In this tutorial, we will continue to create a surrealistic and dreamy collage using images of the atmosphere, lighting, masks, as well as various textures and brushes.
The first part of the lesson you can see HERE.
Final image
Source materials:
Let’s continue the lesson!
Create a new group. Call it “Trees.” Place it between the “Mountain” and “Statue” groups.
Take a tree image and trim the background in your favorite way (I did it manually). When done, duplicate it and name it “Tree 1”.
In this part, deforming the tree and giving it a new shape, add a bit of your expression. Press Ctrl + T and change the tree as shown in the image.
Go to menu Filter-> Liquify (Filter -> Plastic) and transform with Forward Warp tool (Warp) and brush size of about 900px.
You can duplicate a tree, and place a duplicate already as a tree branch. When you are satisfied with the shape of the tree, combine all the layers with the tree. I recommend duplicating the converted tree and saving it.
Now let’s disguise the part of the tree inside the broken part of the statue. Go to the eggshell layer in the Statue group, and then apply the following settings Image -> Adjustments -> Select Color (Image -> Correction -> Selective color correction) specify for Reds (Red) colors: Black (Black): + 67.
Go back to the “Tree 1” layer and create a new layer called “Hole”, set the blending mode SoftLight (Soft light), with a black brush with soft edges, draw a dark part in the broken hole. Change Opacity (Opacity) of this layer is 30%. This will add more depth to this part of the chest.
We now turn to the lighting. Duplicate the “Tree 1” layer. Go to menu Image -> Adjustments -> Hue/Saturation (Image -> Correction -> Tone / Saturation), specify Lightness (Brightness): -24. Add a mask to this layer and use a soft black brush to walk along the left side of the tree where the light falls.
Make active the layer below the current one. Go to menu Image-> Adjustments-> SelectiveColor (Image -> Correction -> Selective color correction). Specify colors: Whites(White),Cyan (Blue): -17, Yellow (Yellow): + 10,Black (Black): + 5. Now it looks more natural.
Copy the “Tree 1” part and place it as shown in the picture below, gently disguise it.
Duplicate “Tree 1 copy” and go to the menu Image -> Adjustments -> Hue/Saturation(Image -> Correction -> Tone / Saturation), specify Lightness (Brightness): -100. Place it below the original layer and move it slightly to the right to make the drop shadow.
Go to menu Filter-> Blur-> Gaussian Blur (Filter -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur) 6.8px
Now go to menu Image-> Adjustments-> SelectiveColor (Image -> Correction -> Selective color correction), specify the colors: Blacks (Black), Cyan (Blue): -13, Yellow (Yellow): -13, Black: -6. It will be a shadow.
Place the pieces of wood on the background as shown in the picture. Do not blur them. We will do this later. Name these layers “Tree 2” and “Tree 3”. Use on themFilter-> Liquify (Filter -> Plastic), as we did on the original layer.
You can adjust the lighting on each tree by adding more light through the correction. Hue/Saturation (Color tone / saturation), Levels (Levels) or through SelectiveColor (Selective color correction).
Remember that the closer to the sun, the more shadow cast and the edges of the shadow more blurred.
Step 6
Now we are going to work on the foreground. Take a picture Sky 2 (fourth) via LassoTool 
(Lasso) Select the right side of the picture.
Copy and paste above all layers. It will be the most magnificent cloud, and we will locate it on the bottom right of the largest mountain. Resize and warp the cloud, as shown in the image below. Name this layer “Cloud 1”.
Then go to menu Image -> Adjustments -> Hue/Saturation(Image -> Correction -> Tone / Saturation) and specify the following parameters: colors Cyans(Blue) Hue (Color tone): + 5, Saturation (Saturation): -22, Lightness (Brightness): + 41.
Next, go to the menu Image-> Adjustments-> SelectiveColor(Image -> Correction -> Selective color correction) set the following parameters: colorsWhites(White), Cyan (Blue): -22, Magenta (Magenta): + 2, Yellow (Yellow): + 5, Black (Black): 0;
Image-> Adjustments-> SelectiveColor (Image-> Correction -> Selective color correction) specify the following settings: colors Blacks (Black),Cyan (Blue): -10,Magenta (Magenta): + 3, Yellow (Yellow): 0, Black (Black): 0.
Now add a mask to the layer and use a soft black brush to erase the hard edges. Later we will add more details around the edges.
Do not forget to create a new group for the new layers that we are going to work with. Name it “Clouds” and add to it the layer that we just worked with. Now let’s add coverage to this lush cloud. Highlight with Lasso Tool (Lasso) right side of the cloud. Then go to menu Select-> Modify-> Feather (Select -> Modify -> Feather) and specify a feather radius of 30px.
Then go to menuImage-> Adjustments-> Levels (Image -> Correction -> Levels) specify the following settings: 0, 0.72, 255. Now the area where the light does not reach should look darker. If it looks too saturated, use the correction. Hue /Saturation (Hue / Saturation) and lower a little saturation.
Now copy the left part of the image “Sky 2” (fourth), paste it in the bottom left of the picture. Call it “Cloud 2”
Then go to the layer below the current one. Go to menu Image-> Adjustments-> Selective Color (Image -> Correction -> Selective color correction). Specify for flowersWhites (White) the following parameters: Cyan (Blue): -26, Magenta (Magenta): 0, Yellow (Yellow): + 7, Black (Black): 0.
Create a layer mask, and erase hard edges with a soft black brush.
Now, to get more detailed edges of the clouds, which look more natural, we are going to create a brush. Open the Brush Cloud photo and select one cloud using Lasso Tool (Lasso), as shown in the picture. Then go to Image-> Crop (Image -> Crop).
Go to menu Image -> Adjustments -> Hue /Saturation (Image -> Correction -> Tone / Saturation) specify Master (Everything): Saturation (Saturation): -100. Then Image-> Inverse (Image -> Invert). We must leave the areas adjacent to the cloud completely white. To do this, go to Image -> Adjustments ->Levels (Image -> Correction -> Levels): 21,1.30,165.
Since this was not enough, select the tool Dodge Tool (
O)(Clarifier) with settings Range (Range): Highlights (Sveta), Exposure(Exposure): 15% to leave completely white edges.
Now move on Edit-> Define Brush Preset (Edit -> Define Brush). Name the new cloud brush.
Now back to the working paper. Choose a tool Eyedropper Tool (I) 
(Pipette) and select the color closest where you want to use the newly created brush.
Do the same with the foreground and background until you feel it is enough.
Now take the image Cloud 1and apply the following settings.
Go to the Image menuImage -> Adjustments -> Hue /Saturation(Image -> Correction -> Tone / Saturation) for Blues(Blue) colors the following settings Hue(Color tone): 0, Saturation (Saturation): -100, Lightness (Brightness): + 36. Next Image-> Adjustments-> Selective Color (Image -> Correction -> Selective color correction) specify the colors:Whites (White), Cyan (Blue): -24, Magenta (Magenta): 0, Yellow (Yellow): + 12,Black (Black): 0.
Name this layer “Cloud 3” and set the blending mode for it. Lighten (Replacing light). Take the parts of the same image (cloud 1) and start placing them above the tree branches that we made earlier. Also use the cloud brush or create new clouds.
Now copy these clouds and paste them on the branches behind the statue in the background. Adjust the brightness depending on which tree they are on.
Step 7
Take the image with the birds (http://www.sxc.hu/photo/332969), select them. To make the birds turn white, go to the menu Image -> Adjustments -> Levels (Image -> Correction -> Levels): 0, 2.31, 171.
Using the transformation tools, change the size of the birds and place them where you want to emphasize how everything is not proportional.
Go to menu Filter-> Blur-> Motion Blur (Filter -> Blur -> Blur in motion) specify Angle (Angle) 39 degrees, Distance (Offset): 19.
If you place the birds above the statue, you will need to draw the shadows. To do this, duplicate the bird layer and go to the menu Image -> Adjustments -> Hue/Saturation (Image -> Correction -> Tone / Saturation)
Apply the blending option on this new layer. Color overlay(Overlay color). You can find the layer styles below in the layers palette in front of the mask icon. Or simply double-click on the layer you are working with. Apply color # 71625c. Erase shadows that do not touch any surface.
Go to the group “Sky 1” and make active the first layer, where the clouds are located. Via Lasso Tool (Lasso) Select the part you see in the picture. And then go to menu Select-> Modify-> Feather (Select -> Modify -> Feather) Radius: 90px.
Then go to menu Filter-> Blur-> Gaussian Blur (Filter -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur) 4,7px.
Now go to one of the mountains in the background (nearest) and apply Gaussian blur (Blur according to Gauss) 2,7px. Do the same with the tree next to it.
Go to the next mount and apply Gaussian blur (Blur according to Gauss) 6,0px. Do the same with the two remaining trees.
Now go to the layer with the sky at the top (group “Sky 2”) and select it with Lasso Tool (Lasso). Go to menu Select-> Modify-> Feather (Allocation -> Modification -> Feather) Radius: 90px and apply Gaussian blur (Blur according to Gauss) 5,5px.
The result should be:
Now that the focus and depth have become more realistic, we can correct the color and general lighting. In this part we are going to take advantage of the correction layers. The layer correction icon is located at the bottom of the layers palette, as shown in the image below. Go to menu Image -> Adjustments -> Hue /Saturation (Image -> Correction -> Tone / Saturation) for Reds (Red): Hue (Color tone): 0, Saturation (Saturation): -16, Lightness (Brightness): + 1; for Yellows (Yellow): Hue(Color tone): -13,Saturation (Saturation): + 14, Lightness (Brightness): 0.
Now create a new adjustment layer, go to the menu Image -> Adjustments -> Hue/Saturation (Image -> Correction -> Tone / Saturation) specify the following settings: Master (Everything), Lightness(Brightness): -37. Create a mask for this layer, and use a black soft brush to go over the brightest parts of the bottom layer. This will make the light more dramatic. Erase on the mask almost completely the left part of the picture, from which the light falls.
Create a new adjustment layer and go to the menu Image-> Adjustments-> Selective Color (Image -> Correction -> Selective color correction). Specify the following parameters: colorsReds (Red) Cyan (Blue): -17, Magenta (Magenta): 0, Yellow (Yellow): + 18, Black (Black): 0; colors:Whites (White), Cyan (Blue): -7, Magenta (Magenta): 0, Yellow (Yellow): + 8,Black (Black): 0; colors:Blacks (Black), Cyan (Blue): 0,Magenta (Magenta): 0,Yellow (Yellow): + 9, Black (Black): 0;
Take a picture Texture 3 and paste it into our composition. Change the blending mode to Multiply (Multiplication), change Opacity (Opacity) if you feel the need.
Final image
