1. Collecting all the images for the collage. Putting them into neat files & folders will make it easier for you. Open all of the images that you’ve gathered in Photoshop then create a new document, any size you want. Just make sure that you set the resolution and color mode to match that of your other images. Then drag and drop each image onto your new document. They’ll automatically be placed on separate layers when you do this.

If your images are on a white background and you won’t be including the white area in your collage, then before dragging it over to your new document select the image area only, not the white background and drag that over. This will save you time later when collaging the images together.

Don’t worry about the placement of your images yet. Once you’ve dragged all of the images onto your new document, name each layer. To do so, go to the Layers palette and select a layer by clicking on it. Then choose Layer Properties from the Layers palette’s pop-up menu.

After naming all of your layers you’re ready to arrange them into sequence. As you begin creating your collage, you’ll probably be moving your layers back and forth depending on how you want your final image to look.

Establish the basic layout of your collage. Rather than overwhelm yourself with multiple images, select a few to begin working with. Keep your background imagery visible and then hide the remaining images by clicking on the Eye icon next to each layer in the Layers palette. Then, if necessary, resize your graphic in the background layer and reposition it using the Transform command and the Move tool.

After positioning your background layer’s image, click on the Indicates Layer Visibility box to make the next image in your collage visible. Click on the layer to make it active and then position it where you want it. How you manipulate your imagery depends on the style you’re going for and your images. There are many different techniques that can be implemented to combine your images. They’re as follows:

If you want to combine two elements, one on top of another you can use Photoshop’s blending modes. Place your image directly over the image behind it and make the image the same size. Then, select a blending mode from the Set The Blending Mode pop-up menu located in the Layers palette. Test out all the different modes to see what works the best for your imagery.

 

If you only want areas of an image to show, you can use a layer mask. Click on the appropriate layer. Then click the Add A Mask button at the base of the Layers palette. Now set your foreground color to black and click on the Airbrush tool. Then paint over the areas that you don’t want visible. If you want to paint information back in just switch your foreground color to white. This technique allows you to create soft edges around your imagery and you can constantly go back and revise which areas are hidden or visible.

Another way to blend images using layer masks is by filling the mask with a gradient. This creates a nice soft union of two images.

If you want to create a collage with crisp edges around your figures, you can do so using the Pen tool. Trace around the edge of your image and then convert the path into a selection by choosing Make Selection from the Paths palette’s pop-up menu. Then delete the background or inverse your selection. Another option is to create a collage of simple shapes, such as squares and/or circles, as displayed in Figure 8. You can do this using the Rectangular and Elliptical Marquee tools. You can also combine all of the approaches! HAVE FUN!