Create a double exposure effect. How to Create a Stylish Double Exposure Effect in Photoshop

by Konstantin Naumov

What is multiple exposure? This is the combination of two or more frames into one. A photography technique that began with a mistake and has become widespread over time among photographers and is used to create artistic modern photography.

In this quick guide, we will explain how to properly use the multiple exposure effect and what to do if the camera does not support the double exposure function?

by Andrea Cisneros

When using film cameras, the occurrence of double exposure most often occurred due to the negligence of the photographer, which led to double exposure to the same piece of film. But the undoubted artistry of some random shots led to the fact that the direction of multiple exposure in photography began to be developed and used with confidence by the most eminent photographers. For example, Sara Moon.

Some modern digital cameras are equipped with double exposure or more. To create a multiphoto, just switch in the camera settings. However, in order to create a proper multiple exposure photo, you need to know some nuances.

When superimposing one frame on another, it is necessary to strive to combine the dark and light parts of the image in such a way that the lightest spots of one frame fall on the darkest fragments of the other.

Calculate the overall exposure of the image correctly. If exposure for the first and second frames is 1/60 at f=8 to get a properly exposed photo under your conditions, each image must be taken 1 stop underexposed.

It is desirable to shoot the second frame with the same settings as the first. But, if the lighting conditions for the second shot are different, then naturally you should change the exposure pair, and also don't forget to take the frame on the underexposed one.

What if the camera does not offer a multiple exposure function?

An editor will help. Using the editor offers even more control when combining photos, although it somehow removes the spontaneity and unexpected fantasy of the result. Editing in Photoshop becomes a technical matter, and whatever the master, a certain flair disappears from the picture, which consists of those small flaws and accidents that make the picture a photograph, not a drawing.

When using post-processing in the editor, there is no need to initially shoot two or more frames at the same time. The photographer has the opportunity to combine photos taken at different times.

You need to open one image, the second is copied and pasted on a new layer in the workspace of the first image. The photographer then uses a wide range of tools to blend the two images together until the desired effect is achieved. You can change the "transparency" or "opacity" of layers, "multiply", use "soft light", Hard Mix or "exclude" - just to name a few of the many blend modes worth experimenting with. Each gives very different results with suitable pictures.

However, even such apparent ease of processing does not remove the responsibility for the correct arrangement of dark and light areas of the frames. Dark should be under light, and not vice versa.

Does multiple exposure have any other, non-artistic uses?

Many of the best underwater photographs are taken with double exposure. In one frame, a close-up of a sea creature is taken with a flash. At the same time, due to the depth, it looks black or very dark. But it is enough to combine the resulting photo with a picture taken in shallow water, the final image will look more natural.

by Thomas Conrad (T.C.)

Double exposure is also used to enhance the depth of field and capture photos in an interior where different light is used.

A few tips for getting a multiple exposure shot

• Use two shots, one with fine texture, and the second with a close-up of the subject.

by Tanja Ghirardini

• Interesting shots can be obtained if you initially shoot studio portraits, both close-up and full-length, and then, rewinding the film, go to photograph wildflowers, landscapes or textures.

• Mixing colors will allow you to get interesting effects in your pictures. You can also combine pictures taken with different lenses - for example, portrait and widescreen.

• A great option would be to combine with a cloudy sky or a restless sea surface.

by Duncan Howsley

Don't dwell on the obvious. Use two frames to start blending. You may like the abstraction of the resulting images and you can combine more of them with more confidence, in order to eventually become the author of the most abstract and most unusual art photography.

Double exposure is a creative photography technique where two different images are combined into one frame.

This effect is also known as multiple exposure (depending on the final number of images stacked on top of each other), you can take these photos in camera - no Photoshop skills required. Here's a guide on how to get started with this technique using a DSLR with multiple exposure mode. This mode is supported by Nikon D800 and Canon 5D Mark III cameras.

Are you unsure if your camera has a multiple exposure mode? Check the manual or do an internet search to find out.

Creation of silhouettes.

You will need:

• Digital camera with multiple exposure mode.
• Silhouette as a base image.
• Filling for the silhouette

First, find a topic. It can be a person or any other object. The most important part is to have a definite plan.

As with any silhouette, try to position your subject in the frame so that it is heavily shadowed against the background to achieve the best possible effect. It can be the sky, or even a white wall - it can help on cloudy days.

If you are satisfied with the silhouette you have taken, enter the multiple exposure mode. In the 5D Mark III screen, press the brush icon and scroll to the multiple exposure option.

The easiest way to compose a finished photo is to use live display. Turn it on and you will see how the silhouette is superimposed on the display.

Now the fun begins. Find a pattern for the silhouette background - it could be trees or flowers or whatever. The only limit will be your imagination.

Get the second image, give the camera some time to process, and voila, your multiple exposure silhouette is ready.

See examples of the work of a photographer who was one of the first to use this technique - Dan Mountford.

Multiplicity: cloning yourself.

You will need:

• Camera with multiple exposure mode.
• Tripod.
• Photo object. Or using yourself as an object, but then you need a remote control.

If using Nikon, enable multiple exposure. Press the menu button and then find multiple exposure in the shooting menu. Turn it on and select one photo. Choose the number of frames you want to merge into the final photo. If you want three clones, choose three photos.

Set the subject to the first position and take a picture. You can stand in the frame yourself, but you will need to either ask someone to press the shutter button or use the remote control. Reposition the subject and repeat the process as many times as needed, and the camera will automatically merge them into a finished shot.

Depending on the subject and background, you may find that the subject is partially ghostly. Without the help of an editing program like Photoshop, it can be difficult to get a good result where subjects are colored evenly, but there are a few things you can do to improve the results in the camera itself.

If you are using Nikon, turn off "Active D-backlight". Choose a darker background instead of shooting outdoors. A black background gives the best results. You can also increase the amount of light on the subject by using flash. Otherwise, adjust the exposure so that the lens collects more light by opening the aperture or increasing the ISO.

You must have already seen the interesting effect of overlaying two or more photos on the covers of albums, magazines, advertisements. In this tutorial, we'll create this double exposure effect in Photoshop using blend modes and a mask.

In photography and cinema, multiple overlay is the combination of two or more exposures to create a single image. This is a technique in which the camera shutter is opened more than once in order to illuminate the film several times. Fortunately, modern tools allow you to create such an effect only with the help of software.

1. Photo preparation

Step 1

Crop tool (

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Increase the Radius to 1.5 to make the edges less rough, showing more detail like individual hairs. Install Output (Output To) on New layer with a layer mask (New Layer with Layer Mask). When finished, you will have a new layer with a mask that will hide everything that we will get rid of now.

Experiment with other settings to smooth out the edges. The Refine Edge feature is very handy when you are working with complex objects or backgrounds. In our case, only minor changes are required.

Step 6

2. Create a double exposure effect

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Desaturate the layer (Ctrl + Shift + U).

Step 5

Step 6

The double exposure effect is starting to show. We have a few more small changes to make.

Step 7

Select the forest layer mask and paint white on the top edge of the head. The edges of the brush will touch the tops of the trees and make them less bright. As a result, everything will look like trees grow out of a person's head.

Step 8

Create a new layer under the decolorized man layer. Select the brush with color #2f2c35. This color can be determined with a pipette on the hair.

Paint over the eye area. In order not to go beyond the head, select the layer mask.

Step 9

Usually photographers use the double exposure effect with nothing but their camera, with which they combine two different photographs to create an abstract and surreal image. However, we can also reproduce this effect in Photoshop, which will give us additional options for making corrections and creating an effect. By following this tutorial step by step, you will create the double exposure effect yourself. We'll blend two photos together using clipping masks and the masking technique.

The double exposure effect is not only popular with photographers, this technique can be used by artists and designers to create beautiful abstract paintings. You can see this effect in real life on album covers, as well as when the credits of popular TV series begin to roll. Today we will focus on simulating a traditional effect in Photoshop. This is a relatively simple process, however, the end result in most cases will depend on how well the two source photos complement each other. For inspiration, you can check out the double exposure work on Pinterest.

Final result

The most common photo combination is a portrait + nature scene, so I picked up some great stock images. First, I picked up a female profile on Stockvault.net. Try to choose a portrait with a clean background, otherwise it will be difficult for you to select the subject. The second image I picked up from Unsplash.com is a beautiful landscape. One of the benefits of creating this effect in Photoshop is that you can experiment with different images to find the images that work best together, so download a few stock images to see which one fits together the best!

Step 1

First, select an object in the original image. With a tool Feather(Pen tool), create an outline around the female profile.

Step 2

Roughly outline around the model's hair, deepening a few pixels of the female profile to avoid highlighting the background between the hairs.

Step 3

Create a path around the model image by closing the path at the origin. Right-click on the created contour and in the window that appears, select the option Create Selection(Make Selection), next, install Feather radius(Feather Radius) 0.5px.

Step 4

Now let's work on correcting the rough outline created around the model's hair. So let's go Selection - Refine Edge(Select > Refine Edge) and in the settings window that appears, change the radius Edge definitions(Edge Detection Radius) including setting Edge shift(Shift Edge) to convert the contour line into an active selection.

Step 5

Expanding the edges of the selection will also add background fragments around the model's face. Choose a tool Delete refiners(Erase Refinements Tool), this is the brush icon in the tool options Refine Edge(Refine Edge) and then using this tool, paint over any unwanted areas of the background.

Step 6

Change brush to tool Refine Radius(Refine Radius tool). Next, use this tool to paint around the hairline to capture any hairs that are not yet included in the outline of the selected area.

Translator's note: In tool settings Refine Edge(Refine Edge) has two brushes, Refine Radius(Refine Radius Tool) and Delete refiners(Erase Refinements Tool).

Step 7

Copy the created selection, and then paste it on a new layer. Create a new layer below the layer with the selected female profile, fill this layer with white to separate the portrait of the model.

Step 8

Open the landscape stock image, move this image to our working paper, placing the landscape layer on top of all other layers. Hold down the Ctrl key + click on the layer thumbnail with the selected portrait of the model to load an active selection around the image of the model. Next, add a layer mask to the landscape layer to highlight the landscape around the outline of the portrait.

Step 9

Unlink the layer thumbnail and the layer mask thumbnail. ( Translator's note: click on the chain links between the thumbnails). This action will allow you to move and scale the landscape image regardless of its layer mask, so the mask will remain in the same position while we choose the best composition for our effect, transforming the landscape.

Step 10

Duplicate the layer with the selected portrait of the model. Move the duplicate layer to the top, placing it on top of all layers. Next, apply the correction Levels(Levels), let's go Image - Correction - Levels(Image > Adjustments > Levels). Start darkening the image by moving the sliders Input and Output values(Input and Output levels).

Step 11

Change the blend mode for the duplicate layer to Lightening(Screen) to make the dark areas of the female profile transparent. The image we've darkened levels(Levels), it became like a translucent cast, this can be fixed by adjusting the opacity of the layer.

Step 12

Add a layer mask to the layer with a translucent ghost-like portrait and use a large soft black brush to paint over certain areas to blend. Painting with a black brush on the layer mask hides parts of the portrait, while painting with a white brush restores the hidden parts.

Step 13

Sample a light tint from the image and then replace the white background with the tint you selected.

Translator's note: with a tool Pipette(Eyedropper), sample the shade. Next, go to the white fill layer to fill it.

Step 14

A separate part of the silhouette of the image has a strange shape in the upper part of the head, where we made a selection correction, however, this can be corrected by selecting a color cast from the background and painting with a soft brush on a new layer.

Translator's note: I create a new layer on top of the fill layer (Step 13), then I sample the color tint to match the top with the background and paint with a soft brush. If there are still areas that need to be corrected, except for the top of the image, then also use a soft brush.

Step 15

Add a New Adjustment Layer black and white(Black & White) on top of all other layers to hide the colors of the image. Lower the opacity of this adjustment layer to around 30%.

Step 16

Step 17

Finally, add an adjustment layer gradient map(Gradient Map) to create a split tone style. I used a light beige #e2d9d1 for the highlights, a muted brown #52463b for the midtones, and a dark blue #0e1133 for the shadows. Change the blend mode for this adjustment layer gradient map(Gradient Map) on Chroma(Color).

The final image has a double exposure effect and looks great with additional adjustment layers. The clear lines of the silhouette really stand out from the background, while an additional layer with a delicate translucent portrait complements the details of the face. Unlike the traditional camera technique, this painting can still be altered and adjusted, allowing you to experiment with different combinations of backgrounds and see the result throughout your work on the painting.

I hope you enjoyed this lesson.

Maybe you saw a similar original effect on someone on Instagram, when a human silhouette connects with a mysterious forest or an endless ocean? If you want to repeat the same, then let's take a closer look at how to make a double exposure on your phone.

Upload your selfie

Double exposure is the overlay of one photo on another photo. Previously, it was very difficult to achieve such an effect. It was necessary to do various dances with a tambourine: move the frame, cut out images in Photoshop, apply layer to layer, and much more. Now, this can be done on your smartphone in a few minutes. If you do not know how to make a double exposure, then now we will tell you everything.

Training

The whole secret of creating a good double composition lies in the selection of the right materials. In order for your picture to end up perfect, you need to initially take it right. Here are some tips before creating a landscape portrait:

1. It is desirable that the background for the double exposure be neutral (white, beige, grey, beige).
2. The silhouette against the background should be contrasting, stand out and read well.
3. It is best to take a profile picture.
4. As a second shot, you need to choose those that show contrasting places that create unusual lines and silhouettes (dark forest, sky, mountains, skyscrapers, flower meadows, clouds, tubers of smoke, and others).
5. Superimposed photos look best together if one of them has clear silhouette boundaries.
6. In some shots, it is necessary to remove the background even in natural photos.

Snapseed

The double exposure effect or the effect of a person walking into a forest can be created using a free program called Snapseed. The principle of operation is quite simple.

How to make a double exposure in Snapseed (Snapsid):

1. Upload a photo to Snapseed.
2. Adjust the image to your liking (lighten the background, remove extra strands somewhere, increase the head of hair, make the figure thinner, add a little brightness, etc.).
3. Using the "Brush" tool, you can optionally darken the area, which will then be covered by the picture. Darken to almost black.
4. Open the "Double (double) exposure" mode.
5. At the bottom in the middle, click on the "Add photo" icon and select any photo with nature.
6. The second button in the middle is responsible for the overlay. You need to select "Saturation", increasing it.
7. Next, you need to click on the arrow with layers, which is located in the upper right corner, and select the "View changes" item.
8. Select the “Double Exposure” item again in the lower right corner, and then tap on the pop-up icon with a brush.
9. Click on the eye, which is located in the bottom panel of the program, thereby immediately adding a mask.
10. Gently erase the extra layer on the photo and borders with your finger, leaving the main silhouette with the superimposed picture.
11. Save image.
12. Go back to "Tools" and then select the "Brush" tab.
13. Set the Exposure parameter to +0.7.
14. Gently lighten the background with your finger to the desired state.
15. Save photo. A landscape portrait with a double exposure is ready! You are wonderful.

As you can see, it's quite easy to use a double exposure in Snapseed!

Pic Art

Another app and free photo editor for double exposure effect is called Pic Art. It can be downloaded from the official AppStore and Google Play stores.

How to make a double exposure in the program:

First option

1. Open the Pics Art app.
2. Add the first photo with a silhouette.
3. In the bottom panel, find the "Add photo" tab and select the second desired photo.
4. Stretch the image to the desired size.
5. At this point, you can edit its "Saturation".
6. At the bottom, select the “Mix” item and set any blending mode (Multiplication, Lighter, Darker, Screen, etc.).
7. At the top of the program, click on the Eraser and delete unnecessary fragments in the picture.
8. If you need to return some detail, then you need to click on the Brush tool next to the Eraser.
9. Save photo.

Second option

Step-by-step instructions for creating a double exposure:

1. Open the Pics Art program.
2. Upload the desired photo with a silhouette of a person by clicking on the "+".
3. In the bottom line, select the "Effects" tab and desaturate the photo (make it black and white). But this is optional.
4. In order to brighten the picture itself a little, you need to click on the "Tools" tab at the bottom of the screen, and then "Curves". Lighten the picture carefully.
5. Next, in the lower menu, select the "Draw" item and tap on the Brush.
6. In the palette, select a white shade and carefully paint over the entire background with a brush. If extra areas were painted over, then everything can be corrected with the Eraser.
7. Save images to phone gallery.
8. Next, launch the Pics Art application again.
9. The first to choose a photo with nature.
10. In the bottom menu, click on "Add photo" and find the just taken picture of a person with a white background.
11. Stretch the photo to the desired size.
12. Next, tap on the “Mix” tab and select the “Screen” mode.
13. Save the photo and add some filters.

For inspiration

Superimposing photos on top of each other is quite simple with the help of free programs. For you, we have collected the best ideas for a double composition: pictures of the forest, water, smoke, backgrounds and other images.