Figure 11-23. The color composite, using the methods outlined in choice #2, contains all the detail captured in the two exposures. A little further tweaking in Photoshop adjusted the relationships between highlights and shadows, with minor adjustments in color balance and saturation. The image is a pattern of tree trunks and foliage, with neither the tops nor the base of the trees showing anywhere.
Figure 11-24. Color struck me as immaterial for this image, so I converted it to black-and-white by using a Black & White adjustment layer and adjusting the sliders. The tonalities now take over, making it a stronger image, in my opinion. Your eye is carried past the three tree trunks on the left to the bright foliage and distant trees, giving a strong sense of depth, while exhibiting detail everywhere.
The result is a composite of two layers with the visibility allocated in proportion to the luminosity. You can fine-tune the relationship between the layers by reducing the opacity of the Highlights layer in the Layers Palette, and you can paint directly on the Highlight mask to modify the selection, as explained in choice #3 below. The luminosity mask is but one example of using a mask to restrict the effect of an adjustment in Photoshop to a particular portion of an image. Save the image and edit as you would any other image (figures 11–15c and 11–15d).
In the previous example we used the computer to make a selection based on luminosity. In the following section, we will discuss painting on layer masks to make and refine selections on each of several layers.
3. Using Layers In Photoshop
With this technique you will move the different exposures into a single, multi-layered Photoshop image, create opaque (black) layer masks, and by painting with white on the layer masks, select the portions of each exposure you wish to be visible in the composite image. There are a number of ways to make a composite in Photoshop; this is but one. After you do a few composites, you will understand the procedure of combining images and you can thereafter automate the process of moving the several captures into a single multi-layered composite using the Load Files into Photoshop Layers tool found in Adobe Bridge, included in Photoshop. As with most aspects of Photoshop, you can readily make modifications to the technique to serve you best. Because we will be working with layers, be sure the Layers Palette is visible throughout the process. If you do not see it, press F7 (or in the Window Menu select Layers).
Start by opening each of the TIFF or PSD files you wish to combine. As you open each image, the Layers Palette for that image will show a single layer named Background. When all of your files are open, arrange them so all are fully visible; in the Window Menu, select Arrange, choose Tile, and use your mouse to drag the images so that all are fully visible. The screen size of the images is not important. Pick the image that you think may contribute the largest area to the composite and for that image from the File Menu select Save As and save the file with a name that includes the word “Composite”. We will refer to this file as the Composite. Each of the other images will be referred to as a contributing image.
Now, activate any contributing image and make a copy of the background layer; in the Layer Menu select Duplicate Layer. The new layer will appear as the upper layer in the Layers Palette with the default label “Background Copy” appearing to the right of the layer thumbnail; double click on the default label to select it and rename the layer using a descriptive name such as “Shadow” (for the image with good shadow detail), “Midtone” (for the image with the good midtones), and “Highlights” (for the image with good highlight detail). Repeat the sequence of making and renaming background copies for all the contributing images. At the conclusion of this step, the upper layer in the Layers Palette of each of the contributing images will be a duplicate of its Background with a descriptive name.
Next, move the newly renamed layers from the contributing images to the Composite. With each move, Photoshop will place a copy of the moved layer into the Composite as a new layer identified with the descriptive name. To move the first contributing image, click on any contributing image to activate it. In the Layers Palette, click on the newly named layer to select the layer, make sure the layer is visible (the eye symbol is displayed), and choose the Move Tool (press v or click on the crossed double arrows in the Tool Bar). Place the Move Tool over the approximate center of the contributing image, press the mouse key, hold down the shift key, drag the contributing image over the approximate center of the Composite and release the mouse. Holding the shift key during the move will cause Photoshop to place the moved layer in perfect registration in the Composite.
Immediately after the move, a copy of the contributing image will appear as a new layer in the Composite; the Layers Palette will show the descriptive name, and because the newly moved layer is at the top of the Layers Palette, it will be the image you see on your monitor. To avoid clutter on your monitor, close the contributing file you just moved. Repeat the process of activating a contributing image, targeting the newly named layer, moving the targeted layer to the Composite using the Move tool and the shift key, and closing the contributing image until all your contributing images have been moved to the Composite. At this point only the Composite should be open.
After each move, the just-moved contributing layer will become the top layer of the Composite image and will therefore be the layer displayed by Photoshop. All the others are there; you’re seeing just the top one—the last one you moved onto the composite. So you can ignore the appearance of the Composite image for now. When you have dragged all of the contributing layers to the Composite, it will contain all the images you wish to combine within the several layers. You can observe the contribution of any layer or any combination of layers by turning off layer visibility. At this point, save the Composite, making sure the Layers box in the Save dialogue box is checked to save all of the layers.
After you have built one or two composites in the manner described above, you can automate the process of integrating the captures into a single Photoshop file directly from Adobe Bridge. In Bridge, select the images you want to combine using the Command/Control key to select non-adjacent captures. When you have selected all of the captures, in Bridge from the Tools menu select Photoshop and choose Load Files into Photoshop Layers. Bridge will cause Photoshop to open a single file with each if the captures appearing as a layer. You can then name the layers and save the composite.
Once you have your multi-layered composite, if your captures were handheld and therefore not in perfect alignment, use the Photoshop auto-alignment tool to place the layers in alignment; select all the layers by doing a shift-click on each of the layers, then, from the Edit Menu select Auto-Align Layers. Photoshop will move the layers into alignment. Save again.
Next, hide the contents of each of the layers other than the Background by adding a layer mask to each of the layers other than the Background. To hide the contents of a layer, target the layer in the Layer Palette and from the Layer Menu select Layer Mask and then choose Hide All. A layer mask thumbnail filled with black will appear to the right of the layer thumbnail. Repeat targeting layers and creating Hide All layer masks until all the contributing layers (i.e., all layers other than the Background) have been masked. At this point the Layers Palette will display black layer masks for all layers other than the Background. The screen image will show only the Background image because the black layer masks conceal the contents of all of the other layers.