Surely it has happened to you that you have taken several photos of a dynamic scene and in each one of them a posture, a look, a gesture convinces you, but in none of them everything fits. Well there is a simple solution. And you don’t have to be an expert, just follow the steps that I’m going to detail to merge the elements of different captures into one in Photoshop.
Merge elements from different captures in Photoshop
For example, I like the figures of the two girls fishing, but the man does not fit me in any of them. I like the girl in pink and the dog in the first, the teenager in the third. The second serves me to fill the gap that man occupies.
Different captures to merge
It seems complicated, right? Well, you will see that it is not so. Let’s see it step by step.
Step 1. Open in Photoshop
I have done it since light room. The first thing is to select the captures that interest you:
Select in Lightroom the captures that you are going to use in the fusion
Once selected, follow the path Photo > Edit In > Open As Photoshop Layers.
If, for example, you do it from Bridge the route would be: Tools > Photoshop > Load Photoshop Layered Files.
Step 2. Align Layers
You select the two (or in this case three) layers with the key Capital letters and clicking on the last layer.
Align the layers following the path Edit > Auto Align Layers. Ideally, leave the layer you least need to modify on top.
Choose the mode of Projection «Automatic».
Step 3. Layer Mask
Add a layer mask on the top layer. You can do it with the layer selected and clicking on the bottom icon of the panel layers I box you The layer mask that I indicate with the arrow will open.
Now with this layer mask selected (mouse click) select the tool Eraser and paint over the figure you want to remove, in my case the man on the left. Imagine that the pointer is an eraser.
In this case, since a piece of the man’s arm still appears on the layer below, I add another layer mask on the second layer and do the same operation. Then I add another one on the third layer to erase the teenager and take the pose from the second layer.
If you look at the following screenshot, in each layer mask, what has been erased or removed is seen in black. In the first one, as the sea changes from one photo to another due to the movement of the waves, I had to erase to the left so that the cut would not be noticeable. I have also deleted the figure on the right because I was interested in the posture of the second layer.
Step 3. Flatten image.
Ok, I already have the elements I want in the image. All that remains is to attach the layers. For this you have to follow the path Layer > Flatten Image
And now we have the final image. In my case, I have taken the opportunity to straighten and cut to leave a frame more to my liking.
Now I leave you the three original images and the final one.
Some tricks to merge elements of different captures in Photoshop
It hasn’t been complicated at all, but with these tips or tricks below, merging elements from different captures in Photoshop will be much easier and you’ll get better results:
- Avoid elements that are constantly changing (like the sea 😅).
- Do it with two catches instead of three.
- Make sure in the same place of the capture that you have enough material for a good result. Try that there are not too many elements in the background and that, if there are, they do not spoil or distract, and above all, that they do not move.
- Use a tripod or at least try to make the frame as similar as possible.
- Edit your photos in Lightroom (you can sync settings) and then export to Photoshop for blending.
Merge elements from different shots in Photoshop for creative photos
At the beginning we talked about using this fusion trick to achieve a photo that interests us from several that do not finish convincing us, but… what if you use it creatively? I’ll give you an example, a reflection in a mirror, making the real and reflected subject not coincide, or the postures. This can be an exercise to practice at home. Here’s an example (in this case I didn’t use a tripod but I didn’t change the frame much).
The procedure is exactly the same but with only two layers, so you only need to generate a layer mask on the first one and erase the part of the mirror or reflective surface, and that’s it. Easy, easy and you can get very good images.
And then what your creativity is capable of inventing. How far are you going to let it fly? It’s up to you, but you have to practice and play.
If you found it useful or interesting, please share it. There is sure to be someone out there who loves the trick and is looking forward to doing it!