How to Create Interesting Images 2
Yesterday, I showed you the first part of the exercise we did on “How to Create Interesting Images” – as promised here follows Part 2 – with another variation of my “Noordhoek Symphony” – all based on the exact same two images of Noordhoek Beach and our Photoshop Tools!
How to Create Interesting Images 2
In our quest on How to Create Interesting Images, we worked with two Images, the first of which we went into in PART ONE – HERE for some horizon, noise and toning corrections.
The question now is how to combine Image 1 and Image 2 to obtain the original Artwork that resulted?
The answer is: with some imagination… and some technique… and of course: Photoshop and its brilliant tools!
One could do many things, however, for this exercise, we chose to keep the sky and the Chapman’s Peak mountain range in the back (the top half of the photo) while kicking out its bottom part and replacing it with parts of Image 2.
In other words: the image would show the sea with the seaweed in the lower section and the mountains and seagulls in the sky in the upper section! As we have straight horizons in both images, this is making life very easy.
How to Fade Images into one another
This is a simple Tutorial on “How to Fade Images into one another” – just follow each step and observe what it does… then do the next:
1. Make sure you have both images in your Photoshop Layer stack, put Image 2 on top of Image 1.
2. As we wish to keep the mountains and sky (upper part) of Image 1, we need to fade out the upper part of Image 2 – the image that sits on top of it – meaning: if we get this part transparent then the image from below shows through – logic and simple, right?
This is what you do:
3. Make sure that you see foreground color: black and background color: white on your Tools Menu to the left. Fine!
4. Make sure you are on the Image 2 layer (eye is open, layer is blue).
5. Now click the Vector Mask icon just underneath (3rd icon from left… between the chain and the bin). You will immediately see a white mask appearing to the right of the thumbnail on your layer with Image 2. Bravo!
6. Now click on Gradient Tool (G) on the left tool box. You see some little editing tools open at the top bar. Make sure you are really on the black to white gradient there and that the linear version is selected (the one to the far left of the 4 variations). Almsot there!
7. Now you simply place your cursor on top of the ‘sky’ on Image 2 9outside the image, anywhere!) and pull it down vertically as far as you think the fade of the sky of the top Image 2 should go. It’s like pulling down a curtain of transparency! Just try it and experiment to get the hang of it. You can push the top layer up or down as you feel it… and you can use the eraser (large brush, low opacity to progress gradually) to wipe out everything you don’t want to see. You can even paint with an eraser!
Continue refining both images – 1 and 2 – until you have the desired effect. Duplicate each to be on the ‘safe’ side and merge Image 1 and Image 2 to one image that you can now work on with any Photoshop filters or PhotoTools.
Look at your picture and let your imagination tell you what it could be about – then add some text in fancy fonts, like a headline. “Noordhoek Beach – Gene was here!” could be fun! We would all recognize Chapman’s Peak in Noordhoek, South Africa – but depending on the emphasis you place where, the rest could be astonishing!
There’s nothing than going ahead and trying it all out yourself – with my 2 images or your own. The principle of fading one photo into another by using the Photoshop vector mask remains the same.
Have Fun! I am looking forward to seeing our Team members’ results at tonight’s Ycademy Call!
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