The thing with photo editing is that there is a lot to be learned. So much, that sometimes I forget how to do something that I have tried before. When I saw collage as a theme for this week’s photo challenge, I took the opportunity to make something a bit different than what I usually do. This is the result:
All images originally shot on my iPhone
It has been a few years since I tried something like this, so I started by using these basic directions from Adobe. Having reviewed the instructions, I thought about the final image I wanted to create. I decided I wanted to focus on nature images taken within the last few months. I further decided that I wanted to use photos that I had posted on Instagram. When I post to Instagram I often stick with the square format and my nature images often are edited to be full of light and have a dream-like feel to them. This meant that the images would have some commonality, even if the subject differed slightly, and that would help keep the collage together visually.
One step I added to the basic directions was to drop the opacity of each of the photos while they were in separate layers in Photoshop. I did this to help create the linear but yet non-uniform borders within the collage. Once I was finished in Photoshop, in Lightroom I increased the clarity and saturation and darkened the corners a bit.
What do you think of my final photo? There are many ways to create a collage, do you have a favorite editing program to create them? Feel free to leave a comment below.
Cheers!
Photography Journal Blog 
I like the effect – dreamy in a way I imagine it would feel to actually be there.
LikeLike
Thank you very much.
LikeLike
I like this idea. May have to try something like this for the fun of it.
LikeLike
Yes, definitely fun to try and see what you come up with.
LikeLike
I like the layout and how you choose nature for this challenge them. It’s beautiful without having the lines between the photos, the a dream-like feel is beautifully done.
Thank you so much, Amy for taking time to walk us through the process! 🙂
LikeLike
I enjoy writing about what I am working on, thank you very much for reading!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I also like the dreamy images. And the grasses that add texture to each photo 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you, I like the grass texture as well.
LikeLike
I like the slight overlap.
LikeLike
Thank you.
LikeLike
Seems like a very artsy collage. I like it. Clean and elegant and as Laura said, dreamy. Agree the world is endless when it comes to photo editing and you can play for hours and hour 😊
LikeLike
Thank you, and this is the type of fun editing that really could take up all kinds of time if you let it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Collage Lake Layers | What's (in) the picture?
It it always nice to make collage, I think it enhance the pictures and tells a story!
LikeLike
Thanks, honestly, this is not something that I do that often so it made for a good photo challenge theme.
LikeLike
Very creative PJB – I’ve done them in PS but this week decided to try the wordpress gallery approach. Much less time consuming but then you have a bit less control over the final product. Definitely a trade-off but since I’m traveling it worked for me 🙂
LikeLike
Yes, I have found the gallery approach to be useful in the past. I can see how it would definitely be a plus while you are away!
LikeLike
Amy, I really like the effect of the overlapping pieces having transparency, not opaque. Very nicely done. I always enjoy hearing about your thought process!
LikeLike
Thank you, for me it is helpful to have this post as reference for when I want to give it a try again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
To be frank, Collage is good but i am not a fan of overlapping photos,It just feels that photograph story is still unfulling. Great effort though
LikeLike
Thank you for your honest thoughts on this.
LikeLike
This collage would be good for editorial use. I’ve seen agriculture and insurance brochures and other related documents that use similar photographs edited and arranged this way.
I’m with you on the difficulty in remembering how to execute certain post-prod that I don’t do often. From digital illustration to graphic design to photography, there are just way too many techniques to keep up in my head. I keep many of them written down so that I may refer to them when I need to. Sometimes I even forget where I put the guides!
LikeLike
Ok, so it was nice to read that I am not the only one who loses my notes. I have a digital folder where I keep them, and sometimes I forget to check there, which really makes no sense but is true.
LikeLike
A very dream like collage with a peaceful mood. Like you I often forget things I learned if not using them frequently enough.
LikeLike
I have a whole digital folder where I keep notes; a testament to the fact that I forget a lot 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like the impact – marvelous in a way I envision it would feel to really be there.
LikeLike
Thank you.
LikeLike