Photoshop Overlays — The Ultimate Guide for Beginners
Regardless of how many techniques you use as a photographer to edit your photos, adding an overlay is quite reliable and effective for completely transforming a photo. Adding Photoshop overlays will be your best bet, as they can easily bring that wow factor to dull photos by adding sky replacement overlay, a glimmer, a light flare, or any other crucial action to ease the entire process.
What are Photoshop Overlays?
A Photoshop overlay is an image or texture, which is added to a photograph. In other words, it is more like an additional layer — much of which seems transparent — atop the photograph, to add all those effects that the photo lacked when it was taken.
Photoshop overlays are used in digital photo editing for defining photos and photo textures, including snow, rain, feather, fog, leaves, etc. All of these are added to the photograph as an additional layer in JPEG or PNG format.
If you want to make your social media posts show up more prominently, then switching to Photoshop overlays will work to your advantage in every way. Transparent overlays have the ability to make an ordinary image look attractive in a couple of clicks. One of the best things about using this great tool is that you don’t have to be a pro when it comes to photo editing for including transparent overlays and enhancing an image.
Benefits of Photoshop Overlays
Earlier professionals used to spend hours in the darkroom or fine-tune a photo in Photoshop. Stunningly attractive Photoshop overlays can be useful when you are looking to transform your photographs. It just takes a couple of clicks to create an amazing work of art. Doing so will allow you to distinguish your projects from others.
When you use Photoshop Overlays, you have to drag and drop the textures in the Layers palette, and you need to apply them to your pictures. After that, you can adjust the levels of lights, contrast, and shadows so you can make the overlays seem evident.
Read on to find out some of the most significant benefits of Photoshop overlays.
1. Takes lesser time: Choosing from thousands of these textures is much faster and easier than finding them online and then creating them on your own. You will no longer have to carry these endless pictures of pavement, peeling paint, and sunsets.
2. Make better decisions: Stunning Photoshop overlays can be a very reliable and useful tool for professional photographers if they are looking to showcase many options to their clients.
3. Make your work easier: You will add to the beauty and charm of creative designs. Along with that, you’ll make your images stand out from the rest.
4. Enhance your creativity and imagination: Being versatile in nature, Photoshop overlays can make anything look professional right away. In fact, having various photo overlays at your disposal can be helpful. This is because you will probably have to search for the perfect one for your photo from these several overlays. Let your imagination run wild!
During the early days of photography, photographers adopted several ways to create texture and special effects through various strategies. These include scratching the negatives with pins, staining the paper before exposure, or overexposure. However, applying all of these effects has become a lot easier than before. One can apply an overlay in Photoshop by dragging and dropping it onto the image without hassles.
How to Use Photoshop Overlays?
You can use Photoshop overlays without hassles. They’re images themselves, so there is no need to install them or even put them in special folders. Overlays are comprised of an image that will sit on top of the image to create a unique and interesting effect.
Here’s a list of some most effective ways to use Photoshop overlays:
1. Choose the photo you are looking to edit using Photoshop overlays. It is recommended to opt for a portrait or a picture with plenty of space available to display the Photoshop portrait effects. In such a way, the picture will seem more stunning.
2. Open the picture you want to have the overlay applied to. Now, upload and save the image of the watercolor to your computer.
3. Place the texture in Photoshop on the layer by merely dragging it onto the required photo.
4. Choose the hard light blending mode.
5. Consider adding a mask. Opt for a soft black Photoshop brush. Make sure you set the Flow value to 15% not to take away the texture too much. After that, gently draw the area where you don’t want the texture to have more intensity, for instance, face and hands.
6. If you are looking to return the area, then switching the brush to white color will be a great idea.
Wrapping Up
Many years ago, if a photographer wanted to add a stimulating effect to any photo, they would have to overexpose the image. Otherwise, they would even have to scratch up the negative. Considering the current scenario, creating unmatched and interesting images with attention-grabbing effects is as easy as adding a Photoshop overlay.
