3 Replies Latest reply: Oct 25, 2009 8:58 PM by Andrew Slayman RSS

    Difficult layer alignment in CS3

    Andrew Slayman Community Member

      I'm trying to align two layers as precisely as possible in CS3.The two images were taken from very slighty different angles of a subject close to infinity. Auto Align fails, so I have fallen back on Free Transform/Warp. But I'm having a great deal of trouble getting them to align, and I could use some pointers.

       

      Is there a way to approach this type of problem systematically?

       

      One specific problem I'm having is that I will get one point aligned, then adjust the warp/transform to align another point, but by so doing the first point will be thrown out of whack. How does one manage this?

       

      Another problem is that I can only see all the warp/transform handles when the image is zoomed out to 15-20%, but I need to examine each area of the image at 100% to see whether my corrections are good enough. I tried opening the file at 100% in a second window, but the changes aren't visible in window #2 in real time, and I can't scroll around window #2 because clicking on it exits warp/transform mode. Any suggestions re how to do this?

       

      Is there some other way of doing this that I'm missing completely? Another function in PS, or a third-party plug-in, or an external tool like PTGui?

       

      Many thanks for any suggestions.

        • 1. Re: Difficult layer alignment in CS3
          D Fosse-QDEaQ1 Community Member

          Go to Window > Arrange > New Window. Keep one window full-screen and the other zoomed in. It will auto-update in the other window here, so I don't understand why it doesn't work for you.

           

          Have the top layer at 50% opacity so you can see when they align.

           

          And another important thing: Use smart objects so you can perform repeated transformations without unnecessary degradation.

          • 2. Re: Difficult layer alignment in CS3
            Terri_F Community Member

            You might also try placing the layer you are attempting to align with the background layer in Difference blend mode. This can help you determine where you need to adjust the layer to get it to match up. A total black layer would represent the image being 100% matched up...

            CS3 will let you change blend modes even if transform is active.

            • 3. Re: Difficult layer alignment in CS3
              Andrew Slayman Community Member

              Many thanks for the suggestions.

               

              Anyone have pointers about how to approach the process of transforming and warping one image to match another? I am thinking of advice like, "Nudge the top image until you have aligned the two over a point near the center. Then, using transform, adjust the corner points until you have a point in each corner aligned. Then, using warp..." Obviously I'm making that up, but is there a way to do this systematically?