In this tutorial, I will show you how to create an emotional scene with a bear in Photoshop. You will learn how to make color corrections and use brushes, apply adjustment layers, textures, as well as work on light effects and much more.
Translator’s Note: The author used paid materials. In the archive you will find alternative images for the lesson.
The final result:
Step 1
First let’s create a new document in Photoshop. Let’s go File – New …(File> New ..). Set the following settings Width (Width) 862px, Height (Height) 1168px Resolution (Resolution) 300 pix/inch (pixels / inch). Click OK.
Step 2
Next, open the image with the clearing. Move this image to our working paper, placing it as shown in the screenshot below. Name the layer with the glade ‘Earth’.
Step 3
Next, open the original image with the cave. Move this image to our working paper, placing it as shown in the screenshot below. Name the cave cave layer.
Step 4
Using tool Pen
(Pen Tool), create an outline around the cave, as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 5
As soon as you close the contour, right-click on the created contour and in the appeared window select the option To form a selected area (Make Selection). Set the radius Feathering (Feather) 0.9 px.
Step 6
So, we created an active selection around the cave, as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 7
Next, to the cave layer, add a layer mask through the bottom of the layers panel or go Layer – Mask Layer – Show Selected Area (Layer> Layer Mask> Reveal Selection).
Step 8
Now only the selected area is visible (white area on the layer mask), and the rest of the image is hidden (black area on the layer mask), as can be seen in the screenshot below.
Step 9
Switch to the layer mask. Choose a soft brush (the size (size) brushes: 145 px / rigidity (hardness) 50%).
Step 10
Make sure the foreground color is set to black. Next, paint over the area in front of the cave, as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 11
Open the image with trees. Select the next tree.
Step 12
Move the selected tree image to our working paper. Arrange the tree as shown in the screenshot below. Name the layer with the tree ‘Cave framing’. Add a layer mask to the tree layer.
Step 13
Now, using the transformation, transform the tree, as shown in the screenshot below, and then use the soft black brush to hide the extra areas on the layer mask.
Step 14
Repeat the whole process, creating a frame around the cave. Next, merge all the layers with the green border into one group. Name this group “Grass Framing”.
Step 15
Using the same technique, add another frame to the cave using other trees.
Step 16
Now, to the ма Earth ’layer, add a layer mask.
Step 17
Using a black brush, paint over the image behind the cave (it is necessary to paint on the layer mask).
Step 18
Open the original image with the river. Move this image to our working paper. Place a layer with a river between the ‘Earth’ layer and the ‘Cave’ layer.
Step 19
Add a layer mask to the river layer.
Step 20
Using a black brush, paint over the image with the river behind the cave (it is necessary to paint on the layer mask).
Step 21
Open source image with mountains. Move this image to our working paper. Apply the transformation, and then position the mountains as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 22
Using tool Fast Allocation 
(Quick Selection Tool), create an active selection around the image of the mountains.
Step 23
Next, to the layer with the mountains, add a layer mask. The result should be as in the screenshot below.
Step 24
Now, make sure that you are standing on a layer with mountains, and not on the layer mask of this layer and then go Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur (Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur). Install radius (Radius) blur 1.0 px, and then click OK.
Step 25
Next, add the image of the bridge.
Step 26
Next, add an image with grass.
Step 27
To the grass layer, apply the transformation by positioning the grass next to the bridge, as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 28
Next, to the grass layer, add a layer mask and use a soft black brush to hide the extra areas of grass, as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 29
Now, add a new adjustment layer to the grass layer. Color Balance (color balance) as a clipping mask. To convert the adjustment layer to a clipping mask, right-click on the layer and in the appeared window select the option Create clipping mask (Create a clipping mask) or press the keys (Alt + Ctrl + G).
Step 30
Next, we will correct the grass image in order to combine it with all the grass in our scene.
Step 31
Duplicate the bridge layer. Name the duplicate layer “Bridge Shadow”.
Step 32
Double-click on the “Bridge Shadow” layer to apply layer styles and in the appeared window select the option Overlay colors (Color Overlay). Fill color is black.
Step 33
Next, using the free transformation (Ctrl + T), transform the shadow, as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 34
Now, reduce opacity (Opacity) layer with shadow up to 25% and then go Filter – Blur – Blur on the frame (Filter> Blur> Box Blur). Apply a radius of 2 px, and then click OK.
The result should be as in the screenshot below.
Step 35
Next, add an image with the sky, as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 36
Next, we will add a model image to our scene, but first, open the image with the model, and then separate the model image from the background. Move the selected model image to our working paper.
Step 37
Using the same technique that you used to correct the bridge, add an image of grass around the model image.
Add a correction layer to the grass layer. Color Balance (Color Balance) as a clipping mask. Apply the values that are shown in the screenshot below.
Step 38
Keep adding grass around the model. The result should be as in the screenshot below.
Step 39
Next, open the original image with the bear. We need to remove the background in this image. Using tool Pen (pen tool), create a work path around the bear image, next, create an active selection around the bear image, and then remove the background, as shown in the screenshot below.
Next, create a new layer. Choose a tool Finger 
(Smudge tool). Set the settings for this tool, which are shown in the screenshot below.
Start coloring with the tool Finger (Smudge tool) around the image of a bear.
The result should be as in the screenshot below.
Step 40
Now, merge the layer with the selected image of the bear, as well as the layer with the correction of bear fur in one layer. Move the merged bear layer to our working paper.
Step 41
Next, go Filter – Sharpness – Smart Sharpen (Filter> Sharpen> Smart Sharpen).
Step 42
Using the same technique we used earlier when correcting the model image, add grass around the bear image.
Step 43
Duplicate the bear layer. Name the duplicate of the ‘Shadow of the Bear’ layer. Double click on the duplicate layer and in the window that appears select the option Color overlay (Color Overlay), select the fill color is black.
Next, using transformation (Ctrl + T), transform the shadow, as shown in the screenshot below.
Using tool Eraser 
(Eraser tool), setting the eraser on a soft brush, process the edge of the shadow, creating a smooth transition.
Decrease opacity (Opacity) of a layer with a shadow to 30%, further, we go Filter – Blur – Blur on the frame (Filter> Blur> Box blur), apply radius blur 7 px, and then click OK.
Step 44
Add the original image of the neck to our working paper. Arrange the neck as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 45
Create a new layer. Using a soft black brush, draw the shadows under the image of the neck.
Step 46
Add a turtle image to our scene.
Step 47
Add a grass image around the turtle image.
Step 48
Next, we add leaves to our scene. First, add one leaf. Apply the transformation (Ctrl + T). Right-click on the transformation area and in the appeared window select the option Deformation (Warp).
Warp the leaf as shown in the screenshot below.
Next, go Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur (Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur). Apply a 1.5 px blur radius, and then click OK.
In the same way, add more leaves to our scene to get the result, as in the screenshot below.
Step 49
Select a soft brush, set the following settings for the brush: the size (Size) brush 400 px / rigidity (Hardness) brush 0%, brush color # f2c979.
Step 50
Apply the brush as shown in the screenshot below.
Reduce the opacity of the layer with the light effect to 50%, and also change the blending mode to Lightening (Screen).
Using a different brush diameter, add the same effect above the cave. Install opacity (Opacity) layer between 40% – 60%.
Step 51
Next, go Layer – New Fill Layer – Color (Layer> New Fill Layer> Solid Color). Set the fill color to # 4c591a, and then click OK.
Reduce value opacity (Opacity) layer with fill up to 40%, and the value fillings (Fill) layer up to 50%, and also change the blending mode to Overlap (Overlay).
Step 52
Open the texture 1. Move this texture to our working paper, placing it as shown in the screenshot below.
Reduce value opacity (Opacity) layer to 50%, and the value fillings (Fill) layer up to 80%, and also change the blending mode for the texture layer to Soft light (Soft Light).
Step 53
Open texture 2. Move this texture to our working paper, placing it as shown in the screenshot below.
Reduce value opacity (Opacity) layer to 50%, and the value fillings (Fill) layer up to 85%, and also change the blending mode for the texture layer to Lightening (Screen).
Step 54
Open texture 3. Move this texture to our working paper, placing it as shown in the screenshot below.
Add a correction layer to the 3 texture layer. Black and white (Black White).
For this adjustment layer Black and white (Black White), set the shade to # e1ad35.
Next, right-click on the adjustment layer. Black and white (Black White) and in the window that appears select the option Create clipping mask (Create Clipping Mask) or press the keys (Alt + Ctrl + G).
Next, reduce opacity (Opacity) layer with texture 3 to 60%, and also change the blending mode to Soft light (Soft Light).
Step 55
Next, create a new group, name this group ‘Effects’. Apply the following adjustment layers, focusing on blending modes, opacity, and layer fill.
Thank you for being with me until the end of the lesson. I hope you learned something useful for yourself today and that this lesson will help you in creating your future projects:
The final result:
