Architectural_Design_with_SketchUp

Chapter 5 Rendering in SketchUp
Example 5.6: Making a 2D PNG Cutout Face-Me Component
Follow this procedure to make your own 2D cutout SketchUp components for trees, people,
and so forth. This example uses a tree image from www.cgtextures.com and turns it into a faceme
component.
To be able to remove the background in an image, it is best to start with a uniformly
colored background. If you are taking the pictures yourself, look for a white wall, a gray sky,
or any other uniform texture as a backdrop. To make sure the image can be used as a component,
take it straight on, not looking down on or up at the main subject. It is also a good
idea to take the image when the sky is overcast—this eliminates any unsightly shadows in
the component.
1. Let’s start with the raw image. Note that it has a relatively uniform background.
2. Load it into your favorite photo-editing software. This example demonstrates the process
in Photoshop, but you can do this with other software, too (e.g., Gimp).
3. Remove the sky background and the portion that includes the hills. Use the Magic Eraser
tool, set tolerance to 50, check Anti-alias (to smooth edges), uncheck Contiguous (so that
areas inside the tree will also be removed), and keep Opacity at 100%. Next, click anywhere
in the sky area. This removes the sky but not the hills in the background. To remove
the hills, click anywhere on them. The result should look like the image shown here.
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