Basic steps for Compositing Images
from More Than One Image Source or Picture

  1. Open PhotoShop.
  2. FILE > OPEN; then Choose picture you want to prepare.
  3. Repeat to open second image.
  4. Click in the appropriate window to activate your first work area. [You will know it is selected due to the blue title bar.]
  5. Use the FREEHAND selection tool to isolate your face from one picture.
  6. Hold down the SHIFT key to add to your selection with any of the selections tools.
    Hold down the ALT key to subtract part of the image from your selection area.
  7. Position your mouse cursor INSIDE the selected area when it is complete.
  8. HOLD DOWN the CTRL key on the keyboard along with the left mouse button and DRAG the selected area into the second image window. Do NOT stop while in the original window. The second image may be a texture, a background, an empty room, a group of people, etc. If you DRAG and DROP within the same image window, you will MOVE the selected area. IF you DRAG and DROP to a different image window, the selected area will be COPIED to the second image.
  9. Your selection WILL be added to the second image as a separate floating layer. If you are new to Photoshop, this concept of independent layers may be novel.
  10. To RESIZE the selected area so that it will fit proportionately in the second image, use the keyboard shortcut of CRTL+A to select everything in that layer AND THEN use CRTL+T to resize it.
  11. You will get handles around your selection that can be stretched or shrunk by dragging a corner handle.
  12. HOLD DOWN the SHIFT key to keep the aspect ratio constant and to refrain from distorting the image as you resize it.
  13. Because you have added a new LAYER to the second image window, you will be able to continue to edit the added feature without affecting the other elements of the image which are on different layers. ERASE any stray pixels that were copied from the original image. RESIZE and REPOSITION until the added element fits into the second picture.
  14. Make any further editing changes to any/all layers of the composite image.
  15. When image is in it's final form, you are ready to save.
  16. Since layers were introduced in the drag/drop or copy/paste option, you will need to FLATTEN the image to save it as a file type that any program can use. Retaining layers will give a file that remains a Photoshop file.
    Go to the menu bar. LAYER > FLATTEN IMAGE. Left click.
  17. File > SAVE = to update and keep your alterations in the loss-less tif/bmp file format.
  18. File > SAVE AS =  will change the file type to a lossy but much smaller file format of .jpg (.jpeg)
    Save as .jpg only after all manipulation is completely finished.     If you need to further change the image, return to the loss-less file format image that you saved.
  19. Your image is ready to use in a WORD document, an Internet page or a Powerpoint slide.