Process
In its simplest form, compositing is all about taking two or more separate images and pulling them together into a single composite image, with the goal of making the final image as believable as possible. There are hundreds of different techniques available to use when compositing, and depending on the desired result and the source images provided, a composite can take anywhere from less than an hour to 40 or more hours to complete. Experience and skill with the available tools, such as Photoshop, also factor in to the time required and the look of the final product. As with any artistic commission, if you want something fast and cheap though, you're going to get something that looks fast and cheap. Given the above, it's always a good idea to find an artist you are comfortable with, and whose work appeals to you. Also make sure they have the appropriate experience for the end product you have in mind - a photographer that specializes in headshots and re-touching in Photoshop, may not necessarily be skilled in creating a sci-fi or fantasy themed composite and vice versa. Finally, if you are looking to provide the source pictures for the composite yourself, be prepared for the composite artist to review the images for both quality and content and possibly tell you that new pictures will be needed based on what you are looking to do. When you have quality source images, the compositing process becomes much easier - saving you time and money and resulting in a more impressive composite. So while that low light cell phone picture of you in your Dracula costume standing in front of a comic book stand at a crowded convention may capture you in a great pose, it will not make for great composite. Could something be done with it? Sure. Will it take much longer than necessary and be of lower quality? Most definitely. So make sure to be open with your composite artist and trust their judgement and expertise to help give you something that will exceed your expectations! Below are two short clips that illustrate the progression involved in building a composite and how images are brought together (please note this is a simplification and many hours go into masking and building the layers, as well as adjusting colors, lighting and processing).