[DannyRaphael]

To tell the truth (don't I always?) in the past I've peeked at the dialog box of the Apply Image command (introduced with Photoshop 7), but like many, I suppose, stared in awe for a few seconds and closed it because it looked really complex and scary.

Then I noticed Mike Finn, who never ceases to amaze me with his command of Photoshop, has begun using this command in some of his recent actions to generate some pretty amazing photo-art effects, so my ears perked up again.

Once I had a chance to actually experiment with Apply Image, its purpose and usage became less of a mystery. It's just another way of blending images -- and a very cool one at that.

TUTORIALS
To learn more here are a couple tutorials that use Apply Image to achieve various effects:
http://tiemdesign.com/howto/2003/Apr...te/default.asp
http://www.planetphotoshop.com/alward67.html
http://www.freeangle.com/tutorial_di...hotoshop_sepia

PHOTOSHOP HELP
The Photoshop Help topic on Apply Image is worth a look, too.

AN ACTION
Finally, I've crafted an action that you can use as a learning-while-experimenting tool.

Open any two images and cut the action loose.

The results generated by the action may (or may not) be useful, but that's not the point. The point is to illustrate the concept of using Apply Image.

Experiment and have fun.

THE ATTACHMENTS

1. The Apply Image demo action
2. Base image 1
3. Base image 2
4. Apply Image results 1
5. Apply Image results 2

(more examples attached to the next post)

THE TRY IT EXERCISE
1. Open any two images of your own
2. If necessary, crop one (or the other or both) - they MUST be the exact same size and resolution, otherwise Apply Image will not work. Trust me on this.

With the new forum software, you can upload multiplie attachments for one post. If you want to post the "before" pics, you can -or- just the "afters" if you prefer.

Have fun. Learn a lot. And thanks again for the inspiration, Mike Finn!

~Danny~

[DannyRaphael]

Two more examples using the base images from the prevous post, plus a bonus image: LeBron James going to the hoop, generated with Apply Image.

Anyway, I hope you find this technique as interesting and enlightening as I did.