Blending Two Photos Into One Using Layer Masks

[Diana]

This is a tutorial I posted in 2006 with instructions for PSE 3.0. I just made a few changes to update it for 5.0.

This is the link to the example images in my gallery:
http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com...mg.php?id=6907

Blending Two Photos Into One Using Layer Masks
1. Open the two photos you wish to combine.
2. Perform whatever restoring, retouching or enhancing that each photo may need.
3. If the photos you are combining are very large, resize them to a more reasonable size to work with. You can always reduce them more later, if needed.
4. If you are planning on printing the combined image, make sure the resolution of the images is at least 200 to 300. If it is less, you may need to use Image > Resize >Image Size and increase the resolution.
Note: If you have large, low resolution images, you can take care of steps 3 and 4 in one step by leaving “Resample Image” unchecked in the Image Size window. When you increase the resolution, the dimensions in inches will become smaller without affecting the pixel dimensions.
5. Create a new blank file in which to combine the photos – File > New > Blank File – with the height at least the height of the tallest photo and the width about as wide as the sum of the two photos. Make the resolution the same as the two photos and the Color Mode RGB and Background White.
6. So now you have three documents open, the new blank document and the two photos.
7. With the blank background document active in the workspace, from the photo bin, drag each photo up to the background image. [**See bottom of second page for versions prior to 5.0]
8. You may now close the original photos, saving them if you wish to keep a saved version with the changes you made.
9. You now should have only your project image open in the photo bin and workspace, made up of three layers: the background layer and two photo layers.
10. At this point, save your new document as a .PSD file – and make sure you save frequently as your work progresses with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-S.
11. Using Grant’s Tools “Mask Layer”, or other add-on layer mask action, add a layer mask to each of the photo layers in your project.
12. In the layers palette, arrange the layers of your document so the image you want in the foreground is above the layer containing the image you want behind it.
13. Use the Move Tool to move the images to the approximate position where you want them in relation to each other and do any resizing needed to make them proportionate to each other. They most likely will overlap and the top image will cover up part of the bottom image.
14. Make sure in the color chips that the foreground color is set to black and the background color white
15. Choose a soft-edged brush to start with
16. Click on the mask of the top image in the layer palette to make it active
17. Using black, with the brush paint around the edge of the image to remove the unwanted area which is covering up the image beneath it
18. You may need to resize your brush to get closer to the areas you need to work on.
19. When you need to get very close to the edge of a subject (like where the top subject overlaps the bottom subject), change to a hard brush so you can work close to the features without feathering into the area you want to keep.
20. If you paint away too much, change the foreground color to white and paint the area back in, always painting on the mask, not the photo
21. If you accidentally have the photo selected when you start painting, Undo it using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-Z and start again, after selecting the mask
22. If you need to remove any portion of the lower image, use the same process—black to remove, white to restore the edges
23. If your images are like mine, for it to look natural (since the lady was shorter than the man) I had to position the lady’s image lower on the page than the man’s image. Then I had to use the Clone tool to add more background at the top of the lady’s image to cover the white background
24. When you are all done with the adjustments and masking, crop the image to eliminate the excess white background and save the final version. You may find you started out with two portrait-oriented images and ended up with one landscape-oriented image.

** In Step 7, if you have an Elements version prior to 5.0, you will not be able to drag the photos up from the photo bin. So use this method:
With the first photo active in the workspace, press Ctrl-A to select all, then Ctrl-C to copy.
Make the background image active, then press Ctrl-V to paste the photo on to the background image.
Repeat to copy and paste the second photo.

UPDATE FOR PSE6 & 7: Do not drag your image up from the photo bin to combine it with another image. See Post #11 for instructions to do the reverse - drag the photo in the workspace down to another photo in the project bin. In version 6, Adobe changed the way things work. If you drag up from the project bin, the photo dragged becomes a "smart object" and doesn't work well with the mask.

You can use the same method for creating a blended photo montage of many photos, such as this example:
http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com...mg.php?id=6344

Diana

[SunnyD]

Thanks for updating your tutorial Diana. Nice to have it current through PSE5.

Very nice photo you created of your husband's parents.

SD

[Anita34]

up. I'll try this..than you.

[Dreamer]

Thanks for the tut, Diana. I love the effect! However...

I tried following your instructions to the letter but when I get to #17 to use my brush, I just draw black across my pic. Nothing from underneath shows up. Fg & bg are blk & wht and I've selected the layer mask (from Grants Tools). I just clicked on the emply rectangle next to my photo on the top layer to select it. I'm on PSE6. What am I missing?

Thank you,
Dreamer

[Diana]

Hi Dreamer,

It sounds like you may think you have the mask selected, but it is behaving as if you have the photo thumbnail to the left selected in the layers palette. Try double clicking on the white mask, then try again painting with black on the image in the workspace.

Here's an example of what the layers and mask should look like. It's a PSE5 screenshot because I don't have my PSE6 on my laptop yet, just my desktop. But it should look pretty much the same in 6 except the dark interface.



Diana

[Dreamer]

Thanks for your reply, Diana. I think I have double clicked on the mask but I'll try it again tonight, with the help of your palette example. I could use this trick alot and would love to figure it out.

Thanks again,
Dreamer

[rvrbndr]

Originally Posted by Dreamer

Thanks for the tut, Diana. I love the effect! However...

I tried following your instructions to the letter but when I get to #17 to use my brush, I just draw black across my pic. Nothing from underneath shows up. Fg & bg are blk & wht and I've selected the layer mask (from Grants Tools). I just clicked on the emply rectangle next to my photo on the top layer to select it. I'm on PSE6. What am I missing?

Thank you,
Dreamer

I have the same problem (PSE6). I double click on the "white box" (not the photo) to the left of the "top" layer. When I paint with black I get black, if I switch to white, I get white. What goes? Have they made a change we need to consider in PSE6? I encounter this everytime I try to combine to photos this way and have always thought it was something I was doing wrong, but now I'm wondering.

[rvrbndr]

I think I found a work around - after step 13 - at least it works for me!

1. Layer - new adj layer - levels - ok - ok
2. HIDE THE BACKGROUND (if you have other layers you don't want affected by "step 3 below" hide them too) Do this by clicking on the eye next to the layer.
3. Layer - merge visible
4. SHOW HIDDEN LAYER/S
5. Then Apply Grants Layer Mask
6. Paint with black to reveal layer beneath and white puts the top layer back.

NOTE: I was only working with a texture background and one photo. If you are working with 2 or more photo's and a backgound you need to hide then show (steps 2 & 4) all layers you do not want to affect.

Hope this makes sense.

[Diana]

Sharon & Dreamer,

I don't understand why you're having difficulty getting the mask to work. I'm using PSE6 and this method works just fine. Here's an example:


I'm wondering if perhaps it's the way you're adding your photos to the project image. If you're dragging the photos up from the photo bin to the image in the workspace, they become "smart objects" and the mask may not behave properly. Is that maybe what's happening? In PSE6 you can drag the photo down from the workspace to the project image in the photo bin and avoid getting the smart objects.

That's the only thing I can think of that may be different than what I'm doing. Hope you can get it worked out. It's so much simpler just using the mask without going through all those other steps.

Diana

[rvrbndr]

Originally Posted by Diana

Sharon & Dreamer,
I'm wondering if perhaps it's the way you're adding your photos to the project image. If you're dragging the photos up from the photo bin to the image in the workspace, they become "smart objects" and the mask may not behave properly. Is that maybe what's happening? In PSE6 you can drag the photo down from the workspace to the project image in the photo bin and avoid getting the smart objects.

That's the only thing I can think of that may be different than what I'm doing. Hope you can get it worked out. It's so much simpler just using the mask without going through all those other steps.

Diana

Step 7 tells us to 'drag' the photo's to the background - so yes that is the way I am doing it. Should we use "file" "place" instead? There is a note for step 7 regarding versions prior to PSE5 to copy and paste them onto the background. I will try it as time permits, but today is Saturday and it's not raining, so I think I'm going to head outside.

If we drag the photo "from" the workspace to the "bin" how will that help? I must be missing something as that would remove my picture from the workspace.

This has been a problem for me with every tut I try that involves "painting away" part of one layer to expose the layer beneath. I truly appreciate the way members of this forum are so patient and understanding when someone has a question or problem with something. - THANKS DIANA!