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The Adobe Photoshop Layers Book P1


The Adobe Photoshop Layers Book This page intentionally left blank The Adobe Photoshop Layers Book Harnessing Photoshop’s Most Powerful Tool, covers Photoshop CS3 Richard Lynch AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON • NEW YORK • OXFORD PARIS • SAN DIEGO • SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP, UK 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA First published 2007 Copyright © 2007, Richard Lynch. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved The right of Richard Lynch to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science & Technology Rights Department in Oxford, UK: phone (+44) (0) 1865 843830; fax (+44) (0) 1865 853333; email: [email protected]. Alternatively you can submit your request online by visiting the Elsevier website at http://elsevier.com/ locate/permissions, and selecting Obtaining permission to use Elsevier material Notice No responsibility is assumed by the publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. Because of rapid advances in the medical sciences, in particular, independent verification of diagnoses and drug dosages should be made British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Number: 2007930479 ISBN: 978-0-240-52076-6 For information on all Focal Press publications visit our website at www.focalpress.com Printed and bound in Canada 07 08 09 10 11 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Dedicated to Vivian Lynch (1933–2005) This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii Chapter 1: The Basics of Layers: Layer Functions and Creation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 What is a Layer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Layer Palettes and Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Types of Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Layer Viewing Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Getting Started Creating Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Chapter 2: Layer Management: Concepts of a Layer-Based Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 The Outline for Image Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Editing and Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Purposing and Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Photoshop’s Essential Tools List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 External Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Freehand Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 The Logic of Layers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 When to Create a New Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Naming Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Grouping Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 vii Contents Merging Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Clipping Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Linked Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Chapter 3: Object and Image Area Isolation in Layers . . . . . . .59 Isolating Correction in Adjustment Layers . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Applying Levels for Color Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Detailing the Levels Slider Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Isolating Image Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Adding Layers for a Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Simple Layer Repair Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 The Art of Color Balance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Chapter 4: Masking: Enhanced Area Isolation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 Expanding on Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Clean Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Reducing Image Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Enhancing Natural Color and Tone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Add Soft Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Color Enhancements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101 Sharpen and Enhance Contrast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102 Additional Manual Sharpening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107 Chapter 5: Applying Layer Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 The Basics of Effects and Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112 Saving Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117 Managing Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119 Manual Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120 Automated Manual Effects Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122 Combining Manual Effects and Styles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131 Chapter 6: Exploring Layer Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Layer Mode Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134 Normal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136 viii Contents Dissolve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136 Darken . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137 Multiply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137 Color Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138 Linear Burn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138 Darker Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139 Lighten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139 Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140 Color Dodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140 Linear Dodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141 Lighter Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141 Overlay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142 Soft Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142 Hard Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143 Vivid Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143 Linear Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144 Pin Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144 Hard Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145 Difference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145 Exclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146 Hue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146 Saturation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147 Color. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147 Luminosity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148 Separating Color and Tone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149 Sharpening Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157 Chapter 7: Advanced Blending with Blend If . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 Blend If: An Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161 Heavier Lifting with Blend If . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168 Blend If as a Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179 Creating a Color-Based Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187 Chapter 8: Breaking Out Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 An Historic Interlude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190 ix Contents Creating Color from Black and White . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190 An Alternative: Creating Filtered Color. . . . . . . . . .199 Separating a Color Image into RGB Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204 Using Separations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215 Chapter 9: Taking an Image through the Process . . . . . . . . 217 The Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218 General Image Editing Steps: A Review . . . . . . . . . . .219 Applying the Image Editing Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . .220 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .242 Chapter 10: Making a Layered Collage or Composite Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 What Is a Collage? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246 Guidelines for Collage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246 An Example Collage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247 Creating a Panorama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS T his has been the best and easiest book project I’ve ever worked on, not in small part due to the efforts of the publisher and other current partners and friends. Thanks to the crew at my new publisher, Focal Press: Paul Temme for taking his email seriously; Emma Baxter for having the good sense to see the value of my proposal; Asma Palmeiro for calling to keep me on time, out of trouble and for adjusting my mood; and all those behind the scenes who did the great job with layout and soft hands in editing (Mark Lewis, Lisa Jones, Mani Prabakaran, David Albon). Thanks to all the folk at betterphoto.com (students and staff ) who helped me establish my online courses that helped me refine the concepts for the book, especially: Jim Miotke and Kerry Drager. Even more thanks to those few trusted sounding boards I have in the book business: Greg Georges (gregorygeorges.com) and Al Ward (actionfx.com). Thanks to people and organizations who helped with equipment and information: Joyce Fowler (permissions) at Adobe, Keri Friedman at Lens Babies, Mark Dahm (the answer man) at Adobe, Nils Christoffersen (foreign legion), ColorVision (Spyder does it!), amvona.com and wacom.com. Additional thanks to others at the fringes: Doug Nelson (retouchpro.com), Todd Jensen (thefineartoriginals.com), Fred Showker (60-seconds.com), Barbara Brundage, Katrin Eismann and Luke Delalio (lukedelalio.com). Thanks to home support for their extreme patience, ability to plan around, occasional input and inspiration: the lovely Lisa, the ghetto Julia, the good-humored Isabel and the affectionate but noisy Sam. Special thanks … For those who gave me the chance in the past: Mitch Waite, Stephanie Wall, Beth Millett, Bonnie Bills and Pete Gaughan. For being wrong: Dave Cross and Jeff [the Ax] Shultz (Contract? What contract …). For delay: Dan Brodnitz and Steve Weiss. Robert Blake for the ‘F’. Tokens for tons of other characters that roll in and out and affect the ebb and tide: Alan R. Weeks, Kevin Harvey, Larry Woiwode, Tony Zenos, Joe Reimels, Hagen-Dumenci, Rexetta, Grandma97, Stephen (aka. KENNY), Murphy (1988–2007), AT, VDL, TV, SB, P-G, TC, DL, and various Lynches, Nardecchias and Hongs. xi This page intentionally left blank INTRODUCTION S ometime in early 1993, I was working for a how-to photography book publisher as an editor/designer. We had Photoshop 2.5 and I used it to make adjustments to scan the images and illustrations to make them ready for print. Photoshop was fairly new at the time; it didn’t yet have all of the features that would, not much later, make it the industry standard in image editing. One particular project I remember working on was scanning topographic maps for a book on various New York waterfalls. The book had been self-published by an author who added the maps to the book to give the reader an idea of the landscape around each of the falls. We were planning on redoing it and bringing it to a larger audience. For the original book, the author had public domain maps scanned and placed in the book at the original size. They accounted for a significant number of pages in the original book. We made the decision to size the maps for each of the falls into a single page or set of facing pages to make the whole landscape visible at a glance. When the author had the maps scanned for the original book, he didn’t ask for the image files. We had to rescan the maps for the new book. It sounded like it should have been an easy thing. We had a decent flatbed scanner, and scanning the maps was easy enough. I fit as much of a map as I could onto the scanner glass and scanned each map in even columns and rows, leaving a little overlap, and saved the scans to separate files. I’d planned to assemble them all later in Photoshop. Like making a puzzle using numbered pieces, it would be easy (see Figure 1). After I made all the scans, I opened the scanned map files, made a new file large enough to hold all the scans and then started placing them in the image one at a time via copy and paste. Placing the first image was easy, and everything at that point was working as planned. The next image wasn’t nearly as easy. The lines for the topographic maps didn’t line up very well. I tried doing some rotation, but I couldn’t get all the lines to match up at xiii Introduction (a) (c) (b) FIG 1 (a) The topographical map was far to big to fit on the flatbed scanner. (b) The plan was to scan the map in pieces and fit them all together. (c) When reassembled the new map would look like the original whole – at least that was the plan. one time, no matter what I did and how I fussed. When I got the lines near the bottom to align, the ones at the top would be off, if I nudged right or left, it would fix one thing and goof up something else. As it turned out, lining up the pieces of the map was a nightmare. I did the best I could in aligning that second piece, and finally decided it would never align perfectly – it seemed I was a victim of scanner distortion besides lacking perfect alignment between scans. When I deselected the pasted piece, it merged with the original, misaligned gradation lines and all (see Figure 2). All I could do was Undo and try it again, or move on. I went on to the next puzzle piece, the first in the next row, hoping I wouldn’t have the same problem. It was just as hard to get it to align correctly. The fourth piece was even harder as I had to try and align to two edges (top and left) of the piece. None of the subsequent pieces aligned perfectly, and I was left with many disconnected gradation lines. I continued putting the pieces together and after I was all done I went back and painstakingly corrected every line by patching. It took many hours of additional time to make, finesse and blending all of the repairs. Several months after the map project, Adobe came out with Photoshop 3. I read about the new version, which featured layers xiv Introduction FIG 2 The gradation lines mismatched every time a piece was put in place. as the key new addition. Layers were a way to let you store parts of your image independently in the same image, letting you stack your changes without committing them. In a way, I surmised that layers could act like selections, but with more permanence. Instead of the situation you had before where selected parts of the image would automatically merge into a single image plain when deselected, you had the option of keeping the area separate. Layers offered the opportunity to reposition the objects you had on separate layers at any time. I thought back to the maps and how even that simplistic view of layers would have saved me hours of time. I could have pasted the separate scans to their own layers so I could move each independently even after I had all of the scans in one image (see Figure 3). There were many other advantages to layers that I would discover in the coming months that went far beyond the simple way I first thought of them. I would have power over opacity and could lower it for any given layer (say to 50%) to see through to the content of the layers underneath and see better how the layers might align. I would be able to erase areas of the map that I was adding to blend the overlap optimally, and lessen the need for patching. I could have made patches for the gradation lines in new layers xv Introduction FIG 3 Layers would allow image areas to remain separated as if each were placed on its own pane of glass in the image and greatly simplified blending in those adjustments. In all, the advantages of layers would have cut the work I had to do on the map by days, not just hours. Over the years and through the next seven-plus versions of Photoshop, I would discover many other uses for layers, including: • using layers as an organizational tool for image corrections and the center of workflow; • using layers for storing multiple versions of an image in one file; • using layers to set up complex adjustment scenarios that allow more flexibility and power than standard Photoshop tools like Channel Mixer or Calculations; • using layers to imitate other color modes (Lab and CMYK) without converting from RGB; • using layers to create custom CMYK and duotone separations for print; • using layers to develop powerful techniques for color and tone enhancement, sharpening and effects; • using layers to enhance control of the application of any tool in Photoshop; • leveraging layer power to allow completely non-destructive image editing throughout the process of image editing. Layers have seen some enhancement, though they were remarkably well matured in that initial release. Layer functionality xvi Introduction includes some extraordinary powers that I have still barely seen mentioned in tutorials and books, and even when these features are mentioned, they are never explored to their potential. Layers – what I consider the most powerful tool in all of Photoshop – a feature in Photoshop used so extensively that it will affect the correction of every image – has never been the subject of a book. This is very surprising considering more esoteric features such as Channels and Actions have books written about them. Every Photoshop book mentions layers, and some have dedicated chapters to them, but no book has focused on and explored the advantages of using layers as the core of obtaining the best images with the least amount of work until now. The Goal of This Book The goal of The Adobe Photoshop Layers Book is to give the reader a complete approach to editing images using Layers as a springboard. Layers will be used as a catalyst to organize corrections and solidify workflow (the holistic process of editing images), and act as the central component to corrections in every change. The reader will learn professional correction techniques that can be applied to any image, and they will become familiar with the power of layers as an organizational, correction and revision tool. The ultimate goal is to portray layers as the heart and soul of image correction, and build a foundation of good practices to help approach correction and enhancement of any image. Achieving the Goals The process of discovering layers starts with the essence of learning what layers are and exploring the layers interface and commands in detail. Exploration continues by applying layers in real-life image editing situations using images found on the CD. The approach looks at the fundamentals of images and image editing, and shows how layers enable users to make any adjustment to an image in a non-destructive fashion using essential tools and concepts. The techniques provided in this book help you take your corrections to a professional level without hocus-pocus or steps that are impossible to comprehend. You’ll see what happens xvii Introduction behind the scenes in step-by-step procedures, and you’ll be given the tools – customized actions created just for this book – to move through those steps quickly to set up image editing scenarios. This book will divulge • A process of approaching image corrections (a workflow) centered on layered development with proven methods and a proven, core tool set. • High-powered editing techniques and scenarios that leverage the power of layers to enhance your ability to make any image adjustment. • Realistic image editing situations with real images by using realistic expectations to get real results. • Timeless techniques that span many versions of Photoshop based on good core fundamentals and essential understanding that can be used with any image. This book will not • Show you fleeting techniques that emphasize the newest tools just because they are new. • Examine a plethora of rarely used tools in excruciating detail just because they are there. • Show you how to create crazy effects that you may use once in a lifetime, if ever. Who Should Read This Book This book is for anyone who is serious about enhancing their Photoshop skills and getting better results from all of their digital images. It applies to those using either a digital camera or scanner with Mac or PC computers. Readers of this book should not be absolute beginners with Photoshop. This book is for intermediate and advanced Photoshop users who have at least dabbled in using layers, perhaps knowing they could make more of them. It is assumed that the reader is familiar with the basic Photoshop tools (or that they are competent to research these in Photoshop Help). This book is written for: • Intermediate and advanced users who want to understand how to use layers optimally for non-destructive adjustment and organizing image corrections. xviii Introduction • Serious hobbyists who want to get more from their investment in Photoshop by leveraging the power of its most potent tool. • Those with some rudimentary experience with Photoshop who are looking for an organized approach to editing any image and getting consistently better image results. How This Book Is Organized As you go through this book, you will discover a mixture of practical theories, examples of the types of changes you’ll make in images daily, and projects to work on to help you understand the process as well as why it works. Projects are devised so that you don’t just complete an exercise or press a button and ogle the result, but so that you see what goes on behind the scenes to help understand what you have done. When you understand, you can apply that understanding to other images predictably, either by using tools provided to drive the processes or by manually applying learned techniques. A routine is established so that you set clear goals, and establish a method of approaching your images consistently. The examples provided ensure that you can see the changes when they have achieved the desired result. This understanding will enable you to apply the techniques you learn to other images so that your images can be improved consistently. In Photoshop, many tools and functions can be accessed by more than one method. When following along with this book’s step-by-step instructions, use the suggested steps for accessing the tools. Using other methods may cause sequences to behave unpredictably. For example, opening Levels with the keyboard shortcut (Command L / Ctrl L) will open the Levels dialog box but will not produce an adjustment layer, and this can affect the outcome of a procedure that depends on the adjustment layers being created. You will learn multiple color-separation methods to take apart image color and tone, as well as different ways to isolate color components, image objects and areas. When you can isolate colors and image areas, you can correct those areas separately from the rest of the image and exchange, move, and replace elements to xix
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