Part VI: Artistic Effects 688 Using Multiple Images to Create a Photo Collage You create a photo collage by combining two or more photos in a single image to tell a bigger story than any of the original photos by themselves. Photo collages can be used for a number of pur- poses. For example, collages can showcase a photographer’s work or tell a specific story for a mag- azine article. Photo collages can be created in Photoshop in several ways. Figure 21.13 shows some examples of photo collages. FIGURE 21.13 You can create collages to tell a bigger story in many ways, including these three. 30_584743-ch21.indd 68830_584743-ch21.indd 688 5/3/10 10:42 AM5/3/10 10:42 AM Chapter 21: Combining Images 689 Although all photo collages are different, all seem to have at least a few basic elements that should concern you: l Background: Because we are using multiple photos in the collage, you must have a com- mon background to place the photos on. The background can be either blank or one of the photos. If you want a photo to be the background, you need to crop or size that photo to the correct size of the finished collage. Which method you use is determined by the requirements of how the collage will be used. l Size: Because we are dealing with multiple photos, typically the photos need to be resized. For example, one of the collages in Figure 21.13 shows a full-size background photo with three smaller photos on top. l Layout: Another important part of a collage is the layout—the position and angle of each photo. The angle can make all the difference to the look of the collage. Photoshop makes it easy to rotate and move images in a collage. l Layering: Layering is different from layout and is specific to collages. A collage is really a 3D photo. Layout provides the first two dimensions, and layering provides the third. Photoshop allows you to stack multiple photos on top of each other and quickly adjust which image is closest to the top by dragging and dropping layers in order in the Layers panel. l Shape: Typically, the shape of a photo is rectangular. Many collages keep the original shapes of the photographs. Usually, a layout with square, crisp edges gives a collage a pro- fessional look and feel. But sometimes, changing the shape of images in a collage is a bet- ter option. You can achieve a homey, scrapbook look by using selections and vector shapes to change the shape of the images in a collage. l Layer Styles: Adding layer styles such as borders, bevels, or drop shadows to the individ- ual photos makes them pop, giving them a three-dimensional look and distinguishing them from one another. Before you create a collage, make any color corrections or other image adjustments to the individ- ual images you are planning to use in the collage. Making these changes is much easier in the origi- nal document with fewer layers. Use the following steps to create a collage of multiple photos: 1. Create the background. If you want a specific photo to be the background, open the photo and crop or size it to the correct size of the finished collage. If you are creating a background, start with a new document and add any color, patterns, or other elements you want. Tip When creating a collage on a created background, it is best to create the background as big as possible. This allows you to bring the images in full-size to keep as much detail in them as possible. You can always resize the image down after the collage is created. This won’t work when you use a photo for the background, however, because you are limited to the size of the photo. n 30_584743-ch21.indd 68930_584743-ch21.indd 689 5/3/10 10:42 AM5/3/10 10:42 AM Part VI: Artistic Effects 690 2. Add photos to the background. The easiest way to do this, especially if you have several files, is to create a collection of the files you are planning to use in Bridge and then use Mini Bridge to drag them into the background document, as shown in Figure 21.14. The photos are added to the original document as layers, and you can move and resize them as they are placed. FIGURE 21.14 You can drag multiple files from Mini Bridge into one document, and they are placed as separate layers. 3. Select the layer containing the photo you want to work with. With multiple images on multiple layers, it is more important than ever that the Layers panel become an integral part of your workflow. Figure 21.15 shows a Layers panel with 19 layers representing different images placed in a collage. Cross-Ref Learn how to optimize your use of the Layers panel in Chapter 10. n 4. Tweak the size and placement of your images. Although you were given the opportunity to resize images as they were placed in the doc- ument, seeing them all together and making other changes, such as the shape of the image, usually means you can continuously tweak size and placement. You can move the selected image using the Move tool, or resize or rotate it using the Edit ➪ Free Transform function. 30_584743-ch21.indd 69030_584743-ch21.indd 690 5/3/10 10:42 AM5/3/10 10:42 AM Chapter 21: Combining Images 691 FIGURE 21.15 Using several different images can mean a layer-heavy document. 5. Adjust the order of the layers in using the Layers panel. If your photos overlap each other, you may need to adjust which photo is on top. To change which photo appears on top in the image, drag the photo layer higher or lower in the Layers panel. 6. Change the shape of each photo. If you want your photo to be a different shape than the (probably) rectangular image you brought in, change the shape by creating a selection inside the image and deleting the unselected pixels or creating a mask to hide them as shown in Figure 21.16. FIGURE 21.16 Changing the shape of an image is as easy as creating a selection and deleting extra pix- els or creating a mask to hide them. 30_584743-ch21.indd 69130_584743-ch21.indd 691 5/3/10 10:42 AM5/3/10 10:42 AM Part VI: Artistic Effects 692 Tip You can use a vector shape (either a preset or one you’ve drawn yourself) to create a path and use the Paths panel to create a selection. You also can use a vector shape to create a clipping mask. If your Layers panel is full of image layers, you can create a Smart Object from each image and change its shape in the original file. n 7. Use Layer Styles to add borders, bevels, drop shadows, or other elements to your photo. These elements change as you change your photo. If you were to transform your photo, for instance, the effect would change with it. The changes add depth to individual pho- tos, as you can see in Figure 21.17. FIGURE 21.17 Adding both bevel and stroke layer styles to this photo gives it depth. Tip You can add the same Layer Styles to each layer by right-clicking the layer style, copying it, and then right- clicking on each layer and using the menu option to paste the layer style. You can’t use the hotkeys for this operation, because the hotkeys copy and paste the layers themselves. You can assign hotkeys to this function, however. n 30_584743-ch21.indd 69230_584743-ch21.indd 692 5/3/10 10:42 AM5/3/10 10:42 AM Chapter 21: Combining Images 693 Using Photomerge to Create a Panorama Whether or not you have a wide angle lens, you can use Photoshop to create a photo panorama that is much larger and higher quality than you could capture in one shot from multiple photos. The Photomerge utility in Photoshop makes creating panoramas a relatively simple process. The most critical part of using software to create a panoramic photo from multiple shots is taking the appropriate photos in the first place. Being aware of how Photomerge works to create a pan- orama will give you the knowledge you need to take appropriate photos. These aspects of taking multiple shots for a panorama will help you create the best results: l Rotational positioning: Rotational positioning involves standing in the exact same place and rotating the camera around that single point to take the photos. The pictures should be taken with the most stability possible, so using a tripod or monopod is the most ideal method. Caution A common mistake made when capturing panoramic photos is to use parallel positioning. Parallel positioning involves taking a photo perpendicular to the scene and then moving the camera to a point that is parallel to the first point, still perpendicular to the scene and the same distance away from the scene. This type of positioning makes it very difficult for software to adjust the scene for the appropriate perspective. n l Overlap: To create the ideal conditions for blending the images into a seamless panorama, each image should overlap the next by 40–70 percent. Less than this, Photomerge may not be able to line up identical areas in the image. More than this, it has a hard time appropriately blending the images. l Focal length: Be sure to maintain the same focal length in all the images you want to use for a panorama; don’t zoom into some of the shots and not others. l Lighting: Maintain the same exposure for each photo. This can be trickier than it sounds. If the sun or other bright elements are present in some but not all of your images and your camera is set for automatic exposure, some of your images may be much darker than others. If you have a camera where the exposure can be set manually, you may want to do that. Use the following steps to create a single panoramic photo in Photoshop: On the Web Site You can find the three photos that are used in the following exercise on the Web site saved as Figure 21.18a, Figure 21.18b, and Figure 21.18c. n 1. Open the photos you want to include in the panorama, and close any other photos that may be open in the editor. The three photos used in this example are shown in Figure 21.18. 30_584743-ch21.indd 69330_584743-ch21.indd 693 5/3/10 10:42 AM5/3/10 10:42 AM Part VI: Artistic Effects 694 FIGURE 21.18 These three photos taken of this hotel in India are perfect for creating a panorama. Caution Do not make any adjustments to the photos, such as lighting and color, at this point. Photoshop has a harder time trying to merge the photos if there are even slight differences in these settings between photos. n 2. Select File ➪ Automate ➪ Photomerge to bring up the Photomerge utility shown in Figure 21.19. FIGURE 21.19 The Photomerge utility is easy to use and mostly self-explanatory. 3. Click the Add Open Files button to load the files that are currently open in Photoshop to the Use files list. 30_584743-ch21.indd 69430_584743-ch21.indd 694 5/3/10 10:42 AM5/3/10 10:42 AM Chapter 21: Combining Images 695 You can also use the browse button to browse to the files you want to merge if you don’t have them open in Photoshop. 4. Choose a Layout option from the Layout menu. You can choose from these layout options: l Auto: This option allows Photoshop to evaluate and determine which of the following settings works best for your photos. Just like any of the automated processes in Photoshop, this is a hit-and-miss setting. l Perspective: Using the center photo as a guide, the other photos are matched using the overlap areas and stretched or distorted to create continuance in the other photos. l Cylindrical: This option flattens out the bowtie effect that’s created when taking sev- eral images in a circle. l Spherical: This option makes a panorama that is meant to be seen in a circle around the viewer. l Collage: This resizes or rotates the images so that overlapping areas match but doesn’t skew or otherwise warp the images. l Reposition: This option doesn’t transform the images in any way; it just overlaps them as best as possible. For this example, choose Reposition because the images don’t need to be transformed in any way to look good together. Note In Photoshop CS3, Photomerge had an interactive layout option that allowed you to make changes to the semi- finished panorama. In CS4, this option was removed because of significant improvements in Photomerge. If you would like to have more control over the Photomerge process, you can still add this option as a plug-in. PhotomergeUI is available in the optional downloads provided by Adobe on its Web site. n 5. Choose any of the following operations: l Blend images together: This option finds the borders of the images and blends them together optimally for the best results. l Vignette removal: If some or all of the images have lens vignettes, select this option to have them removed while the merge is taking place. l Geometric distortion correction: Use this option if any of the photos being used have distortions caused at the time of capture, such as barrel, pincushion, or fisheye distortions. There are not any vignettes or geometric distortions in the image of the hotel, so you only need to select Blend images together for this example. 6. Click OK. Photoshop needs several seconds to analyze and blend the photos together. When the merge is complete, it is displayed as a new document in Photoshop, as you can see in Figure 21.20. 30_584743-ch21.indd 69530_584743-ch21.indd 695 5/3/10 10:42 AM5/3/10 10:42 AM Part VI: Artistic Effects 696 FIGURE 21.20 With very little effort on my part, the merged photo is created. Although the panorama is displayed as a single document in Photoshop, it actually is composed of as many layers as there were photographs to begin with, each with a mask that displays the areas that were cut from each photo to blend them together, as you can see in Figure 21.21. This makes it possible for you to make changes to the way the merge was created by adjusting each layer and each layer mask. FIGURE 21.21 With each photo placed on its own layer in the panorama, changes to it are easily effected. Summary This chapter demonstrated how the tools you have learned up to this point can be used to create the best composites. The examples in this chapter were limited, but the possibilities are unlimited. You learned techniques that will help you create great composites, including these: l The best way to combine files l Several ways to make a composite seamless l Using masks to make an added element look like it belongs in an image l Using Photomerge to create seamless panoramas 30_584743-ch21.indd 69630_584743-ch21.indd 696 5/3/10 10:42 AM5/3/10 10:42 AM . AM5/3/10 10:42 AM Part VI: Artistic Effects 696 FIGURE 21.20 With very little effort on my part, the merged photo is created. Although the panorama is displayed as a single document in Photoshop, it. Layout: Another important part of a collage is the layout—the position and angle of each photo. The angle can make all the difference to the look of the collage. Photoshop makes it easy to. dimensions, and layering provides the third. Photoshop allows you to stack multiple photos on top of each other and quickly adjust which image is closest to the top by dragging and dropping layers in