In this lesson, you will learn how to create a surrealistic scene by combining several images with the sky. You will also learn how to easily combine different images with light effects using blend modes, as well as create a natural highlight to get a light portal.
I’ll show you how to use textures to add detail to our scene, as well as how to work with plugins to get beautiful color shades. So let’s get started!
Final result
1. Create a background
Step 1
Open the program Adobe Photoshop, then go File – New (File> New) or press the keys (Ctrl + N) to create a new document.
Install the following sizes: 1400 px across the width (Width) 2100 px by height (Height) value Permissions (Resolution) 300.
Download all the original images from the link at the beginning of this lesson. Open the image with the background “background.jpg”. Move this image to our working paper that we just created. Double click on the name of the layer to rename it, name this layer The background (BACKGROUND).
(if you don’t see the layers palette, then go Window – Layers (Window> Layers) to activate this tab)
See the screenshot below. You must double click on the area where the arrow points.
Hint: Try to give each layer a name. When you have to work with multiple layers, it will be much easier and faster to navigate in the layers palette.
Step 2
Open the original image with clouds “clouds.jpg”. Move this image to our working paper, placing it on top of all layers. Name the cloud layer “Clouds”. Move the image with the clouds to the bottom right corner.
As you can see, there is a hard transition between the background and the clouds. In this step we will create a smooth transition. The section of the image that we need to combine is highlighted in the screenshot below.
To properly align the clouds with the entire image, add a layer mask to the cloud layer. Button Add layer mask (Add layer mask) is located at the bottom of the layers palette.
In the screenshot below, you can clearly see what the button looks like. Add layer mask (Add layer mask).
Choose a tool Brush 
(Brush Tool (B)). Set a soft round brush with opacity (Opacity), approximately 60%, the brush color is black. Make sure the mask layer is active (just click on it). Now, start painting over the hard transition areas, thus hiding these areas.
Tip: while working on a layer mask, try working with different brush sizes, varying the opacity to see which settings are best for your scene.
The result should be as in the screenshot below.
2. Color correction
In this part of the lesson, we will conduct color correction and also enhance the contrast to give the background a more dramatic mood.
Step 1
Let’s first change the color shades. Create a new adjustment layer. Hue / Saturation (Hue / Saturation) on top of all other layers. Button Create a new adjustment or fill layer (Create new fill or adjustment layer) is located at the bottom of the layers palette, right next to the button. Add layer mask (Add new layer mask) that you used in the previous step.
The button is highlighted in the screenshot below.
Set the value Color tone (Hue) at -30, the same for the value Saturation (Saturation) -30.
Step 2
To make the upper part of the sky more dramatic, you need to darken it a little. Add adjustment layer Curves(Curves) on top of all other layers. Set the curve roughly as shown in the screenshot below.
We need to add drama to the top of the image, not the whole image. To do this, select the tool Fill 
(Paint Bucket Tool (G)), fill in the mask of the adjustment layer Curves (Curves) in black to hide correction layer correction.
To make the correction visible only at the top of the image, select the tool Gradient 
(Gradient Tool (G)). In the settings window of this tool, select Linear gradient (Linear Gradient), this icon is located in the top settings panel.
Click on the gradient image icon in the upper left corner of the settings panel to open the window Gradient editor (Gradient Editor).
Set the gradient From foreground color to transparent (Foreground to Transparent). Set the foreground color to white (#FFFFFF).
Click ‘OK’ to apply the changes.
Make sure the mask is a correction layer Curves (Curves) was active (click on it). While on the mask, draw a gradient from the top to the middle of the image.
See the screenshot below to see the difference.
Step 3
To add a little more drama to our scene, we will further enhance the contrast in this step.
Add adjustment layer Curves (Curves) on top of all other layers. Set the curve roughly as shown in the screenshot below.
At the moment, the lesson we have created 5 layers. Let’s check all the layers so that they are in the exact order.
3. Add a man
Step 1
Open the original image with the man, move this image to our working paper. Place a layer with a man on top of all other layers. Name this layer “Man”.
To combine the image of a man with the whole scene, we need to hide part of the legs, making them lighter. Let’s get started on combining.
Add a layer mask to the man layer. Choose a tool Brush (Brush Tool (B)), set a soft round brush, brush color is black, opacity Brush (Opacity), approximately 70%. Being on the layer mask, gently paint over the man’s legs with a brush. See the screenshot below to get an idea of where to brush.
Step 2
To make the image of a man lighter, add an adjustment layer. Curves (Curves) on top of all other layers. Set the curve as shown in the screenshot below.
We need to brighten only the image of a man, and not the whole image, therefore, to achieve this, click on the button with a small square at the bottom of the panel Curves (Curves). So we convert the adjustment layer into a clipping mask.
Hint: You can create a clipping mask not only from the adjustment layers, but also from any layer you create. The layer as a clipping mask is attached to the bottom layer and affects only it, and not all layers of the image.
4. Create a portal
In the next steps we will create a light portal.
Tip: If you want to use your photos with different light effects, then you can visit an exhibition of optical illusions to photograph them. At the exhibition you will find a lot of material.
Step 1
Open the original image with the light effect, the file name is “inner.jpg”. Move this image to our working paper, placing it on top of all other layers. Name this layer “Inner Light 1”.
Right-click on the layer with the effect and in the appeared window select the option Duplicate layer (Duplicate layer). Name the duplicate layer “Inner Light 2”. Duplicate again, name the third duplicate of the “Inner Light 3” layer.
Hide the visibility of the “Inner Light 2 and 3” layers so that we can focus on combining the first layer. To hide the visibility of layers, click on the eye to the left of the layer thumbnail.
In the screenshot below, you can see what your scene will look like after you add an image with a light effect. You can also check the location of all layers in the layers palette.
Step 2
In this step, we will combine the “Inner Light 1” layer with the entire scene. We will change the blending mode, and then, hide the individual sections using a layer mask.
Click on the “Inner Light 1” layer to make sure it is active. Next, change the blending mode for this layer to Lightening (Screen). You can change the blending mode at the top of the layers palette.
To improve the alignment, we will hide the inner sphere. Add a layer mask to the “Inner Light 1” layer. Choose a tool Brush (Brush Tool (B)), set a soft round brush with opacity, about 60%, the brush color is black. Now, paint over the areas of the sphere that you want to hide.
In the screenshot below, you can see the areas of processing with a brush that are highlighted in turquoise.
In the screenshot below, you can see the step-by-step process of combining the light effect.
Step 3
Turn on the visibility of the “Inner Light 2” layer. As in the previous step, change the blending mode for this layer to Lightening (Screen).
To add a little variety to the portal, rotate the image with the effect. For this we go Editing – Free Transform – Rotate 180 ° (Edit> Free Transform. Rotate 180 °). Press ‘Enter’ to apply changes.
Add a layer mask to this layer. Choose a tool Brush (Brush Tool (B)). Using the same settings for the brush as in the previous step, brush the area of the sphere with a brush.
In the screenshot below, you can see the step-by-step process of combining the light effect.
Step 4
We will perform the alignment in the same way as we performed the alignment in the previous step. First go Editing – Free Transformation (Edit> Free Transform), then turn right 90 °.
Change the blending mode for this layer to Lightening (Screen).
Add a layer mask, and then brush the area of the sphere in the center of the layer.
Step 5
Next, open the second source image with the light effect, the file name is “portal.jpg”. Move this image to our working paper, placing it on top of all other layers. Name this layer “Portal”.
As before, change the blending mode for this layer to Lightening (Screen).
The sphere is too bright in the center. To decrease the brightness, add a layer mask to the “Portal” layer. Choose a tool Brush (Brush Tool (B)). Using the same settings for the brush as in the previous step, brush the area of the sphere with a brush.
The result should be as in the screenshot below.
Step 6
As you can see, the blue shades of the “Portal” layer dominate than the other fragments of the portal that we added. We need to carry out color correction in this step.
To the “Portal” layer, add an adjustment layer. Color tone Saturation (Hue / Saturation). Set the value Color tone (Hue) at -60, and the value Saturation (Saturation) at -50 and Brightness (Lightness) -10.
Remember to convert this adjustment layer to a clipping mask for the “Portal” layer so that the correction of this adjustment layer affects only the bottom layer (the “Portal” layer), and not the entire image.
Step 7
In this short step, we will make our scene a little darker.
Create a new adjustment layer. Curves (Curves) on top of all other layers. Set the curve as shown in the screenshot below.
5. Add details to the portal
Step 1
Open the following source image with light effects, the file name is “details.jpg”. Move this image to our working paper, placing it on top of all other layers. Name this layer “Details 1”. Right-click on this layer and in the window that appears, select the option Duplicate layer (Duplicate layer).
Name the duplicate layer “Details 2”. Click on the eye next to the layer thumbnail to turn off the visibility of this layer.
Step 2
The blend mode for this layer will be the same as for the previous layers. Click on the “Details 1” layer, and then change the blending mode to Lightening (Screen). Decrease Opacity (Opacity) layer up to 40%.
To improve the alignment, add a layer mask to the “Details 1” layer. Choose a tool Brush (Brush Tool (B)). Using the same settings for the brush as in the previous step, brush the center part as well as the left part of the image with a brush. See the screenshot below to see the brushing areas that are highlighted in turquoise.
Step 3
Turn on the visibility of the “Details 2” layer.
First go Editing – Free Transformation (Edit> Free Transform), then turn right 90 °. Next, change the blending mode to Lightening (Screen) and also reduce Opacity (Opacity) layer up to 40%.
To the “Details 2” layer, add a layer mask. Choose a tool Brush (Brush Tool (B)). Using the same brush settings as in the previous step, brush the rest of the image.
In the screenshot below, you can see the areas of processing with a brush that are highlighted in turquoise.
Step 4
To create a vignette, create a new adjustment layer. Curves (Curves) on top of all other layers. Set the curve as shown in the screenshot below.
We need to darken only the edges of the image. To do this, select the tool Oval area 
(Elliptical Marquee Tool (M)). Create an ellipse in the center of the image.
Next, apply a feather to the selection. Let’s go Selection – Modification – Feather (Select> Modify> Feather) (this activation method may differ in different versions of Photoshop. If you cannot find this option, then just press the keys (Shift + F6)).
Install Feather Radius (Feather Radius) 250 px, and then press ‘Enter’.
Choose a tool Fill 
(Paint Bucket Tool (G)), fill color is black. Make sure the mask is a correction layer Curves (Curves) was active, for this, click on it. Fill the selected area with black. Thus, we will hide the correction and we should get a vignette, as in the screenshot below.
Step 5
To add more depth to our scene, we will lighten the center of the image in this step.
Create a new layer below the “Details 1” layer. Name this layer “Fog”. Choose a tool Brush (Brush Tool (B)). Install a large soft round brush Opacity (Opacity) 20%. Brush color is light blue.
Now, just draw a single point in the center of the image. To align the point with the rest of the image, change the blending mode for this layer to Lightening (Screen).
In the first image in the screenshot below, you can see the area where you should draw a point. Draw a point in the same place as in the screenshot below. The scope of the brush is highlighted in turquoise.
In the second image in the screenshot below, you can see how the fog will look like in the blend mode Normal (Normal), and in the third image in the blend mode Lightening (Screen).
Step 6
To make the scene more balanced, we will add details to the portal in this step. The technique of combining is the same as in the previous step, therefore, I will only show you where you should place the new layers.
Open the following source image with light effects, the file name is “details.jpg”. Move this image to our working paper, placing it on top of all other layers. Duplicate this layer twice so you will have three layers. Name these layers “Light Effect Details 1, 2, and 3”. Change the blending modes for all three layers to Lightening (Screen) to combine them with the whole scene.
See the screenshot below to see where to place these layers.
6. Color correction
So, we have arranged all the main elements of the composition. In the next steps, we will focus on color correction to create a magical atmosphere.
Step 1
In this step, I will make the image darker and less contrasting. Create a new adjustment layer. Curves (Curves) on top of all other layers. Set the curve as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 2
To complete this step, you will need a Photoshop plugin called ‘Color Efex Pro’. This is a paid plug-in, but the site has a suggestion that you can use this plug-in for free in test mode for 14 days, so you can complete the lesson without buying this plug-in.
Download the plugin by the link at the beginning of this tutorial, install it. After installation, return to Photoshop.
Choose a tool Rectangular area 
(Rectangular Marquee Tool (M)), select the entire image. Next, go Editing – Copy merged data (Edit> Copy Merged), and then go Editing – Paste (Edit> Paste) to paste the combined image. Place the created merged layer on top of all other layers, name this layer “Colors”.
Next, go Filter – Nik Software> Color Efex Pro (Filter> Nik Software> Color Efex Pro). In the left menu, select a filter called le Bleach Bypass ’.
Set the settings as shown in the screenshot below.
Click the button +Add filter (+ Add Filter) to apply changes.
Step 3
Don’t close the plugin yet, here choose another filter called “Cross Processing’ ”.
Set the settings for this filter as shown in the screenshot below. Click ‘OK’ to apply the changes.
In the screenshot below, you can see how the correction data affected our image.
Step 4
The scene will look better if we slightly reduce the saturation of the image. To achieve this, add a new adjustment layer. Hue / Saturation (Hue / Saturation) on top of all other layers. Set the value Saturation (Saturation) at -20.
Step 5
Open the original image with the texture. Move the texture to our working paper, placing it on top of all the other layers. Name this layer “Texture”.
To blend the texture with the entire scene, change the blending mode for the texture layer to Soft light (Soft Light), and also reduce opacity (Opacity) layer texture up to 20%.
Step 6
To add some more depth to our scene, we will darken the edges of the scene in this step.
Create a new layer on top of all other layers, name this layer “Fade”. Change the blending mode for this layer to Soft light (Soft Light)
Choose a tool Brush (Brush Tool (B)). Set a soft round brush with opacity (Opacity) 10%, brush color is black. Using a customized brush, start painting the edges of our working paper. Pay attention to the areas where brush paint. The areas that need to be painted over with a brush are highlighted with a turquoise hue in the screenshot below.
Step 7
In the final step, we will add a highlight to create a more interesting light effect.
Create a new layer on top of all other layers, name this layer “Highlight Hue”. Choose a tool Fill (Paint Bucket Tool (G)), set the fill color to black. Now, with this tool, fill the new layer with black.
Next, go Filter – Rendering – Blick (Filter> Render> Lens Flare). Install Lens type (Lens Type) 105mm Prime, as shown in the screenshot below.
To combine the layer with the light flare with the entire scene, change the blending mode for this layer to Lightening (Screen), and also reduce the opacity of the layer (Opacity) to 75%.
Conclusion
Congratulations! We have completed the lesson. In this lesson, you learned how to:
- use blending modes to create interesting lighting effects
- work with additional Photoshop plugins to make more interesting color correction
- apply textures to add detail to your work
Final result
