Photo-licious Layering with Pictwo
Pictwo helps you create a unique photo by layering two pictures together. Sounds simple, and there are a lot of other apps out there to combine photos, but this one gives you more delicious options for your two bucks.
Pick Two
You begin by choosing two photos. It’s recommended to start with your bottom layer first but you can reverse the order later (awesome feature!). And sometimes I find the opposite works better for me anyway.
Some use textures over landscapes, colors with portraits, portraits within portraits, architecture with landscapes and countless more combinations. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
Delicious extra: Just in case you need a little kickstart, Pictwo even provides over 30 textures and patterns to use in your composition.
Flip Flop
Next is the first stage in manipulating your images. The screenshot above shows the previous two images (my photo and one of the apps textures) layered together.
You’ll notice the knob icon near the bottom next to the thumbnails of the two pics. Tap on this to choose which image you want to edit.
You can rotate and/or flip either image using the icons. Also useful here is the ability to use two-finger pinch to zoom in/out. This can help in placement of textures, wording, text.
Note: This is not a required step! You do not have to alter either image. Simply tap the arrow on the bottom right to advance to the next screen.
Don’t Blend In
It’s time to blend your pics for a standout image. Pictwo offers various blending modes including overlay, multiply and color burn. These will mix the layers in various ways resulting in darker, lighter and various other effects.
Once you’ve made your selection (including original) you’ll be able to adjust the opacity of the top layer (which is why it’s important to layer your images correctly).
For more detailed information on blend modes, click here.
Drawn Out
Get a little more creative or exercise control over your final composition by drawing in/erasing portions of the image. Tap on the hand icon for brush options. Choose erase/draw and move your finger over the photo.
‘Draw’ in details or erase textures in a specific area. Zoom by tapping the zoom button and then using two-finger pinch to get more precise edges.
On the photo below, I ‘erased’ the right side and left the layering on the left. You can see how even a hint of texture can dramatically impact the image.
Photo-licious
Delicious layering is only limited by your imagination! And it changes the way you see the world. You’ll find yourself looking for textures or composing certain shots in a way that will allow you to alter them with another image.
Of course, I couldn’t feature this app without using one of my favorite edits of all-time. The left is before using Pictwo. The right is after layering a Pictwo texture. A delightful little kick that makes it shiny. (Yes, that’s a Firefly reference.)
Pictwo – normally $1.99
Love creating layered images? Share them with us on Instagram using our #photocruncher tag or connect via Facebook.
About Marsha Bezzina
Marsha Bezzina has always enjoyed writing. But photography was mostly relegated to annual trips until the acquisition of her first smartphone, the iPhone 4s. Now this self-declared ‘mental crafter’ is a data hog – capturing moments, hoarding photo apps and editing with abandon. She is @notDelilah on Instagram but had to settle for @notDelilah_ on Twitter. Or check out her site, www.notDelilah.com
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