Johanna's Place |
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Tutorial:
Using PI's
Fade-out Effect Title:
Blend two similar coloured graphics to create one Author:
Johanna Additional Files: Save both Photo #1 & Photo #2 (courtesy of Ulead) to your hard drive. |
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Standard Mode vs Basic Mode PhotoImpact 10 has two work modes, Basic and Standard. Basic Mode features a simplified workspace with larger buttons and the most common functions whereas the Standard Mode displays all of the functions. You will be using the Standard Mode in this tutorial. To check your mode, click Workspace on the Menu Bar. If the Standard Mode is greyed out, that means you are already in the Standard Mode. If not, click Standard Mode now. Warning: If you switch from Standard to Basic Mode, and you have custom settings, you will lose all your custom settings.
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Start, we'll practice first by using the 2 photos I've provided
above. This way you'll understand why you're doing what you're
being asked to do.
Create a New Image - Canvas Color Black, 600 pixels W by 400 pixels H. Click OK. Browse to the two
photos you downloaded and open them. Right-Click on fo-pic1.jpg
and select Copy. Now Right-Click somewhere on your blank black
canvas and choose Paste. Close fo-pic1.jpg. Right-Click on fo-pic2.jpg
and select Copy. Now Right-Click somewhere on your black canvas
and choose Paste. Close fo-pic2.jpg. |
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We need to Slide the photo that's now on top (Right
Image) over to the
blank side (right side) of the black canvas by first clicking on the Pick
Tool, then click on the Right Image to activate it. On your
Keyboard, use your directional Arrow Key to slide it
over to the Right edge of the canvas.
→ It's very obvious at this point that the two photos do not blend together well. Yes, they have the same colouring but they are definitely different and one overlaps the other (don't worry, remember they're suppose to overlap). We're going to fix that using the Fade-out effect on both photos. |
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Keep the Right Image activated. To locate the Fade-out effect go up to your main Menu bar and choose Edit / Fade-out. The Fade-out Window opens. Click the Arrow that faces to the Right. Make sure Two-color is selected with Black (0) is on the Left and White (100) is on the Right. Click OK. You'll now see on the photo that where the black was in the Fade-out window, the photo has been made translucent but where the white side was, the photo still shows. |
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Click on the Left Image to activate it, then go to Edit /
Fade-out. Leave the settings as they are, but this time click the little
Switch Button in the center of the Fade-out window. This changes
the black and white colours around to opposite sides. Click OK.
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 You
should now have two photos that each fade to black in the middle
of them which obviously looks very wrong.With
the Left Image still selected, click the Pick Tool once. Now, using
your Keyboard's Right Arrow Key
again, Slide the photo to the right until the two photos blend
nicely into each other. |
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 Right-Click, choose Select All Objects. Right-Click again and choose Merge as Single Object. Your brand new blended Image looks pretty darn good but it's very dark. To brighten it up a bit, go to Photo / Brightness & Contrast. In the B & C window, make sure Real Time Preview is checked and if this window is covering your image, move it over so you can see what you're doing. I clicked my Top Row, 3rd pic twice but you can play with it a bit to see what's best for yours. You can get more precision but adjusting the Brightness and Contrast settings on the right. If you don't like what you did, click the Reset button and try again. When you've gotten your image the way you like it, click OK. Your photo should now be lightened up so you can actually see the waves in the water. |
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 If
you've brightened it up and or given it more contrast but it looks like
you need to tweak your image some more, a couple of helpful tools are
under the Photo menu and in the Paint Tool.I find, depending on the image, that using Photo/Focus can help a lot. Photo/Tone Map is useful too. Additionally, using the Paint Tool to do touch-ups can make all the difference in the world. Again, it depends on your image and it's textures as to which paint tool you'll use. Sparrow's Tutorial is excellent for helping you tweak the lighting. |
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 We
have a bunch of blank black space around the image to get rid of.
On the Left Tool Bar, click on the Crop Tool. Now, making sure your image is still selected, click on the Crop Button (it's on the right side of the window and has a Check Mark on it. All that extra wasted space should now be gone. |
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In the Image Optimizer Window, Choose JPG (always best for photos). Under MODE, choose Standard. Under Quality, choose 80. Click the Save As button, browse to where you want to save the photo on your hard drive, give it a file name and click Save. You're Done! You've just take two completely different photos and blended them into one new one. Cool Hey! Once you get the hang of it, it can be pretty effective with either blending two photos, displaying side-by-sides or even just fading-out a single graphic.
TIP -
The CORRECT way to name
your files: |
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The one with the
birds below was done on a white background canvas.
The one with the
creepy trees below was done on a black background canvas.
The ones below were
done on a white background canvas.
The one with the
birds below was done on a white background canvas. |
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To
save your image, go to Web / Image Optimizer. Choose Entire Image in the
Image to Optimize window and click OK.
