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TECHNIQUE: Create a PhotoMontage
By Kristi McFadden
Aug 30, 2007, 01:37

Photomontages look great on the walls of your home. This tutorial will walk you through the basic steps of a simple photomontage using 3 photographs. Please select three pictures that you would like to work with and then continue on in the tutorial.

1. Open a new document. Create the canvas to fit the size of whatever frame you will be using for décor. I have some square frames that I picked up from Big Lots that work splendidly for wall décor but you can montage on a 5x7, 8x10, etc.
FILE > NEW > 12x12, 300 pixels per inch (resolution)

2. With your clean canvas in front of you, insert the three photographs you have selected to use.
These are the three pictures I have selected:


(SEE TIP SECTION –tip 1 and tip 2 - FOR MORE IDEAS BEFORE PROCEEDING)
3. Arrangement of the pictures will vary depending on layout and size. Vertical and horizontal pictures do not always line up in the same manner. Move and place each photo until you have a general idea about where you’d like the main portion of each image. Do not worry about the pictures overlapping as you can adjust all that later if necessary.


4. Select one image. I usually start with whatever image is on top to simplify the process. With this image selected go to EFFECTS > EDGES > SOFT (you can also find this effect in the common task bar, under EDGES)


Then adjust the edge softness by dragging it from left to right. Some photos you will want to soften more than 60 % and others you will want to soften less, it just depends on how well your pictures blend together. But I typically start between 40 and 60 % softness (also known as opacity or feathering in other programs).


You can see, marked with arrows, the blending of the picture with the bird, edges set at 60% soft.



5. Repeat this step with the other photographs.

6. Once you have all the pictures ready, you can shrink or enlarge various pictures to help the page blend better. On this page I am going to shrink two of the pictures down to help them blend together better.


7. The last step is to enhance the page. If you choose to enhance your montage keep in mind that journaling is best saved for scrapbooks, for wall décor go with a more simplistic approach. Location names, short quotes or a brief thought all work but long sections of journaling may take away from the design. (This is not a rule though, as there are always designs that prove to be fabulous exceptions.)


Kiyomizu Dera version 1
By and © Kristi McFadden
Credits: Program-DIP 10, Fonts: Hiragana, Inkburrow


Kiyomizu Dera version 2
By and © Kristi McFadden
Credits: Program – DIP 10, Fonts: Hiragana, Westsac

TIPS:

TIP 1:
It helps to have a plain white shape in the background. Before or after inserting your pictures simply insert a white square and enlarge it to fill the canvas. (INSERT > SHAPE > square) Remove the black line from around the shape by clicking on the line thickness icon, select MORE from the menu and then select NONE)

TIP 2:
I typically work with a copy of my photograph when montaging. So, after inserting the pictures I select them, copy them, and paste the copies back onto the canvas. Then I move the originals to the back. (Behind the white square.) This way if something goes amiss in my design or I just don’t like the way the pictures are going together I do not have to try to reinsert or ‘undo’ back to where I liked it. I can simply select the original(s) and create a new copy/copies to work with.


TIP 3:
Sometimes you have to layer sections of your picture, softening each portion, in order to have faces, or primary focal points, blend properly. Use your marquee tool to cut out areas to layer. You can also use other cutting tools like the freehand and edge finder but I favor the marquee tool.
If, for example, when I softened the edges of the top photograph (with the temple) the very top spire of the temple became a lot less visible.


If I wanted this to be more visible I would select the photograph, then with my marquee tool, I would select the spire area, with some excess for blending.


Then I would hit copy and paste. If this doesn’t add enough definition then hit paste again (and again if necessary.)

With the newly pasted portion you will want to repeat the edge softening process. You may not need to fade to 60% for the copies. Sometimes as little as 20-30 % is sufficient. You just want to make sure you fade out any defined lines so that the copies blend in with the rest of the montage.


While this may seem like a lot of work for something so minute it pays off in montages where detail makes a difference (especially layouts with faces or other small, detailed focal points.)

TIP 4:
Colors. While a white background may seem plain there are times when only white will adequately help blend your pictures together. Be brave and always try different colors before settling on black or white. You may find that even patterned papers will help fill in your design. When all else fails go back to the basics

TIP 5:
Use the gradual fades on text to help it blend into your page. (EFFECTS > TRANSPARENCY >GRADUAL…) (See Kiyomizu Dera version 2 above)

If you are preparing your montages for square frames always design them larger than you plan to print. For this tutorial I used a 12x12 canvas but my end print will be a 9.5x9.5. As long as you design in a larger format you can always print and frame it later in that size. The only time I do not recommend designing larger than you plan to print is when you design for 8.5x11 frames or a specific frame size.




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