Pro Techniques

Mirroring photos has always been one of my favorite techniques, and it is a relatively easy way to come up with some fun and creative images. Mirroring images consists of duplicating part of a photograph and flipping it around in different ways to create a mirrored effect. I use all kinds of subjects for these creations and I am constantly looking for things that would produce something new and unusual. I like using shots of architecture, landscapes, and many types of objects, large and small.

There are two main ways to mirror images in Photoshop. One is to select part of the image, flip it, and then move it to create a nice mirrored effect. The other method involves a Photoshop plug-in called Instant Mirror (available at thepluginsite.com). This is a pretty nifty little filter that makes mirroring a piece of cake. I will show you how to create your own mirrored images in Photoshop easily by selecting part of the image and working with just the selected portion.

1. (Image A) Duplicate the background layer of the image you want to use. Next, using the rectangular Marquee tool, draw a selection covering half of your image, starting from whichever side you wish to mirror. All Photos © 2007, Scott Stulberg, All Rights Reserved

3. (Image C) Depending on which kind of image you started with, your end result can range from wild to dramatic to deranged. This final image has created a tough landing for the pilot.