What is a double exposure?
It is two photos in one frame. On film it happened when you took a picture without winding on, so the second shot landed on top of the first. Photographers liked the dreamy result and started doing it on purpose.
The classic version is a portrait with a landscape inside it. The face keeps its shape and the trees, the sea or the city fill it in. You see it on album covers, film posters and profile pictures.
How to make one
- Add a portrait. Tap the first box, drop a photo on it, or paste one.
- Add a scene. A forest, mountains, a skyline, or clouds.
- Blend and place it. Pick a blend, then drag the preview to move the scene and change its size and strength.
- Download. You get a PNG at the size of your portrait.
Picking the two photos
The portrait decides the shape. A face or a profile against a plain, light background works best. A busy background fights with the scene. If yours has one, run it through the background remover and put the cut-out on white first.
The scene brings the colour. Pick something with a clear shape and strong light: pine trees against a sunset, a city at night, waves. Very dark scenes disappear with Screen, and very bright ones wash the face out.
Which blend does what
- Screen. Keeps the light parts of both photos. The classic film look.
- Lighten. Like Screen but harder, with crisper edges.
- Multiply. Keeps the dark parts. Best for a portrait on white.
- Overlay and Soft light. Add the scene as texture while the face stays strong.
- Difference. Inverts colours where the photos meet. Bold and strange.
- Mono. Takes the light and shade of the scene but the colours of the portrait.
Tips for a better blend
- Lower the strength. Between 60% and 85% usually looks more natural than full strength.
- Line up the horizon. Drag the scene so the tree line or the skyline sits across the shoulders or the chin.
- Keep the eyes clear. Move a dark patch of the scene over the eyes so they still read.
- Zoom the scene in. A larger Scene size shows fewer, bigger shapes, which read better on a phone.
What people make with it
Profile pictures that stand out in a list of faces. Covers for a song, a playlist or a podcast. A poster for a trip, with the place you went inside your own portrait. For a square post, crop the result with the image cropper.