Inspired by the impressive technique of double-exposure (or multiple exposure) photography, we’ve designed a new photo effect that instantly mimics it. Almost every photographer knows how hard it is to make double-exposure images without digital manipulation, in the in-camera mode only.
In photography the double-exposure technique is used to combine two different images into a single one. Originally it was used in the days of film. Then cameramen took one picture and then instead of advancing the filmstrip to the next frame (to take the next picture), they left the film in the same place and took another picture right on top of it. The resulting image contained the subsequent picture superimposed over the original. Photographers used similar techniques. But it’s much easier to achieve the same result with Photoshop or another graphics editor (if you have a legitimate copy and know how to use it). That’s why nowadays the majority of photographers use clipping and masking techniques to recreate the double-exposure effect.
There are many talented gurus of double-exposure photography: Brandon Kidwell, who creates mind-blowing images from iPhone photos; Dan Mountford — the master of storytelling photography; Tierney Gearon and her genre scenes of city life; and many more. All of them use different cameras, methods, and techniques, and make unique artistic images. This task takes a lot of time and effort, but the result is worth it, isn’t it?
In the end, it doesn’t matter which tools you use if you come up with a truly artistic image. We’ve produced a simple effect to smooth things down for all who’d like to create similar photos quickly and with ease. From this post, you’ll find out a few tips and tricks on how to create mind blowing images with the help of our Double-Exposure effect.
Creative Blendings
The new effect is a simple tool that unites two photos into one surreal image in two modes: merging ‘as is’ (colour photos remain colour, sepia images remain sepia, etc.) or converting both pictures into B&W. Which of them to choose is up to you.
When applying this effect you should always take into account the sequence in which you upload pictures, as it affects the result. That’s why it makes sense to experiment a little and try different combinations in order to choose the best one.
Sometimes it’s also better to choose photos of similar formats: blend a landscape-oriented image with a landscape-oriented picture, and a portrait-oriented image with a portrait-oriented picture. You can also crop your photos to convert them into the similar format with Paint, Photoshop, or Editor.Pho.to.
You can achieve artistic results with quite ordinary images that depict everyday life, e.g.,:
At the same time, sometimes it’s a good idea to blend together surreal black and white images to design fabulous photo works!
The Magic of Silhouette Photos
By blending an interesting background with a lovely silhouette photo, you can get beautiful results. It is a widespread technique and many photographers willingly use it.
Another beautiful blending with a silhouette photo:
Seascapes, cityscapes, nightscapes… all kinds of scapes are a perfect choice for a background to blend with silhouette photos. If you have no silhouette photo you can easily take one: just choose a sunny day, wait until sunset and go to a photo shoot. Here is a detailed article on how to take decent silhouette photos with any camera (even with a built in camera of a smartphone).
Starscapes look really awesome as well!
Silhouettes with a Pure White Background
You can also design surreal artistic abstractions by blending different kinds of pictures with silhouette images against a totally white background. To accomplish this you need to merge a silhouette photo with a pure white background and a beautiful scape or floral pic.
Are you going to a photo shoot? Ask your photographer to take a few silhouette images against a white background (it’s quick and easy). Besides, you can use Photoshop to remove a background from a photo and turn it into a silhouette. You can also draw a similar picture. If you know how, it’s a piece of cake!
For background photos, choose one of numerous free images from all around the web or take a photo of your favourite scenery, flower, or even of paint spots and stains. There are some photo stocks that offer photos for free for personal usage, for example Free Photos Bank or Free Range Stock (you can Google for more).
A similar blending with a mom-in-waiting silhouette photo is easy on the eyes.
If you need more inspiration, look through the selection of beautiful double-exposure photos on Pinterest.
You can also use this effect to make an artistic gift for someone special. Be sure to stay tuned as we are working hard to bring new interesting posts and beautiful effects. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Instagram.
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