tools (to make edges more realistic)

1. Layer masking. If moving people, hair can look awful if just plainly moved. Masking allows us to further tweak our selection.

2. Refine edge. This tool allows you to control many aspect of the edge of your selection (desired object to move), like Edge Detection (brushing the edges of object and let photoshop do its job, usually around dog fur), Feather (Soften the area of selection), Smooth (reduce pointiness of your selection), Contrast (somewhat opposite of smooth), and Shift Edge (moving feather far or nearer the selection, usually to remove excess background color near the edges). REFERENCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lDr2Nd8Yl4

3. Layer Matting. Inside we have many sub-tools to work on, like Color Decontamination (spread out soft mask around the edge, usually for hair to catch other hair that accidentally masked or can be used similarly to Shift Edge), Remove Matte (soften edge of sharp graphic or pixalated, raster look). REFERENCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6K_htNQPPA

4. Image Calculation. By playing with the blending, we can make the background darker; thus, helping us making mask. REFERENCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zf-H9RoCNk

Answer 2

• Make a good mask. Hair and transparent or semitransparent materials can be dificult. It is better if the subject was shoot in a simmilar background than the final image.

Then you need to look at this:

• Proportion and scale.

• Angles and perspective. The object could be of an irreal size, but the perspective and angle should match.

• Lighting, angle and type of ilumination (softness).

• Overall color of the image, and the color of the light sources.

• Ambient light, shadows and contrast.

• In reflective objects this reflection is important.

• Blurryness, DOF and motion blur.

Answer 3

it really depends on what you are "moving" but I find that when you cut the image, leaving a 1 pixel feather around the object tends to blend it into a background better. Nothing in nature has a "hard edge" so it makes it appear a little softer and more natural.