Matching Portrait Head Sizes
When laying out portraits or headshots close together, such as in a newspaper or magazine article or publications like membership directories and yearbooks, the golden rule is that all photo subjects’ heads should be the same size. In most cases regardless of background and pose, Fred’s head should be the same size as Themla’s, Daphne’s, Shaggy’s, and Scoobie’s.
If you have to paste-up only a handful of portraits, InDesign’s transparency features come in handy. Choose one photo as the head-size standard and lock its position with Cmd/Ctrl +L (better is to put it on its own locked layer). Then, one at a time, align the frame of each subsequent photo atop the first. Dial back the opacity on each of these subsequent frames such that the first photo shines through. Select the image inside the frame by clicking on it with the Direct Selection Tool (keyboard shortcut A), and then, holding SHIFT to constrain proportions, scale the semi-transparent image until the subject’s head closely approximates the head in the photo beneath.
Another method is the old colored block trick. Instead of moving photos, move a semi-tranparent proxy object over each of the photos, then scale them to match. Again, choose the head-size standard. Over it, draw a rectangle or oval with the Rectangle or Ellipse Tools, and fill the resulting shape with a contrasting color (I typically use 100% magenta). This is the proxy representing the ideal head height. Set the proxy’s opacity such that you can see through it while still identifying the proxy itself. One at a time, move the proxy over the other portraits, and then scale them with the Direct Selection Tool. The last method I’m going to mention offers a little more precision–the Measure Tool.
The Measure Tool is hidden behind the Eyedropper Tool. To use it, click on the starting point (say, the top of a head) and drag to the end point (the chin). The distance–and angle–between the two points will appear on the Info palette (Window > Info).
Now that you have the size of one head, repeat the measurement as a random spot check on other photographs. Re-scale any that don’t match.
Great tip Pariah. I always teach my students to focus on the eyes. A person’s attention is always drawn towards the eyes in a photo, so since people’s heads do tend to vary in size and shape (not to mention varying hair styles), use the eyes to align images at the same eyeline level, and use the eyes as a guage for size as well. Dialing back the transparency makes it easier to match up the eyes from image stacked on top of eachother.
A technique I’ve used in the past is to use guide rules – drag in a few so that they line up with the master picture’s top of the head, eyeline and bottom of the chin. That might work well in combination with dialing back the transparency on the master image.
I like the idea of using a semi-transparent proxy … but I’d probably move these to an upper layer and lock the layer so I can easily grab and manipulate the head shots on their own layer.
Great topic, Pariah! I like these “in the trenches” production tips that use ID’s features.
Here’s another method that involves use of measure tool:
Note that you can use the following calculation to calculate required scaling percentage for incorrectly sized graphics:
100xNewSize / Old SizeÂ
If you’ve already placed all of your headshots, then measure the ‘old’ size with the measurement tool and have InDesign do the maths for you…Â
E.g. If all headshots need to be 3.5cm height (or if the distance between the eyes needs to be this value – as per Mordy’s tip), then use 350 (3.5 x 100) and divide this by what you measure… for instance 1.25cm.Â
To do the maths in InDesign: Select your content — I use the position tool or use a shortcut for “select content” –and enter “350/1.25” in the Scale X or Y percentage field (ensure that “constrain proporations for scaling” is enabled and press enter). Press return/enter on keyboard to apply.
If you set the reference point to “centred” before scaling, the transformation will apply from the centre inward/outward. After this you could use the position tool to further position the pic or use the arrow keys on the keyboard (press shift-key to make movements in larger increments). Also: Set the position tool options to “no delay”, and the masked proportion of the image appears immediately, without having to wait for that ‘short delay’ which is the default tool option. Double cick the tool to amend that setting.