Learn advanced blending techniques that were required for the creation of this great-looking imaginary CD Cover.
If you have read my other Photoshop tutorials, then you know how to extract images, and how to use and create brushes and patterns. This is essential knowledge if you want a quality blend. Note that this tutorial only shows you some possible techniques – it’s not the exact way it must be done. Experimenting is what blending is about. Note that on more complex blends, you probably won’t even remember later which techniques you’ve used.
This is the third, and hopefully the final version of tutorial.
Before I begin, I must state this: photomanipulation and blends are not synonyms — in fact, blend is a type of photomanipulation, where images are being edited in such way that their edges are seemless, they overlap, and it usually has a merely decorative purpose as a banner, header or wallpaper. In 90% of cases this image is filled with text — (website) name, lyrics or some other text connected to the theme.
On the other hand, “real” manipulations have more meaning to it: people usually try to create scenes they cannot photograph, like fantasy creatures and sceneries, interesting situations etc. Those manips take much more time, since precise cutting is required, and there’s no room for blurry areas (unless it’s part of the story) — either the image is perfect, or the manipulation is not realistic enough.
Conclusion: altough every blend is a photomanipulation (if it uses photos), not every photomanipulation is to be called a “blend”.
