Adobe Photoshop: How To Create A Double Exposure Effect

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A double exposure effect will make your image stand out and catch people eye.

By just adding a couple of images and blending them together, you can make your own!

The techniques we use are part of our Adobe Photoshop courses if you want to learn more!

Starting Portrait

To start this off you will need to have a portrait picture.

You are then going to want to make the background white.

Create a copy of the layer and use the dodge tool with a feathered brush to draw over the background.

Then use the patch tool to cover any spots that don’t appear white.

Next we are going to blend two images together to try and make it look like a double exposure.

I am going to be using an image of a blossom tree, but use whatever image you like.

Place your new image on top of the original.

Then set the transparency to screen.

Next you are going to be adding a gradient map adjustment layer.

Go to Layer – Adjustments and click gradient map.

You are going to want to change a few things with the gradient map.

To find the settings, click the colour of the gradient to pop out the gradient editor.

The first thing are going to want to change is the type of colours you want.

When you open up the colour menu in the properties you will see a small cog symbol on the right.

Click that, and it will bring a menu, go to the bottom of the menu and find Photographic toning and click.

This will change the colours of gradient you can pick from, I used one called Colbert Iron 2.

The next step is adding a curve adjustment layer, it’s in the same place as a gradient map.

Apply the curve and change the curve to however you like, I used it to make it darker.

Have a play around with different effects, this is part of the fun of working with Adobe Photoshop!

After you are happy with your adjustments, you are going to want to add some colour.

To do this I have just got that same picture of the blossom tree and put it in the same way using a screen transparency.

However, this time I did not add the gradient map.

At this stage, I also thought it would be nice to be able to see some of her features.

Select the eraser tool and set the opacity to about 10%.

After selecting the layer which has the first blossom tree on it, use the eraser on the mouth, nose and eyes.

And just like that you have an amazing double exposure image!

Mastering image manipulation is one of the most exciting and creative parts of learning to use Photoshop.

The power of Adobe Photoshop is that you can make something amazing so quickly, but this is just the beginning!

Try combining this with cut text or your own custom font to create an amazing advert!

Photo Credits: Portrait From Laura Chouette, Blosson by Bruno Thethe.