photoshop | Alaska Photography

Combining Photos in Photoshop CS5

August 1st, 2010 Mike Criss No comments

Combining images in Photoshop is very easy and you should not be intimidated by layers. I have gotten into a habit to take 3 exposures when I am taking a photograph of a landscape. I have one of my programmable settings set to snap 3 exposures, 2 stops under and 2 stops over a normally exposed image. The timer is automatically set also so all I do is press the shutter button once and the camera does the rest.

Click on any photo for larger view!

First image with blown out sky

Second image 2 stops under

I open both images as layers in Photoshop. In Lightroom this can be done by selecting both images and right clicking and selecting”open as layers in Photoshop”.

Two images opened as layers in Photoshop CS5

I have the image with the blown out sky on top of the darker image. I want the sky from the darker image so I create a layer mask.

Select your brush tool and start painting the sky with black. Be sure to have a large soft brush and be careful around the edges of the mountains.

Photoshop CS5 have a mask adjustment, I love it! On this mask I lowered the density(opacity) and feathered the mask edges.

Creating a layer mask in Photoshop

This is the final product with the sky from one image and the mountains from another…very easy. If I was going to print this image I would spend more time with a small brush around the trees.

Once you master the concept of layers the possibilities are endless.

Final Image

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Categories: Alaska, photoshop Tags: Alaska, alaska photography, alaskan photographer, Canon 5D, Canon 5D mark II, combining images in Photoshop, photoshop, Photoshop CS5, photoshop tutorial

Combining Photos in Photoshop CS5

July 29th, 2010 Mike Criss No comments

Drove the Richardson Highway this week and snapped a couple hundred photos on the way. I really liked a set of 3 exposures with Gulkana Glacier in the background, but did not like the way Photomatix handled the flowers in the foreground….Photoshop CS5 to the rescue.

Photomatix version (I did not like the flowers)

One of the original unprocessed images

I pulled the Photomatix image and a well exposed image into Photoshop. I did this by selecting both images in Lightroom 3 and right clicking. Selecting “open as layers in Photoshop” will bring both images in.

Both images as layers in Photoshop CS5

With the Photomatix image on top, I apply adjustment layers to the bottom image by turning off the top image. I am trying to get the flowers in the foreground as vibrant as the mountains in the background.

Turning on the top image and adding a layer mask to it I paint the mask with my black brush revealing the image below it.

Applying adjustment layers and mask

Click on any photo for larger view!

Images combined in Photoshop CS5

This only requires very basic knowledge of masks and adjustment layers in Photoshop. The whole process took about 5 minutes and that is only because I played around with the new masks menu in Photoshop CS5. I encourage everyone to learn this powerful software. It will change your photography.

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