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BY DAVID PETERS

Have you noticed how magazines, newspapers and some Web designers are able to combine multiple photographs together to create cool collages of merged images? Everywhere you look you will see examples. You can benefit from the ability to merge photographs. Photo merging techniques will allow you to create original logos, advertisements, backgrounds for websites, and much more.

If you have Adobe Photoshop then you already have everything you need to create amazing digital collages from multiple photos. Photoshop is the professional’s choice for digital photographic editing and manipulation.

Before you start merging two or more photographs to make a digital collage, it is important that you spend a little time planning your final image. While technical knowledge to do the task is essential, don’t downplay the importance of planning your final image before you even start working in Photoshop. With that said, the Photoshop layers function allows you to experiment with different options.

The following are areas to consider when planning a photo collage image:
Choosing Photographs

The most important part of merging multiple photographs is as simple as choosing the right images for your photo collage. The photographs you choose can complement each other in terms of a general theme or color scheme. Try using the eyedropper in Photoshop to check colors and look for complementary colors.
Composition

Once you have chosen the right photographs for your photo collage, it is time to think about your composition. Browse the Internet and look for examples of digital photo collages and look for images that you feel are particularly effective at relaying the message intended by the advertiser or artist. Pay attention to the composition of the images. Consider what makes the images blend well together.

The great thing about Adobe Photoshop is that you can work in multiple layers. which will allow you to play around with your composition before permanent placement.

David Peters publishes Learn Photoshop Now — master the basics of Adobe Photoshop in under 2 hours with easy to follow online Photoshop video tutorials.