Softening edges help ??!!

FJ
Posted By
Fatimah_J
Jan 11, 2009
Views
415
Replies
6
Status
Closed
Hi Guys

I’m trying to create a collage, will be my 10th high school anniversary soon and I really want to do this calmly before hand *ie. not in a rush as i do everything else*

the thing is i like this type of blending: <http://www.flickr.com/photos/20976749@N03/3186348142/>

but can’t seem to replicate it with my own photos. I’ve tried reading up on various tutorials all over the net but most usually say to either use a soft eraser or vignette effect and i don’t think the latter was used here and i tried the eraser and that just turned out ugly! Anyone with any suggestions on how to replicate this blending type. i tried the smudge tool but that too turned out badly *lol*

many many thanks for any help 🙂

P.S i know the guy is highlighted but not worried about that. look at the background and see how the images blend into one another, that’s what I’m after and it keeps eluding me
Related Tags
edge help soft

Master Retouching Hair

Learn how to rescue details, remove flyaways, add volume, and enhance the definition of hair in any photo. We break down every tool and technique in Photoshop to get picture-perfect hair, every time.

DR
Donald_Reese
Jan 11, 2009
Use layer masks and a soft edged brush and you will be fine. a lot depends on how much extra room you have on the photos to overlap them. if you just butt them to each other ,you cannot blend one into the other, so drag one on top a bit and use a layer mask to fade them into each other.
DM
dave_milbut
Jan 11, 2009
layer mask. then gauss blur the mask. then apply levels to the mask to tighten it up…
FJ
Fatimah_J
Jan 11, 2009
Hi Guys 🙂

Thanks so much for the answer but am a bit clueless here on layer masks. to be honest, I’ve never used them. do you know of a good tutorial *with laymen words* that i can view to practice this technique ?
DR
Donald_Reese
Jan 11, 2009
They are real simple. try to open two photos,then go to image-canvas size and increase the canvas around your one photo. next hit the v-key and drag your second photo till it overlaps the first on the new canvas you just enlarged. now go to the bottom of the layers palette and hit the little square with a circle in it. you have just applied a layer mask. now hit your b-key and brush across your moved photo.if you see nothing happen,hit the x-key and try again. with masks,your foreground/background colors of black/ white will hide or reveal your image. i am not the most concise person to explain here,so a tutorial may be better.
WE
Wolf_Eilers
Jan 11, 2009
There are a gazillion tutorials on layer masks on the Internet. As a start try this: <http://www.myjanee.com/tuts/layermask/layermask.htm>
K
KatWoman
Jan 12, 2009
you can use the lasso set with 5-20 pixels softness (look in options bar) or any select tool plus feather (refine edge)

as you have been directed the best way is to do the cutting out on mask in case you have to re-edit your cut-out (an eraser will remove them forever)

mask is not as hard as it sounds
at bottom of layer palette small symbol of rectangle with a circle

make a selection (you may have to invert it)
then click the symbol
it will add a thumbnail next to your image thumbnail in the layer palette

to paint onto the mask and not your image click that thumbnail> you will see it get a bold border
that means it’s active

to refine or change a mask you can use the paintbrush (set to black and white), you can use a soft edge brush and lower than 100% opacity to paint out or restore parts of the image

or as directed you can filter right on the mask
a gaussian blur will do same as feathering> make a softer graduated edge

Here is a CS screenshot using two masks in a vignette shape http://farm1.static.flickr.com/173/437693393_5032e5c69f_o.jp g

Must-have mockup pack for every graphic designer 🔥🔥🔥

Easy-to-use drag-n-drop Photoshop scene creator with more than 2800 items.

Related Discussion Topics

Nice and short text about related topics in discussion sections