Layers help

[The Tea Boy]

Hi yet another question RE photoshop....

I really cant understand how to put 3 pics together to layer over the top of each other to create a HRDish immage, its not a spectacular picture or anything just wanting to experiment after my questions about bracketing...
or then again i migh just have all this wrapped around my neck :suicide.smiley:

Matt

[SamHH]

There is more than one way, but as a very basic idea:

- You have two versions of the same image, say one exposed for highlights and one exposed for shadows

- Copy the highlights photo and paste it onto the shadows photo as a new layer

- Create a layer mask and use the brush tool to reveal the dark parts of the image

[VxDuncan]

SamHH said:

There is more than one way, but as a very basic idea:

- You have two versions of the same image, say one exposed for highlights and one exposed for shadows

- Copy the highlights photo and paste it onto the shadows photo as a new layer

- Create a layer mask and use the brush tool to reveal the dark parts of the image

Wot he said. Copy Paste 2nd image as new layer ontop of first. Add mask. Then critically, rahter than delete parts of the 2nd image, select its mask (the alpha channel) and paint the bits you want to see white, the bits you want clear black. Then Ctrl I when you realised you can't remember if white is clear and black is opaque or the other way round! In this way, witht eh mask you can easily hide/add bits at any time, you different brush softnesses to get different feathers etc. Then you do the same for the third layer.

REALLY worth getting your head round layers if you can. Very, very powerful, though from that point on your PSD files will be massive as everything will be done that way!

[andy-xr]

You're both assuming CS here, Elements for example doesnt have Layer Masks feature but does have a handy photomerge.

Agreed that Photomatix is the way forward though, just dont be too upset until you've done the tone mapping

[jon-]

File>Automate>Merge to HDR is probably worth a look.

[Major Bloodnok]

andy-xr said:

You're both assuming CS here, Elements for example doesnt have Layer Masks feature but does have a handy photomerge.

Agreed that Photomatix is the way forward though, just dont be too upset until you've done the tone mapping

You can fake layer masks in Elements:

http://www.photoshopessentials.com/basics/elements...