The Composite Image

What is a Composite Image?

Compositing is the combining of visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are part of the same scene. When designers say “composite image” – they refer to an image that was constructed from two or more different photos. These images are used to achieve a vast variety of effects – from the “surrealist” of photos to the (supposedly) untouched nature landscape.

 

Check out these artists that make composite images:

https://www.behance.net/hotamr Links to an external site. (Amr Elshamy)

http://www.herbrich.com/photos Links to an external site. (Thomas Herbrich)

http://www.erikjohanssonphoto.com/work/ Links to an external site. (Erik Johansson)

 

How Do You Begin a Composite Image?

1. Gather Images! These images can be related or not, but these are going to be the “main ingredients” that you put together in order to achieve the final product. Look for images that are in similar lighting situations and perspective. You will also need to decide on an overall background image to begin to build your scene. This step should be part of the Collect Info: Inspiration & Reference and Develop Solutions: Sketching & Concepts steps of the design process.

2. Create a New Document in Photoshop. This can be a familiar size such as a 5x7, 8x10, etc.. If you are making the composite image to be a part of a series, it is good practice to have all images start at the same size document.

3. Import Your Images. You can approach this in 2 different ways. You can drag each image into Photoshop OR go to File > Place Embedded to locate your image to import. It is important to make sure you click the Commit Transform (enter) checkmark on the end of the properties panel at the top of your workspace after each imported image.

4. Layer Management. It is important to practice layer management as you begin working with multiple layers. A good way to keep things organized is renaming layers and making groups as needed. Also, remember that the layer on the very top of your layers panel is what we will see on top of everything below in the document. 

5. Don’t Touch That Eraser or Delete Button! As you begin to cut out the various images for your composite, keep in mind non-destructive editing. Utilize layer and vector masks instead of the eraser and delete button.

 

Watch the DEMO video on Creating a Composite Image in Photoshop

 

Final Composite Image

The final composite image should give the illusion that the image could be an actual scene and is not a collage of images. 

Pay close attention to your masks, making sure the edges are smooth and precise. You may want to refer to the Advanced Masking techniques if you are struggling to make a good selection based mask.

Your layers should still be editable and not merged or flattened.