Retouch this image please

[hocus_focus]

<p>Here's an image I made. It's almost finished. I'm struggling with the final part and wonder if you can help.</p>

<p>How can I get the two exposures on the left to merge together? I'm using PS CS5 on PC. Thanks for help!</p>

<p><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6129/5930181235_a7f2f1c9df.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" /></p>

<p> </p>

[richardsnow]

<p>I'd suggest blending the two layers, but I'm not sure how you started and what you're trying to accomplish...that would help along with posting the two separate images you are trying to merge individually.<br>

<br />RS</p>

[hocus_focus]

<p>It's a single image in fact, rotated and distorted. Here's the original:</p>

<p><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6145/5930883442_f3a0ec5940_z.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427" /></p>

<p> </p>

[parv]

Am I missing something if I suggest to darken the right edge with a transparent-opaque black gradient layer before rotation, etc.?

[tom_mann1]

<p>The following technique won't be perfect, and it isn't exactly what you want because the image repeats itself twice, but you can:</p>

<p>a) brighten the LHS and darken the RHS,</p>

<p>b) make a copy,</p>

<p>c) flip the copy left <--> right,</p>

<p>d) expand the canvas,</p>

<p>e) butt the (new) LH edge of the copy up against the RH edge of the original. </p>

<p>f) Use the patch, healing, fill, clone and whatever tools you want to smooth out the seam</p>

<p>g) As your final step, do your coordinate transform to turn it into a circle.</p>

<p>Below is the result of the 30 seconds it took to do a first shot at steps (a) through (e). Getting the brightness gradients just right and smoothing out the seams will take longer, but this will give you an idea of how to approach it. If you Google, {"seamless tiling" photoshop tutorial} you'll see how people handle a very similar problem.</p>

<p>HTH,</p>

<p>Tom</p><div></div>

[Tim_Lookingbill]

I'ld suggest you equalize the gradient all the way to the point where the two meet up before you rotate and distort. It may require a gradient mask and/or curve adjusts to this mask to pull this off.

[tom_mann1]

<p>I totally agree, Tim. That's why my 1st step was <em>"brighten the LHS and darken the RHS"</em>, but, as I said, I didn't want to waste more than a minute or two perfecting this little demo for the OP. I just wanted to steer him in the right direction and figured he'd take it from there.</p>

<p>Tom M</p>

<p>PS - Unless he does the duplicate and flip thing that I suggested, there will still be a big discontinuity in hue, saturation and texture at the boundary, even if the brightness is made the same at the extreme left and right edges of his image.</p>