Looking at Composite Images
You’ve probably seen them around the internet or social media, and probably may not have even known it. When pulled off well, a composite image can look so amazing and stunning, and will fool the most discerning of eyes.
Okay, so what is a composite image then? It is any photo or image that combines elements from two or more separate, original files. In other words, this is one thing people might think when they hear something was Photoshopped.
It’s something I started to dabble with a little here and there if I get to the office early. My home computer doesn’t have the power to run full on Photoshop (I use Lightroom for all my editing), but my work computer has Photoshop which I take full advantage of. The results I’ve created so far are just okay - you can tell if you look close enough what’s going on - but I still think it is something I will continue to explore down the road.
The Creation Process
Creating a composite is by no means straightforward and simple.
It took me three or four YouTube videos until I finally found one that explained it in a way I could understand and follow along (check it out here).
There are a number of steps you have to follow, from making sure you line up horizons, sizing your layers properly, masking the space you want to cover, and more that I won’t really get into.
In the end, you are left with the two original files, plus the resulting composite that combined the two. All the images you have seen so far in this blog post are composites - I made them by changing out the sky in the background of the original images for the sky in a different photo I had taken.
What’s the Point of Composite Images?
The point of a composite image is very likely to vary based on who you ask.
My personal opinion is that the purpose is to add interest to an image that would otherwise be lacking it. For example, if you look at this composite to the left from my trip to Florida, I added the sky in the background to this image. Prior to that change the sky was a clear blue block at the top of the image. Did I like it that way? Of course, that’s why I took it. But does having the clouds in the sky add some depth and something interesting? Absolutely.
My composites are not the best - I get it. When they are pulled off, though, they are truly amazing works of art. Use this one from Elliot MacGuire as an example if you don’t believe me.
What do you think about composite images? Do you want to see some more of them from me in the future? Let me know down in the comments, and I’ll catch y’all next time!