Method 3: Do it Impressionist style
This is the least photographic of all the options here, but can also be the most surprising. Essentially, it takes lots of files and automatically blends them using Photoshop Smart Objects to make an impressionistic and abstract final image. The more shots you put in, the more the final image will resemble a texture, so it’s a balancing act. I like to collect a number of images from the same location; the final image is made up of 10s of images taken on Otterburn Range in Northumberland. The shapes of the hulks are ghosted into the final composition, which gives a feeling of the place through texture and colour, rather than showing it in a realistic way.
Fortunately, though Smart Objects sound difficult to use, they’re really not. The only drawback is that they’re only available in the full version of Photoshop, not Elements.
Images also need to be the same size and orientation. There can be some trial and error, but part of the fun is not knowing exactly what you’re going to get.
Starting in Photoshop, go to File > Scripts > Load Files Into Stack. In the dialogue that appears, locate and add the files you want to merge, and then click OK. Go to Select > All Layers, then Layer > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object. Finally, head to Layer > Smart Objects > Stack Mode > Mean to merge all the files together.
You can try the other Stack Modes, but Mean usually gives the best results. If you’re happy, go to Layer > Flatten Image. If the mix doesn’t look right, press Go to Edit > Undo a few times until you’re back with the stacked layers. Now just remove or resize the ones you don’t like, so it makes a better overall composition.