Photoshop with FCP

this is probably more of a photo shop question than fcp but i figure we all use the same stuff.

i have a logo that i want to put onto a 8X11 in the upper right hand corner then i want to fill the rest in with pictures and text so that it looks like a magazine cover. i am using this png as an overlay to replace the magazine cover that is laying on a table in a clip.

the thing is that i have no idea how to create a 8X11 with more than one pic. i can get one pic to be a background but i can not get a second pic to be on top.
i can not control where the pic is or its size.

i have tried to be happy with just text on a white background but when i composite in FCP it doesn't look like a real magazine cover. it needs some images and i cant figure out how to do it. i am semi-fair when it come to the text tools if that helps.

with that being said can anyone give me a walk-thru as to how to achieve this look i am needing for a project that due in 1.5 wks. i am not really that familiar with a lot of tech jargon so talk to me as if i was retarded ( i am pretty close to that when it comes to photoshop)

ok. every time you paste a new image into photoshop a new layer is created for that new image - paste it as pixels.
when it comes in, it has control handles. if your pasted picture goes beyong the page size, you can drag-scale it there. hit return to accept it and remove the X

THEN , once the photo is there. select the layer its in then go under edit > transform > distort and you and push and pull the image using the 6 control points until it fits as you need it.

if you get scared of messing it up and wanna start over, hit command i to reject the transform and start over

sorry, hit command PERIOD to reject i t

thanks man:-) that worked with quite a lot of trial and error. photoshop isnt exactly user friendly is it?

i here that illustrater is easier and does the same thing, thinking about maybe getting it if this is the case. what do you think?

I wouldn't say Illustrator was easier than Photoshop. Probably about the same in terms of learning curve. Illustrator is better with vectors, but I prefer Photoshop for video work.

> photoshop isnt exactly user friendly is it?

I was able to pick up basic concepts in Photoshop with no training at all. The most basic concepts are just like FCP's effects -- layering, arranging, picture size. It's the nuances and technical details that take training and experience -- enough for a whole career.

well being the type who will often go blindly into a purchase thinking it will save time, i purchased illustrator this morning. i spent 1hr on it and made a very nice newsletter ( 3 pictures even ). i am guessing now that photoshop has a few more manipulation tricks but i am never gonna be a photoshop scientist / still image pro.

i just feel as if it was easier for me but maybe its because photoshop wont work like fcp (logical). i will still use photoshop and hopefully the talibon will come and force me to learn it well by gun point.

hey, i used a photoshop file to replace the magazine in my clip and it worked great. would i have seen a difference if i had used an illustrator file? i mean is it better to use a psd file or a vector file in video?

Illustrator produces vector based images. These will not work with FCP.



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my workflow for almost everything graphic starts in illustrator then often passes through photoshop for raster effects - then into after effects or FCP.

yeah, photoshop pretty much requires at least a basic browse over the user manual. once you get your head around a couple basic concepts its one of the easier programs out there.

i teach illustrator from time to time at one of the local community colleges. and the bezier pen tool is probably the hardest part of the package for the students to master. if you dont learn that specific tool, illustrator is pretty much just a really good page layout program...