Montaging
By
Sheila and Peter Read
To
make a Montage we think there are two basic methods.
A good understanding of layers helps with any method used.
The
standard and simple method is fully explained in Unit 8 of our U3A On
Line
Digital Imaging course. In essence this
method consists of dragging images onto a plain new sheet and arranging
them in
an aesthetic way. The images can be
overlapped. The way one image sits on
top of another is governed by the order of the layers and thus we can
change
this if desired. In addition each image
can have drop shadows, bevels and other effects. Text
can be added to make the Montage into a poster.
There
is, however, a very nice method that blends the images one on top of
the other
such that you can see through them to the layers below but in a gradual
manner.
This
depends on the use of the Quick Mask.
This is unavailable in Photoshop Elements of any edition. But you can easily download some extras that
will enable you to have Quick Mask and lots of other useful tools. Try it out from
http://member.melbpc.org.au/~pshipley/
A substitute method is possible for Elements that uses the Selection Brush tool. Use this in step 7 and then omit steps 8 to 13 inclusive. Instructions for this are in italics in step 7
Follow
these guidelines for success.
| 1.
Open a
New A4 page with a white background and a resolution of 200 ppi. |
| 2.
Open
the File Browser and Navigate to a suitable range of Photographs. |
| 3.
Find
one that is the best for centre position. Open
this and check if there are any layers. If
there are then Flatten them. Also ensure that your picture is a
reasonable size. |
| 4.
Select the Move tool
and drag the image to the empty page. Resize the Image if needed using
Ctrl + T [Transform] or Edit > Transform. |
| 5.
Close down the Image
without saving. |
| 6.
We need to feather the
edges of each image so that no straight lines can be seen.
This why we use the Quick Mask and the Gradient Tool. The process used is the same each time. |
| 7.
Pick the image to
feather and select the Quick Mask tool [press Q in Photoshop]. Note
that the words Quick Mask appears in the blue banner above the image. See screen grab below. Substitute method. Set Selection Brush to Mask; Large size 700 to 1000 px; Hardness = 0%; Overlay = 100%; Colour to contrast with image. Brush over centre of image. Press Ctrl + X to cut the edges away. Check that the edges of the image have faded to nothing. Repeat until they are. Go to step 14 and continue. |
8. Now select the Gradient Tool [1] [see image below] and from the Options Bar choose the Linear option [2]. Check that the Foreground to Transparent version is clicked and that the Foreground is black [press D on the keyboard]
|
| 9. Place the cursor near the middle of the image and hold down the Shift key whilst dragging out a line with the Gradient Tool until you reach the edge of the image. Do not go over the edge because you will not feather out the edge |
| 10.
Now deselect the Quick
Mask [press Q] or return to Standard Mode. |
| 11.
Press the Delete key
and the edge will gently vanish. |
| 12. Deselect the selection [marching ants] by pressing Ctrl + D or go to Select > Deselect. |
| 13.
Repeat this operation
for each edge. |
| 14.
Now go back the File
Browser and select a new picture and repeat the steps 4 to 13 above. |
| 15.
Continue in this way
adding more images as required. You can
move the images around using the Move tool to make a good design. Take note that because of the softly feathered
edges you can put images over each other and the images beneath can
show through. This means that you can
compact many more images than with the normal montaging technique. |
| 16.
Try to move the images
so that very little of the white background layer shows through. |
|
17. The Background layer could be coloured if needed. The way to do this is to go to the Colour Picker and choose a very pale colour. Then select the background layer. Now go to the Edit menu and pick Fill. A box asks you from where you want the colour. Choose Foreground. Click OK and the background will be coloured. A pattern could also be chosen and there are many many patterns you could choose. This box is shown below.
|
A sample of a montage part finished. Notice the layers on the right. |
