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Wreath Play in Photoshop

April 29, 2015 by Barb 11 Comments

I had to have a little wreath play in Photoshop and thought I’d share it with you.

These days I’m taking advantage of every single bit of floral inspiration I see when I look out my window.

It’s a blessing to be able to stay in Arizona until the weather in Alberta turns lovely … not just spring in the technical sense, but warm, sunny, and green … sigh … I know it’s happening and I’m so looking forward to returning home … it’s starting to heat up here in Arizona—big time. I’m not complaining … just sayin’ …

Now, on to my wreath …

White Space

or is it two wreaths … you tell me …

Wreath Play, Keeping With the Times, Photoshop, tutorial, blend modes

I’m guessing you sense there’s a bit of trickery going on here since “Photoshop” is part of my blog title. OK … here’s the scoop.

I created a wreath on a piece of white foam core and took a few shots in Auto mode … er … yes … I used Auto (and why not?) it gave me the sharpest image.

In Lightroom:

I adjusted exposure using Auto Tone, then did a bit more tweaking to get the colours brighter, whiter, and sharper.

With the Tone Curve tool I clicked and dragged in the white part of the photo to whiten the background as much as I could without blowing out any of the whites in the flowers or the wire frame.

I exported the image to Photoshop and dragged it onto a new 12in x 12in, 300ppi document. I duplicated it and moved the duplicate into the upper right corner … looks weird right?

Snip20150429_1

Here’s the magic, change the blend mode of the top image to Multiply:

Snip20150429_3

How fun is that?! When using the Multiply blend mode in Photoshop, areas on a layer that are pure white completely disappear from view!

I did have to tweak the white backgrounds again in both images, and used a bit of layer masking to hide edges but really the initial effect is pretty good.

When I posted it on Instagram I suddenly lost my mind and went off the rails … and created a kaleidoscope (not once but twice). I’m not sure how much it was appreciated, but I had fun!

I hope you enjoyed my little Photoshop tip today!

wreath_play_final

 

Filed Under: Artful Photography, Still Life Tagged With: photoshop, photoshop tips, still life, Tutorial

Comments

  1. TexWisGirl says

    April 29, 2015 at 10:54 am

    it is very pretty. i hope you get to return home soon to the fresh springy air!

    Reply
  2. Carolyn says

    April 29, 2015 at 5:35 pm

    I for one enjoyed all your posts on IG. Very ingenious and creative . .. and still no warmth or green or rain here . .. sigh . .. Spring is having a hard time being born this year.

    Reply
    • Barb says

      April 30, 2015 at 6:13 am

      Thank you Carolyn!

      Reply
  3. Diana Foster says

    April 29, 2015 at 6:12 pm

    Very cool Barb. Your work is always stunning. Love coming to visit.

    Reply
    • Barb says

      April 30, 2015 at 6:13 am

      Thank you Diana!

      Reply
  4. jeanne stone says

    April 29, 2015 at 6:24 pm

    Your website overhaul is lovely and as always, your work is great. Love your photoshop wreaths!

    Reply
    • Barb says

      April 30, 2015 at 6:13 am

      Thank you Jeanne!

      Reply
  5. Mary says

    April 29, 2015 at 7:14 pm

    I loved the show on Instagram and thank you for sharing the how-to here… now I’m on a mission to find something similar to try out these techniques!

    Reply
    • Barb says

      April 30, 2015 at 6:14 am

      Thank you Mary! Have fun with trying this technique!

      Reply
  6. Nina says

    May 2, 2015 at 10:27 am

    Beautiful wreath ~ and seeing the play of two wreaths is very pretty! Thank you for the tutorial ~ it is cool that the white bits disappear when using multiple blend mode!
    Happy weekend to you, Barb!

    Reply
  7. Louise Howell says

    May 8, 2015 at 8:15 am

    Love those arrangments, you are just so talented! Great tip on photoshop, can’t wait to try that out!

    Reply

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Welcome! I'm Barb, and this is where I practice my mantra to "learn something new, try something different". It's my hope that something I do here may inspire you! Read More…

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