Expose Your Images To Something Amazing Using Double Exposure: Photo Trick

If your ideas are more than a simple silhouette and you want to add an interesting twist to your usual slides, why don’t you go for Double Exposure Effect? Yes, the art of combining two or more images to give it a kind of a surreal, ghostly or a different effect that can’t be captured in a single shot.  This idea is very common in photography and cinematography. And it sure is one of the best twists you can add to make your presentation stand out. But is it possible to achieve this effect in PowerPoint? You must have heard of people creating a double exposure in Photoshop, however, can it be mimicked in PowerPoint? Most of you must think that it is a no.  However, PowerPoint has its hidden abilities. It can be a very interesting tool to create some masterpieces provided you have the right pair of equipment and a creative mind that is open to new discoveries and challenges.  With this tutorial, you will be able to explore the hidden potential of PowerPoint and how you can use it to make the Impossible- POSSIBLE! All you require are two things- One object and the other one a background.  This isn’t typically a double exposure effect but it looks like one.  So let us get creative in PowerPoint! What you will learn to create in this tutorial: Before creating anything it is important to visualize how your final image will be. Think beyond the visual image and aim for a good message to convey. Some of the most compelling double exposure images are created using a portrait and an abstract or a landscape with interesting color scheme and textures which capture the immediate attention of the viewer. Also, a strong connection between both the images has to be established to evoke certain emotions. Therefore, select images that you can combine to build an emotional connection with your audience.  Once you have gotten a fair idea of how you want your final image to look like, it is time to compose one for yourself: Steps to create a Double Exposure Effect  Step #1 Prep your image  Before you start it is very important to choose the right images. Since this is not exactly a double exposure effect you can’t work with two images simultaneously. You have to select one vector and one image so that you can merge the two to create this effect.  Here we have selected a girl silhouette vector for your reference.  You can select any silhouette of any form of vector and insert it in your slide. Also, adjust its size depending on how small or how big you want your image to be.  Step #2 Select and insert the second image  Up next, insert the image you want to use to create the double exposure effect:

• Go to the Insert tab 
• Click on Pictures and locate the file you want to add.
• In our case, we have selected a colorful forest landscape that will help in depicting the double exposure effect vividly. 

Step #3 Crop the image  There are two options to crop the image: you can either crop it later on or before inserting in the shape. Either way is suitable. Let me demonstrate both the procedures so that you can decide which one to go for-

• Using Format Shape> Picture Fill and then cropping the image within the shape
• Crop the image before placing it inside the shape. To do this select the picture and go to the Picture Format tab. Locate the Crop button towards your right-hand side. Cropping handles will appear around your image. Now adjust its size and crop the unwanted areas as shown below. 

Step #4- Fill the Silhouette with the cropped image Once you have cropped the image to your desired size, cut the same using Cntrl + X command on your keyboard. This will give you the exact size you need. Follow these steps to fill in the silhouette with your image-

• Select the silhouette and right click on it. 
• Click on the Format Shape option. A dialog box appears towards the right side.
• Click on Fill option in this dialog box and select the Picture or Texture Fill radio button. 
• The default texture will be automatically applied as shown below.  
• Click on the Clipboard button to fill your silhouette with your desired image which in our case is that of a forest. 

The cropped image will fill the silhouette creating an awesome photo trick illusion: Step #5 Add soft edges  To further enhance the overall look and feel of this double exposure effect and to make your final image look more polished, add Soft Edges. To do this follow these steps:

• Select the image.
• Go to Picture Format and select it. A dialog box will appear.
• Click on the Soft Edges option.
• Choose the point depending on the effect that you think will suit your image the most. 

And there you have it. A well-polished picture with double exposure is ready.  Now add your desired content. Format the background color as we have done.  This is how your final image will look like. Isn’t it amazing? This is how an actual double exposure image looks like. Not a variation or a photo trick, but a real double exposure effect. Stay tuned for the tutorial. Till then let me show you a few examples: Example #1   Example #2 Example #3 We hope you enjoyed this mini tutorial. Stay tuned for more such exciting tutorials to make your presentations look even more attractive and engaging!