Anybody know a free software that does layers? like the photo I posted. I use photoscape, and I dont see that option.
I might be able to give you step-by-step instructions. If not, I can point you to an existing tutorial. What exactly are you trying to do?
I know you said free, but Adobe Photoshop Elements 13 is $70 on Amazon, and you could spread that cost over years. I make all of mine in Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 !! I don't plan on ever upgrading it, so for me this costs like $10 a year. Since you sell a lot of coins, I would think this would be worth it to you. Assuming you are asking for yourself. Amazon Link
Great step-by-step writeup! I use a fixed and full sized canvas to begin with, and bring both the obverse and reverse photos onto the canvas, no need to resize the canvas. This also means I have a known and consistent output size, without need for cropping. I think this may save a few steps vs. your method, so just something to think about for people reading. Again, great write-up and I'm sure it has helped a lot of people.
on graded coins i just use the pic from ngc or pcgs. They can take better pics than i can anyway just take a screen shot of there site and crop out the pic of the coin
It's not editing, but thought that I'd get a ring flash for my camera to see if I could get better results with the basic photo. Now I have not really had time to properly test it, but initially not sure that it is an answer as light/shadow is so important to bring out the coin detail and give depth. These images are a bit shadow free. Still, I'll have some fun playing with it though!
I have a ring flash that I use for macro insects/flowers but have not been fond of any flash with coins. For ring, I prefer a ring fluorescent clip on light I got at Staples office supply store. It works best for high relief and high shine coins but there is quite a bit of adjustment in glare placement possible by wiggling the coin so it is easier to control than a flash.
