One of the most exciting projects you can tackle in image editing software that supports layering—Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Pixelmator, etc.—is to combine images in interesting ways.

In Photoshop you can use the blend modes to change how layers interact with each other, thus producing interesting artwork. Think of each layer as a transparent glass canvas, what is placed on the top ...

Most of us rely on Adobe Photoshop Elements for routine photo editing. It’s inexpensive, easy to use, and fairly powerful. But it’s not perfect. I’ve lamented that the program lacked a Curves tool, ...