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B+W

INSPIRATIONAL ARTISTS

Julie Cockburn juliecockburn.com

Simon Larbalestier simon-larbalestier.co.uk

To make your individual elements appear to be floating over a

scanned background, you’ll need to select the cut-out layer first.

Next do Layer>Layer Style>Drop Shadow, as shown. Play with

the Distance slider to give the illusion of depth, then soften the

shadow using the Size and Opacity sliders.

If the shadow doesn’t seem to be sitting in the right place, with

the Layer Style dialog box still open, simply place your cursor

into the image and click drag to move the shadow by hand.

All Effects are referenced in the Layers palette by an ‘fx’ icon

on the specific Layer they are linked to and can be re-edited in

the future like any Adjustment Layer.

The Layer blending modes offer an exciting way to create effects

without using selections or menu commands. The blending

mode sets off a kind of chemical colour reaction between

adjoining layers and can create mixtures between positive and

negative within the same image. Results are entirely based on

the nature of your originals and, unlike filters, will not create the

same identical effect every time.

For see-through effects that allow the texture of your

background scans to mix with your overlaid images, try using

the Multiply blending mode. As this example shows, the Multiply

mode is actioned in the Layers palette and removes the white

element of your layer, leaving any underlying bright areas to

show through.

USING LAYER BLENDS

MAKING DROP SHADOWS

PROJECT OUTCOME

Aim to create a single montage from one of your chosen

themes and print this out. This example used different

elements: a fish, a spanner and a piece of textured

background paper. The shadows were drop shadows

created from the scanned flower and copied across.

timdaly.com

SEND US YOUR PICTURES

If you have been inspired by this photo project, then we

want to see your pictures. You could win £100 voucher

from Hahnemühle.

Send them to: Photo Projects, Black+White Photography,

GMC Publications Ltd, 86 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex

BN7 1XN. Full submission details on page 2.

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