hen it comes to
combining two
images, you need
to think about how
they are going to work
together. You want the colours and
tones to blend flawlessly so that
it looks like it could be real.
We have provided our starting
images on the disc for you to practise
with, or you can shoot your own.
If you do venture next to stormy
seas, just make sure you keep a safe
distance, and keep your camera
gear protected from salty spray!W
Storm in
a teacup
Claire Gillo shows you
how to whip up a photo
composite for a fun
twist on a still-life setup4 | PHOTOSHOP24 DIGITAL CAMERA^ JUNE 2019 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com
How to combine your images together
Start by opening your teacup image
and go to the Quick Selection Tool.
Make a selection of the middle of
the cup and add a Layer Mask. It will
select the middle section, so invert
by pressing Ctrl/Cmd+I. You’ll now
have a cup with no middle.
Open your wave image and copy
it over to the teacup image. In the
Layers panel, move the wave image
under the cup. Use the Transform
Tool (Ctrl/Cmd+T) to get it to the
right size and position. Now drag
the Layer Mask from the top layer
(cup) onto the bottom layer (wave
image), then press Ctrl/Cmd+I to
invert the Layer Mask again. Finallygo back to the cup layer and make
a selection of the middle of the cup
as you initially did. Remember to
invert the selection again.
You want to make the water look
like it’s a cup of tea, so you need the
water to sit lower in the cup. Go back
to the wave layer, press Ctrl/Cmd+T
and reduce the size of the water so
it sits with a rim around the back and
side. As there is no information in
the background, add a layer at the
bottom of the stack and go to Edit >
Fill. Change Contents to White (or
another colour) and click OK.
Use a soft paint brush at 30%
Opacity (switch between black andwhite to hide/reveal) on both your
Layer Masks (cup and waves) to
create a hazy effect around the rim
of the water. You may also want to go
to the wave layer and bring parts of
the waves back to add a bit of drama.
To add splashes, add a white fill
layer at the top of the layer stack,
and then a black Layer Mask. Go to
the Brush Tool and click on the small
arrow next to the brush symbol and
size in the top bar. Under Special
Effects Brushes you’ll find Kyle’s
Spatter Brushes. Using any of these
at 50% Opacity and white, work into
the areas where the water would be
spraying out the side of the cup.START IMAGES