I will show you how to add drama to your photos by using the Overlay effect. This is one of my favorite yet simple photo-effect that I always use. This effect works best with outdoor shots.
My image:
Create a duplicate of your image by highlighting the Background layer and clicking on Ctrl + J on your keyboard. This will create another layer called Layer 1.
While Layer 1 is selected, click on the Filter Menu at the top of your screen then go to Blur> Gaussian Blur. Set the radius to 6.0. You can change the radius according to your taste, the higher you go, the more intense the color will be. Then click OK.
At this point, Layer 1 is still highlighted on the screen.
Click on the Blending mode drop down menu on the Layers Pallete and choose Overlay.
And viola! Your image has a dramatic effect on it.
Before
Notice the difference in the color intensity of the rocks? The effect also softened the details on the mermaids' scales. It's like a photo taken by a Digital SLR camera. Pretty cool huh?
Ain't that simple? Hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Have fun!
