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Create a Picture in Picture Effect in Photoshop

Picture in Picture Effect in Photoshop

In today’s tutorial, you will learn to create a Picture in Picture Effect in Photoshop. In this article, you will learn how to do the Picture-in-Picture effect quickly and easily.

All you need for this effect is a single photograph of your choice. We will create the Picture in Picture Effect with a single photograph. We will also use a few layer styles and adjustment layers.

Picture in Picture Effect in Photoshop

Now start this Photoshop Tutorial by following the below mentioned easy to create steps:

Step 1

Launch Adobe Photoshop and open the selected photo as a new document.

Open image in Photoshop
Step 2

Press Ctrl + J to create a duplicate copy of the Background Layer.

Create a duplicate copy
Step 3

Now turn off the visibility of Layer 1 (Duplicate Copy of the Background Layer) and select the Background Layer.

Click on Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer icon in the Layers Panel and select Black White.

Click on Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer
Select Black White Adjustment Layer

The Black & White Adjustment Layer will appear above the Background Layer in the Layers Panel. Therefore, the adjustment layer will affect only the Background Layer.

On selecting the Black & White Adjustment Layer, the image will get converted into black and white color. You can fine-tune the black and white color by dragging the color sliders in the Properties Panel.

Alternatively, you can click on Auto to automatically adjust the color sliders to give a good black and white conversion result.

Black & White Adjustment Layer
Picture in Picture Effect
Step 4

Turn on the visibility of the top layer (Layer 1) and then select the Rectangle Tool.

In the Options Bar, select Shape as the Tool Mode. Then set the Fill color of the Rectangle to Black and turn off the Stroke color.

Options Bar

Now draw a rectangular shape around the main subject in the image. The area of the image inside the rectangle will appear as the picture in the picture. So make sure to cover the subject and surroundings properly.

Draw a rectangular shape

You can even reduce the opacity of the shape to see the area covered inside the rectangle shape.

Reduce the Opacity
Step 5

Select the Rectangle layer and drag it below the Layer 1.

Picture in Picture Effect
Picture in Picture Effect

Select the top layer (Layer 1) and click on the Layers Panel menu icon. Then select Create Clipping Mask.

Select Create Clipping Mask
Picture in Picture Effect
Step 6

Now select the Rectangle Shape Layer and click on fx icon in the Layers Panel. Then select Stroke from the options list.

Select Add a Layer Style icon
Select Stroke

In the Stroke Layer Style dialogue box, increase the Size of the Stroke and set the Position to Inside. Set the Fill Type to Color and select White Color for the Stroke. Check the Preview and click OK.

Step 7

In this step, we will apply the Drop Shadow Effect to the Rectangle Shape. To apply the Drop Shadow Effect, click on the fx icon and select Drop Shadow from the options list.

Select Drop Shadow

In the Drop Shadow Layer Style dialogue box, make necceassy adjustments to create a nice effect. Check the Preview and click OK.

Drop Shadow Layer Style
Picture in Picture Effect
Step 8

In this step, we will make the effect look more interesting by rotating the inside frame. Make sure that the rectangle shape layer is selected in the Layers Panel and then select the Move Tool. Place the cursor near the corner of the colored image and rotate the image.

Picture in Picture Effect

So this is how you can do a cool and interesting Picture in Picture Effect in Photoshop.

Practice this Photoshop Tutorial and share your views in the comment section. Also, share this tutorial with others.

Author

  • Vivi Designing

    Vivi Designing is a platform for people who are in love with design and are eager to learn for creativity and inspiration. We provide free design resources, articles, tutorials, techniques, and the latest trends in Adobe Illustration and Adobe Photoshop.

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