Prasad

Learn how to blend different pictures using layers, to create a digital montage :

You don’t have to master every creative tool that Photoshop or Elements has to offer in order to make great images. In fact, just a basic understanding of the layers pallet and its range of Blending Modes can provide fantastic results. Here’s my methodology that created my gallery for Experimental & Alternative Process Photography.

I have combined 4 images to create In her memories…...., two landscape photographs of Backwater Reflections #3, River Poems #1, a model portrait and a background image of land. Neither one is specifically shot for final resulting image. But with a little creativity and thinking I produced this image with increased significance and impact.

As far what you put in your composite image ( digital photo montage ), that’s personal choice, but flat, simple subjects tend to work best. I suggest you to look around your home or nearby to find some interesting subject ( as for me in the background image of land which added a texture to final photograph ). Once you’ve got your images load them into Photoshop & let the fun begin!

1. Open start images with all desired images you want to blend. Ensure you have achieved desired level of processing with them, individually.
Now, make a NEW file ( Ctrl + N ). Input NAME, PRESET, WIDTH, HEIGHT, RESOLUTION, COLOR MODE, BACKGROUND CONTENT. Click OK. Your BLANK document will appear on screen.

2. Now, SELECT ( Ctrl + A ) the desired image for BACKGROUND IMAGE and COPY ( Ctrl + C ) on the clipboard. PASTE ( Ctrl + V ) on the BLANK document.

3. Follow the process with other images opened, to add TWO or THREE layers in the NEW file.

4. Pick the background image in the NEW file, then click all the “EYE” icons above it. It’ll deselect the layers. Press “D” to select as a foreground color.

5. Now, add another layer by ACTIVATING “EYE” icon the adjacent box, deselected earlier.

6. Start playing with BLENDING MODES, OPACITY and FILL.

7. First NORMAL and DISSOLVE you use rarely. DARKEN to DARKEN COLOR increase COLOR saturation and contrast. LIGHTEN to LIGHTER COLOR increase brightness, and make all black areas in the layer to disappear, allowing the layer below show through. This also helps you to select images with dark or black background.

8. As you come down one by one in the blending modes, intensity of the blending mode increases – Dark will be more darker and bright will be brighter.
9. Use OPACITY and FILL to adjust blending composition to desired level. Don’t hesitate to use CHANNEL MIXER, HUE & SATURATION, SELECTIVE COLOR, LEVEL, CURVES tools as and when desired to get impact and toning with the desired layer.

10. To make the image more sophisticated try BLURR and DISTORTING some parts of it, because it is multi layered image it’s really easy to do, and it looks great.
11. Now, FLATTEN the image finally. LAYER – Flatten Image. Save to desired file extention *.tif, *.psd, *.jpg. Usually, I prefer *.tif for original and then convert to *.jpg.

I am thankful to my friend Sue for pushing me to write a tutorial for this image and making me to take a plunge in the deep ocean. I humbly say, I am not a Photoshop expert, I still have to go a lot distance but sharing this method will help many, as this form of art was one of my dreams and thought it might not be a reality for me.

But it happened for me, and wish to happen it for many :)

Prasad