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Umm... awkward! Minimizing someone in a scrapbook.

Juliestcyr

Juliestcyr

Grammar nerd and proud of it
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Feb 17, 2015
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I've finally gotten serious about digital scrapbooking. I want to put together a booklet of our big trip to Disney World last year. It was a family trip with me, the hubs, our two girls, my parents, my brother and his (now ex-) girlfriend. They were together for 7 years, and broke up about a month after we got back. No one really wants to see her face popping up, and my parents feel cheated (as well as my brother, obviously) as they payed for the trip. How hard is it to photoshop her out of the shots? Will it still look weird? Should I just try to kinda... layer something overtop to cover her up?

(We did go back and forth about whether this was somehow unkind or not an honest recording of history, but under the circumstances, everyone just feels this is the way to go.)
 
Can you artfully crop her out of most of the pictures? Or you can layer (like you mentioned) some elements to cover her up in them. I wouldn't completely cut her out of every picture.....I am sure it stings right now and that is what everyone wants, but after 7 years together, she is part of his history.
 
lol, you could go two ways....slyly put elements over her body, crop
or take the same element...something that could be funny...oh remember when your brother took the (princess, frog, rock _________insert whatever one you use) to disney land?
I have cropped people completely out of photos...and then my mom hates to have her picture taken, so I would take one of her, and pop it in all year...hilarious...I would take it at Christmas, and in July mom would have a turtle neck in the family shots...lol
 
might someone else special to him, can you use there face?
 
I'm going to have the same problem in doing some of 2015. We now have an ex- in the family and it's awkward right now even seeing the pictures. She was in our lives 12 years so I can't just crop her out.
 
I can't even imagine. If you guys are sure you want her not to be present in the pics then how about add some type of journaling spot on top of where ever she is in pics. Hopefully she was not a photo hogger and it's not in every single picture.
 
Healing brush./ clone tool Always a good stand by since you can clone the background or sky whatever over her image. But most times it will look like something fixed..
 
It really depends on the photo. If she's in between two people with their arms around her, leaning in, then it will look really weird to shop her out. If she's on the edge, the background is fairly plain, and no one is touching her, it can probably be done well enough that no one could tell. And really, it's about the same for layering on top. Sometimes it's easy and sometimes it's not. I have covered up photobombs and random background people a lot, but when it's someone posing in the middle of the shot, it might not be so easy.
 
Still think hunk on her for mom, a stand out for dad to giggle at
 
You could do one page at the end or somewhere stuck in your book about the break up and have one picture of her in there. And then you could use a cutout of Goofy or Mickey or some Disney character and "sticker" it over her picture throughout the rest of the book. Then you'd know she was there, but you wouldn't have to see her face and have it detract from the other happy memories of your trip. Or you could leave all pictures of her out and cut your brother out of the pictures with the ex and just have him extracted and on top of the other pictures.

Sorry that you're having to think about this. It's a sticky situation for sure.
 
Yikes, that is a tough one. I'd go this route:

- crop her out of photos when you can
- layer items over her when easily done and so it doesn't look like you are trying to hide something (otherwise you'll just know what you are doing so you might as well leave her in)
- leave out the photos where it is too hard to do the other 2 things
- journal more about what you did to replace the missing photos. journaling the details and highlights so replace the missing photos
- focus on the good times the rest of the family had, favorite foods, rides, experiences, etc.

Trying to photoshop a face and body out of photos can take a lot of time and skills to make it look natural. If it doesn't look natural, then you'll always be reminded of her presence one way or another when you see the photo.
 
I don't have any suggestions to add. I just wanted to lend some sympathy for what you're going through. Hugs.
 
I'm thinking the whole time: 'even if you crop her out of it, you will still know'. Everytime people who were with you will know she was there to on that trip. I'm not sure if she has to be fully gone, but don't believe more then one or two times a goofy or Mickey would be a fun idea. You can do it for sure a few times, this makes people giggle a bit, but doesn't stay funny if it's on every picture. I would probably first fish out the pictures were she isn't on to use, then the pictures you would really like to use, but were she is on. Thinking of how you could cut her out, then you will still be left with the 'not so important pictures' and the group pictures maybe. If she is on a place right in the middle, give her there the Mickey mouse face. But here are persons enough who would like to help you I guess. You can Always send me a few of the pics in private (i don't know the girl, so who cares) and look if I can retouche her out of the picture. But I still think that you can probably crop her out of most of them.

My offer really stands! And hope you have also fantastic memories left on the trip, not only the double feeling of having her there. xxx
 
Well for us is my younger grand daughter´s father
He and my step daughter split up a year ago and we have him in all the important pictures.
The truth is that he was there... so I try to put him to the minimum but you always will ahve to put her in one or two pics.

All the suggestions are great... specially the funny ones.
I really hope she is not in that many pics
 
I'm with Anneleen ~ go through the photos and separate all the ones with her in it. If you are not able to scrap an activity or day without a photo with her in it, then assess whether you are able to creatively cover and/or retouch the photo so you can use it.

I have a Disney album with my sister-in-law's ex-husband in it. I was already done with those paper pages, and I'm just leaving them as is. He was there (ugh, we didn't even like him then LOL), and I can't really take him out of the photos because it's part of the story anyway. So you do have the option of just leaving her in there. There was a time I wouldn't have showed that album to my sister-in-law, but now that she has moved on to another relationship, she doesn't care two beans now, and treasures the album because it has photos of her children in it. Although I still wish I could crop him out a few times. **giggle**
 
What if they get back together? Okay, so if that is never happening, then I say what every one above me just said. I have a TON of paper scrapped layouts of my daughter and her teen boyfriend. She hates him now and doesn't want her hubby or kids to see those pics but someday she might be glad she has them. He was a huge part of her teen life... Everyone might hate seeing her now but in 10 years, 20 years, will they still care?
 
I find it hard myself to see the pictures of me and my ex-best-friend. But he was a part of my past and even if the pictures were not in the photobooks I would still think of those moment as 'he was there' and see it in my head... That's why I'm thinking to not use the pictures just of her (and him), but if it's a picture where she stands the other way or is just one of the mass, why not... I think fully cutting her out would feel more akward than with some 'hints' of her.
 
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