P: Add a Multiple Exposure option to Photo Merge

Life would be incredibly more fulfilling if we had a double exposure photo merge module that does some blend modes and maybe a brush for manual opacity masking .
Don't you agree?

You select a few photos in the timeline, order the layers, choose the blending type, and then mask out the transition areas to maximize the awesome.

Imagine being able to batch process one texture over an entire photo gallery of like 100 images all at once, this is something photoshop cant do and why this would be insanely powerful and unique for lightroom classic!

Benefits from having overlay options:

One unforseen way this update would be beneficial from a creative stand point is that it makes using textured overlay packs make sense for lightroom. For example lightroom could then benefit from being able to sell or provide overlay packs within adobe cloud or making use of their stock photos which only adds to the value of this product and creates deeper integration and also has a potential to make more money by selling packs also.

for example if I were to do this idea of using texture photos I would import all the overlayed textures I would want to use for that photo gallery into the gallery as imported photos as normal then throw them all into an assets collection folder and then use that as my project libary of overlay stock images for that catalog.

Having this ability again in lightroom would massively speed up workflows and could be a feature worth developing that makes sense for photo editing and not just digital design or graphic design which photoshop more gears towards is design, photoshop isnt a photo darkroom, lightroom is and thats where all the photograohy edits and techniques should be done is lightroom.

there is no right way or wrong way in doing things the more options and features rhat makes sense to our workflows is all benefiical for everyones different ways they work!

How would this look like in lightroom?

The  way I see this working is by making a nee icon beside the "masking" icon that is soecificslly for photo layering possibly upto 2-4 images by selecting multiple images in the photo roll and then having that blending mode section be able to merge those images and be able to have a drop down to select what blending mode to use.

we do not need full on layers just the sbility to overlay images ontop of one another via blending modes thats simple nothing more complex!

I feel this could be a realistic and sucessful update to make thst everyone can benefit from that makes sende to traditional photography and dark room techniques.

This can be done in photoshop but so can AI which is integrsted into both applications and feel blending modes snd overlays shoukd also be offered in both to accomomodate different workflows!

Arizona Bev nailed the concept right on the head this is exactly what I was talking about in more specific details so thank you for that explanation.

The On 1 application so fsr to the best of my knowledge is the only softwsrr thst really has done this adding layers into their applications kind of blendijg both lightroom and photoshop together while makijg it feel more like lightroom catered soecifically for photograohers as a digital darkroom.

i just feel having the option to do multiple exposures at even a basic level with belndijgnmodes would be a huge game changer and could really make this application above the rest tbh.

Yes thats what I am refering too not photo merge!

"All of those Ps advantages also apply to HDR and Panorama, yet Lr offers those features, too.  Why draw the line at Multiple Exposure merge?"

True, but in HDR and panorama the desired outcome is usually clear, so the user can leave it to Lightroom. In case of multiple exposures it is much less clear and subject to personal preference. That makes multiple exposure something I would always do in Photoshop, so personally I would not be interested in such an option in Lightroom. I would rather see Adobe add focus stacking, for example. BTW, I do occasionally use Photoshop for HDR and/or panorama too, however.

"Another advantage over in-camera Multiple Exposures is that you'd be able to try it using different blending modes on the same images.  In-camera, once you've selected a mode and taken the shots, it's done.  You can't undo it to try a different mode.  If you used a saved base image (Canon allows this) as the first image, you can always re-snap the subsequent images using a different blend mode (we're talking in camera), but conditions change, objects move, light is fleeting."

I read this as a confirmation that using Photoshop with all it's options is probably a better idea than having a much more limited option in Lightroom...

All of those Ps advantages also apply to HDR and Panorama, yet Lr offers those features, too.  Why draw the line at Multiple Exposure merge?

Another advantage over in-camera Multiple Exposures is that you'd be able to try it using different blending modes on the same images.  In-camera, once you've selected a mode and taken the shots, it's done.  You can't undo it to try a different mode.  If you used a saved base image (Canon allows this) as the first image, you can always re-snap the subsequent images using a different blend mode (we're talking in camera), but conditions change, objects move, light is fleeting. 

Another benefit of merging multiple exposures in PS not in LrC, is the availability of such algorithms as "Median" - which would probably never fall within ACR / LrC's scope, having more to do with image content than with image adjustment.

Median allows e.g. eliminating all traces of occasional people walking through, from an extended-time series of photos of the same fixed scene.

The big advantage of using Photoshop for this is that Photoshop can keep the images separate as layers (if you save the image as TIFF or PSD), giving you the option to change something at any time. Lightroom does not support layers however, and the DNG file format does not support layers either.