Separate background image from foreground text

Tom · Jul 3, 2011

A question for the Photoshop experts ....

I have a business card that was created for a group I belong to. Unfortunately, both the original digital image and it's designer have disappeared. The card has a background image with text superimposed in the foreground. If I scan the card, is there a way to separate the text from the background image?

I'm aware that Photoshop has a 'layers' capability, but I have no idea how it works, or if it could be used for what I'm trying to do.

TIA for any help or suggestions.

seilerbird · Jul 3, 2011

Layers would not help you to separate the background image from the foreground text unless you had the original Photoshop job image files. Layers is just what it sounds like. Layers that can be manipulated separately to create a final image. The image would be the bottom layer and the text would be the top layer. Once the image has been created there probably is no way to cleanly remove the text that has been overlayed. If you can post a copy of the business card I might be able to figure something out.

Tom · Jul 3, 2011

Thanks Tom, that's what I was afraid of.

Attached is a scan of the card; Looks like it's been in my billfold too long and is scratched up. But it should give you something to make suggestions on. I removed some personal contact info from the image.

BTW I'm not married to this card; In fact, I think it's rather ugly, but it's one of those legacy things. When the time is right, I'll try creating one from scratch.

Ned · Jul 3, 2011

I would take a photo of your ukelele and use it for the background for a new card. That will be a lot easier than trying to salvage anything from the old card.

Tom · Jul 3, 2011

I suspect you're right Ned, but we have one or two long-time members who are emotionally or otherwise attached to the old card.

seilerbird · Jul 3, 2011

I can fix it. Do you want the text layer and the background image separated or do you just want the text removed from the background?

Marsha/CA · Jul 3, 2011

Ned, I agree. It would be easier to start fresh.

Tom, However, I wonder if the image were scanned and opened in PhotoShop, you could then make the background the same color as the text or vice-versa, which would either eliminate the text or eliminate the dark background. PhotoShop has the ability to change a color throughout the photo. So if you didn't want the black backgound, you could change it to another color.

If you wanted to remove the text from the card, you would then have to match the text letters to the ukelele color to remove the text from the ukelele.

It's not removing layers but making them the same so they appear to be one.

Is this what you were thinking of?

Marsha~

seilerbird · Jul 3, 2011

Removing the text from the black background is a piece of cake. Then the uke could be cloned over the text over the uke. I am trying to get into contact with a friend who can do it. I no longer have Photoshop on my hard drive or I could do it in about 2 minutes and clean up the spots in another two.

Tom · Jul 3, 2011

Tom, I have Photoshop Elements, so I could do the touchup stuff, but would like to get just the image without the text. Then I could add different text.

Thanks for the suggestion Marsha, I hadn't thought of that.

I still think it's an ugly card; Must be that brown background.

Tom · Jul 3, 2011

FWIW if I was starting from scratch, it would look something like this, and it's consistent with the web site.

Theberrys · Jul 3, 2011

Tom

Here is for old times sake.

Bob Buchanan · Jul 3, 2011

This is the idea, Tom. With more time the tough area on the top right could be blended even better. I worked with a BMP before reducing to post.

Tom · Jul 3, 2011

Thanks Dick and Bob, much appreciated. How did you do that?

seilerbird · Jul 3, 2011

Cloning is one way to do it. When you clone you essentially "paint" one part of an image with another part of an image. You select the Clone tool and click on the area you want to use to clone with and then you click on the area you want to paint over and start moving the mouse around until you have it just the way you want it. So they would click on an area of the uke that has a nice wood grain with no strings and paint over the letters on the top of the uke. It is a very simple process that would take them only a minute to do. Sometimes you have to fiddle with it a few times to get exactly the right look. It is one of about 1000 cool things you can do with Photoshop, that is why Photoshop is so popular.

Check the help file in Photoshop Elements, I would bet it has a clone tool. Get a photo of something like a bird flying in the clear blue sky. Click on the sky and paint over the bird. The bird will completely disappear. Then undo that and click on the bird and start painting somewhere else in the sky and you can clone a whole flock of them into the sky. I used to do this to demo Photoshop to newbies. Blows them away every time.

Theberrys · Jul 3, 2011

I used the Clone tool and the blending brush. In Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006 Editor.

Bob Buchanan · Jul 4, 2011

Have been using an early version of Jasc Paint Shop Pro ('99) in my work for quite awhile now. Unfortunately, Jasc sold to Corel and the latest version just sits on my hard drive (horrible what they have done to it). My software presents a dynamic map of that park's sites that I either build from scratch, or enhance what they already have. Some have had them done professionally already, but want me to add sites or do other changes. Not too difficult until there is a lot of various textures side by side vs. solid colors.

So that is the task with this type of cloning. Solid color backgrounds are easiest, constant texture is not too bad, but in this case the grain texture of the guitar (uke I guess with only 4 strings) varies throughout. Plus the guitar is tilted to show the right side depth - with continued texture variations under several of the letters that needed to be removed. That gets down to the pixel level at times.

Actually, I don't use a cloning tool -- just my own manual version of that process. Relatively easy if I want to plant trees, add a site, or build a cabin on a solid color, but tougher if there is noncontinuous texture in the background.

Glad it might help, Tom . . .

Tom · Jul 4, 2011

Thanks for that explanation Bob, and thanks again for taking the time to do it.

Separate background image from foreground text

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