Add photos into a composite

Add a photo

Add a photo by using either of these methods:

• Drag a photo file from a Mac Finder or Windows Explorer window onto an open document in Photoshop.
• Go to Photoshop’s File menu and choose Place > Embedded.

With either method, the new photo appears in the document inside a bounding box.

Size and place the photo

• Click and drag one of the small square handles on the bounding box if you want to change the size of the new photo. This transforms the photo without distorting its proportions.
• Click inside the bounding box and drag if you want to move the new photo.
• Press Enter or Return on the keyboard, or click outside the bounding box, to finish placing the photo in the composite. The photo is added on a new layer as a Smart Object.

Why Smart Objects are useful for compositing

A Smart Object is a special feature that preserves the original quality of a photo no matter how many times it is resized. This flexibility makes Smart Objects especially useful for compositing.

Save your work

• Save the composite in .PSD or .TIFF format to retain the layers and Smart Objects.