I’m trying to "blend" multiple photos together with a gradient across two of them at a time… one pattern fading and blending into the next pattern, etc., across a page with multiple patterns from one end to the other (they’re actually the same image that’s been colored differently and I want to show all of the colors in the spread).
The image compositing for PS 7 doesn’t work in CS and the documentation isn’t much help. (My knowledge of the jargon is severely limited).
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No one has a clue about the steps involved in your "canned tutorial". Are you talking about some sort of Action? Without specific information, no one can tell you what would be different in CS, if anything. Compositing/collage/montage type work is done the same way in CS as is in 5, 6 and 7. As Ed, said … Layer Masks. [followed by a gradient or brush strokes]
I’m really sorry for the mis-speaking. What I meant was that I have a *recipe* for compositing that no longer works. It’s as follows:
Here are the steps for basic compositing:
–Open copies of both images.
–Select one of the images to be the working image. If they are different sizes, select the larger.
–Image> Canvas Size. Increase the size to one side or the other (or top or bottom, of course) to accommodate the other image…or at least as much of the other image as you want to be visible.
–If necessary, flatten the second image.
–Drag the layer "Background" from the Layers palette to the window of the working image.
–Position the image with the Move tool. Leave overlap for the transition.
–Scale if necessary with Edit> Free Transform.
–With the top layer active in the Layers palette, press Q to enter Quick Mask mode.
–Drag a black-to-transparent linear gradient from the point where you want the transition to start (where the top layer is 100% opaque) to where you want the transition to end (where the top layer is 100% transparent).
–Press Q again to exit Quick mask mode.
–Command-click on the layer thumbnail to create a selection first…and make sure the upper layer is selected in the Layers palette.
–Rather than delete, use the menu command Layer> Add Layer Mask> Hide Selection.
I picked this up from one of the freebie ps websites. It no longer works for me after I bought CS.
My guess is you’ve forgotten the exact steps. Here’s the problem: (which would be a problem in all versions – not just CS)
–Press Q again to exit Quick mask mode.
–Command-click on the layer thumbnail to create a selection first…and make sure the upper layer is selected in the Layers palette.
When you exit Quick Mask, that returns a feathered selection based on the gradient. However, when you Command-click on on the layer thumbnail, you REPLACE the QM selection with the layer selection. So all that work you just did in QM is for nothing. There’s no reason to create a layer selection by command clicking on it – after the step where you exit Quick Mask, add your Layer Mask.
I think you’re working too hard by using Quick Mask though. Too many steps. With NO selections active, just add a Layer Mask to the top layer and fill with a Black to White gradient. Black will reveal the layer below – white will hide it.