filmscanners: Blending layers was Re: Merging multiple scans

[Rob Geraghty <harper@wordweb.com>]

Les wrote:
>http://serenescenes.com/Techniques/SplitScanning.html

This seems to be simple to do in Paintshop Pro 7.  The steps are like this:

1. Make the two scans
2. Open one scan and save it with a different name eg. merged
3. Open the second scan, ctrl-a to select all and ctrl-c to copy
4. Close the second scan
5. Ctrl-l to paste as a new layer
6. From the Mask menu select New and From Image.  Accept the defaults.
7. You can now use the blend level in the layer palette to adjust the opacity
of the different layers (the balance between the two scans).

PSP also allows you to blend the layers in different ways; normal, darken,
dissolve, lighten, overlay, hard light, soft light, dodge, burn, saturation,
luminance, colour, multiply, difference...

I've previously used the dodge and burn options to brighten a single scan
by copying itself to a new layer inverted.  The *disadvantage* of this method
is you're trying to "amplify" the data in a single scan, and the shadow
information simply may not be there.  Working with two different scans ought
to give much better results.

Rob


Rob Geraghty harper@wordweb.com
http://wordweb.com