In this tutorial, we will create a funny surreal scene using different collage techniques. You will see how you can create realistic land and soil using several photos. The main elements of the scene will be a skull, a bird and an egg. We will combine all this with brushes, masks and adjustment layers.
Final result:
1. The basis of the scene
Step 1
Create a new document in Photoshop (Ctrl + N) with such parameters:
Step 2
Open a photo of the sky and select it with the tool. Rectangular area 
(Rectagnular Marquee Tool) (M).
Transfer the sky to the main document tool Move
(Move Tool) (V).
Step 3
To create the depth of the scene, add a blur to the background. Apply filter Gaussian blur (Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur) (Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur).
Step 4
Change a little sky color with an adjustment layer. Color balance (Color Balance):
Step 5
Open the first photo of the soil and select it with the tool. Rectangular area (Rectangular Marquee Tool) (M).
Transfer the soil to the main document.
Step 6
Darken the soil with a correction layer. Curves (Curves) with clipping mask (Ctrl + Alt + G).
Step 7
Discolor the soil with a correction layer. Hue / Saturation (Hue / Saturation):
Step 8
Create a new layer with a clipping mask for the soil. Select blend mode Overlap (Overlay) and fill with 50% gray.
Choose a tool Dimmer 
(Burn Tool): Midtones range, 10-15% exposure. Darken some areas on the edges of the soil.
Step 9
Open another photo of the soil and select the top with grass:
Transfer the soil to the main document.
Add a mask and use a soft black brush to erase the edges to merge the two layers of soil.
Step 10
Darken new soil with a correction layer. Curves (Curves).
On the mask of the adjustment layer, go around the top edge of the grass with a soft brush so that it receives light from the sky.
Step 11
Discolor the soil with a correction layer. Hue / Saturation (Hue / Saturation):
Step 12
Open a photo with green grass and select it with the tool. Rectangular area (Rectangular Marquee Tool) (M).
Transfer the grass to the main document. In mode Distortion (Edit> Transform> Distort) (Edit> Transform> Distort) change the perspective.
Add a mask and soft brush to erase the edges of the grass.
Step 13
Transform a grass layer into a smart object. (Filter> Convert for smart filters) (Filter> Convert for Smart Filters). Apply a filter to the grass layer Gaussian blur (Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur) (Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur) with a value of 3 pixels.
On the filter mask with a soft brush, leave the blur only away.
Step 14
On the grass there are several dark areas that need to get rid of. Create a new layer for the grass with a clipping mask (Ctrl + Alt + G). Tool Stamp 
(Clone Stamp Tool) (S) Cover the dark spots.
Step 15
Create an adjustment layer for the grass. Color balance (Color Balance):
Step 16
The light source of our scene will be located in the upper left corner. Now we need to create an adjustment layer. Curves (Curves) to increase the brightness.
On the mask of the adjustment layer with a black brush paint over the part that should not be light.
Step 17
Create another adjustment layer Curves (Curves) – this time for shading.
On the mask paint over this area:
2. The skull
Step 1
Open the image of the skull and select it with the tool Polygonal Lasso 
(Polygonal Lasso Tool) (L).
Transfer the skull to our document, place it in the center of the canvas and set straight.
Add a mask and erase part of the skull to make it clear that it is stuck in the ground.
Step 2
Discolor skull with adjustment layer Hue / Saturation (Hue / Saturation).
Step 3
Now we need to change the lighting of the skull. First darken the skull with a correction layer. Curves (Curves).
On the mask, paint over the left upper part, which should be illuminated by our light source.
Step 4
Create another adjustment layer Curves (Curves) – to lighten the top.
On the mask paint over the part of the skull marked on the screenshot.
Step 5
Create a new layer for the skull. (Ctrl + Shift + N), filled with 50% gray in mode Overlap (Overlay). Now we will work with tools Clarifier (Dodge Tool) (O) and Dimmer (Burn Tool) (O) over detailed lighting and shadows. In the settings, select the range Mid tones (Midtones) and 15-20% exposure. Color the skull as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 6
Create a new layer under the skull. Choose a soft brush with 40-45% opacity. Draw the shadow of the skull on the grass.
3. Roots
Step 1
Insert a photo of the tree roots into our document and position it like this:
Using a mask, wipe off some of the roots.
Step 2
From the original photo, copy the right part of the roots into our document. Place it on the left side and use a mask to connect it with other roots.
Step 3
Make a copy of the last layer and move it to the middle to fill the void. Use a mask to connect the roots.
Step 4
All layers of roots put in one group (Ctrl + G). Give the group a normal blend mode. Inside the group at the very top create an adjustment layer. Curves (Curves).
Step 5
Create an adjustment layer for the roots. Levels (Levels).
On the mask paint over the lower part of the roots, as it should not be so dark.
4. nest
Step 1
Insert nest into our document.
Step 2
Create a new layer under the nest and a soft brush with 40-45% opacity to draw a shadow
Step 3
Create a new layer under the skull. With a soft brush with 30% opacity, draw a shadow from the nest on the grass.
Step 4
Create an adjustment layer for the socket. Curves (Curves) to lighten it up.
On the mask, erase the shadow on the right side.
Step 5
Reduce the saturation of the nest with a correction layer. Hue / Saturation (Hue / Saturation).
5. Bird and egg
Step 1
Open a photo of the egg and select it with the tool. Magic wand 
(Magic Wand Tool) (W).
Transfer the egg to our paper and place it in the nest. Using a mask and a hard brush, erase the bottom half of the egg.
Step 2
Darken the egg with a correction layer. Curves (Curves). Remove the shadow from the top of the egg.
Step 3
Separate the bird from the background and paste it into our document.
Step 4
Create a new layer under the bird. Choose a soft brush with 30-35% opacity and draw the shadow of the bird on the nest. You also need to draw the shadow of the bird on the grass. Since the bird is farther from the ground, the shadow should be lighter.
Step 5
Create a correction layer for the bird. Curves (Curves) to reduce the brightness. Use a soft brush to erase the shadow where it is not needed.
Step 6
Create a new layer in mode. Overlap (Overlay) and fill it with 50% gray. Tool Clarifier
(Dodge Tool) (O) Add light to the tail and left foot. Tool Dimmer (Burn Tool) (O) Add a shadow to the right foot.
6. Tree
Step 1
Insert tree branches into the upper right corner of the canvas.
Apply filter Gaussian blur (Gaussian Blur) with a value of 5 pixels.
Step 2
Change the color of the foliage with a correction layer. Color balance (Color Balance):
Step 3
Brighten the tree with a correction layer. Curves (Curves).
On the mask with a soft brush, work on the lighting details.
7. Leaves
Step 1
Insert a sheet into our document on the right side, as if it had fallen from a tree.
Step 2
Create a few copies and scatter them around the skull. For each sheet, apply a filter Gaussian blur (Gaussian Blur) with a value of 3 pixels.
Step 3
Create two copies of one of the leaves and enlarge them. Large leaves should be in the foreground. Place them at the edges of the canvas and apply the same blur filter with a value of 12 pixels.
Step 4
All the leaves put in one group. Inside it create a correction layer. Color balance (Color Balance).
Step 5
Brighten the leaves with a correction layer. Curves (Curves).
On the mask with a soft brush with 20-100% opacity, remove the light from some leaves.
8. Final Correction
Step 1
It’s time to improve the overall color of the picture. Create an adjustment layer Gradient map (Gradient Map): # 7d6a51 – # a2b54a. Set the blending mode Soft light (Soft Light) and reduce the opacity to 50%.
Step 2
Create an adjustment layer Color balance (Color Balance):
Step 3
Increase contrast with adjustment layer Curves (Curves):
Step 4
Create an adjustment layer Vibration (Vibrance).
Final result:
Download the archive with materials for the lesson
Author: Jenny Le
