We look at Photoshop’s "Feather" command and show you how you can use it to create convincing montages.
One of the great things about image editing software is the freedom it gives us to blend pictures to create entirely new images.
With a bit of cut and pasting we can put a penguin in the desert, a camel on an iceberg or a fish in space. However, the success of these images often rests largely on whether the edge of the cut-out looks believable. A hard edge is often a sure sign that the object has been cut out and transplanted from another image.
Feathering allows us to blur the pixels at the edge of a selection. This lets us create highly believable photomontages so the pixels around the transplanted object appear to blend in with the background.
In Photoshop and Photoshop Elements you can define the amount of Feather you use in the Tool Options bar when you choose your selection tool – Marquee, Polygonal, etc. It’s also possible, and in some cases preferable, to adjust the Feather setting in the main menu (Photoshop: Select > Modify > Feather or Select > Refine Edge. Photoshop Elements: Select > Feather or Select > Refine Edge).
Experiment with the amount of feather – too much and you’ll lose detail; not enough and your edges will appear harsh and unnatural.
The Feather command lets you soften the edges of your selection and create more natural looking montages.
