Collage creation

ok here is something im trying to get my head around aside from the background post.

How do you go about creating a collage effect in PS? i mean to say how to arrange a set of images in one image, perhaps showing different perspectives on one subject for instance?

i have tried to do this in the past but if i drag a new image onto an existing image it just creates a new image altogether!...where am i going wrong here...?

:confused:

It sounds like you are talking about a montage. There are many tutorials covering this on the net such as http://www.thinkdan.com/tutorials/photoshop/montage/index.html

I kind of lost you when you started talking about dragging one image onto another. If you want to place one image onto another you need to copy and paste them from one to the other.

i know what he is talking about-
you are trying to paste 1 picture ontop of another without defining an area of transparency..so you are just putting a completely opaque image ontop of another one, they arent going anywhere. what you need to do is put each image in its own layers, delete the parts you dont want and play with masks, transparency etc. until you have the transparent effect you want.

I use the "drag copy" method all the time... just get the "move" tool, click on the layer in the first image....hold and drag into the other image.... If you pay attention the recieving image will get a kind of "border looking" thing and the curser will change into a + sign.

Then to soften the edge just make a selection and click the "add a mask" button on the bottom of the layer pallet.... click on the resulting "mask icon" on that layer and run a large guassian blur on the mask. That will show you what youcan do.... then you can expand on it.

cheers guys - yeh i meant montage sorry! i will try and follow what you suggest...thanks for the tut link

hey thanks for the help with the montage thingy....what you told me worked but now im stuck on that gaussian blur bit....it would be easier if i could post a screen grab on here but i dont know how :( anyway i goto the layers window and click once on the pic (lets assume i want to add a person to an existing background) of the person then click the addd mask button below...ok...now where do i go to 'run a blur' ?!....i have tried going to the effects then blur but it applies the effect to a blank window....:confused:

Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur

1) Drag copy

2) make a selection

3) click the "add a mask" button on the bottom of the layer pallet....

4) click on the resulting "mask icon" on that layer (NOT the IMAGE icon)

and run a large guassian blur (deker pointed you to it.) on the mask.


Maybe that will help, I tend to start typing and just ramble on and on. If you need further help just post again.

hooray!...thank god for that!.....i finally (with your help of course!) figured it out...theres always a method to follow with these things aint there?! once you have it you can move on..*sigh of relief*

cheers guys