Combining & Layering images in Photoshop 30/11/21

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Nov 30, 20212 min read

Today we were learning how to combine and layer images together by using tools in photoshop like the lasso tool, paint brush tool, etc. as well as using masks to layer images and create different compositions.

The first idea i had was to link my work in some way to Alice in wonderland, as i have done quite a bit of research into the film and book, and how different techniques are used to create distorted realities/ altered states of consciousness. I was looking through the images i have taken throughout the project, and the slow shutter speed photos i took during the first week of this project, created a ghostly effect which i thought would look good when layered/distorted in some way.

In the book Alice says 'It would be so nice if something made sense for a change', so i wanted to use that and create an image that has different layers, and when all put together doesn't make sense.

I first started by by duplicating the layer and using the magic wand tool to outline my silhouette, and then used the mask took to create a clipping mask.

I then looked for a font i could use for the text in my image, and i came cross one that was free for personal use, which is also inspired by the font used in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland film.*

I thought it was perfect to use so i layered it into my composition and positioned one behind my mask and one in front of it.

I also tested out different blend options on the text, and tried the warp tool (edit > transform > warp) to see how i could distort it in different ways and create different effects.

I then started to overlay other images i had taken, and created masks/reduced the opacity/changed the blend mode, to try and achieve the look i wanted.

I experimented with different effects on Photoshop just to see how the different outcomes looked, and some of the effects actually looked quite cool. I used different adjustment layers, adjusting the hue, inverting the image, etc.

I also wanted to include my train photos i took last week, so i overlaid them using different blend modes and playing with the opacity of the images, as well as creating some masks and masking out some of the details i didn't like in the image.