These are fairly complex commercial retouching jobs where nearly everything gets changed: the players were digitally placed in a different place (the stadium), the players were moved around the court (and corresponding shadows and reflections had to be re-created), and all of the clothes were changed (and had to be precisely color matched to the actual products) as well as the usual cosmetic work. Also, the floor had to be changed to match the NBA regulation layout, so all shadows and reflections had to be re-created as well. To the layman, it may be shocking that so much work goes into these images, even to the point of changing the clothes on the models, but I'm asked to do this all the time.

Photoshop novices look at this kind of work and are always eager to learn "the" magic switch that does the job. They are always disappointed to find out that it takes comprehensive understanding of the tools and a lot of time. Most of the cool shortcuts that vendors love to show at trade shows are only used by amateurs, such as the Magic Wand in Photoshop. Professional, convincing work requires the kind of precision that is only achievable through meticulous work and absolute control over the image. Masks are created by drawing paths. Prints must match actual product colors exactly. The old axiom was never more true than with this kind of work: you can deliver the job quickly, cheaply and well done. Pick any two.