Every photographer/artist develops an identifiable style or trademark. Sometimes an inadvertent slip of the hand or the special recognition of an artistic component defines the work of the artist. Among them are paintings with butterflies, slender stick figures and the blending of two or more elements in a work of art.
Most photo enhancement toolboxes contain a brush called a clone or rubber-stamp
tool. It makes possible the transfer of any object to another image in any degree of transparency. Double exposures have been a favorite method of photographers for years, but the difficulty of positioning and blending place the technique beyond most photographers.
The skills of composite or collage construction are useful when attempting a multiple exposure. The benefits of this blending include: a graphic reminder of special relationships, an enhancement of the subtler shades of meaning, a new way to look at the world, and a story-like progression of ideas.
In simple terms, place two photographs side by side on your screen. Match the size (in pixels) to each other. To start, set the transparency at a low figure, say three or five percent. Size the brush fairly large, say 200 pixels. Center the source button on the picture to be transferred and working from the center in a circular motion, transfer the object to the base photograph. Several tries may be needed in order to produce the exact effect. Adjustments in size, color, transparency, sharpness and intrusion of elements all play a part in your new creation. An alternative method is to rend the image to be transferred into an object and move this over the original picture, positioning it and adjusting the transparency for best effect.
Another related method required the outlining of a subject with a mask, turning the subject into an object, then dragging the object into the frame of another picture. While still an object, the subject can be resized and positioned for best effect. Special care must be taken so that the edges show no sign of tampering. The clone tool at high magnification and the smoothing tool are good for this.
Computers have brought into our lives a wonderful new diversity of art for us to explore and share with the world. Happy creating!
