Green-Screen Scanning Makes For Easier Object Extraction

[Jason Dunn]

I'm working on my first book project - one where I'm creating a vacation scrapbook on 13" x 11" pages inside FotoFusion and will export the JPEGs then get them printed up as full-bleed pages in a Blurb hardcover book. This is my first attempt at this type of a project, but I have high hopes it will turn out really nicely.

One challenge I had was trying to scan the little pieces of paper we brought back that weren't perfectly rectangular, or things I wanted to layer over each other - plane tickets, train tickets, etc. When I scanned them, it was typically off-white on off-white (the background of my scanner). Even using Photoshop Elements' Magic Extractor, I was unable to properly extract the objects - I tried tweaking the settings, tried masking it myself with the magic wand, etc. Nothing worked because the background colour of my scanner lid was just too close to the colour of my objects. I was beginning to think I wasn't going to be able to accomplish the visual design I wanted.

Then it occurred to me that what I really had here was a "green screen" problem, so I took a piece of green construction paper and used it as a background for my small paper objects on the scanner. I simply put my objects down on the scanner and put the green paper on top of them - and with that green background, Photoshop Elements' Magic Extractor was able to perfectly extract my objects! After the extraction, I saved the objects as 24-bit PNG files with transparency turned on and imported them into FotoFusion. So now I have ultra-realistic, perfectly masked objects - check out the sample below.



Jason Dunn owns and operates Thoughts Media Inc., a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys mobile devices, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, and his sometimes obedient dog. He sounded like a giddy school-girl when he saw how well this technique worked.

[Jason Dunn]

I'm working on my first book project - one where I'm creating a vacation scrapbook on 13" x 11" pages inside FotoFusion and will export the JPEGs then get them printed up as full-bleed pages in a Blurb hardcover book. This is my first attempt at this type of a project, but I have high hopes it will turn out really nicely.

One challenge I had was trying to scan the little pieces of paper we brought back that weren't perfectly rectangular, or things I wanted to layer over each other - plane tickets, train tickets, etc. When I scanned them, it was typically off-white on off-white (the background of my scanner). Even using Photoshop Elements' Magic Extractor, I was unable to properly extract the objects - I tried tweaking the settings, tried masking it myself with the magic wand, etc. Nothing worked because the background colour of my scanner lid was just too close to the colour of my objects. I was beginning to think I wasn't going to be able to accomplish the visual design I wanted.

Then it occurred to me that what I really had here was a "green screen" problem, so I took a piece of green construction paper and used it as a background for my small paper objects on the scanner. I simply put my objects down on the scanner and put the green paper on top of them - and with that green background, Photoshop Elements' Magic Extractor was able to perfectly extract my objects! After the extraction, I saved the objects as 24-bit PNG files with transparency turned on and imported them into FotoFusion. So now I have ultra-realistic, perfectly masked objects - check out the sample below.



Jason Dunn owns and operates Thoughts Media Inc., a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys mobile devices, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, and his sometimes obedient dog. He sounded like a giddy school-girl when he saw how well this technique worked.

[Tim Williamson]

That is really cool! I hadn't thought of making a digital scrap book for my trip (I was just going to throw away all the tickets and brochures. Are you including photos too?

P.S. Is there a reason this post is living in Zunethoughts?

[David Tucker]

That's really smart...I never thought of doing that!

[Jason Dunn]

Originally Posted by Tim Williamson

I hadn't thought of making a digital scrap book for my trip (I was just going to throw away all the tickets and brochures. Are you including photos too?

When it's finished I'll create a video showing the results. As for photos, definitely - it will be 90% photos - the little "scraps" are just additions to the page. It will really be a photo album, but these little objects help bring context and memories to the album as a whole. For instance, when we were in Japan we had a hard time finding meals that were a) appealing and b) filling, so we ended up shopping at Family Mart (think 7-Eleven) almost daily picking up snacks. So we kept one of the receipts from our purchases. Just a fun little memory.

Originally Posted by Tim Williamson

P.S. Is there a reason this post is living in Zunethoughts?

Because I made a mistake when I posted it.

[Jason Dunn]

Originally Posted by David Tucker

That's really smart...I never thought of doing that!

I just wish I had thought of it sooner.

[sundown]

Boy do I feel stupid now. Of course this is a great idea. I've had problems with this issue for years and never devoted brainpower to come up with a solution. Thanks for the tip!

[Jason Dunn]

Originally Posted by sundown

Boy do I feel stupid now. Of course this is a great idea. I've had problems with this issue for years and never devoted brainpower to come up with a solution. Thanks for the tip!

I'm glad I could help with a solution! I'm really pleased with how well it works, and hopefully you see results that are just as nice.

[TeamNinja]

That is way cool. A while back I bought some green background material so I could play around with using green screen. I just haven't gotten around to actually doing it yet.

Here is the deal... I bought the poor man's green screen. I went to a party supplies shop and bought a roll of green plastic tablecloth. That's 40 inches wide by 100 feet long! It cost about $12 (USD).

Now I'm motivated to try something on a small scale.

I'll let you know how it turns out. I'm sure it will work well -

TeamNinjaFanatic

[Jason Dunn]

Originally Posted by TeamNinja

Here is the deal... I bought the poor man's green screen. I went to a party supplies shop and bought a roll of green plastic tablecloth. That's 40 inches wide by 100 feet long! It cost about $12 (USD).

Cool! It really doesn't matter what it's made out of, as long as it's a uniform colour - that maybe the only thing you run into, but let me know how it goes.

[NoYouAre]

Whoa, I'm surprised it came out as well as it did! The green you used is rather grainy and isn't really what you'd call high-contrast. Very nice result though!

Did you have to fiddle with the image levels?