Combine images in creative ways
Learn creative compositing techniques for combining images in Photoshop.
Published
1 Combine images
Learn techniques for adding images to a composite, blending images together using layer masks, and changing the shape of an image by transforming a smart object.
>> In this series of short videos, we'll explore how to use Photoshop compositing techniques to create a multilayered image of a dream like ocean scene.
We'll be using layers, layer masks, smart objects, and blending techniques to build this composite from the ground up.
The first step in creating a composite is to add a new image.
I already have a couple of images open in Photoshop, and I want to add a more colorful sky to the shot of the pier.
I'll go over to the photo of the sunset sky, and I'll select the entire image.
Then I'll copy that, and go back over to the main image of the pier, and paste, which adds the sunset sky as a new layer.
In the Layers Panel, I'll double click on the layer name [Sunset Sky] and rename it Sunset Sky.
I want to be able to see both the new sky layer and the background image at the same time.
So I'll get the Move tool in the Tools panel, then click Opacity at the top of the Layers Panel, and lower the opacity of the sunset layer.
I'll move the new sky layer up until the horizon line on that layer is just a bit below the horizon line on the underlying pier image.
Then I'll set the layer opacity slider back to 100 percent.
Next, I want to hide the lower part of the sunset sky layer, so that we can see the pier and the ocean in the background image.
I'll do that with a Layer Mask, which is a tool that you'll use often in your own composites.
I'll click the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the Layers Panel to add a layer mask to the active layer.
I'll choose the Gradient tool in the Tools Panel, and in the options bar of this tool, I'll open the Gradient Picker and I'll choose the third gradient swatch from the left, which is a black to white gradient.
I'll leave the rest of the options set to the defaults.
With the Gradient tool, I'll click right up the horizon of the sunset sky layer and drag upwards just a bit.
When I release the mouse, the gradient is added to the layer mask.
Creating a convincing blend, for the new sky.
To understand how a layer mask works, notice the gradient on the layer mask thumbnail.
The black part of the gradient is hiding the sunset sky layer, so that you can see down through that area, to the image of the pier below.
And the white part of the gradient shows the sunset sky layer.
The Gradient Tool created shades and grey in between black and white, which creates a gradual transition from the pier image to the sunset sky.
Next, we'll add an element to the pier that will enhance the story of this image.
This time, I'll use another method to add an image.
File Place.
This method creates a smart object layer, which will allow me to resize and reshape the new image multiple times, without compromising its quality.
[File Place Embedded] To do this, I'll choose File, Place Embedded.
[North.jpg Place] In my folder of source images, I'll choose North.jpg and click Place.
The file is added with a bounding box around it, which you can use to scale or transform the layer if needed.
First, I'll go to the Layers Panel, [Overlay] and I'll change the blending mode of the layer to Overlay.
Since that's what we'll use to blend this image into the pier.
To scale the image smaller, I'll hold down Shift and drag inward on the handle in the upper right corner.
The Shift key preserves the proportions of the original photo.
If I add in the Option or Alt key, it will transform from the centre point.
There, that's look about right.
I'll click the check mark in the Options bar to apply that transformation.
This symbol on the new place layer means that this is a smart object.
You can resize and transform a smart object as many times as you like, without harming the image.
Next, I'll apply some prospective transformations to this layer.
[Edit Transform Distort] I'll choose Edit, Transform, Distort.
And I'll drag on the top right corner handle and place it close to the top right corner of the pier.
I'll do the same with the top left corner handle.
I'll work with some of the other handles to fine tune the transformation.
So it looks as if this element is really part of the pier.
To apply the transformation, I'll click the check mark button in the Options bar.
There are still some edges showing on the North layer.
So I'll hide them using another layer mask.
I'll click the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the Layers Panel.
And then I'll get the Brush Tool.
I'll press X to exchange my colors, so that black is in the foreground color swatch.
And then I'll paint with black on the layer mask to hide the obvious edges of the North layer.
Now you know some of the basic steps for creating a composite.
How to add images, transform an added image, and use layer masks and blend modes to blend them together.
Add an image (0:17); Add layer mask (1:22); Place Embedded Smart Object (2:45); Apply Overlay Blend Mode (3:20)
2 Add a central element
Add a central element to your composite using a layer mask with selections and the Brush tool.
>> Now it's time to add one of the central elements of the composite using selections and layer masks to blend it into the scene.
[File Place Embedded] I will choose File, Place Embedded, [Door.jpg Place] and I'll choose the Door.jpg file and then click Place.
In the Layers panel, I'll lower the opacity a bit so I can see through the door when I resize it.
I'll hold down Shift and drag inward on a corner handle to scale it smaller.
I'll then click the check mark to apply the transformation.
Next, I'll position the door, so that the top of the door handle is just under the horizon.
I'll drag on the door to position it, so it's centered in relation to the far edge of the pier.
Then I'll turn the layer opacity back to 100 percent.
I want to hide the red bricks, so we just see the white areas of the column and the arched entryway.
I'll use the Quick Selection Tool to make a selection of the red brick areas.
I'll click on the bricks with the tool and then continue to click and drag over additional areas to add them to the selection.
I added a bit too much to the selection here, so I'll Option or Alt drag over that part to subtract it from the selection.
Next, I'll tap on the Left Bracket key a few times to make my brush size smaller.
And I'll click in the narrow area between the columns and the arched entryway.
I'll continue clicking on these inner bricks to add them to the selection.
Next, I'll add a layer mask that hides the selected area.
To do this, I'll hold the Option or Alt key as I click on the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the Layers panel.
This automatically fills the selected area of the mask with black.
Now I need to hide the actual door.
I'll switch to the Rectangular Marquee tool, and I'll double check that there is no Feather value applied in the Options bar.
I'll position my cursor at the top left corner of the door and drag diagonally down to the right to define a selection of the door that overlaps just a bit onto the white areas.
With my Selection tool still active, I can click inside the selection and move it upwards.
If I press the Shift key after I start dragging the selection, it will constrain the motion vertically.
I want to move this selection up to the point where the arch above begins to noticeably curve inward.
Next, I need to add on to my current selection to include the arched window.
[Elliptical Marquee Tool] I'll switch to the Elliptical Marquee Tool.
I'll select the Add to Selection icon in the Options bar, to tell Photoshop to add to the current selection.
I'll click near the upper left part of the arched window and drag out an elliptical selection.
As I make the ellipse larger, I can temporarily interrupt the selection by pressing the Space bar while still holding the mouse button down.
This allows me to drag to reposition the selection and align it, so it fits better to the actual shape of the arch.
I'll release the Space bar with my mouse still held down to return to dragging out the selection.
There, that looks pretty good.
I'll release the mouse button to finish the selection.
I can use this selection to add black to the layer mask and hide the selected areas.
In the Layers Panel, I'll click on the Layer Mask thumbnail for the Door layer to make sure that it's active.
Black is currently my foreground color, so I'll use the shortcut of Option + Delete on Mac or Alt + Backspace on Windows to fill the selection with black.
If you look at the Layer Mask thumbnail, you can see that this area has been filled with black which hides that part of the Door layer.
[Select Deselect] I don't need the selection any more, so I'll choose Select, Deselect.
Now I need to mask out the bottom part of the door, below the horizon.
I'll switch to the Brush tool.
I'll click on the Brush menu in the Options bar to set the hardness to about 50 percent.
I'll keep the brush size fairly large.
I'll position my brush on the left side of the door with the top edge of the circular brush cursor right on the horizon.
I'll click once and release the mouse button.
Then move the brush cursor to the right side of the door, position the top edge the brush on the horizon line and Shift + Click to draw a straight line between the two clicks.
Now, I'll quickly brush over the rest of the door down below to mask it out.
Using selections in the Brush tool as I have done here, are common way is to modify layer masks, so that they reveal only the areas you want to see on a layer.
Place another image (0:08); Select and mask (00:48)
3 Add dreamlike elements to the composite
Add some clouds to the composite for a surreal effect, and paint on a layer mask to shape the clouds. Then learn how to use the Blend If sliders to blend a photo of a sailboat into the scene.
>> With the addition of the doorway in the distance, our composite is now well on the way to becoming a more fantastical scene.
Let's add some new elements to make it even more dream like and surreal.
Along the way, we'll explore some more layer masking, and use the Blend If sliders for a masking effect.
[File Place Embedded] I'll choose File, Place Embedded, [Pier.jpg Place] select the Clouds for Pier.jpg file, and then click Place.
I'll lower the opacity a bit, so I can see the clouds in relation to the underlying layers.
I'll drag the layer down a bit, until the centre pillar of clouds is arranged within the arched opening of the doorway.
I'll press Enter or click the check mark button in the Options bar to place the layer.
Then I'll return the layer opacity to 100 percent.
I only want some of the clouds to show up around the pier, and a layer mask will allow me to create this effect.
I'll start with the layer mask that hides the entire layer and then use the Brush tool to reveal the clouds where I want to see them.
I can add a layer mask that's filled with black to hide the Clouds for Pier layer by Option or Alt + Clicking the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the Layers panel.
Next, I'll go to the Tools panel and make the Brush tool active.
I'll tap the Right Bracket key a few times to make my brush size larger.
And I'll also make sure that white is my foreground color.
In the Options bar, I'll make sure that the opacity is set to 100 percent.
I'll use a large soft edge brush and paint on the layer mask with white on either side of the pier to reveal the clouds.
I'll tap the left bracket key to make the brush size a bit smaller and add in some clouds at the end of the pier.
Then I'll press X to exchange the colors, so that the foreground color is black.
In the Options bar, I'll lower the brush opacity to 30 percent, and then paint on the mask to gradually hide parts of the layer where I don't want the clouds to show.
With this type of masking, there can be a lot of back and forth with the Brush tool, until you get it looking the way you want.
The great thing about working with layer masks is that the process is very flexible.
Nothing on the Image layer is ever deleted and you can always modify the mask to refine the blending effect further.
Now, we'll add another important part of the story.
[File, Place Embedded] I'll choose File, Place Embedded, [Sailboat.jpg Place] and choose the Sailboat.jpg image, and click Place.
For this element, I'm not going to resize it.
So I'll just press Enter to place the sailboat image.
I want to hide the empty grey sky area around the boat.
And to do this, we'll use the technique that's different from a layer mask.
[Layer Layer Style Blending Options] I'll go to the main Layer Menu and I'll choose Layer Style, Blending Options.
Near the bottom of the Layer Style dialog are the Blend If sliders.
These allow you to show or hide parts of the layer based on their brightness value.
To hide the lighter parts of the Sailboat layer, I'll move the highlight slider for this layer towards the left.
Until the number on the right above the slider shows about 135.
This hides the pixels on the boat layer that are brighter than level 135, such as the lighter areas around the sailboat, letting the underlying layers show through.
Next, I'll Option or Alt + Click on the right half of the slider to split it apart.
And I'll bring that half back to the right to about 170.
This creates a more gradual transition between what is being shown and hidden on the layer.
The numbers mean that any tonal value brighter than 170 will be hidden on the layer.
Then there will be a gradual transition to level 135 and any tonal value below that level will be visible.
I like to think of the Blend If sliders as masking without a mask.
In some situations, they can be highly useful compositing tools.
[OK] I'll click OK to apply that effect.
The boat is now blended very well, but there are some minor touchups on the outer parts of the boat layer that will require a simple layer mask.
I'll add a Layer Mask, press X to switch the foreground color to black, and then use a soft edge Brush tool to paint with black to hide the edges of the layer.
I'll use the Move tool to reposition the Boat layer, so it's centered in relation to the pier and the doorway.
Adding the sailboat to the composite helps to build the story of the scene that we're creating.
And the billowy clouds around the pier are another step to draw the image away from reality and closer to a dream like world.
Add layers to create depth (0:17); Change layer order (2:05); Apply Multiply Blend Mode (3:35); Resize layer (3:54)
4 Add depth to the scene
Increase perspective in the scene with additional layers that suggest foreground and background elements. Paint on a layer mask to interlace clouds with other objects. Then use a layer Blend Mode to knock out a white background on a layer.
>> One of the characteristics that can enhance a composite image is to have a strong sense of depth.
We already have that at this point in the composite process from the strong perspective created by the pier and the clouds leading to the door in the distance.
Let's bring in two more layers to create additional depth in the scene.
[File Place Embedded] I'll choose File, Place Embedded, [Sky.jpg,] and select Clouds for Sky.jpg, and click Place to bring it into the image.
I'll drag the layer up until the bottom edge is just below the horizon in the image below.
Then I'll press Enter on the keyboard to place the new layer.
I want to modify the new cloud's layer, so that only the white clouds are showing and not the blue sky behind them.
To create this effect, I'll use the Blend If Sliders in the Layer Styles dialog again.
A shortcut to access the Layer Styles dialog is to double click just to the right of the layer name in the Layers panel.
In the Blend if Sliders, I'll work with the Shadow slider for this layer.
I'll drag it to the right, to about 113.
This hides the parts of the sky on this layer that are darker than level 113, showing only the clouds.
Then I'll Option or I'll click on the slider to split it, and move the right half to about 185, which softens the transition.
This creates a really cool blend of the clouds with the doorway and the seascape below.
I'll click OK to apply that effect.
If the lower edge of the cloud for sky layer is too hard, you can add a simple layer mask and then use the Brush tool to paint with black and soften the edge there.
Now, I'll zoom in for a closer look using the Command or Control + Plus shortcut.
In the Layers panel, I'll drag the Boat layer up above the new Clouds layer.
While I'm in here, I'll edit the layer mask for the new Clouds to suggest more depth and layer in there.
I'll click the Mask Thumbnail for the Clouds for Sky layer to make the mask active.
I'll press B to make the Brush tool active.
And with black as the foreground color, I'll paint on the closer door structures.
I want the far background clouds to appear behind the door, while the closer clouds are slightly obscuring the main door image.
If I make a mistake painting the mask, I can just tap X to exchange the colors and then paint with the opposite color to undo the changes.
I'll soften the clouds on the right by making my brush size larger and then painting with black at 50 percent opacity to hide them and show more of the point at the top of the door.
Painting with a lower opacity makes it easier to gradually apply an effect.
Next, I think this scene needs some wildlife.
[File Place Embedded] With the Clouds for Sky layer still selected, I'll choose File, Place Embedded, [Birds.jpg Place] and select the Birds.jpg file, and then click Place.
A new layer of the birds image comes in above the Clouds for Sky layer, and below the Sailboat layer.
The white or nearly white areas in the Birds layer can be used with a blending mode that will hide that color.
In the Layers panel, I'll open the Blending Mode menu and choose Multiply.
This blend mode does not recognize white.
So the lighter sky tones on this layer are hidden.
Now, let's scale the layer smaller before we place it.
I'll use the width and height field in the Options bar to scale the layer down.
I'll enter 50 percent for the width, and then I'll click on the Chain Link icon to sync the height setting, making it the same as the value I entered for the width.
Then I'll press Enter or click the check mark on the Options bar to apply those changes.
I'll choose the Move tool and I'll use it to reposition the Birds layer, so that the boat is in the space between the seagulls.
Bringing in new layers that suggest foreground or background elements in the scene, such as the birds and the new clouds over the doorway can often be an effective way to build a sense of depth in a composite image.
Add more images (0:20); Use Blend If sliders to hide content (2:53)
5 Add color to the image
Color is an important element in composite. Learn techniques for using fill layers, layer Blending Modes, and clipping masks to control color. Finally, polish your fantasy composite by adjusting lighting and contrast with Curves.
>> The overall composite is looking pretty good now.
But the colors on the door and the new clouds are a bit out of sync with the warmer sunset colors of the background sky.
To fix that, I'll sample some colors from the sunset image.
I'll click the Sunset Sky layer to make it active.
And then select the Eye Dropper tool in the Tools panel.
I'll click on some of the bright yellow-orange color on the right side of the sky.
This places that color in the foreground swatch at the bottom of the Tools panel.
Now, I'll make the Clouds for Sky layer active.
I'll click the Add Adjustment Layer button at the bottom of the Layers panel, and choose Solid Color.
A solid color fill layer is created using the yellow-orange color that I had already sampled with the Eye Dropper tool.
If I wanted to modify the color, I could do it in this dialog.
But, I'll just click OK, to accept that color and close the Color Picker Solid Fill dialog.
The new Color Fill layer is obscuring all the layers below it with a flat color.
I'll use a blend mode that will blend the color from this layer with the brightness and details from the layers below.
I'll open the Blend Mode menu at the top of the Layers panel and choose Color.
That's much better, but the Color Fill layer is being applied to all of the layers below it.
I only wanted to affect the Clouds for Sky layer, so I'll apply an effect known as a Clipping Mask.
[Layer Create Clipping Mask] I'll go to the Layer menu and choose Create Clipping Mask.
The clipping mask effect uses the transparent areas of the of the underlying layer as a virtual mask.
So the yellow from the Color Fill layer is only showing up on the visible areas of the Clouds for Sky layer.
I think this effect is a bit too strong though, so I'll lower the layer opacity to about 55 percent.
That's working nicely for the clouds over the door, but I also want to create a stronger color look that uses both the yellow-orange as well as the purple hues in the sunset.
I'll click back on the Sunset Sky layer to make it active.
The yellow-orange color that I sampled earlier to create the Color Fill layer should still be in the foreground color swatch.
I want a more saturated version of this color, so I'll click on the Foreground Swatch to bring up the Color Picker.
In the large box that controls brightness and saturation, I'll move the Color Sampler slider over a bit to the right to choose a more saturated version of that color.
Then I'll click OK.
Next, I'll click on the Background Color Swatch to open the color picker and choose a new background color.
My cursor automatically becomes an Eyedropper tool and I can click in the image and sample some of the soft purple color on the left side of the Sunset Sky layer.
Once again, I'll move the Color Sampler to the right a bit to select a more saturated version of the soft purple color.
Then I'll click OK to close the Color Picker.
Now I'll add a gradient layer with a blending mode to add an orange to purple gradient into the image.
In order to place the gradient layer at the top of the layer stack, I'll click on the top most layer, the Sailboat, to make it active.
I'll click on the Add Adjustment Layer button at the bottom of the Layers panel and choose Gradient.
In the Gradient Fill dialog, I'll open the Gradient Picker at the top and I'll choose the first swatch, which are the foreground and background colors that I've already chosen.
Then I'll set the angle to 180, which will place the purple on the left and the orange on the right.
I'll click OK to close the Gradient Fill dialog.
Now I just need to blend the colors into the image below.
[Mode] To do that, I'll open the Mode menu at the top of the Layers panel [Soft Light] and chose Soft Light.
The far right side of the scene is looking a bit too yellow, so I'll get the Brush tool and then set the brush opacity to 50 percent in the Options bar.
I'll click on the thumbnail of the Layer Mask of the Gradient layer to make it active, and exchange my colors to make black the foreground color.
Then I'll paint with black on the Gradient layer mask to minimize the yellow effect on the right side of the image.
Finally, I'll add a bit more contrast to the entire image.
I'll click the Add Adjustment Layer button and choose Curves.
In the curves' Properties panel, I'll drag down a bit on the lower part of the curve to darken the darker tones, and then drag up a bit on the upper part of the curve to brighten the lighter tones.
This provides a nice contrast boost to both the image and the new color gradient.
I hope that you enjoyed this video series, and are inspired to find new ways to apply some of these techniques to your own imaging projects.
Thanks for watching.
Add Solid Color Fill layer (0:38); Apply Color Blend Mode (1:02); Add Clipping Mask (1:20); Add Gradient Fill layer (2:01); Apply Soft Light Blend Mode (3:55); Apply Curves adjustment layer (4:32)
Everyone can Add Layers - Combine photos to create an amazing new image.
