Q&A: Pasting Picture Elements Into Different Images

I am a new subscriber. I would like to learn how to remove someone or something from one picture and place it in another picture using a program like Jasc Paint Shop or Adobe Photoshop. Thanks!

--Jim Darnell, Blaine, Minnesota

Welcome aboard, Jim. The technique you're looking for is very similar to one you probably already know how to do in other applications, like Microsoft Word: cut and paste.

There's an art to realistically and convincingly moving someone or something from one image into another, but the basic idea is very simple. Just select the subject using whatever selection tool you like best and choose Edit, Copy from the image editor's menu. Then open the second image and paste it in.

How you paste it is up to you--you can paste it as a "selection," which lets you manipulate the element but, as soon as it is no longer selected, it becomes a permanent part of the photo. Or you can paste it in a new layer, which allows you to move, resize, and otherwise play with the element separately from the underlying image at any point. This technique is a common and powerful method of image editing, and one that you should spend some time experimenting with. I discussed it in more detail in a previous newsletter, "Professional-Grade Special Effects."