BLEND TWO PHOTOS TOGETHER with an automatic layer mask

Layer masks open a world of imaging possibilities that you cannot create with traditional tools. Using a layer mask to hide parts of an image, you can easily blend one photograph into another and create designs sure to grab a viewer’s attention. For example, you can blend a photograph of a wedding couple into a photo of the bride’s bouquet, or blend a photo of a potato with a photo of a person lying on a couch.

Generally, to blend a photo on one layer into the photo on the layer below, you add a layer mask to the top layer and paint with black on the layer mask to blend the images. To hide some of the area you just revealed, simply reverse the colors and paint with white. You can also have Photoshop create the layer mask for you automatically. By copying one photo to the clipboard and creating a selection on the other photo, you can use Photoshop’s Paste Into command. 

You can then use the Brush tool to add or remove areas if necessary. You can also adjust the way the images blend using the Opacity slider on the Layers panel. 

1 With the two photographs you want to blend open, click the Move tool. 

2 Click the photo that will be blended into the other to target it. 

3 Press Ô+A (Ctrl+A) to select the entire image. 

Note: You can also click Select All. 

4 Click Edit. 

5 Click Copy. 

6 Click the close button on this photo. 

7 Click the main photo to target it. 

8 Click the Marquee tool or any other selection tool. 

9 Click and drag on the areas to fill to select them. 

Note: You can adjust any selection with the current tool by pressing Ô+Option (Ctrl+Alt) as you click and drag to remove from a selection, and pressing Shift as you click and drag to add to a selection. 

10 Click Edit. 

11 Click Paste Special. 

12 Click Paste Into. 

A The first photo appears in the active selection. 

13 Click the Move tool. 

14 Click and drag in the area to reposition it. 

15 Press Ô+T (Ctrl+T) to make the Free Transform anchors appear. 

16 Shift+click the anchor points to resize the photo. 

17 Click the layer’s Opacity slider and drag to the left to blend the images more naturally. 

TIPS 

Try This! 

You can make two images blend together with a smooth transition by using the Gradient tool ( ) to apply a black-to-white gradient on the layer mask. 

Customize It! 

When you use a pen tablet to paint on a layer mask, you can easily control how much of the image you reveal with each brush stroke by setting the brush opacity to respond to pen pressure. Click the Brushes thumbnail to open the Brushes Presets. Click Shape Dynamics and set Size Jitter Control to Pen Pressure. 

Did You Know? 

You can add a layer mask to any layer by clicking the Layer Mask button ( ) in the Layers panel. Ô+click (Ctrl+click) the Layer Mask button to add a white layer mask that reveals all on that layer. Option+click (Alt+click) the Layer Mask button to add a black layer mask that conceals everything on that layer.