Double Exposure Effect in Photoshop

How to Create a Quick Double Exposure Effect in Photoshop

This Quick Tip blends a portrait with a second scenic image into a classic black-and-white double exposure, using a Screen blend mode and a subject-shaped mask to keep the second image contained inside the person’s silhouette.

Adding a Black and White Adjustment Layer

A Black & White adjustment layer is added first, converting the composite to grayscale, since the classic double exposure look relies on tonal contrast between the two images rather than color.

Setting the Screen Image to Screen Mode

The second image, the scenic shot that will appear inside the portrait, is set to Screen blend mode, letting its bright areas show through while its dark areas contribute little to the final result.

Screen Mode Is What Makes the Blend Work

Left on Normal, the second image would simply cover the portrait; Screen mode is what lets the two photos combine into a single layered image instead of one hiding the other.

Selecting the Subject from the Portrait

With the portrait layer chosen, Select, then Subject, generates an automatic selection around the person, isolating their silhouette from the rest of the frame.

Masking the Screen Image to the Subject

Switching to the screen image layer and adding a layer mask from that subject selection confines the scenic image to just the shape of the person, so the double exposure effect appears inside their silhouette instead of across the whole frame.

Why the Mask Comes from the Portrait’s Selection

Building the mask from the portrait’s own subject selection is what keeps the scenic image perfectly aligned to the person’s outline, rather than requiring it to be hand-masked to match.

Creating a New Layer Above the Portrait

A new layer is created above the portrait, ready to hand-paint additional adjustments to how the double exposure reads across different parts of the silhouette.

Painting Black to Reveal More of the Screen Image

Painting black onto that new layer reveals more of the screen image in specific spots, letting particular areas, like the eagle or mountain detail, show through more strongly than the automatic mask alone would allow.

Hand-Painting for Control Over the Final Composition

This manual painting step is what turns a mechanically accurate mask into a deliberately composed image, letting specific details from the second photo be emphasized exactly where they read best against the portrait.

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Why This Technique Works

Screen mode lets the second image blend into the portrait as light rather than as a flat overlay, and masking it with the portrait’s own subject selection keeps that blend contained to a recognizable human silhouette instead of spilling across the whole frame. The final hand-painted pass is what keeps the effect from looking purely automatic, letting specific details be pushed forward where they add the most to the finished composite.

Final Thoughts

A quick double exposure comes down to a Black & White adjustment for tone, a Screen-mode second image masked to the portrait’s own silhouette, and a final hand-painted layer to bring out the details that make the composite feel intentional rather than automatic.

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