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Practical recipes

Save a .mie working copy before starting. Each recipe keeps the main pieces editable, then exports a separate result. Menu captions below use the English interface.

Remove a plain background

  1. Open the image and select its picture layer. Choose the Wand tool with W.
  2. Click the background. Start with low tolerance and raise it until the intended area is selected. Use Shift to add missed areas and Alt to subtract unwanted areas.
  3. Choose Select ▸ Invert so the subject is selected instead of the background.
  4. Choose Layer ▸ Mask ▸ Add mask from selection, then Select ▸ None.
  5. Click the mask thumbnail. Paint black to hide remaining background and white to restore the subject. Match brush size and hardness to the edge; do not blur a crisp object unnecessarily.
  6. Use Layer ▸ Mask ▸ View mask to inspect holes and stray marks. Toggle it off to return.
  7. Export through File ▸ Export ▸ Image to file... as PNG with full alpha.

Check the cut-out against both a light and a dark layer underneath it. A halo visible on only one background can be leftover background colour in the subject's edge pixels. Simply feathering more may make it worse. Keep the .mie so you can refine the mask later.

Brighten a face without brightening the background

  1. Choose Layer ▸ New adjustment layer ▸ Curves above the photograph.
  2. Lift the midtones gently and accept the dialog. Watch skin texture and bright highlights.
  3. Add a mask with Layer ▸ Mask ▸ Add mask, then choose Invert mask to make it black. The correction is now hidden everywhere.
  4. Click the mask thumbnail and paint white over the face with a soft brush. Use modest brush opacity for gradual control; avoid spilling onto the background.
  5. Toggle the adjustment's eye to compare. Lower layer opacity if the result is too strong.
  6. Reopen the correction with Layer ▸ Edit adjustment... whenever it needs refinement.

The adjustment controls what changes; its mask controls where. If painting changes the actual picture instead, undo immediately and select the mask thumbnail.

Combine two images

  1. Open the base picture. Use Layer ▸ Add ▸ From file... to bring the second picture into the same document. Opening it with File ▸ Open creates a separate document instead.
  2. Select the imported layer and use Move (M) to position it. Lock the aspect ratio before scaling. Drag its row in the layer panel to set the stacking order.
  3. Use Image ▸ Canvas size... if you need room beside the base image. Set the anchor so the added space appears on the intended side.
  4. Add a mask to blend the imported image into the composition. Keep Normal blend mode while establishing placement and edges, then explore other modes if the colours need to interact.
  5. To correct only the imported object, add an adjustment directly above it and choose Layer ▸ Clip to layer below.
  6. Match lighting direction, contrast, colour and edge sharpness. A precise cut-out alone does not make two photographs look as though they were taken together.

Add an editable caption

  1. Select the Text tool and create the caption. Set typeface, size and alignment in its options.
  2. Position it with Move. Leave space around the lettering and check the final delivery size.
  3. If the background is busy, add a rectangle on a separate shape layer below the text and lower its opacity. This is often clearer than adding a heavy outline to every letter.
  4. Save as .mie to keep the wording editable. Export a PNG or JPEG for delivery.

See Text and shapes for rasterizing a duplicate when you need a blurred shadow or another pixel effect.

Prepare a web copy

If Resize or Canvas size does not open in your build, read the current dialog limitations. You can create a document at the target size, import the picture as a layer and scale it with Move.

  1. Save your full-size .mie master, then use Image ▸ Duplicate for the delivery version.
  2. Crop to the required aspect ratio. Resize to the required pixel dimensions, with the ratio locked.
  3. Inspect at Ctrl+1. Apply restrained output sharpening if needed; check high-contrast edges for bright or dark halos.
  4. Inspect Image ▸ Metadata ▸ Edit metadata... and remove fields you do not want to publish.
  5. Export JPEG for an opaque photograph or PNG for transparency. Compare file size and appearance in the export preview instead of choosing quality by number alone.
  6. Reopen the exported file and check dimensions, transparency, colour and metadata.

A successful export does not save later changes to your master. Return to its tab and save it separately when those changes should be kept.

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