How to Blend Two Pictures Together in Illustrator

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Adobe Illustrator allows you to blend two pictures together using different methods. One method involves placing one picture partially or completely on top of another and using transparency mode to create a blended image. This method is ideal for pictures of people and objects. Another method involves using the Make Blend command to blend the two pictures. This method is ideal for pictures of shapes and objects. Try both methods to see which blending effect you prefer.

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Using Transparency Mode

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Step 1

Launch Adobe Illustrator on your computer.

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Step 2

Click "File" and "Open" at the top of Illustrator to open the two pictures you want to blend. One picture will be the background picture (picture A) and one picture will be the picture that overlaps and blends into the background picture (picture B).

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Step 3

Click on picture B to bring it to the forefront.

Step 4

Click the Direct Selection tool (white arrow) on the Tools panel.

Step 5

Drag the Direct Selection tool over the portion of picture B you want to blend with picture A.

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Step 6

Click "Edit" and "Copy" at the top of Illustrator to copy picture B.

Step 7

Click on picture A to bring it to the forefront.

Step 8

Click "Edit" and "Paste" at the top of Illustrator to Paste picture B on top of picture A. Click the Move tool (hand) on the Tools panel to adjust the position of the pictures, if necessary.

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Step 9

Click picture B in the Layers panel on the right side of Illustrator.

Step 10

Locate the Transparency panel next to the Layers panel and drag the "Opacity" slider to the left until picture B blends in to picture A.

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Using the Make Blend Command

Step 1

Launch Adobe Illustrator on your computer.

Step 2

Click "File" and "Open" at the top of Illustrator to open the two pictures you want to blend.

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Step 3

Click "File" and "New" to open a new blank image that is at least twice the size of both pictures.

Step 4

Click on one picture to bring it to the forefront; then click "Edit" and "Copy" at the top of Illustrator to copy the picture.

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Step 5

Click on the new blank image to bring it to the forefront; then click "Edit" and "Paste" to paste the picture on to the blank image.

Step 6

Repeat Steps 4 and 5 to copy and paste the second picture.

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Step 7

Click the Selection tool (black arrow) on the Tools panel.

Step 8

Click on both pictures to select them.

Step 9

Click "Object," "Blend" and "Make" at the top of Illustrator to blend the two pictures together.

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