If you already love photography and want to combine more than one image to make creative digital art with your iPhone, consider delving into composite photography. Composite images can be so realistic that they look like a single true-to-life photo or so wildly out-there that they look like a fantasy world. Let’s dig into the creative world of composite photography using only your iPhone.
Composite photography is the process of combining two or more images to create a new one. In most cases, this is done by “stacking” images using post-processing software or a photo-editing app. Composite photography requires lots of patience and plenty of practice, but it’s a skill worth experimenting with.
Technically, compositing is a type of photo editing, but it’s there’s a lot more to it than simply tweaking highlights and shadows or cropping out imperfections. Because compositing involves combining two photos into one, it requires special skills and special software. Many photo editing apps have the ability to do some form of composite photography, but whether or not they do it well is up for debate.
The type of composite photography used is based on a photographer’s intention. Are they combining multiple images to create one realistic photo? Is the aim to create a fantasy piece? Or show movement? Here are a few common types of composite photos:
How you shoot a composite image depends on your end goal. Some composite images must be created from photos shot in the same location with the same camera angle in order to capture a single element that is changing in the scene, such as lighting. Here are a few tips to make post-processing easier.
It’s much easier to create a composite photo when you have a solid creative concept in mind from the start. This allows you to plan your camera angles, perspective, and lighting in advance so you won’t run into trouble during the editing stage of the composite process. It may be helpful to create a storyboard so you have an overview of how you want your final image to look.
In order to create a realistic composite image, you will need to ensure that the lighting and perspective in all of your images match up. If you are using different subjects within the scene, they should be sized to fit into that scene. Exposure settings should also match up so that it isn’t obvious that your image was created from different photos.
Using a tripod is especially important if you are stacking images to capture a single changing element, like the movement of stars, a sunset, or other atmospheric changes. For these shots, you want your camera to remain steady in the same spot for multiple takes. Position your iPhone on a tripod and use a remote shutter so you don’t inadvertently jostle the camera while shooting.
The best way to create a composite photo with your iPhone is to use Photoshop Express, a powerful post-processing app that includes the ability to create composite images. Here are the basics:
Composite photography is a combination of your creative vision for a shot and the technical expertise that you’ll need to achieve it. If you are new to composite photography, it can feel overwhelming. But if you start small and work toward a bigger vision, you really can get some pretty amazing effects. Here are some ideas to help you get started.
The Double Exposure tool in the Snapseed app is an easy way to play around with composite images using photos you already have on your phone. This type of composite photography is best for creating digital art and is not meant to look overly realistic. To create a composite image using Snapseed:
One of the coolest aspects of composite photography and digital art in general is the ability to use photography and editing techniques to create artistic images and renditions of scenes you could previously only imagine. With composite photography, you can give wings to your favorite horse. Or create mythological creatures, add the Eiffel tower to the New York City skyline, and so much more. The only limitation is your own creativity.
This one is surprisingly simple. First, take your favorite landscape photo, like a forest photo or one from the beach, and upload it to Photoshop. Next, do the same with your favorite portrait. Combine these two images using the Photoshop technique mentioned above to create realistic or fanciful images of yourself in beautiful locations. You can even practice with stock images if you don’t consider yourself a landscape photographer!
If you are looking for a new photography medium that combines your love of photography, art, storytelling, and editing, try experimenting with composite photography. You may be surprised by how much you love it.