Using Photo Software to Highlight Die Varieties
IGWT
Posts: 4,975 ✭
Here's my attempt to be creative . . . . I won't tell you how long it took me to figure out how to do this. 
There are some folks on here with unbelievable photo-editing skills. I'd like to see what others have done to help show certain aspects of a coin in a fun, educational way.
There are some folks on here with unbelievable photo-editing skills. I'd like to see what others have done to help show certain aspects of a coin in a fun, educational way. 0
Comments
Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870
The remarks on the coin are:
Minage 301,076 This coin is a O.110 R.2 Stars have long sharp points. Large 180 and small 7. Right base of F missing.
First image is:
Second image is:
<< <i>Here's my attempt to be creative >>
I would greatly appreciate if you would describe the proceedure you used. Great presentation!
Fighting the Fight for 11 Years with the big "C" - Never Ever Give Up!
Member PCGS Open Forum board 2002 - 2006 (closed end of 2006) Current board since 2006 Successful trades with many members, over the past two decades, never a bad deal.
1, 2, 3, etc. or, symbols like: * , / , etc.
nts: Yeah, definitely need to p/u new software...
Tim -- It would take me nearly as long to describe all the steps in the process as to perform them. The "trick" is to use the layering feature of the program. This pictures has (if I recall correctly) six or seven different layers. Each layer is a photograph or other element of the final composite. For example, I started by opening a new file (layer no. 1), which is simply a white background. The second layer is the photo of the obverse (layer no. 2), and so on. The trick is to "build" the final picture in the right sequence of layers, so that the next layer doesn't (or does) obscure what you want to see (or not see) on the previous layer.
Another important tool is the "point & move tool" (I can't remember what it's really called, but it looks like the tip of an arrow, and it's at the top of the tool menu on the left side of the screen). This tool allows you to move and to resize each part of the picture while working on a particular layer. Discovering this tool was my eureka moment during this project.
At first, I couldn't figure out how to draw the circles (for example, the circle that appears around the macro image of the date). I simply couldn't find a tool to draw circles (it's possible to draw solid shapes, but not outlines of shapes). So, I ended up (1) creating a separate picture of a solid black circle, (2) copying it, (3) pasting it in a layer underneath or "behind" the photo of the coin, and (4) resizing it so that it was a little larger than the photo of the coin. That way, the coin covers almost all of the solid circle, leaving just the perimeter of the underlying circle exposed. There is probably an easier way to accomplish this task, but I couldn't find it. Solving this problem consumed most of my time -- it should go quicker next time.
The last layer of the composite was to add the straight lines that appear to connect the small circle on the full obverse to the macro shot. The line drawing feature is easy to use, and you shouldn't have any problem with that. When I finished "building" the layers, I saved the file as a .psd file so that I can later go back to edit each individual layer if I want. I also saved it as a .jpg file, which merges all the separate layers into one photo (the layers of the .jpg file can't be pulled apart later).
I hope this explanation clarifies more than it confuses. Have fun!
Edited to add: Richard -- Who am I to try to improve on the die sinker's work?
As I recall, hubird, Photoshop Elements is free (EDIT: for 30 days.
O/S Vista warnings need to be heeded.
I don't have Photoshop Elements, just the full Photoshop version. In my copy of Photoshop, the circle tool is on the same menu as the rectangle tool (which is also the same as the line tool). You click and hold on the tool button in the palette, and a menu of other tools comes up. What you want is the ellipse tool. Holding the shift key down while drawing an ellipse constrains the ellipse to a circle.
See if that works in Elements too.
http://www.shieldnickels.net