Mixed Media Collage Photoshop


Source photo, sketchbook collage and digital collage
Develop a mixed media project using traditional media, digital camera, scanner and image manipulation software. This technique encourages a creative cycle of experimentation from hand processes to electronic and back again over a period of time.
Stage 1: portrait Stage 2: collage Stage 3: digital collage Stage 4: extension (layer masks)
	Stage 1: the portrait

	Take a portrait/self-portrait using a digital camera if possible and download the photo to your computer. If your camera uses a floppy disk to store photos, you can simply open the picture in Photoshop – but don’t forget to save it to your own folder. Keep all your scans and saved versions of your work for this project in this folder as it will form the basis of a digital sketchbook, which will help show how you made the work.

	Start Photoshop and go to File > Open. Navigate to your photo

	Save this colour version: File > Save As e.g. LLMcolour.jpeg (use your own initials).

	On the Image menu select Mode > Grey Scale.

	Save your work: File > Save As e.g. LLMgrey.jpeg (use your own initials).


	Go to Colours again and select Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast and drag the Contrast slider until the mid tones almost disappear and you have a black and white image like a photocopy.

	NOTE: Later versions of Photoshop have a photocopy filter, which you may prefer to use: go to Filter > Sketch > Photocopy. The filter uses the Foreground and Background colours that are selected on the Tool Palette.

	Save your work: File > Save As e.g. LLMbw.jpeg (use your own initials).

	Go to File > Print with Preview and select Scale to Fit Media, then click on Print. In earlier versions of Photoshop which do not have a Print with Preview option, if your image is too small, you may have to insert it into a Word document or similar and drag one of the corner handles to increase the size to fit the page.

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	Stage 2: the collage

	Find labels, magazine pictures, old photos, scraps of fabric or anything that signifies an aspect of your personality and collage them onto the A4 black and white print out of your portrait as in Example 1 above.

	When you are satisfied with the result scan your collage. Open Photoshop and go to File > Import and click on the name of your scanner (which will probably include the word Twain). Follow the directions for using your scanner.

	Save the scanned collage to your project folder/digital sketchbook: File > Save As e.g. LLMcollage1.jpeg
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	Stage 3: the digital collage

		In this example 5 scanned objects have been added: 1. a necklace 2. a small cellophane bag of pressed flowers 3. a card signed by the Brit Art artist Gavin Turk 4. a small metal sign 5. the number from a dollar bill
	Step A - scan objects

	Select two objects that have personal significance for you e.g. jewellery, a small toy, flower, good luck charm, old photo, diary page, notebook cover.

	Open Photoshop and scan both of these as before: go to File > Import > your scanner. Follow the directions for using your scanner.

	Save both with recognisable names to your project folder/digital sketchbook e.g. LLMnecklace.jpeg, LLMlabel.jpeg
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	Step B - add scanned objects to collage

	Have open in Photoshop your three images: the scanned collage and the two scanned objects.

	Activate one of the images of objects by clicking on it. You are going to select the object and copy and paste it onto the collage digitally.

	Choose the Magic Wand Tool and on the Tool Options menu bar set the Tolerance at about 10 and tick the Contiguous check box. Also select Anti-aliased to smooth out edges. Keep Feather at 0. You will have to experiment and adjust the tolerance depending on the number of different tones in the background.

	*NOTE:* The Tolerance value, or colour range, determines the number of pixels of the same hue that will be selected. A low value selects pixels similar to the one you click on, while a higher value selects a broader range of colours. Contiguous selects adjacent areas.

	Click on the background with the Magic Wand Tool and the Add to Selection icon to add extra areas to the selection if necessary. [For earlier versions of Photoshop hold Shift while clicking again] To remove a selection, use the Subtract from Selection button. [For older versions, go to Selections > Select None].

	To select the object instead of the background go to Selections > Invert

	Choose Copy from the Edit menu

	Click on the collage to activate it (it may be a good idea to click off the Magic Wand and select the Move Tool before you do this to avoid selecting areas on the collage) and go to Edit > Paste.

	A new layer is automatically added to your collage. Double click on the name Layer 1 and give it a recognisable name e.g. necklace. When you work on a layer it should be blue on the Layer Palette: remember to check so that you don’t make changes to the wrong layer.

	Use the Move Tool to reposition the object. To resize and rotate it as desired select Transform > Scale or Transform > Rotate from the Edit menu. Click and drag on a corner handle to resize; when your cursor changes to 2 curved arrows. Press Enter to apply changes.

	Save your work. This time, because you have more than one layer, you should save it as a PSD or PDD (Photoshop) file: File Save As > select PSD/PDD from the drop down File Type menu e.g. LLMcollage2.psd

	Repeat these steps with your second object and save your work again e.g. LLMcollage3.psd
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	Step C - add text

	Select the Type Tool and on the menu bar choose a font and size (although you can change this later using the Edit > Transform menu), a style, alignment and colour. Now click on the image and type your text: the example shows an initial. Photoshop automatically places the text on a new layer


	Use the Move Tool to position the text then add a drop shadow by clicking first on the Add a Layer Style icon at the bottom of the Layer Palette and selecting Drop Shadow from the menu

	Experiment with different settings in the window that appears and when you are satisfied click OK.

	Save your work. Save it first as a PSD file e.g. LLMcollage4.psd. This is important, as you will be able to return to this version in Photoshop at any time and make further additions or alterations.

	Now flatten your work and save it as a JPEG so that you can use it in any application and so that the file size is reduced: go to Layer > Merge Layers. You will see that there is now only one layer on the Layer Palette. On the File menu select Save As and from the File Type drop down menu choose JPEG e.g. LLMcollage_final.jpeg

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	Stage 4: extension - layer masks

	Masks control how different areas within a layer are hidden and revealed. By making changes to the mask, you can apply a variety of special effects to the layer without actually affecting the pixels on that layer. You can then apply the mask and make the changes permanent or remove the mask without applying the changes. A layer mask is a greyscale image, so what you paint in black will be hidden, what you paint in white will show, and what you paint in shades of grey will show in various levels of transparency.
	Click on the Add a Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette.

	For a radial mask Select the Gradient Tool (if it is not visible click and hold on the Paint Bucket and select it from the fly out options). Use the following settings on the Options bar to add a radial gradient mask to the layer: Radial Gradient; Mode Normal; Opacity 100%; Dither; Transparency.

	Click once on the Edit box (second icon from left above) to bring up the Gradient Editor. By clicking on the small icons top and bottom at each end of the gradient bar which are the Opacity and Colour Stops, you can set the gradient start and end colours and level of transparency. Choose black as the fill colour for both, but set the start opacity at 0% (i.e. transparent) and the end opacity as 100%. Click OK.

	Draw a gradient line roughly from the top of the object to the bottom left corner by clicking and dragging on the layer. When you let go of the mouse the gradient mask will be applied. Go to Edit > Undo until you are satisfied with the result. The Layer Palette shows the shape of the mask. Save your work.
	For a linear gradient mask Click on the gradient tool and use the following settings on the Options bar: Linear Gradient; Mode Normal; Opacity 100%; Dither; Transparency. Open the Gradient Editor again, but set the start fill colour as white and the end fill colour as black. Make the opacity 100% for both. Click OK.
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	Three examples of mixed media digital collages made by the art department at Waldegrave School for Girls in Twickenham using Paint Shop Pro:

	LJ	HJ	SH
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	© RKM 2002 - 2007
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