In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a photo manipulation of a surreal desert in which all the objects are turned into sand.
We start with a simple sky replacement technique and add a focus effect to the landscape. After, I will show you how to mask the areas of the model’s hands, dresses and other elements and replace them with sand using standard Photoshop brushes.
Let’s get started!
Final image:
Lesson resources:
Step 1. Replacing the sky
Open the desert image and tool Pen 
(Pen Tool) (P) Highlight the sky. Right-click on the contour and in the window that opens, select the parameter To form a selected area (Make Selection) (Ctrl + Enter). Click OK. Now the drawn outline is converted to selection.
Copy selected sky (Ctrl + J) on a new layer. Name the duplicate “original sky”.
Open the sky image and tool Move 
(Move Tool) (V) drag it to our working paper. Name the sky layer and place it above the sky duplicate layer we made by highlighting the sky in the desert image.
To the layer with the sky image you just added, apply a clipping mask (right-click on the layer and select Create clipping mask (Create Clipping Mask)).
Adjust the size of the sky layer to match the size of the entire Images (Editing – Transforming) (Edit> Free Transform) (Ctrl + T).
I like the way the right side of the sky looks like, but the clouds on its left side distract attention from other, more important elements that will be added in the process. Let’s fix it.
Tool Move (Move Tool) (V) move the sky layer to the right about 50 pixels, duplicate this layer (Ctrl + J), Click on it with the right mouse button and select Create clipping mask (Create Clipping Mask) .Display duplicate by Horizontals (Editing – Transforming – Flip Horizontally) (Edit> Transform> Flip Horizontal). Now move this layer slightly to the left.
Now you need to smooth the border between these two layers with the sky. For this, we will use a soft-edged mask and brush.
Select the top layer with the sky and add a layer mask to it (Layer – Layer Mask – Show All) (Layer> Layer Mask> Reveal All) or click the button Add layer mask (Add layer mask) at the bottom of the Layers palette.
Choose a tool Brush 
(Brush Tool) (B) of black color with soft edges and walk on the mask to hide the right side of the sky. Reduce the opacity of this layer to 70%.
Go to the second layer with the sky, add a mask to it and with a soft brush of black color soften hard edges on the left side of the sky.
Now change the color of the sky. Apply adjustment layer Hue / Saturation (Layer – New Adjustment Layer – Hue / Saturation) (Layer> New Adjustment Layer> Hue / Saturation), enable the checkbox Use previous layer (Use Previous Layer) to activate the clipping mask and change the Saturation parameter to -50.
Also add a correction layer. Gradient map (Layer – New Adjustment Layer – Gradient Map) (Layer> New Adjustment Layer> Gradient Map), enable the checkbox Use previous layer (Use Previous Layer) to activate the clipping mask and set the values shown in the screenshot. I used Photoshop’s standard gradient from magenta (# 290a59) to orange (# ff7c00).
After, change the blend mode of the gradient map adjustment layer to Overlap (Overlay) and reduce the opacity to 30%.
Holding the keyCtrl, select all the layers related to the sky and place them in the group (Ctrl + G). Call this group “Sky”.
Step 2. Editing the landscape
Now focus on the image of the desert. We need to increase its contrast with the tool. Clarifier 
(Dodge Tool) and Dimmer 
(Burn Tool). But before that, duplicate the background layer (the desert layer) (Ctrl + J) and name it “Desert”. Edit only on duplicate. In case of an error, it will be possible to delete it, re-create a duplicate and re-edit.
Choose a tool Clarifier (Dodge Tool) mode Mid tones (Midtones) and with Exposure (Exposure) 15%, right-click on the image and select a brush diameter of about 100 pixels, the type of brush is soft.
Now go through the selected tool on the top of the sand dunes to make them lighter. Then, select the toolDimmer (Burn Tool) and darken the dunes a bit.
Note: in order to quickly switch between tools Clarifier and Dimmer, hold the alt key.
To create a focusing effect, apply a filter to the duplicate desert. Gaussian blur. For this, we use a non-destructive method. Right click on the duplicate desert and select Convert to smart object (Convert to Smart Object). After, apply the filter Gaussian blur(Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur) (Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur) with a radius of 1 pixel.
Switch to the smart filter mask to make it active. Choose a soft black brush with a diameter of approximately 400 pixels, and paint over the front of the dunes to remove blur. Then, lower the brush opacity to 50% and remove the blur from the middle part of the desert.
The horizon line is a bit sharp. To fix this, go to the original sky layer and apply a filter to it Gaussian blur(Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur) (Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur) with a radius of 1 pixel.
Step 3. Add a girl to the image
Open the image of the girl and tool Move (Move Tool) (V) transfer it to the working paper. Name the girl layer “model” and convert it into a smart object (right-click on the layer and select Convert to Smart Object).
Reduce the layer with the girl (Ctrl + T), holding down the key to maintain proportions Shift. The model should be in the center of the image with the dunes, towards the bright part of the sky.
Note: I converted the girl layer to a smart object so that it can be edited separately, as a standalone file.
Now change the color of the dress model. Double click on the smart object with the girl – the file with it will open as a separate document. Now we are working with a smart model object.
Hold down Ctrl, Click on the thumbnail to load the selection around the girl. Create a new group (Ctrl + G) and name it “color.” A mask with a selection shape will be automatically added to the group. Now all layers will be added to this group, and each of these layers will affect only the model.
Apply adjustment layer Hue / Saturation (Layer – New Adjustment Layer – Hue / Saturation) (Layer> New Adjustment Layer> Hue / Saturation) and lower the saturation to -100.
Now apply an adjustment layer. Brightness / Contrast (Layer – New Adjustment Layer – Brightness / Contrast) (Layer> New Adjustment Layer> Brightness / Contrast) and set the brightness value to 82. Now click on the mask of the adjustment layer Brightness / Contrast and with a soft black brush paint over the sleeves of the sleek model to remove excessive brightness.
Create a new layer. (Ctrl + Shift + N) and name it “color.” Choose a tool Fill 
(Paint Bucket Tool) (G) and fill the layer with # 9e7f62. A sample of this color was taken with a pipette from the image of the desert. Change the blending mode of this layer to Chromaticity (Color).
Add to the sleeves of the dress a little red. Create a new group (Ctrl + G) with the name “sleeves”. Holding the key Ctrl, Click on the thumbnail of the model layer to load the selection around it.
Inside the sleeves group, create a new layer, set the foreground color to # 790100 and brush (B) with hard edges to paint over the sleeves of the dress. Deselect (Ctrl + D).
Reduce the opacity of the layer with colored sleeves to 50% and add a mask to it. Then, select a small black brush and erase the red color where it covers the hair or hands. Return layer opacity to 100%.
Change the blending mode of the sleeves group to Overlap (Overlay) and reduce the opacity to 10%.
Save this document with the edited girl. (File – Save) and close. Now in the working paper you will see all the changes with the model that we made. They will be applied automatically immediately after saving and closing the smart object.
Step 4. Apply Gradient Map
It’s time to adjust the color gamut of the entire image. Add adjustment layer Gradient map (Layer – New Adjustment Layer – Gradient Map) (Layer> New Adjustment Layer> Gradient Map) and select a gradient from magenta to orange. This is a gradient from the standard set of Photoshop. If you wish, you can use colors # 290a59 and # ff7c00 for the gradient. Change the blend mode of this adjustment layer to Soft light (Soft Light) and lower the opacity to 50%.
Step 5. We cover the hem of the dress with sand
Now we will use a mask to create the effect that the sand rises and envelops the hem of the dress.
Click on the “model” layer to activate it, place it in the group (Ctrl + G) and name the group “model”. Add a mask to this group. (Layer – Layer Mask – Show All) (Layer> Layer Mask> Reveal All), or click on the Add layer mask icon at the bottom of the Layers palette).
For the foreground color, select black and with a stiff brush of black color paint over the dress as shown in the screenshot:
Choose a tool Finger 
(Smudge Tool), right-click on the image and select a hard brush with a size of 7 pixels in the opened window. On the properties panel of this tool, set the Mode (Mode) to Normal and the Strength parameter to 20%.
Click on the “model” group to make it active and walk the selected tool along the sand from the bottom up.
Step 6. Add sand particles
In this step, we will create a brush and add sand particles to the dress. This will make photo manipulation more realistic.
First, select a round brush with hard edges. (Brush Tool) (B) 4 pixels in size. Open the palette Brushes (Window – Brushes) (Window> Brush) (F5) and set the values as shown in the screenshot.
Now, click on the icon Create a new brush (Create new brush) at the bottom of the palette to save the created brush.
Make sure that the “model” group is active, set the foreground color to black, select the brush you just created and draw sand around the dress’s hem.
You can play with the size of the brush, making the grit larger or smaller.
Change the color to white and brush over the sand. This will reveal darker areas in the sand and make it more realistic.
Step 7. Separate hands
If you look at the final image, you can see that, according to the idea, the girls hands are scattered in the sand. Creating this effect, we now do.
We need:
- Separate the arms from the original layer and place them on new layers.
- It will be necessary to restore the sleeves
- In the process of creating the effect we will use a brush with particles of sand, which was recently created
- With this brush we will draw sand falling to the ground.
Choose a tool Pen (Pen Tool) (P) and draw a contour around the hands of the girl. Transform contour to selection (Ctrl + Enter). Click on the “model” layer to activate it. Hide your hands from this layer. (Layer – Layer Mask – Hide Selection) (Layer> Layer Mask> Hide Selection).
You need to place each hand on a separate layer. Holding the key Ctrl, Click on the mask of the “model” layer. You need to select the white area of the mask. We need to load the hand selection and invert it. (Selection – Inversion) (Select> Inverse).
Go to the “model” layer and copy the selection to a new layer. (Ctrl + J). We need to make sure that each hand is on a separate layer. To do this, select the tool. Rectangular Selection 
(Rectangular Marquee Tool) (M) and draw a selection, grabbing a hand along with the sleeve.
Right-click on the image and select (Cut to a new layer) (Layer via Cut). Thus, the hand will be cut from the original layer and placed on a new layer. Name the layers with the hands “right hand” and “left hand” and place them in the group (Ctrl + G).
Step 8. Restoring the sleeves
We proceed to the restoration of the sleeves. To begin with, turn off the visibility of layers with hands (click on the eye icon near the layer). Create a new layer. (Ctrl + Shift + N) inside the “right hand” group and name this layer “sleeve”.
Holding the key Ctrl, Click on the thumbnail of the “right hand” layer to load the selection around the arm (image 1). Then, tool Pipette 
(Eyedropper Tool) (I) Take a color swatch from the image and paint over the sleeve (image 2).
Deselect (Ctrl + D) and brush a small size paint over the edges of the sleeve.
Note: when the tool is active Brush (Brush Tool), you can take a color swatch without using a tool Pipette – just hold the key Alt and the brush will turn into a dropper. Let go Alt, and the pipette will become a brush.
Step 9. Masking the hand
Make the “right hand” layer visible and add a mask to it. (Layer – Layer Mask – Show All) (Layer> Layer Mask> Reveal All). For the foreground color, select black, select the sand brush that you created and paint over the area of the hand, as shown in the screenshot:
Step 10. Add sand to your hand.
Tool Lasso 
(Lasso Tool) (L) Select a part of the desert. Go to the “Desert” layer and copy the selected part of the desert to a new layer. (Ctrl + J).
Name the resulting layer “sand” and place it under the “right hand” layer. Put this layer in a group (Ctrl + G) and name it “hand sand”. With the tool Move (Move Tool) (V) slide the layer “sand” under the arm and tool Eraser 
(E) erase those areas that are not needed. Leave only the sand contour from the fingers to the bottom of the sleeve.
Add a mask to the “sand” layer. (Layer – Layer Mask – Show All) (Layer> Layer Mask> Reveal All), set the foreground color to black and a brush with sand (which you created earlier) on the mask, hide the areas on this layer and create the effect of grains of sand.
Now inside this group create a new layer. (Shift + Ctrl + N) and use a sand brush to add even more grains of sand. Use the tool Pipette (Eyedropper Tool) (I) to pick the right color for the brush.
Step 11. Create Falling Sand
Create a new group (Ctrl + G) and call it “falling sand”. Now created by you brush with sand (B) create the effect of falling sand from the sleeve to the ground. Hold down the key while drawing Alt to take a color sample from the desert. You can combine dark and bright shades of sand to create a realistic effect. Also, when drawing, you can change the size of the brush so that the sand grains turn out to be of different sizes.
For each color I used separate layers. In the screenshot below you can see how I drew the sand:
In the next screenshot you can see the layers from the “right hand” group.
Step 12. Add sand to your left hand.
Repeat for the left hand the technique that was used to create the sand on the right hand. Here is a small plan:
- Turn off the visibility of the “left hand” layer and restore the sleeve
- Hide areas on your left hand using a brush with sand and black.
- Copy a small part of the layer with the hand, place it above the layer with the hand and mask this layer with a brush with sand
- Create sand falling to the ground using different colors.
For example, take a look at this screenshot:
Step 13. Add shadow and light to the sand on the ground.
Create a new group (Ctrl + G), call it “shadows” highlights ”and place it above the“ model ”group. Create a new layer inside the created group. (Ctrl + Shift + N), select a brush with hard edges about 10 pixels in size and using white and black colors, draw a shadow and highlight on the sand in the bottom of the dress. Black color paint over the contour of the sand, and white color paint over the middle.
Name this layer “shadows” highlights ”and convert it to a smart object (right click on it and select Convert to Smart Object). Now apply the filter Gaussian blur (Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur) (Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur) with a radius of 16 pixels. Change the blending mode of this layer to Soft light (Soft Light) and reduce the opacity to 70%.
You can emphasize shadows and lights by creating a new layer for each of them and use a smaller brush size. Transform each layer into a smart object and apply a filter. Gaussian blur (Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur) (Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur) with a radius of 5 pixels. For each of these layers set the blending mode Soft light (Soft Light) and lower the opacity to 40%.
Step 14. Adjust the model
Against the background of the bright sky, the hair of the model does not look quite realistic. Let’s fix it: click on the mask of the “model” group, select black and a brush with soft edges and erase part of the hair.
Some parts of the dress look too bright in relation to the entire image. Fix this tool Dimmer (Burn Tool) (O). Double-click my “model” smart object to open it as a separate file. Choose a tool Dimmer (Burn Tool) (O) in the Light mode (Highlights) with an Exposure of 15%. Walk through the selected tool on the model to reduce the brightness.
Note: Under the layer with the girl, you can temporarily add a new layer and fill it with black. So it will be easier to control the degree of darkening. After editing, remove the black layer, save the file and close it. All saved changes on the girl will instantly appear in the main work file.
Step 15. Add a shadow to the model.
Under the “model” group create a new group. (Ctrl + G) with the name “shadows”. Holding the key Ctrl, Click on the “right hand” and “left hand” groups. After, right-click on one of these highlighted groups and select Duplicate layers (Duplicate Layers) and click OK.
Merge duplicate groups in one layer (Layer – Merge Layers) (Layer> Merge Layers) (Ctrl + E). Name the resulting layer “sand shadow” and add a layer style to it. Color overlay (Color Overlay). Put the “shadows” layer into a group and convert it into a smart object.
Flip this layer vertically (Editing – Transforming – Flip Vertically) (Edit> Transform> Flip Vertical), then tool Move (Move Tool) (V) slide this layer down. Add a filter Gaussian blur (Gaussian Blur) with a radius of 1 pixel, and reduce the opacity to 10%.
Inside the shadows group, create a new layer and name it “model shadow”. For the foreground color, select black and a large soft brush. (AT) draw a shadow as shown in the screenshot. Lower the opacity of the shadow layer to 12%.
Step 16. Add building
Open the image of the arbor and instrument Pen (Pen Tool) (P) separate it from the background. Place the layer with the building separated from the background into a working document, name it “dome” and convert it into a smart object.
Reduce the building layer and rotate it. (Editing – Free Transform) (Edit> Free Transform) (Ctrl + T). Place a layer with a building on the sand dune.
As the building will be far away, it must be blurred. To do this, use the filter Gaussian blur (Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur) (Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur) with a radius of 0.4 pixels.
Add a mask to this layer. (Layer – Layer Mask – Show All) (Layer> Layer Mask> Reveal All) and select black. Soft brush (AT) hide the bottom of the column on the mask to create the effect that the building is buried in the sand. Select a brush with sand (which you yourself created earlier) and also select a brush with a size of 2 pixels and an opacity of 50%. Make sure the mask layer is active and brush across the building.
Put this layer in a group (Ctrl + G) and name it “dome”.
At the moment, the left side of the building looks too bright. It is necessary to darken it, because, the light falls on the right side of the building.
Create a new layer with the name “shadows”, right click on it and select the item Create clipping mask (Create Clipping Mask). Use soft black brush to paint over the left side of the building. Reduce the opacity of this layer to 30%.
Step 17. Add sand to the building
Create a new group (Ctrl + G) and name it sand. A brush with sand (which they themselves created) (B) draw sand in the same way that you drew it on the dress and hands. When drawing, take a color swatch from the sand that is near the building. Also apply a filter to the sand layer. Gaussian blur (Gaussian Blur filter) with a radius of 0.2 – 0.3 pixels.
Step 18. Add a shadow to the building.
Create a new group and name it “shadows”. Holding the key Ctrl, click on the thumbnail of the “dome” layer to load the selection around it. Create a new layer inside the group you just created and fill the selection with black. To do this, use the tool. Fill (Paint Bucket Tool) (G). Deselect (Ctrl + D).
Convert this layer to a smart object and flip vertically. (Editing – Transforming – Flip Vertically) (Edit> Transform> Flip Vertical). With the tool Move (Move Tool) (V) move the shadow under the building and blur it with a filter Gaussian Blur (Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur) (Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur) with a radius of 2 pixels.
Add a layer mask (Layer – Layer Mask – Show All) (Layer> Layer Mask> Reveal All) and with a soft black brush, scroll through the bottom of the shadow. Name this layer “columns shadow” and reduce its opacity to 30%.
Create a new layer with a soft black brush. (B) draw a shadow on the bottom of the building (fig. 1). Name this layer “dome shadow” and convert it to a smart object.
Blur her filter Gaussian blur (Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur) (Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur) with a radius of 2.8 pixels and reduce the opacity to 30% (Fig. 2)
Create a new layer with a soft black brush. (AT) draw a shadow on the sand (fig.3). Name this layer “sand shadow” and convert it into a smart object. Now blur this shadow with a filter. Gaussian blur (Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur) (Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur) with a radius of 2 pixels and lower the layer opacity to 25% (Fig.4).
Step 19. Add trees
Open the tree image and select it with the tool. Fast selection 
(Quick Selection Tool) (W). Copy tree (Ctrl + C), go to the working paper and paste it (Ctrl + V). Name the tree layer “tree” and convert it into a smart object. Reduce the layer with wood (Editing – Free Transform) (Edit> Free Transform) (Ctrl + T). Tool Move ( Move Tool) (V) Place the tree on the right side of the sand dune. Put this layer in a group (Ctrl + G) and name it “tree.”
Step 20. Add a shadow to the tree
Holding the key Ctrl, Click on the thumbnail of the “tree” layer to load the selection. Create a new layer. (Shift + Ctrl + N) and fill the selection with white. Deselect (Ctrl + D).
Convert this layer to a smart object, name it “shadow” and place it in the group (Ctrl + G) with the name “shadow”. Flip Vertical Layer (Editing – Transforming – Flip Vertically) (Edit> Transform> Flip Vertical).
Tool Move (Move Tool) (V) slide the layer under the tree layer and blur it with the filter Gaussian blur (Gaussian Blur) with a radius of 2.5 pixels. Add a mask (Layer – Layer Mask – Show All) (Layer> Layer Mask> Reveal All) and a soft black brush (AT) erase the bottom. Reduce the layer opacity to 35%.
Create a new layer. (Shift + Ctrl + N) inside the “shadow” group, select a soft black brush and walk along the base of the tree to make it even darker. Name this layer “bottom shadow” and reduce the opacity to 50%.
Click on the “shadow” layer that is above the “tree” layer to make it active. Add adjustment layer Color balance (Layer – New Adjustment Layer – Color Balance) (Layer> New Adjustment Layer> Color Balance) with clipping mask (in the settings window of this adjustment layer, check the Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask box).
Step 23. Final Color Adjustment
Add an adjustment layer to the image. Gradient map (Gradient Map), then place it in a group and name it “color adjustments”.
Add adjustment layer Black and white (Layer – New Adjustment Layer – Black and White) (Layer> New Adjustment Layer> Black White) and use the settings shown in the screenshot. Change the blending mode of this layer to Overlap (Overlay) and lower the opacity to 50%.
Step 24. Add texture to the image.
Open the texture and transfer it to the working paper. Toolkit Free transform (Free Transform) (Ctrl + T) zoom out and rotate it. Name this layer “texture”, change the blending mode to Soft light (S oft Light) and reduce the opacity to 50%. Add also adjustment layer Color balance (Layer – New Adjustment Layer – Color Balance) (Layer> New Adjustment Layer> Color Balance) with clipping mask and use the values from the screenshot:
Final image:
Lesson author: Ionut Ciursa
