Double Exposure Levitation Photos

1. Take 2 pictures.
One image with subject standing/sitting on something to prop them up where they will
be levitating.
Then move subject & prop out of the way and take a picture of the scene again. (Do
not move. You want both images to be as close to one another as possible. Use a
tripod if able!)
2. Open both images in Photoshop and move them onto the same file (so you will have 2
layers on one file)
3. Unlock the background layer
4. Make sure the levitating person layer is on top.
5. Select both layers, then click Edit in the top tool bar > Auto Align Layers
6. Select top levitation layer photo and create a layer mask (bottom of the layers panel)
(see figure 1)
Figure 1
7. Click on mask (the white square that
appeared on the layer, in the layers panel)
8. Select Paintbrush tool in toolbar
9. Make sure foreground color is set to black.
10. Make sure the paintbrush is soft and the
appropriate size (the brush options panel on
the top of the screen.) Also make sure the
opacity is fairly low (around 50%)
11. Start brushing out (or erasing) the prop that
is holding your subject up to remove it from
the picture.
12. Make any color adjustments or enhancements by creating adjustment layers!
13. Make sure you save a Photoshop document (this is your working file, in case you need to
go back in and edit anything.)
14. Then, flatten the image and save it as a jpg.
15. Add your watermark and save as a separate .jpg, then turn this file in on Google
Classroom

Problems that may occur:

The color may be slightly off on the background image. If this happens you can
enhance the color on the background layer in Photoshop until it is as close as possible to
the levitation layer.

Also, if part of your subject or the subjects clothing was behind whatever they were
being propped up on, then you wont be able to see it on the final image. To avoid this,
be aware while taking the photos. There are also more advanced editing tools we can use
to fix this, should you need them.

Depth of Field! To avoid a difference in depth of field, a large aperture would be best.
Also make sure you are paying attention to which focus field is in focus while you are
taking the picture. You can use manual focus to compensate for this. (For example if you
want the background to be blurry, use a small aperture. However, on the image without the
subject the camera will try to focus on the background. To avoid this set the manual focus
and keep the focus exactly the same on both images.)

Project:
Turn in your one BEST levitation photo to Google classroom
Rubric:
Submission 15% (turned in on time, with watermark)
Composition & Creativity 25% (Image is well composed, utilizing compositional tools and
Design elements. Subject of photo is interesting and creative)
Craftsmanship 15% (photo is well put together, thought out and carried out. Image is not blurry,
color corrected, well exposed.)
Editing 20% (Photoshop editing was done effectively to produce the final photograph. Color
corrected if needed, levels adjusted, layers aligned)
Effectiveness of Levitation 25% (subject of photo effectively looks like they are levitating. The
whole process of creating this image was completed to result in a double exposure levitation photo.)

TOTAL 100