Fantasy photo manipulations are all about creating something that doesn’t exist in real life. This can be done by adding elements that don’t exist in the scene, or by changing the existing elements to create a new scene altogether.
Photoshop is the perfect tool for creating these types of images, as it allows you to easily add and remove elements, and to change the colors and sizes of elements to create the perfect scene. In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through the steps of how to create a fantasy photo manipulation in Photoshop.
Step 1: Choose your base image. The base image is the image that you will be manipulating. For this tutorial, we’ll be using this image of a castle:
Step 2: Add your first element. In this case, we’ll be adding a dragon. To do this, open up your dragon image in Photoshop.
Then, use the lasso tool to select the dragon, and press ctrl+c (or cmd+c on a Mac) to copy it. Next, go back to your base image and press ctrl+v (or cmd+v on a Mac) to paste the dragon into the scene. Use the move tool to position the dragon where you want it in the scene.
Step 3: Change the color of your element. In this case, we want our dragon to be red, so we’ll use Photoshop’s color balance tool to change the colors of our dragon.
To do this, select Image > Adjustments > Color Balance from the menu bar. Then, use the sliders to adjust the colors until you’re happy with how your dragon looks.
Step 4: Resize and rotate your element. In this case, we want our dragon to be bigger, so we’ll use Photoshop’s transform tool to resize it. To do this, select Edit > Transform > Scale from the menu bar. Then, use your mouse to click and drag one of the corners of your dragon until it’s the size you want it to be.
You can also use Photoshop’s rotate tool to rotate your element if needed. To do this, select Edit > Transform > Rotate from the menu bar. Then, use your mouse to click and drag one of the corners of your element until it’s rotated how you want it to be.
Step 5: Add a shadow for realism. To add a shadow for realism, first duplicate your layer by selecting Layer > Duplicate Layer from the menu bar.
Then, press ctrl+t (or cmd+t on a Mac) to bring up Photoshop’s transform tool again and resize your layer so that it’s slightly smaller than your original layer. Next, change the opacity of your layer by selecting Layer > Opacity from the menu bar and dragging the slider down until your layer is about 50% opaque. Finally, use Photoshop’s motion blur filter to blur your layer slightly by going to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur from the menu bar and choosing an angle and amount that looks good to you.
Creating fantasy photo manipulations in Photoshop is all about adding elements that don’t exist in real life or changing existing elements to create a new scene altogether. By following these simple steps outlined in this tutorial, you’ll be well on your way towards creating your own stunning fantasy images!
