Ever see those coin photos with a completely black background? Or even an all white one? I really want to start making my photos look like that. How does one go about doing so?



Notice the nasty background, it throws the picture off in my mind.

One easy way is to find a background you like the look of and use it all the time when you take the shot.

You can also do it with various photo editing programs. You have to find one that will let you cut a circle out of the picture instead of just a square and allow you to work with layers. I often us an old copy of Microsoft Picture It! to do that but other programs will do it too I am sure.

I use photoshop to outline the coin then cut it away from the background. Then I change the background layer to black and merge the two back together.

I also use the adobe Photoshop but I usually clone my preferred background over the existing one. It probably takes longer then cutting and pasting but I like the extra control that the clone stamp gives.

Outlining the coin sounds difficult. How do you avoid jagged edges and such?

I photograph at about 2000 x 2000 pixels and outline at 700% zoom. At that resolution the eye can't easily tell that the "circle" is really a series of lines. Since I prefer a pure black background I don't use the clone stamp (though it's a nice tool to remove hairs).

world coins are easy, they are mostly circle so just pull guides...turn rulers on then take your pointer and click on the rulers at the side of your photo window in PS then hold down mouse button and pull guidlines out and put them at the edge of the top and left of your coin. Get your outline tool (elliptical marquee top left on tool bar in PS, default is square) hold down on the icon in the tool bar till it gives you options and grab the circle outline. start in the corner of your guides where they meet, press down mouse and drag circle out and get it to outline around the coin. Do the same with your other coin...cut (ctrl C) then paste (cntrl V) them together on a new canvas or resize one of the ones you have to a good size 'select - all' (ctrl - A) then 'edit - clear' and paint bucket black on your background layer (select layer in layer window, if it isnt showing its 'windows - layers' to turn it on) and paste them. If you have copied and pasted something it becomes a layer and you can move and resize it 'edit - transform' drag it, or rotate it...resize them to fit, ....on ancients you might have to use the polylasso tool to cut off some extra areas if the coin is jagged our not completely round.

I shoot on black velvet thus if I dont get the cleanest cut...I have a little room for error and its helps to have high resolution shot in macro.









Best thing to do is to try it then ask questions as you go...I read this board a lot and use PS for a living and can help you out as can others I am sure.

^^ Rulers, guides, and circular outline tool...

It is dated, but I got used to using Image composer and the cut function. So by selecting the circle and stretching it to the dimensions of the coin, cut and paste over my background with the tryzub behind the coin. So then you get this:



There are layering techniques so that it can shadow the background and make the coin appear as though it is lying on the background and the shadow up top evidences it.

yeah, it all depends on exactly what you are trying to achieve and what program you are using...something like above in PS can be done roughly the same way but instead of paint bucket color you open cut and paste your texture in a layer behind your coins and to get a drop shadow is 'layer - effects - drop shadow'

also one good thing to do is have a pre-made template saved out. Size a canvas to the exact size you like all your coins to be posted at...put whatever texture or color you want and just open it and cut and past your coins into it...

Thank you all for the help! I'll try some of this stuff tomorrow when I get some free time.