Photo Effects

Double Exposure Effect

Posted on  |  Category: Photo Effects  |  Difficulty: Advanced  |  Photoshop CS5+

Blend portrait silhouettes with landscape textures using Screen blending and layer masks for artistic double exposure photography.

Step 1: Portrait Preparation

Open portrait on white background. Use Select > Subject, refine edge, place on white layer.

Step 2: High Contrast Portrait

Add Levels: crush shadows, blow highlights for stark silhouette effect.

Step 3: Add Landscape

Place forest or cityscape image above portrait. Set blending mode to Screen.

Step 4: Position Landscape

Scale and position landscape so interesting details fill the head/shoulder area.

Step 5: Refine with Mask

Add mask to landscape. Paint black to reveal face features where needed.

Step 6: Color Unify

Add Gradient Map: navy to gold at 30% opacity to unify both images color palette.

Step 7: Final Atmosphere

Add subtle fog texture at Soft Light 20%. Vignette edges for focus.

PSD Download: Layered PSD file included with this tutorial. Download Double Exposure PSD (3.8 MB)

That's it! You've completed this tutorial. Experiment with the techniques and share your results with the Designstacks community.