In this tutorial, I will show you how to create abstract photo manipulation. You will learn how to combine stock images and textures, how to carry out color correction, as well as how to apply brushes and much more!
Final result
Starting materials
Step 1
Create a new document, fill it with white. Set the size of the document at its discretion.
Open the texture with watercolor, place the texture layer on top of the layer with the background. Apply scaling. Reduce the opacity of the texture layer to 50%:
Duplicate the texture layer, Flip Horizontal (Flip horizontal) and then Flip Vertical (Flip Vertical) for this we go Editing – Transformation – Flip Horizontal / Vertical (Edit-Transform-Flip Horizontal / Vertical). Next, add a layer mask and hide the left part of the texture on the layer mask:
Step 2
Open the stock image of the model. Separate the model image from the background by moving it to our working paper. Position the model image in the center of the composition:
Step 3
Open the stock image of a rose. Since this image is presented in PNG format, then using the tool Move 
(move tool), you can simply move this image of the rose to our working paper, placing the rose behind the model image near the neck (place the rose layer below the model layer):
Duplicate the rose layer and then Flip Horizontal (Flip Horizontal), shifting the duplicate layer with a rose to the opposite side, as shown in the screenshot below:
Step 4
Create a new layer on top of all other layers, set the foreground color to # ba3e3e. Apply Crack brushes numbered 1298, 1076, 1116 on the model’s hands and cheek:
Change the blending mode for this layer to Linear dimmer (Linear Burn), 100% layer opacity:
Add a new adjustment layer to the cracked layer. Hue / Saturation (Hue / Saturation) as a clipping mask to reduce saturation:
Step 5
Create a new layer. Select Splatter Brushes, color # 4d1f15 and # cd606f. Apply the brushes in the background and on the model as shown in the screenshot below:
Change the blending mode to Darkening basics (Color Burn), 100%:
Step 6
Next, we will combine to make all the elements of the composition fit together. Create several adjustment layers on top of all other layers:
Gradient Map (Gradient Map):
Change the blending mode for the layer with Gradient Map (Gradient Map) on Soft light (Soft light), 100%.
Color Balance (Color Balance):
Hue / Saturation (Hue / Saturation):
Result:
Step 7
Open stock image with a stem of a rose. Separate the stem to get the result as in the screenshot below:
The stem of the rose is too blurred and I do not like it. Therefore, we go Filter – Sharpness – Contour Sharpness (Filter-Sharpen-Unsharp Mask):
Step 8
Move the stem of the rose to our working paper. Position the stem layer below the adjustment layers (which we added in Step 6). Apply scaling. Place the stem on the cheek of the model:
While on a layer with a rose stem, hold down the (Ctrl) key + click the thumbnail of the cracked layer to load the active selection. Next, press the keys (Ctrl + Shift + I) to invert the selection, and then press the (Delete) key:
Do the same on the model’s hands:
Step 9
Once again we return to the image of the stem of a rose. Cut the spike, then, position the spike on the right shoulder of the model, applying scaling and transformation:
When you cut the spike, try to have the outline at the base of the spike rounded so that the spike does not look flat.
To create the effect that the spike appears out of the model’s body, for this, create a new layer below the spike layer. Choose a soft brush with a small diameter, brush color # 8d6130 with low opacity. Paint over the base of the spike. The closer to the spike, the higher will be the opacity of the brush and the further, the less opacity, respectively:
Step 10
Select all the layers you created in Step 9, and then press the keys (Ctrl + G) to group them into one group. Right-click on the layer with the group and in the appeared window select the option Duplicate group (Duplicate Group), then right-click on the layer with the duplicate group and in the window that appears, select the option Merge group (Merge Group). Duplicate the layer with the merged group four times (now it will be a regular layer). Name the spiked layers from 1 to 6, for example, “spike 1” to “spike 6”:
Place the spikes on the shoulders, as well as on the hands of the model:
For all spiked layers from 1 to 6, I applied the tool Dimmer 
(Burn tool) to darken the spikes at the bottom. Create a new layer on top of each spike layer as a clipping mask, change the blending mode to Overlap (Overlay), layer opacity 100%, fill 50% gray (50% gray):
Choose a tool Dimmer (Burn tool), install Range (range) to Shadows (Shadow) value Exposure (Exposure) average (50-60%). Brush around the base of the spike until you get the desired result. The result that I got:
Step 11
In this step, we add the blood effect to the spikes. Create a new layer by holding down the keys (Ctrl + Shift) + click on the thumbnails of the spiked layers to load the selection, as shown in the screenshot below:
Selected spikes are visible on parts of the body with blood, therefore fragments of blood must also be present on these spikes. Select Splatter Brush, brush color # ba3e3e. Paint over the selected selection, and then change the blending mode for this layer to Multiplication (Multiply), 100%:
Step 12
Create another layer, change the blending mode to Blackout (Darken), 100%. Using a soft brush, brush color # e6b9b7, paint over the lips of the model to hide the light highlights on them:
Step 13
Create another layer, but this time change the blending mode for this layer to Darkening basics (Color Burn Mode 100%). And then, with a brush, brush color # e6b9b7, paint over the lips to darken this area:
Step 14
Create a new layer. Select your favorite brush Blood (small diameter), brush color # ba3e3e. Draw blood at the corner of the model’s mouth. Change the blending mode for this layer to Linear dimmer (Linear Burn), 100%.
Step 15
Create a new layer. Using a brush, brush the color of # ba3e3e, paint over the selected area to remove the highlights on the roses:
Step 16
Create a new layer. Create a selection near the left eye, and then fill it with the color shade # 0f0505:
Create a new layer, change the blending mode for this layer to Soft light (Soft light), 100%. Using the same color cast, paint over the model’s eyebrows:
Step 17
Create a new layer on top of all layers, change the blending mode for this layer to Soft light (Soft light), layer opacity 50%. Choose a soft brush, brush color # b43c3c. Apply the brush as shown in the screenshot below:
Final result
