Sometimes it is fun to put two images together to make one super-cool image. For example, on Canada Day this year I thought it would make a great image to show the fireworks going off above the infamous Empress Hotel in the Inner Harbour. However this is an impossible image because if you are located in a position where the fireworks would be above the hotel, the hotel is too far in the background. Since there is a marina there, the fireworks are actually set off quite far away.
First I took a great shot of the hotel at twilight, before the fireworks started. I waited for the light on the hotel to go on, but didn’t wait so long that the sky was too dark. I wanted that cobalt blue colour.
Then I took a shot of the fireworks. I set up my camera for a very long exposure and used a black card to place in front of the lens. Then when the fireworks started I removed the card. This allowed me to get multiple fireworks on the same image.
Now the fun begins. Here are the steps to make the composite in photoshop:
1. The twilight image of the empress hotel was taken with a long shutter speed. I enhanced the sharpness and the contrast slightly in PS.
2. Then I selected the whole image and moved it down in the frame so there would be room at the top for the fireworks. Before moving the image, I choose a background colour that was a close to the sky as possible. This took a few attempts but there was still a visible line across the photo.
3. I selected the sky (including the new background colour at the top of the photo) and add a gausian blur so the line was no longer visible.
4. I added a new blank layer.
5. In the fireworks image, I erased the bright blast in the lower left.
6. I selected all of the black and then selected inverse so only the fireworks themselves were selected.
7. I pasted the fireworks into the new layer on the empress hotel image.
8. I changed the blend mode on the fireworks layer from “normal” to “lighten”.
This is the end result:
I hope you enjoyed the tutorial. Please leave a comment and let me know!
Just one question, how exactly did you select the black sky behind the fireworks?
I’ve always wanted to try something like this!
Hi Eric,
Thanks for your comments! To select the black sky, I believe I just used the magic wand and clicked anywhere on the black – it should select all the black. Let me know if you try it out, I would love to see the results.
Anne.
I wondered how you did that. Thank you 🙂
Love this Anne!! So glad you are doing this very informative Thanks for the info will be checking back often Linda