Photoshop Tutorials: How to Create a Stunning Surreal Landscape

How to Create a Stunning Surreal Landscape

Posted: 07 Oct 2013 03:48 AM PDT

Preview of Final Results

Tutorial Resources

Step 1 – New File

Open a new file, with 1311px of Width and 100px of Height

Step 2 – Gradient Background

Before you add any image, create a gradient to be the base of the image.

Step 3 – Place

To place a image go to the menu File in the option Place.

Step 4 – River

Resize the image of the river like this:

Step 5 – Less Opacity

Reduce the layer opacity to 80% and add a layer mask

Step 6 – Hiding

In the layer mask paint with a black brush to hide parts of the image in this case are the clouds the one's you need to hide. Select the layer mask in the layer thumbs and with a black brush with 50% of opacity paint over the clouds.

Step 7 -

Like you did before Place the other image of the mountains and resize it. Pick ONE of the corners and press shift to change the the resolution of the image without distortions.

Step 8 – Changing color

Double click in the image thumb, then you will see this window, press ok.

You can also duplicate the layer to have the original.

Then press Ctrl + U and press the option colorize, and just reduce the saturation to 12. Now save the image Ctrl + S, now the color will change in your mountains.

Step 9 – Layer mask

Once again add a layer mask and with a soft round black brush paint to make the mountains look like they are part of the image. Reduce the opacity of the layer to 70% so you can see the background.

Step 10 – Layers

Change layer's order, move the one with the river and set it over the one with the mountains like this:

Step 11 – Details

Now do the same with other details of the image like the castle, Place the image, then resize it and with a layer mask hide the undesired parts of the image, also you can use help from the Magic Wand tool or another selection tool of your choice.

In the image above you can see that using the Magic Wand tool the blue parts of the image are selected.

Pass the black brush over the selected area and the result will be this one:

After that change the size of the image.

Photoshop