Imagine making a couple clones of yourself, then rounding all of the new yous up for a group photo. That’s kind of the idea behind multiplicity photography, a technique where the subject appears multiple times in a single photo. Wanna get in on this trendy look? There’s no need to start searching for those scientists who cloned a sheep in the ’90s. Just grab your camera and have a ridiculously fun photoshoot, then head to PicMonkey.com to assemble your OMG-inducing image.
Taking your photos
Before you can put your final image together, you’ve gotta get some pics to play with. Most multiplicity photos begin with a self timer on a camera and a tripod. Even if you’ve enlisted a friend to play photog, using a tripod will make it a lot easier to assemble your final image later.
Make sure you (or your subject) move(s) to different parts of the area where you’re shooting, and consider interacting with furniture, trees, and other objects. If you take all of your pics standing in the exact same spot, you might have a difficult time assembling your final multiplicity image and it may not look as impressive as it could.
You can change up your pose and facial expression, jump in the air, lay on the floor—whatever you please. Some imaginative multiplicitors have even used the technique to create their own kind of tableau vivant, like a crime-show-worthy faux murder scene or really weird trip to the dentist.
Assembling your multiplicity pic
Once you’ve snapped a bunch of fabulous photos, open one in PicMonkey. You’ll add the rest of your pics to this one, so make sure the setting looks the way you want it to.
Now head to the Photos & Video tab, and click the Add photo or video button to open another photo. Select your new photo and click Remove bkgnd from the Image Tools menu on the left (check out our background eraser video tutorial for an in-depth look at the process). Align your newly backgroundless subject with the photo underneath, then repeat the background-erase-and-place process with your other photos. That’s it!
Pro tip: To make your finalized multiplicity photo look extra cohesive, click the Flatten button on the Layers panel, then add a texture or photo effect to your entire image. Nobody will ever believe that you started with a bunch of different pics.
Explore what else you can do in PicMonkey: use our reshape photo tools, make a color splash image, or get fresh ideas for your Instagram backgrounds!
