Enhancing with overlays in Photoshop

Recently, I have teamed up with MCP Actions to produce some of the overlay images I create to enhance my photos using Photoshop layers. Many of you have asked me how I produce these effects. Now I will be able to have access to a complete line of my sunrise/sunset overlay tools.

This morning I took a photo of the Chrysler Building at sunrise and used selective focus with the Fuji 90mm f/2 lens on an X-Pro2 to capture an image with a very soft blur leading into the building. The image didn't have enough punch to satisfy me so I combined it with one of the many overlay sun images I have to boost the color, contrast, and improve the composition. The photo below is the final result.

The two images below are the original files I used to create the above photo. Using the blur photo on the right from my Sunrise Overlays collection, I placed it as a layer over the original photo of the building shown on the left. Next I changed the layer mode of the top Sunrise Overlay image to Hard Light. That allowed the building image to show through the overlay. It also had the side effect of boosting the color and contrast of the final image. I added a slight "S" curve to boost the contrast a bit more, and that was it. 

These effects are fairly simple to use. The trick is having a collection of them to draw upon when needed. I will be supplying those in the very near future.