Tech help puhlease
I need to take some photos of T shirts that will look decent enough to put on a website so I can sell them. I want to end up with the image of the Tshirt on a plain background sort of like this

I am rubbish at image manipulation and have no idea where to start. My original brilliant idea of finding a big white background failed when I realised there is no big white background available.

Any suggestions?
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:33, Reply)

I used to photograph for eBay a lot
duvets or bedsheets work easiest.
( Mary's sexbox explosion makes me The Jesus, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:34, Reply)

How many pictures?
I don't mind having a go at "cutting around them" kinda thing, to give 'em a white background.
If you can get them on a background of a single colour would help.
Er... Lots of sheets of A4 on the floor, stand on a chair to photo, make sure your shadow isn't across them.
( Cawl - King Of Wales, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:37, Reply)

^^
This.
(Herr Doktor Lemminge Has an atom bomb, a motherfucking atom bomb, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:38, Reply)

that was my first thought
but I don't have anything suitable...
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:39, Reply)

If only there was somewhere where white bed sheets could be purchased...

(Psyc-Ho-Ho-Ho-Chomp **bearer of the waki crown**, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:41, Reply)

if only i could afford to buy
bed sheets
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:42, Reply)

Charity shop?
Much easier and quicker than doing image manipulation on a number of photo's
(Psyc-Ho-Ho-Ho-Chomp **bearer of the waki crown**, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:44, Reply)

charity shops still want money
i really have none.

It's only going to be two photos
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:45, Reply)

I think if you can't put them on a plain background
take a photo of them on someone, preferably someone attractive.
(Psyc-Ho-Ho-Ho-Chomp **bearer of the waki crown**, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:49, Reply)

That's a fine idea actually.

( Cawl - King Of Wales, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:53, Reply)

Now there's an idea.
You could get someone to model for you on Saturday.
( Davros' Granddad booked a holiday, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:54, Reply)

i work on my own
i don't want a photo of me.

there's no-one else to ask.

:(

EDIT - and I want them to be on the website tomorrow so I can come and play for the weekend without worrying it has to be done on Monday.
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:54, Reply)

You could wait until it's sunny and go up to randoms in the street,
it may take a few tries but everyone secretly wants to be a model.
(Psyc-Ho-Ho-Ho-Chomp **bearer of the waki crown**, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:56, Reply)

well i could
and it's be good publicity too. But as above, I really want it sorted tomorrow.
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:58, Reply)

If you need any nude modelling
I'm sure Kaol will oblige. That'd probably be awful publicity though.
( Captain V, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:00, Reply)

I'm thinking
which size? Skinny fit, small?
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:02, Reply)

The tightest you have
The thought of Kaol wearing nothing but confused look a painfully small top is rather amusing.
( Captain V, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:08, Reply)

Hell yes!
The world needs to see my wonderful man-boobs.
EDIT: "needs" should be in huge letters, bold and underlined. Red too.
( Cawl - King Of Wales, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:09, Reply)

If you're modelling a tshirt
How will your boobs be on show?
( Captain V, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:13, Reply)

they hang below the waist

(Psyc-Ho-Ho-Ho-Chomp **bearer of the waki crown**, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:19, Reply)

I was gonna
Floop them out of the arm-holes.
( Cawl - King Of Wales, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:20, Reply)

the word floop
is most excellent
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:30, Reply)

Easy if you've got money.
Not so easy if you're setting up a business and not getting paid yet...
( Cawl - King Of Wales, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:42, Reply)

Come round to my house
I'll get you on my bed sheets. Muh-ha-ha-ha-ha.

apologies

Loving the Whale sig btw.
( dj STUPID FUCKING CONSUMER DAY BOLLOCKS price May the Yuletide log slip from your fire and bu..., Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:50, Reply)

pfft
than you for a well needed laugh in the middle of yet another 'ancrenne freezes in the face of technology' breakdown :)
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:59, Reply)

there there
just lie down on the sheets, it'll all be ok
( dj STUPID FUCKING CONSUMER DAY BOLLOCKS price May the Yuletide log slip from your fire and bu..., Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:08, Reply)

a lie down and
a stiff drink would be the perfect solution to this situation..
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:12, Reply)

drink wang
( dj STUPID FUCKING CONSUMER DAY BOLLOCKS price May the Yuletide log slip from your fire and bu..., Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:16, Reply)

Becky speaks many words of truth there
The other option is to do it in front of a colour, then cut the colour out. If you want to do this, make sure the colour you put behind is very different to the colour of the tshirt you are photo-ing.
(ReindeerOfDeath wants a holiday on, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:37, Reply)

ok
so perhaps my question should have been

'how do i cut out'

I'm fine with scissors just not computers.
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:44, Reply)

Well there's the magic wand in photoshop
Or sending it to Mr K or I to do.
(ReindeerOfDeath wants a holiday on, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:46, Reply)

Yeah, this.
Very much this.
( Cawl - King Of Wales, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:48, Reply)

Why are you less likely to get arrested now?
Have you joined the police or something?
(ReindeerOfDeath wants a holiday on, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:49, Reply)

ok next question
prefaced with

I am rubbish at image manipulation

How? I have never ever used photoshop (had one lesson once and promtly got confused and never looked at it again)

easy solution needed as I'm crap at this sort of thing
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:49, Reply)

Right, here goes:
1) Open picture.

2) Click and hold on the wand-looking tool on the left, should be near the top I think.

3) Click on the one that says 'magic wand'.

4) Click on the background of the picture.

5) Click delete.

Depending on the background, it may or may not all select at once. That be the basic guide.
(ReindeerOfDeath wants a holiday on, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:51, Reply)

As long as the backgrund colour is consistent
Then all you might need to do is use the magic wand tool on GIMP!

Depends on what background you have?
(The Dirty Christmas Treeker I will bite your face off, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:42, Reply)

a filthy floor
or a pink sofa

or, or..

nope that's my options..
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:00, Reply)

Big background?
Try a big sheet of paper. It's what we use at work when taking photographs of our samples.
(Potty Jag har smör i min rumpspringa, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:44, Reply)

I haven't got any big sheets of paper
:(

I really haven't anything suitable hence looking for a tech fix
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:46, Reply)

Lots of sheets of white printer paper.
Very easy to photoshop the lines out where the papers are overlapping.
( Cawl - King Of Wales, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:49, Reply)

^
Also a good idea.
(ReindeerOfDeath wants a holiday on, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:50, Reply)

Tape on the back
And enough flash - no shopping needed.
(Potty Jag har smör i min rumpspringa, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:50, Reply)

this however
presumes I have paper... it's on the shopping list

this business of mine is very very very poor
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:53, Reply)

Right, this is easy to sort
Gazzed
(Potty Jag har smör i min rumpspringa, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:03, Reply)

Bodge
If the colour is inconsistent you'd have to go around the edge of the t-shirt by hand to mark out the part of the image you want to keep. This can be horribly laborious to do neatly (and even then can look a bit messy).

If the colour is consistent (and significantly different from the t-shirt) there are tools that will sort it out for you and make it much easier (think of them as the find and replace you'd use in a word processor but for colour)

A half way house would be to make the colour around the edges of the t-shirt consistent and don't worry about the rest (sheets of A4 cut in half length ways and put slight under the t-shirt). It'd be quite easy to get the image down to the t-shirt + A4 as you don't have to worry about removing bits of the paper here and there. You can then use the tools I've mentioned to sort out the edges in a more efficient manner.

This still leaves you needing to find *something* but it'd probably be a bit easier this way. You can have multiple colours too so long as each colour is consistent so sheets of yellow, green and white paper would work. Again, a little more work than having a single colour but much easier than having to cut the t-shirt out manually.

Hopefully that's reasonably clear.

:edit: Hell you could probably get away with using other t-shirt for this so long as they're a fairly different colour to the one you are photographing.
( Captain V, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:55, Reply)

If you have anything which is a different colour from the T-Shirt, and preffably solidish....
... I'll do the rest for you =)
( Dance, Gonz, where ever you may be, for you are the lord of the dance settee. Disclaimer: I'm joking, soz for potential offence., Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:54, Reply)

Or you can make a bit sheet out of loads of A4 printer-paper ones, use the flash and the seems won't show.

( Dance, Gonz, where ever you may be, for you are the lord of the dance settee. Disclaimer: I'm joking, soz for potential offence., Wed 10 Jun 2009, 15:55, Reply)

you lovely lovely people
I have some offers of photoshop help so I am going to take the photos tomorrow morning as long as the camera works again, send 'em to helpful peoples and hope.

One day, I will have a working printer, and camera, and software and all kinds of useful stuff and life will be so very much easier.

Thank you!
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:05, Reply)

WHALE!
I cannot help you with technical things. I am pants. However, I respect you for quoting Whale lyrics.
Baby, we don't love ya!
(Roota Claus Iz in ur Xpelair high-pitching ur whines, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:13, Reply)

i think this has been my most popular and commented upon
sig, ever.

I shall keep it for a while :)
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:16, Reply)

Few people I know seem to remember Whale
So I'm in good company here?
(Roota Claus Iz in ur Xpelair high-pitching ur whines, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:19, Reply)

hell yes
I just need to get a copy of that track, the one playing in my head is broken
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:23, Reply)

download it!
I only have the album on cassette.
Tried to get it on CD from Ebay but it never arrived :-(
I downloaded that one track from frostwire though.
(Roota Claus Iz in ur Xpelair high-pitching ur whines, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:29, Reply)

Why not
scan them?

The logos should fit on the scanner area and it should be fairly easy to cut them out in photoshop...

Presuming you have a scanner or course.
( scoshi can't stop listening to Eisbrecher, Wed 10 Jun 2009, 16:44, Reply)