How to Create a Dark Emotional Photo Manipulation
Download Source Files
This is a tutorial with a simple idea: to create an emotional photo manipulation. Following this tutorial, you will learn how to blend different images to make a dark atmospheric background, modify the dress of the model, apply makeup, paint hair, blend different objects in the background, and more – all to create a moody illustration. So, let’s start!
Final Image Preview
Take a look at the image we’ll be creating. Want access to the full PSD files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Psd Plus for just $19/month. You can view the final image preview below.
Video Tutorial
Our video editor Gavin Steele has created this video tutorial to compliment this text + image tutorial.
Arranging the Stock Images
The photo manipulation in the tutorial was created using the following stock images:
- Melancholia Model, by mizzd-stock
- Fantasy Forest by casperium
- Autumn Leaves by Drezdany-stocks
- Falling Leaves by JLStock included in Plus download
- Vines by loveit
- Ravens by unholy-stock
Step 1
The first step is to create a new PSD. Go to File > New. I choose to work in CMYK color mode.
Step 2
The next step is to create a background. Drag the Autumn Leaves background picture into the new file. Duplicate the layer and arrange it like in the first picture. Add a layer mask and erase the edges like in the picture below so it will look natural. Duplicate the layer again, add a new layer mask, and erase the edges as shown.
Step 3
Add a Color Balance Adjustment Layer and arrange the levels to: -57, -56, +26, as shown.
Step 4
Now add an Adjustment Layer of Curves and choose 38 for the output and 27 for the input.
Step 5
Drag the Fantasy Forest picture into the file. Now add a layer mask and erase on the edges using a basic, black brush as shown.
Step 6
Go to the Autumn Leaves picture layer. Choose the Lasso Tool and insert a part of the leaves. Press Command + J . Arrange the new layer as shown.
Step 7
The next step is to cut-out the Melancholia Model. Open the picture with the model. Select the Pen Tool and cut out the model. When you closed the path right-click and Make Selection (Radius of 0 ) and then press Command + J.
Step 8
Drag the model into the main document and arrange it as shown.
Step 9
The next step is to remodel her dress, since it appears to be too short for this background. Grab the Pen Tool and cut-out a copy of the end of the dress.
Step 10
Arrange the copy as shown.
Step 11
Create a new Adjustment Layer of Curves and choose 32 output and 20 input.
Step 12
Fill the layer mask with a black color (Alt + backspace). Choose a basic brush, then with white color the shadow of the model as shown.
Step 13
Open the creepers from the Vines file. Drag them into the PSD file, and arrange them as shown.
Step 14
Now let’s paint the hair. Create a new layer and pick the color you want to be the darkest and paint the shape of the hair. Next, create a new layer and with a lighter color paint some hair. Do this operation a few times on different layers and with lighter and lighter colors until you have the right result.
Don’t do them on the same layer because if you don’t like the result you have to erase all the hair. Once you have the right result, merge all the hair layers (press the Command button, select the layers, and then press Command + E). Next select the Burn Tool and put some shadows on the hair and select the Dodge Tool for the lights. Follow the images below for guidance.
Step 15
Go to the model’s layer and select the Burn Tool. Apply some shadows on the model’s dress.
Step 16
Go to the Adjustment Layers, create a Color Balance layer, and use these settings: 0, -19, -27. Fill the layers mask with black and with white color paint the creepers.
Step 17
Next let’s paint the model’s face. Create a new layer. Select a light color of the model’s face with the Eyedropper Tool and with a basic brush (4 or 5 for Opacity) paint her face. Create a new layer and paint her eyes. Do the same for the mouth. Don’t paint them on the same layer.
Once you have a satisfying result, merge the layers (press Command, select the layers you want to merge and then press Command + E). Use the Burn Tool for the shadows of the face and the Dodge Tool for the light.
Step 18
Drag and drop the Ravens as shown.
Step 19
Create a new layer to paint the ravens’ wings and jewels, as shown below. Do the same with all the crows. For this, use a basic round brush with smooth edges.
Step 20
In this step, create a new layer and draw some shadows with a basic brush on the model’s hand. This is a minor detail, but it’s important because it makes it look natural.
Step 21
Create an Adjustment Layer of Photo filter with a Density of 25%.
Step 22
Create a Color balance layer with Levels: -18, +17, -19. Fill the layer mask with black. Paint with a basic, white brush on the model’s figure.
Step 23
Create a Color Balance Adjustment Layer with Levels: +28, -13, and -27.
Step 24
Drag and drop some cut-out leaves into the file. You can use the “leaves.png” file included in the Plus download or an image of your own choosing.
Step 25
Command-click the layer with the leaves to select them. Create a Color Balance Adjustment Layer with Levels: +67, -22, and +19. Fill the layer mask with black. Paint the leaves with a basic, white-colored brush.
Step 26
Create an Curves Adjustment Layers with Output 17 and Input 11. Fill the layer mask with black. Paint on some shadows with a basic, white-colored brush, as in the picture.
Step 27
Use a new photo filter. Crete a Photo Filter Adjustment Layer with a Density of 25 %.
Step 28
Create a Gradient Map Adjustment Layer. Set the Opacity to 15 %.
Conclusion
Sit back and look at your emotional photo manipulation. The final image is below.
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By Loredana Papp
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Great tut! Glad to be the first to comment!
Thanx lots of thanx…very use full
Amazing, I like that effect
Really nice tut!
I really, really like the overall treatment of the photos, especially the forest background and nature elements. Great job!
Ethereal. Nice.
nice work but…
another manipulation tutorial?
very good tutorial comparing to some other that i have seen on this site like they were made by completely noobs. the final result looks pretty good.
nice work and yah manipulation tutorial xD pls
Too many light sources for my liking. The sun/light is in the background shining from behind her, yet she appears lit on her front. What is illuminating her on her front? Perhaps a firefly/fairy/lamp/candle etc glowing nearby would indicate where this light is coming from.
I like the color tone…
Hope it will be a nice tutorial… ;)
Thanks Gavin for video tutorial….
great tutorial, nice final outcome, maybe a bit shadow fixing.
just one tiny thing that really irritates me, the leaves on the floor
- they end so sudden, like they’ve been piled up, and then comes the grass. This looks even more “photomontaged” when you spot those leaves flying in the air… (why couldn’t they fall a bit further?:( )
that one patchwork of leaves blows it even more…
5 minutes of more work could fix this :)
nice tutorial. personally i dont care for the eye treatment though especially with the results on the the lower res images. she looks like she has crazy eye.
finally a tut that shows something about painted hair…i wish it would be more detailed in this area …anyway it’s seems pretty easy to do and the result looks amazing so i will give it a try . thanks a lot for this greath tut
Traditionally many artists do “foreground, middle, background.” This kind of looks like it has two backgrounds cause the leaves/bush thing in the bottom right front would be the foreground. Perhaps the depth of the trees shouldn’t go back that far? I’m wondering if that’s what’s throwing me off a little..
Nice colors though..
Hey,it looks good!,I like it
I just dont like the eyes…I like the original one
More Painting than photo manipulation
Great!
Loredana, don’t worry about the nitpicking. Great work!
another day another fantasy montage tut
well this kind of photo manipulations are what people are looking for so i think i’s a great tutorial … can wait to see more…i realy like this one
i agree…if u search the web u can find a bunch of this kind of manips
evilly good! – but I would add a torch light or glowing fire fairy to show how the front is being lit.
I would say that it is this only thing that disturb the viewer. The model is actually lit by the front but the light should be coming from behind the trees. A torch is a good idea to get rid of this problem. Maybe the model should be a little lit by the orange light from behind with a subtle touch of orange.
Nice, I’ll try it out!
Of all the places to see a Louise Black corset, I didn’t expect psdtuts to be one of them. That’s hilarious. Can’t wait to see her on Project Runway.
Ha! That was the first thing I thought when I saw the picture too.
Don’t too care for the outcome. The style is real unoriginal and comes off as mass produced. The techniques are valuable I guess though.
The face in step 17 in hideous.
The edge between the two backgrounds is harsh and too much of this tutorial is about editing photos should have been taken correctly in the first place (instead of relying on stock photography).
How can the figures and objects in the foreground be visible if the light source is behind them?
Two spots of light.. maybe
Good result
Another photo manipulation *sigh*. But that’s just me. I prefer typography over anything…
Me too! I wish we would get more typography illustration tuts.
really nice tutorials with learning tips. thanks
very nice result
Lol, I know this work from deviantart, the artist has some pretty interesting works, but I don’t consider this to be one of them :). Compot25 should make a tutorial for the one with the turtle and the sand castle. That one has some pretty good effects. Cheers anyway!
Hey, i know this artist from deviantart, and he has some pretty interesting works. This work is not one of his best but its ok for a fast and easy tut. I hope he does tutorials on his other works as well.
Great tutorial and a really good result. I like to experiment with tutorials and see what I can come up with. Thanks for sharing this.
Very detailed
- agreed on the background and foreground, looks to harsh.
- leaves look little flat for me, you should’ve burned them with Burn Tool to get more depth
- indeed there are too many light sources on the lady
Ofcourse these are some more professional pointers, and as for the tutorial this piece is enough.
Really cool! Love dark art! I’d only change the leaves on the floor. Like when it gets far enough from the woman, it starts to disappear, like get darker with the depth. You know what I mean?
But the entire final result is great! Loved it!
cool image, i like the dark feeling of it.
Yeah, I’m as tired of “fantasy/surreal” photo manipulations as anyone, but this one caught my eye. I’m not about to try painting hair, but it’s impressive how you pulled it off. Looks more like a Diorama than a natural scene, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
I’m assuming it’s not supposed to look real but rather look like a fantasy world, in which case I like it. Only thing that bothers me is the light source on the girl.
Thanks! Really great tute. Learnt heaps.
oh god, whateverrrrrrrrrrr.
i will give it a try ..looks pretty good…the light source on the girl doesn’t bother me much
I like the end result, a lot of people are taking the time to diss the result and the techniques employed within, what is the point. If you don’t like it why read the tutorial?
Agreed. If you look at a Tut and think “Meh” I can do better. Then by all means “do better”. Simply trashing a tutorial or a design style helps no one.
the best part is that half of this guys are noobs that can’t do much in ps.
I agree. This is art. The reason there is a tutorial is that you will hopefully learn something new and thus if you ever tried something like this again … you’d do it your way.
lol inspired much :) http://www.flickr.com/photos/joemaguiredesign/2300544480/in/set-72157604012522511/ do a proper photoshoot and set the lighting right. I think this was done 3 or 4 years ago now. Anyways good tut just looks photo illustrative and a bit cartoony.
Great tutorial and i love the outcome thanks
Great tutorial. Thanks for sharing
Hilarious. This is exactly the sort of thing I was searching for on Google: “deviantart unoriginal photo manipulation dark art.”
It makes me lose faith in the world to know that this is the sort of thing people value as ‘art’ nowadays. I find few things more pretentious.
The point is that eventually you’ll get to a place where you’re doing your own thing and not just following a tutorial. A lot of people take their own pictures or drawings, and put them in photoshop and do something really cool with it. That’s what I do. I’m just here to learn new techniques. It like taking traditional art like painting, drawing, and photography and trying to do something new with it
Very nice ! Thanks for sharing…
i can’t find anything on JStock’s website. it doesn’t seem that there is anything. can u help me
great tutorial, short yet effective, this effect seems to give an old fashioned effect
thanks a lot