Problem placing images from PS to Illy

[techKNOWLEDGEy]

This is my first posting, so forgive me if this is a stupid question that's probably been asked a million times. I used the search on the forums and browsed a little, but couldn't find this specific problem.

I took a photo of a city skyline, and I made it into a black silhouette in PS. I used the magic wand tool to select the silhouette only, and copied and pasted into Illy. I wanted to add graphics behind the skyline in Illy, but discovered that the skyline is embedded in a rectangluar box. I can't figure out how to just paste the image itself so that it is the silhoutte without the box. I figured maybe it was something with layer properties in PS, but I'm not sure what to change.

Thanks for any help!

[D-Frag]

make that siloutte a path and export it as a illy path.

check it.

make a selection (silhoutte/marching ants) then go to your path palette and hit the path options button (the circle with the sideways triangle) and make a new path.

name it something like silhoutte.

next go to file>export>export paths to illy

next open up that path file in illustrator.

that should work, let us know.

http://img15.exs.cx/img15/7863/nufrag2nk6zq.jpg

digitalcamwhore (http://digitalcamwhore.deviantart.com/gallery/)

Thanks to vend3r (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/profile.aspx?f=35&m=97279&p=4762) for the sig

http://img167.exs.cx/img167/9269/xtroll7ae.jpg http://img167.exs.cx/img167/9269/xtroll7ae.jpg

[techKNOWLEDGEy]

hmmm....I must not be doing something right. I followed your instructions exactly a couple times, but when I open the path in Illy, all that's there is what looks like printer's registration (or crop?) marks, No image.

I attached a screen shot of the path I tried to open

[D-Frag]

are you trying to import a photo? im a little confused. I thought you drew a silhoutte of a skyline, and wanted to import that into illy? If you are trying that, then please hit ctrl+y in Illy, you will see that there is actually a line drawing inside those crop marks, fill it in with black and that should be your silhoutte.

If you want to import the actual photo, that would be a totally different process.

http://img15.exs.cx/img15/7863/nufrag2nk6zq.jpg

digitalcamwhore (http://digitalcamwhore.deviantart.com/gallery/)

Thanks to vend3r (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/profile.aspx?f=35&m=97279&p=4762) for the sig

http://img167.exs.cx/img167/9269/xtroll7ae.jpg http://img167.exs.cx/img167/9269/xtroll7ae.jpg

[techKNOWLEDGEy]

no, I'm not trying to import the photo.
Here is what I did:
I made a silhouette of my original photo by first creating a new layer, then going back to original layer, magic wanded the sky until all sky was highlighted, then I inversed the selection. I then had my skyline selected. I went back to my new layer and filled the selection black with the paint bucket tool.
Now, I just want to import the black selection exactly as you see on the 2nd screenshot, into Illy, without that white rectangle around it. If you look at my 'first attempt' I put the yellow sun behind the skyline as an example. I want it to go directly behind my silhouette, not behind that white square.

I followed your new instructions, hit 'Ctrl Y' in illy, but the only thing that happened is those registration marks went from gray to black. Still no image.

Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way, there is probably an easier method.

Thanks for all your help on this.

[D-Frag]

yeah there is a easier method, thx for the screenshots.

i cant remember the save setting to get the transparent background, so here it goes.

Take your pen tool in illy, and outline your graphic (silhoutte) once you have it outlined, go to object>clipping mask>make that should cut out the background.


anyone else have any ideas, im totally forgetting the file type to get a transparent background.....

http://img15.exs.cx/img15/7863/nufrag2nk6zq.jpg

digitalcamwhore (http://digitalcamwhore.deviantart.com/gallery/)

Thanks to vend3r (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/profile.aspx?f=35&m=97279&p=4762) for the sig

http://img167.exs.cx/img167/9269/xtroll7ae.jpg http://img167.exs.cx/img167/9269/xtroll7ae.jpg

[Kool]

You should be able to just place it in Illy as a native PSD file without doing any of that clipping path stuff. It will have a transparent background. Also if your going to trace it with the pen tool to make a clipping mask why not just trace it as a vector object and get rid of the raster all together. /emoticons/cool.gif

Where am I going and why am I in this handbasket?

[PrintDriver]

Kool's psd will work.
Or if you want your skyline to be vector:
Select your city scape so the ants are marching around it.
Go the the Path Palette and hit the fly-out arrow. Choose Make Workpath.
It'll ask you to put in a tolerance. 1.0 pixels works ok most times.
Goto that fly-out arrow again and choose Save Path.
Now goto File>Export>Export paths to Illustrator.
When you open it in Illy you'll see those crop marks again. This time when you hit Ctrl+Y you should see your outline.
In Illy select all and goto Object>Cropmarks>Release.
That should do it.

PD is a grande format digital print dude. His advice/opinions may not apply to the 4color/offset/web world of printing

[techKNOWLEDGEy]

Thanks guys! I posted the finished design in The Showcase!