1. Open a photo in Photoshop. Double-click on the background layer in the Layers palette. This will open the New Layer options box. Rename the layer whatever you would like and click OK.

2. Next, Command-click Create a New Layer at the bottom of the Layers palette. (Tip: Clicking on Create a New Layer while pressing the Command key will place your new layer under the current layer instead of above it.)

3. Fill this layer with a color of your choice. You don’t have to use a solid color as your background for blending; you can also use another image. We chose a dark-orange color (C13, M75, Y100, K2) to blend the guitar-guy image with.

4. Double-click on the renamed layer to open up the Layer Style dialog box. In the General Blending section, select the blend mode Exclusion from the drop-down menu. In the Advanced Blending section, turn off the yellow check box (if your chosen image is RGB, you’ll select either red, green or blue). And in the Blend If section, you can press the Option key and drag the arrows in the This Layer and Underlying Layer sections to split up the arrows. This allows for smoother blending between the layers. Click OK when you’re satisfied with the blending options.