Produce a composite image

How to select, transform and combine multiple layers

REQUIRES

macOS 10.14.4 or later, Pixelmator Pro 2.1.2 ($39.99)

YOU WILL LEARN

How to select a complex subject, transform a layer’s content, and use masks to combine layers

IT WILL TAKE

15 minutes

IMAGE–EDITING APPS such as Lightroom do a fine job of fixing problems with color, tone and composition, but to get really creative with your photos you need to be able to work in layers. Pixelmator Pro (pixelmator.com/pro) has a host of tools that enable you to select, transform and combine parts of different photos into a layered composite image, like popping a child onto toadstool, for example. In this tutorial, you’ll discover how to use the intelligent Quick Selection tool to select and isolate a person from a complex background and then scale and transform them so that they look as if they belong in a different location.

You’ll also learn how to fine–tune a selection by applying brush tips to layer masks. Layer masks enable you to hide or reveal a layer’s contents in a non– destructive way. You’ll also learn professional compositing tips to help blend the contents of multiple layers together, such as adding shadows using brush strokes.

To create a successful composite image, you need to make sure that the lighting is similar in every photo that you’re going to use. If the shadows in your source photos are cast in different directions, the lighting won’t look convincing in the layered composite image. To create the assets for this project, we snapped the toadstool first and then posed the child in matching lighting conditions.

GEORGE CAIRNS

QUICK SELECTION The intelligent Quick Selection tool works out which parts of a subject you want to select. LAYER MASKS White sections keep the attached layer’s pixels 100% solid; black parts create 100% transparency. FINE TUNE Black brush strokes hide any remaining unabated pixels. White strokes reveal missing pixels. SHADOWS To integrate the child into the image, spray shadows onto a background transparent layer.

Create convincing composite images by masking and transforming layers’ contents.