Expert: Scott Valentine - 3/25/2008

Question
Dear Scott Valentine,

i have windows XP and PS CS2, im a digital photographer and like to experiment new things with my photos, recently on flickr i have noticed that many photographers use their images with textures, they probably merge their snaps with the textures

they also give the source the of the textures but i don't know how to use my photos with those textures

it really gives a cool affect, i would highly appreciate if u give me a link or tell me the trick to use it


another question is, few days back i had created a name logo with the help of PS CS2, it was a video tutorial , i made it well but i dont know how to stick it on my images in Photo shop CS2

i would be extremely grateful if u help me out in this matter

Cheers

Answer
Hi - I'm terribly sorry for the long delay, but sometimes life gets in the way.

Ok, I think the best thing for you to do would be to sign up at a Photoshop forum where you can post your sample images to get specific help. Adding textures to surfaces or images can be very easy or quite complex, so each case is different. Here's my favorite:

http://photoshoptechniques.com/forum

After you register, go to either the Beginner or General area and describe what you want to do. If you can provide example images that you like, as well as some of your own samples, that will help a lot. Also, let them know your general level of experience with Photoshop so they can give you the best information.

You will want to become familiar with Masks and Blend Modes, if you aren't already.

As for the second question, you should be able to open both your picture and logo, then drag the logo layer over to your image document. You will need to flatten the logo first: create a new, blank layer, then press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E to merge a copy to the new layer. This new copy is what you will drag to your image document. Once it's there, you can try one of the blend modes, like Overlay, Soft Light or others that work well for your image and logo. Try a few different modes to see what you like (in the Photoshop help files, search for "Blend Mode" and it will give you everything you need to get started).

I hope this helps, and again, please accept my apology for the late response.

-Scott