You can even use the photo silhouettes for business purposes including presentations or advertisements.
Photo silhouettes can lend a new, interesting perspective into old pictures. There are many complicated and technical ways to make a photo silhouette that take up a lot of unnecessary time and resources, but it is possible to make quality photo silhouettes without specialized computer programs. This can be a creative project to undertake with your family and friends.
Instructions
Adjusting an Existing Photo
1. Choose an image of a person in a relaxed position. Avoid people with crazy hair or bulky clothing that obscures their shape, or your silhouette can look malformed. Remember, when you reduce an image to a silhouette, a backpack or purse can become an unidentifiable mass.
2. Draw a black outline around the person in the image. Use a felt tip pen instead of a ball tip to avoid accidentally scratching or denting the picture. Allow the ink to dry before you continue.
3. Move the image to a work surface you are not afraid to scratch. Cut around the outside of the black outline with a craft knife. Carefully separate the figure from the picture and lift it out.
4. Examine the edges of the cut carefully to see if any signs of the black line remain. Cut away any leftover traces of the outline.
5. Put craft glue on the back of the picture. Set the image over a black piece of construction paper. Allow the glue to dry before you continue.
6. Cut off any part of construction paper that protrudes further than the edges of the picture. Place the image in a color copier and create a copy of the image. This gives you a flat copy of the image where the silhouette is clearly visible.
Taking a Silhouette Photo
7. Position your model so they face away from a source of light. The lighting should be a backdrop in the photo while the model blocks the sun, creating a silhouette.
8. Wait until the sun begins to set, as this will provide the best lighting to create a silhouette photo. Turn on your digital camera.
9. Turn off your camera's flash. Examine the screen on your camera to determine what the picture will look like. You should see the light in the background through the camera, but your model should be a black outline.
10. Snap several pictures in quick succession. Multiple pictures provide you with a wide range of options with different lighting as the sun sets. Choose the best picture from the group.
