Duplicate background lights

[AmandaEllerman]

I was testing a new background idea using lights, and unfortunately I didn't make the lights go wide enough to cover the whole background.  Lesson learned!  I have tried duplicating the lights, but the shading of the paper background is making that extremely difficult.  Straight up cloning didn't work.  What I did here was make a layer of just lights, merged it with a solid color layer, and then masked it off the subject.  It doesn't look as...real, somehow, I think maybe because I'm losing the little bits that were the wires connecting the lights?  In any case, I wanted to see if there was a better way before I tweak the lights and clean up the masking.

[Damien Symonds]

Hi Amanda,

I think what you're doing is great, but yeah, darn tricky for masking!

Here's an alternative that I played with, that doesn't require such (well, any) fiddly masking:  Download the PSD

[AmandaEllerman]

That does look much better!  But I'm not really clear on what you did with the Levels layer...I haven't taken the Levels class yet and it's not something I've played with.  Did you do something like you did here? https://www.damiensymonds.net/levels-eyedropper

[Damien Symonds]

No, it was simply a matter of moving the slider until the area was light enough.  No particular science to it.

[AmandaEllerman]

Here's what I came up with.  I don't feel like I quite got it as well as you did, especially down at the bottom, but nothing I was trying was working any better.

[Damien Symonds]

Turn the layer off and on a few times, and check your masking carefully.  It's encroaching on a few things.

[Damien Symonds]

@AmandaEllerman, PLEASE post some photos in the Raw Class.  Don't let your membership waste away - make me work hard for your money.  Let me see what you've been shooting lately, and let me help make it as beautiful as it can be.