Combine two images for a stunning result.

Introduction

The Lightroom library is a great tool for keeping track of all your images. Open Lightroom on desktop to see the base image of the city and follow along. Combine the image of the city with your own photo or one of ours.

Download sample files

Try applying a preset

Select the photo of the city. Open the Edit panel and choose Presets. Under the Curve category, hover over the presets to preview the effect. Select Cross Process.

Open your project in Photoshop

Select File > Edit in Photoshop to open the city photo in Photoshop. Then return to Lightroom, choose the Photo Grid icon, and select the colored smoke image. Right-click on that image and choose Edit in Photoshop. Now both our images are in Photoshop.

Create your composite

To combine your files, use the Move tool. Click on the smoke image, drag to the document tab for the city image, move the cursor directly over the image, and release. You should see two layers in the Layers panel. Combine the images by adjusting the layer’s blending mode. In the first layer, select the dropdown labeled Normal and choose Screen Blending Mode. Adjust the position using the Move tool to get the perfect look.

Return to Lightroom

Save your composite by selecting File > Save. Close both files and quit Photoshop. In Lightroom, find the Photo Grid. Our image is now part of a stack. Select the number two to view both versions—one with the edits from Lightroom only and the finished project we created in Photoshop.