Hello guys, this is my second tutorial and I hope you will enjoy it as much as the first one. In this tutorial you will learn different photomanipulation techniques such as how to implement stock photos in your picture, how to combine them together to create a surreal image and how to use the 3D tool of Photoshop to give your piece a better look.

Final Image Preview

Stocks Used:

Step 1 - Creating the Background

Create a new document in Photoshop: 1081 pixels width and 840 pixels high at 72 dpi. Pick "White" at the "Background Contents".

Now create a new folder and name it "Background". Add a new layer and get out the brush tool (B). Pick the color #a1a1a1, set the brush size to 500px (soft brush) and the Opacity to 20%. Now choose a little area where you want to place your stock later and brush around it. Make the edges darker and get more and more lighter the closer you come to your "area".

Open the "cracked earth" texture and place it into your picture, name the layer "Ground". Now choose the move tool (V), press Ctrl + T and resize your texture.

Click on Edit - Transform - Perspective and deform the texture as I did, be sure that there is a check mark in "Show Transform Controls".

Set the opacity of the layer down to 55% and set the blending mode to "Linear Burn". Add a "layer mask" to the texture by clicking on the little box with the white dot in the middle and start brushing around the edges of the texture with a black, 100px sized soft brush (don't forget to set the opacity back to 100%).

The texture doesn't really fit well into the background, so add the following adjustments as clipping masks to the "Ground" layer.

-Gradient Map b/w:

-Curves:

Now you're done and we can start with the second and probably longest part of the tutorial.

Step 2 - Bring the Surrealism into your piece

Create a new folder and name it "Manipulation" then open your model stock and start to render it with the pen tool (p), but only cut out the upper part of the body, you don't need her feet. Name the layer "Woman" and go to Filter => Liquify. Zoom into the picture and press (W) for the Forward Warp tool. In the left side of the window you will see the "Tool Options", here you set the Brush Size between 5 an 15 (you will always need different sizes) and start to transform the lower part of her body. Try to make it look like her body is melting. This part will maybe hard if you do it for the first time, so don't worry if it doesn't look perfect on the first try, just do it again and again until you think it is.

Add the following Curves as a clipping mask to the "Woman" layer:

Create a new layer under the "Woman" and name it "Liquid". Choose a nice "skin color" (mine is #f3e0cd) and create a round shape which you put behind the body. Then go again to Filter => Liquify and repeat the things you did with her body.

Now get out your "Burn Tool" (O) and start to add shadows to the liquid. Use a small brush (5-10px) and set the range to "Midtones". The Exposure should always be like 20 or 50%, so you can darken the parts better.

Add a new layer above the woman and name it "Energy Lines". Pick black as your foreground color and choose a 1px sized, hard brush. Now get out the pen tool (P) and draw two small lines on her back as I did, but leave space between those lines, we will need it later! After that: Right Click => Stroke Path (Tool: Brush), then again right click but this time pick "Delete Path".

*Note: If you can only pick "Stroke Subpath" then just hold down the CTRL button and left click anywhere on your picture. After that you should have no problems.

Now that you have your lines, get out the eraser tool (E) (opacity: 20%, soft small brush (1-5px)) and erase little parts of those (mostly the "beginning" and the "ending"of the lines) then set the Opacity of the layer to 65%.

Right click on the "Energy Lines" layer => Blending Options. Use the following settings:

Now add some small dots with a hard, round brush in the middle of the lines and use the following Blending Options:

Create a new layer above the dots and pick #f2c05a as your foreground color. Now choose your brush tool (B) and use a small sized, round soft brush to create little "light dots" over the normal dots. Set this layer to lighten.

Repeat the steps with the "Energy Lines" and the "Dots" (but set the light dots this time on "Color Burn") and place them somewhere else on her body.

Open the Tree Stock and paste it into your piece. Erase the tree crown with a soft brush and place the layer between the "woman" and "Liquid".

Now: Edit => Puppet Warp. Transform the upper part of the tree, so that it blends with the body.

Create a new layer (as a clipping mask) above the tree and pick a 5px sized, round, soft brush. Choose a dark brown color (mine: #4e391b) and start to draw lines in some of the darker parts of the wood.

Set the layer on multiply 50%. Now add the following blending options:

Now do the same with white on lighter areas of the tree on a new layer. Set the opacity to 30%.

Copy your tree layer and name it "Tree Shadow". Now transform it as it did:

Now go to Filter => Blur => Gaussian Blur 5,0px. Set the layer-opacity to 30%. Erase parts of the shadows with a soft brush which are "over" the ground.

Add a few more shadows by brushing with a soft, round, black brush on the "Tree Shadow" layer.

Open the second tree stock, cut it out and erase everything except the tree crown (Hint: If you have simple pictures with a white background just use the Magic Wand Tool (W), its much easier then drawing those paths with the pen tool). Now paste the tree crown layer two times into your piece. The first you put behind the "Tree" layer and the second you put under the "Woman" layer.

Okay, now we'll add some little shadows to the tree crowns. We start with the one behind the tree: So create a new layer and name it "Tree Crown Shadows 1", then brush with a small sized, soft, round, black brush shadows in the leaves (if the shadows are too strong just lower the opacity of the layer until it fits well). After that do the same with the other tree crown layer and the tree layer.

Add the following Curves as clipping masks to both of the "Tree Crown" layers:

Open the leaves stock and pick two nice leaves, paste them into your picture and transform them. Now create a copy of every leaf layer and move the copies a little away from the original ones, then create a clipping mask to every copied leaf layer and fill the clipping masks with black. After that merge them together and go to Filter => Blur => Gaussian Blur 2px. Set the opacity of the layers to 80%.

Now get out the smoke and cloud brushes and start to brush over and behind the tree. As you may notice the tree does not really look like it's standing on the ground, so I decided to put some clouds over it. If the smoke or clouds don't look good just use the Puppet Warp and transform them.

Open the 3rd tree stock and pick one of the trees. Now put it over the right arm of the model and erase parts of it, so that it looks like it's coming out of her. After that create a new layer above the tree layer and brush a very light cloud over it (just reduce the opacity to about 20% if its too strong).

Get out the vine stock 1 and put it over the left arm of your model. Erase some parts of the vine so that it looks like it is entangling her whole arm. After that add the following curves as a clipping mask to the vine:

Copy the vine layer, create a clipping mask to the copied layer and fill it with black. Merge the clipping mask and the layer and go to Filter => Blur => Gaussian Blur 2px. Name the layer "vine shadow" and put it under the vine layer, now set down the opacity to 20% and erase parts which are not on her body, otherwise the shadows would be on the background which would look unrealistic.

Open the Moss Stock and pick your Magic Wand Tool (W). Set the Tolerance to 100 and start picking the area where the moss is (hold down shift to pick more then just one selection).

Cut out your selection and paste it into your picture. Resize the moss and place it on the upper part of her back. Now zoom in the picture (about 300 - 500%) and get out your eraser. Use a 3 to 5px sized, soft brush to erase parts of the moss and set the opacity down to 70%.

Use the following curves as a clipping mask over the moss layer:

Open the engine stock and cut out one of the 3 turbines. Resize it and paste it in the area which we left free between the two "energy lines".

Now use the following Hue/Saturation adjustment as a clipping mask on the turbine:

Create a new clipping mask over the Hue/Saturation layer and start brushing with a 8 - 10 px sized, black, soft brush inner shadows to the turbine. Set the opacity of the shadow layer to 70%.

Open the moss stock again and paste it this time over the turbine, erase the most part of it and leave just a little bit on the sides of the turbine. Set the opacity to 80 - 90%.

Use the following curves adjustment as a clipping mask over the turbine moos:

Create another clipping mask and add shadows to the moss.

Pick your pen tool (P) and create two triangle shapes, a big and a small one. For the first you should use a color which is a little darker then the skin of your model (mine was: #e3b48b), for the second, just use black and set the opacity to 20%. Now paste the shapes on the left arm of your model, first the big one then the smaller one.

Open the roots stock and cut out some good looking roots. After that paste them into your piece, resize and put them over the second triangle. Use the puppet warp to transform them into the right position and your eraser tool to erase bad looking parts. After that, add shadows to the roots like we did with the vines.

Use the following curves adjustment as a clipping mask over the roots:

Create another triangle shape which is as big as the first, but use this time the skin color of your model (mine: #fbf1e9) and put it over the roots. Move it a little so that the other shapes are visible.

Now repeat the whole Step again for the right arm, but use this time different shapes and other roots.

Now it's time to add some little details to the picture. We will start with some birds for the little tree on her right arm. I used one of Gomedia's premium packs, where you can find these birds. Paste them around the tree.

Open the vine stock 2 and pick the vine4.png. Resize the vine and place it over the turbine, after that add the following blending options to the layer.

Open the waterfall stock, press (L) to get out the Lasso Tool and then draw a selection around the waterfall.

Now go to Select -> Modify -> Feather and set the Radius to 50 pixels then right click on the image -> Layer via cut. Copy the waterfall layer and paste it in your artwork. Resize the waterfall and copy it. Move the first waterfall under the turbine and set it on lighter color 100%. Now move the second waterfall over it, set this layer on darken 60%.

Open the butterfly 1 stock, resize the image and put the butterfly over the turbine. Set the opacity down to 80% and add the following Hue/Saturation adjustment as a clipping mask to the butterfly layer.

Now open the second butterfly stock, cut it out and put it on the little finger of the model.

Add the following Hue/Saturation adjustment as a clipping mask to the butterfly:

Open the parrot stock, resize the bird and put it on the upper part of the tree. Set the opacity of the layer to 80% and start creating shadows like you did with the vines.

Create a new layer above the butterfly (1) and brush with a 60px sized, soft, round brush (#ff983a) a light dot in the turbine. Set the layer on Overlay 50%. Create another layer and zoom into the picture (500%). Pick a bright red color (#ed1c24) and with a very small (about 2px), round, soft brush you draw over her lips. Set this layer to lighten 50%.

Now we'll add some 3D letters into the picture. Grab your Horizontal Type Tool (T) and write any letter in any color on your piece. The size doesn't really matter. Go to 3D => RepoussЋ => Text layer. Use the following settings:

Now move your letter to anywhere in the piece where it looks good and if you have problems with the quality of the letter just go to Window => 3D => 3D {SCENE} => Quality: Ray Traced Final.

Repeat that step one or two times again and if you want you can also add different shapes like circles, triangles, lines or whatever looks good.

Open the rose petals stock. Before you start rendering them add the following hue/saturation adjustment to change their color to green:

Now that they are green, cut them out and place them all over your piece. Try to make it look like they float around her.

Create a new layer above all leaves and pick a hard, white, round brush (the size should be a little bigger then your leaves) and draw a circle over 3 or 4 of them. After that grab your eraser and pick a round, soft brush which should be a little smaller then your white circle. Now start to erase in the middle of the circle until you have something that is similar to mine.

Step 3 - Final Step

Open the texture pack and pick crazykira05. Now paste it in your piece and duplicate it several times so that it'll fill your image. Set the texture on color dodge 100%.

Create a new group and name it "Adjustments". Now add the following adjustments:

-Selective Color (Normal/50%)

-Levels (Normal/80%)

-Color Balance (Normal/100%)

Create a new layer and fill it with this color: #fbfcae Set the layer to Soft Light 42%.

Create another layer and fill it with: #d41a9d Set the layer to Lighten 19%.

And again this time with: #27455e Set the layer to Lighten 62%.

Merge all layers to one by pressing: CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+E. Go to Filter => Sharpen => Sharpen

Create another folder and name it "3D Effect". Now add the following Channel Mixer adjustment (Normal/100%)

Now again: CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+E, name this layer "Red". Make the Channel Mixer invisible by clicking on the little eye left to the layer. Pick the Red layer and press CTRL+T. Use the following angle:

Make it invisible and use the following Channel Mixer adjustment:

Merge the layers again with CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+E, name this new layer "Teal", hide the Channel Mixer layer and unhide the Red layer. Now set the Teal layer on Lighten and you're done!

I hope you all liked my second tutorial and could learn some new techniques :)

Final Result: "Bring Me To Life" Scene

Download Psd file

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