Digital Focus: Double-Exposure Special Effects
Create professional-caliber special effects with your image editor.Dave Johnson
Feature: Make a Double Exposure
In the world of 35mm photography, double exposures are great fun, but really hard to do well. You have to set the exposure manually because the total amount of light reaching the film has to be the same that you'd get from one fully exposed picture--even though you're making several exposures on the same frame. Simulating a multiple exposure digitally is a lot easier.
The Magic of Multiples
Why try multiple exposures? Because they're cool! You can take a picture that includes the same person doing two or three things at once. You can create a montage that combines different--but related--subjects in the same picture. You can go for far-out stuff, or make a simple artistic statement like my sample photo.
In this picture, I've simulated a soft-focus effect by combining a sharply focused image of a flower with another photo that's framed exactly the same, except I made sure the camera was completely out of focus.
The good news is that double-exposure shots in digital photography take seconds to do and don't require any of the elaborate planning or in-your-head exposure calculations that similar effects with 35mm film require. And you can combine any number of photos into your image.
Combining Your Photos
Load two photos you plan to combine in Paint Shop Pro. Make sure that they're both the same pixel size by choosing Image, Image Information from the menu. If one is larger, select Image, Resize to resize it so they're both the same. Select one photo and choose Edit, Copy to put it in the clipboard. You can close this image file to get it out of the way. Now select the other photo and choose Edit, Paste, As New Layer. You should see the first photo appear on top of the selected photo, completely obscuring it.
If the Layer Palette toolbar isn't already somewhere on the screen, open it now by choosing View, Toolbars and clicking the Layer Palette. In the Layer Palette toolbar, drag the transparency slider for Layer 1 from 100 percent to the left until you can start to see the underlying image. Reducing the setting to 50 percent will give you equal amounts of both pictures. If you want one of the images to be more prominent than the other, drag the slider back and forth until you get just the right multiple exposure effect. For my flower double exposure, I blended the two images so the in-focus image's transparency was around 25 percent.
Dave's Favorites: Epson Bluetooth Print Adapter
I've fallen in love all over again, and this time it's not Sandra Bullock or MTV's Downtown Julie Brown--it's Bluetooth. Bluetooth, of course, is a short-range wireless connectivity standard that lets all kinds of devices chat among themselves without the use of wires. We've been promised Bluetooth for years, and it's finally arriving.
I've already accumulated a slew of Bluetooth-capable products. I have a Bluetooth PDA, mobile phone, headset, Sony camcorder, and more. Their claim to fame is convenience: no more messy cables. I can pick a phone number out of my Palm, for instance, and automatically dial the phone that's ten feet away in my jacket pocket. Then I can take the call on my Bluetooth wireless headset. For a gadget head like me, this is way cool. Of course, I'm realistic--most folks roll their eyes at this kind of thing. But if you're half as addicted to gadgets as I am, Bluetooth is for you.
The newest addition to my Bluetooth stable is Epson's $129 Bluetooth Print Adapter, a small gadget that plugs into the parallel port of select Epson ink-jet printers. With the adapter connected to my Epson C80 printer, I can send print jobs from up to 30 feet away. That's a lot longer than any printer cable will stretch, meaning I can put a printer almost anywhere in the room. Even better, I can print from a slew of devices--like notebooks, PCs, and PDAs--without worrying about cables or even where I am standing in the room when I click Print. Bluetooth isn't a "directional" technology like infrared, so I don't need to point the device at the printer or baby-sit the print job.
Eventually, Bluetooth will no doubt be common in many laptop and desktop PCs, but for now my wireless printing options are limited. The Bluetooth Print Adapter works with Palm and Pocket PC PDAs, as well as select notebooks that have Bluetooth (there's a compatibility list at Epson's Web site). Nonetheless, I'm quite jazzed about Bluetooth's potential. If you are fascinated by this next wave of print and connection technology, you can read about it at Epson's Web site
Q&A: Another Use for Infrared Photography
I thought you might like to know that shooting infrared photos of your home at night will reveal heat loss. It's great for finding those little cracks in the windows.
--Tony Manser, Provo, Utah
That's a great suggestion, Tony! A few weeks ago I talked about how you can use an infrared filter to take some unique and artistic photos. It turns out that infrared isn't just for fun--it can help you save money on your heating bill as well. We have a few months yet before you need to worry about weather-proofing your home, so you might want to tuck this tip away for fall.
Hot Pic of the Week
Get published, get famous! Each week, we select our favorite reader-submitted photo based on creativity, originality, and technique. Every month, the best of the weekly winners gets a prize valued at between $10 and $100.
A gentle reminder, folks: We disqualify some really wonderful pictures every week because the submissions don't follow the rules. Be sure to include everything we ask for in your e-mail message, including a description of your picture and your complete contact information, or your entry is wasted!
Here's how to enter: Send us your photograph in JPEG format at a resolution no higher than 640 by 480 pixels. Entries at higher resolutions will be immediately disqualified. If necessary, use an image editing program to reduce the file size of your image before e-mailing it to us. Include the title of your photo along with a short description and how you photographed it. Don't forget to send your name, e-mail address, and postal address. Before entering please read the full description of the contest rules and regs.
This week's Hot Pic: "Justin," by Ken Maurer, Omaha, Nebraska
About this photo, Ken explains, "I photographed my son, Justin, at a motel pool. There were two large skylights bringing in natural light. No other swimmers were in the pool to disturb the water. I liked the way his face just breaks the surface, with his hair floating below the waterline and his hair matted on his forehead above it. And you can't beat the smile!"
We want your feedback! Send your comments, questions, and suggestions about the newsletter itself to comments@bydavejohnson.com. If you have a question that you'd like to see answered in the weekly Q&A, send it to question@bydavejohnson.com.
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