11

CHAPTER
NIGHT AND LOW-LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY / Digital Postproduction

to use different parts of each one in a single

image. You can use a layer mask to accomplish

this. The layer mask works by allowing you to

selectively remove parts of one layer to reveal

what is on the layer below. The cool part is that

the layer mask is editable so you can adjust what

is seen. Give this a shot:

1. Open an image in Elements.


2. Duplicate the Background layer.


3. Choose Enhance ➪ Adjust Color ➪ Remove
   Color. The top layer is now a black-and-
   white version of the Background layer.


4. Click the Add Layer Mask icon on the bot-
   tom of the Layers palette. You see a white
   square appear next to the thumbnail in the
   layers list. This is the layer mask. Anything
   that is white is opaque, and nothing from the
   underlying layer is seen, while anything that
   is black allows the underlying layer to show
   through. To get the bottom layer to show
   through on the top layer, you can just use the
   Brush tool with the color black.


5. Paint the parts you want in color with the
   black paintbrush. Any areas that are inad-
   vertently transparent can be turned opaque
   by painting with white on the layer mask.
   This technique allows you to create an image that
   consists of many images, which is sometimes the
   best way to go, as shown in Figure 11-15.

images on top of each other and, depending on
the blend mode and opacity, the top layer affects
the layer or layers below it. Let’s break this down
and look at a simple example. If you have a photo
and place another photo on top of it, you won’t
be able to see the photo on the bottom. If you
start to lower the opacity of the top image, the
bottom image starts to come through. Now imag-
ine that you can change the way that the top
image interacts with the bottom image and that
the mode of the top image (or layer) can help
enhance the bottom image (or layer). This is
pretty powerful stuff. Here are some uses for the
blend modes:

■   You can brighten an entire image. Open the

document and make a duplicate of the
Background layer. Then change the blend
mode by using the drop-down menu in the
Layers palette to either Lighten or Screen.
You can then adjust the opacity of the top
layer until the image looks good.

■   You can darken an entire image. Open the

document and make a duplicate of the
Background layer. Then change the blending
mode to Darken or Multiply and adjust the
opacity until it looks right.

There is another use for layers, and this is to use
parts of different images all together in the same
composite image. Say, for example, that you had
a great sky in one image and some cool buildings
in another, or you took a series of shots and want