I didn’t have much choice when it came to picking a background for some publicity shots for Stage Right’s production of a new musical, “Little Red.” At the time, this background seemed better than all the alternatives, but when it came time to design a Facebook ad, I ended up very unsatisfied. Fortunately, I have a copy of The GIMP (a free alternative to Photoshop). I cut out the characters from the background, found a better backdrop, and then added some shading to make the people blend in a little better with the new background.

I won’t say it was easy, but at the same time I was surprised that it came out so well.

If I had more time I’d try to make the “Little Red” words pop a little more, and I’d try to figure out a way to get more highlights on top of the wolf’s head (where there ought to be light coming from behind), but I’m very satisfied with the way the shadows on the ground work. Nobody will notice, but I’m kind of proud of a light/shadow effect I put on their faces (leaving Red’s eyes a bit brighter, while making the wolf’s eyes darker).