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The Ultimate Guide to Compositing in Photoshop Using AI & More

  • Review
    5.00 out of 5
    12 Reviews
  • Difficulty
    Advanced
  • Length
    3.75 hours
  • Videos
    9
  • Software

Description

This in depth tutorial is your easy entry point into the exciting world of image compositing! Learn how to understand light, angles, and color to ensure your photos blend flawlessly.

We’ll teach you how to cut, arrange, and blend objects seamlessly, making them look like they were always meant to be together. We’ll unlock the secrets of both traditional techniques and AI-powered tools to help you create composites that will amaze and inspire.

THIS COURSE INCLUDES

  • 17 Sample Images
  • 8 Sample PSDs

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Table of Contents

1 | Course Preview
  • 01 - What You'll Learn
    2:13m
2 | Getting Started
  • 01 - Match Light & Color
    39:42m
  • 02 - Master Blending Modes
    20:25m
  • 03 - AI-Powered Storytelling
    18:39m
3 | Your Skills in Action
  • 01 - Color Match Challenge
    22:55m
  • 02 - Swap Backgrounds with AI
    7:53m
  • 03 - Combining Traditional Tools with AI
    25:20m
  • 04 - Conceptual Art Made Easy
    49:44m
  • 05 - Reinvent with AI
    29:01m

Compositing Made Easy

MASTER LIGHT & COLOR

LEARN THE BASICS OF COMPOSITING

The Power of Compositing

Mastering the art of compositing unlocks a dynamic toolbox for both creative and professional endeavors. From subtly enhancing portraits to crafting evocative landscape composites, the ability to seamlessly merge multiple images will empower you to tackle creative challenges and elevate your visual storytelling.

Flawless Color Match

Create stunningly realistic composites by mastering color matching. Fine-tune shadows, mid-tones, and highlights individually for a vibrant and authentic blend. This meticulous approach not only enhances the photo’s realism but also seamlessly integrates elements, resulting in a cohesive and believable final image.

Master Cutouts & Selections

Forget tricky backgrounds! We’ll show you the easiest ways to cut out any object, simple or complex. Discover how automatic tools like “Select Subject” make it a breeze, and learn the secrets of traditional tools like the Lasso Tool and Magic Wand.

CREATE SEAMLESS COMPOSITES

BLENDING MODES EXPLAINED

From Beginner to PRO

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to polish your technique, this tutorial will cover everything you need to know. We’ll start with the building blocks, making sure you have a solid foundation, then we’ll dive into some cool tools, tips, and tricks to unlock your compositing superpowers!

Blending Modes Magic

Take your photos to the next level by exploring the power of Blending Modes! This tutorial unlocks a world of possibilities, from subtle enhancements to eye-catching compositions.

Easy Background Change

If you’re tired of bland backgrounds stealing the spotlight, this tutorial will show you how to easily transform them into vibrant scenes using Photoshop’s AI tool. Say goodbye to tedious selections, Generative Fill paints your vision with just a few clicks!

Imagine. Fill. Create.

Bring Your Vision to Life


Imagine adding anything you can dream of to your photos! AI Generative Fill lets you seamlessly fill in missing areas with realistic textures and patterns, opening up endless possibilities for creative expression.

AFTER

BEFORE

Words Into Pictures

Ready to paint with words? This tutorial shows you how to transform ordinary text into stunning visuals, adding or removing anything from your photos with the power of AI.

Reinvent Your Images

Learn how to turn ordinary photos into Wow-worthy scenes. Forget awkward cutting and pasting! We’ll break down the secrets of light, color, and perspective, showing you how to blend multiple pictures seamlessly for stunning results.

Create Seamless Shadows

Craving shadows that perfectly complement your scene? In this tutorial we’ll show you how to use Ai to create realistic, dynamic shadows that adapt to any light, making your composites shine.

AFTER

BEFORE

Expand & Explore

Photoshop’s Generative Expand tool opens whole new worlds of creative possibilities. Expand your images in any direction, add depth and dimension to scenes, and explore endless storytelling avenues. Let your imagination take flight and craft visuals that truly captivate and inspire!

Hands-On Learning

Master the art of compositing with our comprehensive toolkit! 17 sample images and 8 detailed PSDs let you deconstruct and rebuild, step by step, to create your unique masterpiece.

Magical Compositing Learning Path

If you love compositing, we recommend exploring our Magical Compositing Learning Path. From mastering light and color with stock images to exploring mind-bending creations by guest artists, this learning path empowers you to bring your wildest visions to life. Follow this link to access the Magical Compositing Learning Path.

Aaron Nace

PHLEARN Founder – Class Instructor

Aaron Nace is a photographer, Photoshop artist and founder of PHLEARN. He is the #1 Photoshop instructor in the world with millions of YouTube subscribers.

View More Classes by Aaron Nace

Special thanks to 7Inchs, Khantushig Khosbayar, Ozan Çulha, Kássia Melo, Alex Sever, Alina Levkovich, Ahmad Basem, Edvin Richardson, The Earthy Jay, Willian Justen de Vasconcellos, Duy Le, Alexander Ant, Erik Schereder, Mathilde Langevin, Yemi Wallington, Leah Kelley, and Michael Kucharski. Images for this PRO course were sourced from Pexels.

Reviews

  1. Awesome! Great techniques. You opened new doors for me. Thanks!

  2. Awesome tutorial!! Thank you so much!

  3. Another great, easy to follow, tutorial. I was sceptical of Generative AI to begin with but to see how much it can be used in compositing is changing my mind.

  4. YOU NEVER DISSAPOINT!!! BEST TUTORIALS EVER! THANK YOU!!! Greetings from Greece!

  5. Fantastic as always Aaron! I enjoy doing composites so this was very helpful advice for in incorporating AI to assist with color and sizing. You never disappoint!

  6. I have been following Aaron for years through all his hair changes and absolutely love his style of teaching!! Even though I don’t do much compositing, this lesson has taught me lots of new techniques while using AI. I’m looking forward to Aaron’s next fun tutorial!!

  7. Fantastic and fun tutorial combining AI with some advanced Photoshop compositing steps. Aaron is a great instructor. He shows outstanding technical skill and teaches with warmth and humor. This course is worth the whole yearly cost of the the PHLEARN subscription. I highly recommend it.

  8. Great series of tutorials, the power of AI is incredible, as usual Aarons teaching style is the best. The content and the presenter are key to learning, this has both. Who doesn’t like when Aaron says ” we go a great section for you, lets jump into photoshop” you know you are going to learn something new.

  9. You must be extactic over the new AI that has been released. And I thought your last 8years of tutorials were fantastic. Looking forward to what new and exciting tutorials you come up with….

  10. I just watched the first section. Itˋ s really good and some great knowledge provided in this tutorial! Please add/ do some more examples, edits with animals!!! This is so inspiring!!! Merry Christmas and all the best to you Aaron for 2024! Thank you for the tutorial!

  11. The best Photoshop tutorials anywhere on the web.

  12. No one better than Aaron to learn AI with!

  • Compositing Highlights, Shadows & Reflections in Photoshop

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description

Learn how to place images into a new environments with Adobe Photoshop!. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to extract and incorporate shadows, highlights, and reflections for a realistic result. This class has everything you need: precise selection techniques, blend modes, opacity adjustments and more!

Artist Credit

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AFTER

BEFORE

Crafting Shadows & Highlights

Realistic Visuals

It’s not uncommon to want to insert an image into a new environment, but to make it look truly authentic, copying shadows and highlights is key. In this tutorial, we’ll guide you through the process to achieve this seamlessly.

Blend Your Image Into the New Environment

Let’s place the image inside a photo frame! First, we’ll import it into Photoshop and create a new layer. Then, let’s grab the Spot Healing Brush tool and remove any unwanted elements, like the matte area. We want to create a seamless fit, but don’t worry about being perfect yet! We’ll fine tune the details later on.

Placing the Image into the Frame

Before blending our image into the composite, we will convert it to a smart object to allow non-destructive editing. Using the Lasso Tool, we’ll select the area of the frame we want to use. Once you have positioned your image to your liking, create a Layer Mask and refine the edges to blend the image into the composite.

Recreating Realistic Highlights and Shadows

At this point, you may notice that your composite lacks the realistic lighting effects. The original image had highlights and shadows that spanned across the entire photo. To bring these essential elements back to your composite, you’ll need to extract the reflections, highlights, and shadows from the original background layer.

Start by zooming out and temporarily hiding your current image. If you’ve created an extra layer to hide certain elements like a matte effect, merge these layers to simplify your workspace. Select both layers, hold down “Shift,” and then press “Control” or “Command” + “E” to merge them.

Separating Highlights from Shadows

To work effectively with highlights and shadows, it’s essential to separate them. Luckily, the selection for your composite has already been made using the Polygonal Lasso tool, so there’s no need to redo it. Convert the layer mask into a selection by holding “Control” or “Command” and clicking on the layer mask. Now, the background layer is ready to be duplicated to create separate layers for highlights and shadows.

With the background layer selected, press “Control” or “Command” + “J” to duplicate it. Name this layer “Highlight” and repeat the process for the shadows, naming it appropriately.

Blending and Adjusting

Now, you want to blend the highlight layer with the composite. Set the highlight layer’s blend mode to “Screen”. This mode reveals the highlights and conceals the shadows.

However, it might appear too strong initially. To adjust the effect, we’ll utilize “Levels” to darken the darks (making them less visible) and lighten the lights on the highlight layer. To do this, press “Control” or “Command” + “L” to open the Levels dialog. Move the black point to the right, decreasing the visibility of the highlight layer, creating a more natural effect. You can adjust the opacity if needed.

For the shadow layer, set the blend mode to “Multiply,” revealing the shadows while hiding the highlights. Adjust this layer in a similar manner, tweaking the Levels to balance the effect.

By following these steps, you’ll be able to recreate the original lighting conditions, making your composite image appear remarkably realistic!
From refining your layer masks and extracting shadows and highlights to blending and adjusting layers, you now have the tools to make your compositions truly convincing. Remember, the key to creating seamless and authentic composites lies in meticulous attention to detail.

The Ultimate Guide to Compositing in Photoshop Using AI & More

  • Review
    5.00 out of 5
    9 Reviews
  • Difficulty
    Advanced
  • Length
    4.5 hours
  • Videos
    8
  • Software

Description

Learn the step-by-step process of creating a stunning conceptual composite in Photoshop. From cutting out subjects with precision to matching colors and lighting across multiple images, organizing complex composites, and adding realistic details, this tutorial covers it all!

If you’re ready to take things to the next level, in our bonus section, we’ll dive into the world of After Effects, where you’ll learn how to transform your Photoshop creation into a dynamic 3D scene.

THIS COURSE INCLUDES

  • 15 Sample Images
  • 1 Reference Image
  • 1 Sample PSD
  • 1 Sample AE Project File

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 | Course Preview
  • 01 - What You'll Learn
    1:22m
Chapter 2 | Creating the Composite
  • 01 - Organizing the Assets
    11:36m
  • 02 - Creating a Rough Layout
    41:54m
  • 03 - Match Light and Color
    39:48m
  • 04 - Integrating the Subject
    46:23m
  • 05 - Going into Detail
    38:00m
  • 06 - Fine-Tuning the Composite
    39:35m
Chapter 3 | Bring your Artwork to Life
  • 01 - How to Create an Animation in AE
    44:06m

Master Conceptual Compositing

CREATE STUNNING EFFECTS

BLEND MULTIPLE IMAGES

From Rough Draft to Refined Masterpiece

We’ll show you why it’s important to start with a rough composite. This will allow you to easily position and outline the relationships between objects, saving you time by avoiding unnecessary attention to minor details.

Cutting Out Subjects

We’ll introduce you to the fastest, most efficient methods to remove both simple and complex subjects from their backgrounds. You’ll explore automatic tools like the Select Subject feature, and more traditional tools like the Object Selection Tool, the Magic Wand Tool, the Lasso Tool and the Brush Tool.

Matching Color Like a Pro

Matching color and lighting across multiple images is essential for creating convincing composite images. We’ll show you how to use the Levels Adjustment Layer and the Color Balance Adjustment Layer to unify images taken at different times of day under diverse lighting conditions.

FINAL COMPOSITE

ORIGINAL BACKGROUND

Hands-On Learning

Get ready for an awesome learning experience! This tutorial includes 15 sample images and a detailed PSD file, all available for download. These assets are your guide, so you can follow along step by step and create your very own masterpiece.

Go at Your Own Pace

Enjoy a smooth learning experience and become a pro at your own rhythm! Dive into easy-to-follow, step-by-step sections that allow you to absorb the material comfortably. Whether you tackle one section or multiple in one sitting, you have the freedom to learn as it suits you best.

Advanced Compositing Learning Path

If you love compositing, we recommend exploring our Magical Compositing Learning Path. From mastering light and color with stock images to exploring mind-bending creations by guest artists, and even discovering some of our most classic composites, this learning path empowers you to bring your wildest visions to life. Follow this link to access the Magical Compositing Learning Path.

Bring Your Composite to Life

Create a Parallax Effect from Scratch


Whether you’re creating a simple animation or a complex visual effect, Photoshop and After Effects have the tools you need to make it happen.

GET CREATIVE WITH AFTER EFFECTS

Stunning Moving Scenes

Combine Photoshop and After Effects to create stunning moving scenes. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to export assets from a Photoshop project, bring them into After Effects, and then create silky-smooth motion and parallax effects.

After Effects Basics

Are you a Photoshop pro who’s never used After Effects? This course is for you! We’ll teach you the basics of After Effects, including how to organize projects, and work with a wide variety of images and assets.

Create with Ease

We’ve got everything you need to dive into the world of animation. Included in your downloads you’ll find both 18 PNG images needed and the After Effects Project File. And guess what? Our easy-to-follow tutorial will walk you through the process of creating a truly mesmerizing animation!

ORGANIZE YOUR FILES EFFICIENTLY

BLEND IMAGES SEAMLESSLY

Organizing Your Assets

We’ll teach you how to manage complex Photoshop compositions with multiple layers, groups, and adjustments. You’ll learn how to segment your images into foreground, mid-ground, and background, and how to maintain a high level of organization. You’ll also learn advanced Photoshop organization tips that will help you work more efficiently and facilitate future changes.

Blending Images Together

Compositing images can be a bit tricky, but we’re here to help! We’ll show you how to use techniques like the smudge tool to add depth and cohesion to your images, so that the viewer’s eye is drawn right to the subject.

Adding the Final Touches

Adding the finishing touches to a composite image can truly elevate its beauty. We’ll guide you through the process of enhancing your subject with captivating details, such as achieving the appearance of realistic backlit hair in an underwater setting.

Aaron Nace

PHLEARN Founder – Class Instructor

Aaron Nace is a photographer, Photoshop artist and founder of PHLEARN. He is the #1 Photoshop instructor in the world with millions of YouTube subscribers.

View More Classes by Aaron Nace

Special thanks to Guillaume Meurice, Francesco Ungaro, 7inchs, TSvetlana Obysova, Olya Harytovich, Wendy Wei, John Cahil Rom, Ron Lach, Tembela Bohle, Engin Akyurt, and Saad Alaiyadhi. Images for this PRO course were sourced from Pexels.

Reviews

  1. Fantastic tutorial. It provides lots of instruction on using Photoshop and also ideas on creating a composite. I find I can keep referring back to this tutorial to enhance skills on making composites. The details of foreground and mid ground and background are fully explained as to the reasons why they are important and also how to create them and how to build the layer stack. Great work and please can we have many more composite tutorials.

  2. Awesome tutorial!!!

  3. Aaron… my god. I am speechless… Compositing is something I want to get better at and your teaching is very helping me out. But the After effects …. the power to be able to start from stock images and ending up with something like this just blew up my mind … thank you for opening this door for me.

  4. Such an amazing tutorial. I really love Phlearn and all the works of Aaron. Looking forward to the next!

  5. As always Aaron does an amazing job of walking us through all the awesome things photoshop can do. This was one of my favs for sure. And I will continue to watch all the how-tos he develops.

  6. Amazing as always! Breaking down steps into easy to follow snippets, noting keyboard shortcuts, suggesting optional methods – Aaron is truly a natural teacher as well as being a talented artist. Throwing the 3D hook in at the end guaranteed that now I’ll take the time to learn After Effects. Once you see it, you want to do it.

  7. I have been wanting to add compositing to my photoshop tool belt for years. Aaron breaks it down and makes something so intimidating approachable. Great work! Thank you 😀

  8. Aaron I really appreciate your tutorials thankyou. They are complex but in depth details make it great to follow. You are the best presenter I have watched.

  9. Another fantastic lesson from Aaron! I have always found his conceptual composites to be inspiring. Lately, everything I see on the internet is AI generated, nothing feels natural anymore. It’s really spoiled my motivation. So, This was a breath of fresh air and has inspired me again to do what I love.

The Ultimate Guide to Compositing in Photoshop Using AI & More

  • Review
    5.00 out of 5
    4 Reviews
  • Difficulty
    Advanced
  • Length
    3.25 hours
  • Videos
    8
  • Software

Description

Get ready to dive into the fascinating world of compositing! Discover the art of seamlessly blending a person into a brand new background. Unveil some awesome techniques such as shadow blending and color matching that will take your final creation to a whole new level of realism.

THIS COURSE INCLUDES

  • 7 Sample Images
  • 1 Sample PSD
  • 1 Photoshop Brush

Share

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 | Course Preview
  • 01 - What You'll Learn
    1:22m
Chapter 2 | Creating the Composite
  • 01 - Compositing Essentials Unveiled
    17:15m
  • 02 - Mastering Subject Integration
    24:21m
  • 03 - Crafting the Perfect Reflection
    29:16m
  • 04 - Refining Layers
    20:12m
  • 05 - Captivating Light Effects
    39:49m
  • 06 - Magical Northern Lights
    22:52m
  • 07 - Adding the Final Touches
    32:10m

Compositing Magic Unleashed

INTO ONE BEAUTIFUL SCENE

COMBINE SEVEN IMAGES

Advanced Compositing in Photoshop

Compositing is what we do best, and we’re here to help you unlock the full potential of this technique to create extraordinary visuals. Discover the art of seamlessly blending multiple images into a surreal and captivating composition using Photoshop.

Expand your Skillset

Master essential tools like Levels, Clipping Masks, Smart Objects, and Custom Photoshop Brushes to develop a seamless workflow for combining multiple images. Gain precise control over the elements you’re compositing and elevate your images to the next level.

Use Stock Images

Don’t let the complexity of compositing hinder your progress, especially when it comes to finding the right images for your creation. Our tutorial includes all the necessary images, saving you valuable time and effort.

FINAL COMPOSITE

ORIGINAL BACKGROUND

Complete PSD File

We don’t just show you how to create this stunning image, we include our own completed PSD file for you to explore and reverse-engineer. See how a pro organizes and structures a project to be able to work quickly and non-destructively.

Photoshop Brush

Using brushes in Photoshop is essential for adding artistic touches, creating unique effects, and enhancing your digital artwork. This course includes our custom Photoshop Brush for you to use and keep forever!

Compositing Learning Path

To comfortably navigate through this course, it’s necessary to have some familiarity with Photoshop and experience in compositing. If you’re new to compositing, we recommend exploring our Compositing Learning Path—a curated selection of our top-notch compositing courses that will guide you from beginner to expert. Follow this link to access the Compositing Learning Path.

Put Your Imagination to Work

Seven Photos, One Masterpiece


Join us in creating an awe-inspiring scene by blending seven stunning free stock images into a seamless and visually striking composite!

AFTER

BEFORE

Perfect Color Match

Craft a convincing composite image by flawlessly matching colors. Dive into the world of adjusting colors separately for shadows, mid-tones, and highlights to achieve an authentic and vibrant color blend that brings your composition to life.

The Power of Artificial Intelligence

With AI-powered tools, you can now achieve precise and accurate selections with just a few clicks, saving you valuable time and effort. Say goodbye to tedious manual selection techniques and embrace the convenience of AI for seamless subject extraction in Photoshop.

Sky Replacement

Learn how to easily swap out the sky in your images with a different sky from another photograph. Discover techniques and tools that enable you to smoothly integrate a new sky, effortlessly transforming the mood and atmosphere of your photos.

CREATE TEXTURES LIKE A PRO

BLEND IMAGES SEAMLESSLY

Texture Integration

Creating textures plays a vital role when blending multiple images in Photoshop. Textures add depth, realism, and cohesion to the final composite, helping to seamlessly integrate various elements.

Efficient Workflow

With almost 15 years of experience under his belt, Aaron Nace has mastered a smooth and efficient compositing workflow. Get ready to learn how to work smart, solve creative challenges, and make the most of various tools to nail your compositing projects.

Mastering Photo Compositing

Once you finish this course, try one of our other advanced compositing courses like Advanced Compositing with Stock Photos and Advanced Compositing with Stock Photos 2!

Aaron Nace

PHLEARN Founder – Class Instructor

Aaron Nace is a photographer, Photoshop artist and founder of PHLEARN. He is the #1 Photoshop instructor in the world with millions of YouTube subscribers.

View More Classes by Aaron Nace

Special thanks to Eberhard Grossgasteiger, Joshimer Biñas, Stephan Seeber, Tobias Bjørkli, and Zayceva Tatiana. Images for this PRO course were sourced from Pexels.

Reviews

  1. Yet another tremendous and detailed tutorial Aaron and a beautiful piece of art! I love the attention to detail in your compositing tutorials and how fairly random images come together to make something unique and special. The only thing that I wonder about is the reflection. It’s really well done but to my eyes it’s not totally believable because it appears too bright relative to the subject. What do you think? Thanks again!

  2. I really enjoyed this tutorial, and I got a tremendous amount out of it. I don’t do much in the way of compositing yet, but in this tutorial I was introduced to numerous Photoshop techniques that I can use in all my photo work.

  3. As always you have given us some wonderful techniques Aaron. Having gone over the individual tools many times, I find these composite exercises a very satisfying way of putting it all together.

  4. .. Love learning new things on photoshop with phlearn .Aaron make the class so fun and the project so inspiring. Really enjoying this one .thank you Aaron .Bx

  • The Power of AI: Creating Graphics in Midjourney and Compositing Them into Portraits in Photoshop

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description

Discover how to create stunning composite images using AI-generated backgrounds and portraits in Photoshop. Join Mid Journey’s Discord server to generate custom backgrounds, then follow our step-by-step tutorial to seamlessly merge the images and enhance your final result. Unleash your creativity with AI and Photoshop today!

Stock Images

Woman’s Portrait

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AFTER

BEFORE

Unlocking Mid-Journey Graphics’ Secrets

In this tutorial, we will learn how to use artificial intelligence to create a background for a portrait and composite the two images together in Photoshop. We’ll be utilizing an AI-powered platform called Mid Journey on Discord to generate the background and then merge it with our existing portrait.

Step 1: Join Mid Journey’s Discord server
First, join the Mid Journey Discord server by visiting their website at midjourney.com and clicking on the Discord icon. Follow the instructions to join the server and access the AI background generation bot.

Step 2: Create an AI-generated background on Discord
Interact with the Mid Journey bot by following the instructions provided in the server. Customize the colors, textures, and patterns to suit your preferences. Once you are satisfied with the background, the bot will generate a high-resolution image. Download this image to your computer.

Step 3: Open both images in Photoshop
Open both the portrait and the AI-generated background images in Photoshop. Make sure both images have the same dimensions or resize them accordingly.

Step 4: Prepare the portrait
Before combining the images, remove the original white background from the portrait. Use the “Select Subject” feature in Photoshop by going to Select > Subject. This will automatically create a selection around the subject. Then, add a layer mask to hide the selected background.

Step 5: Refine the selection
Refine the edges of the subject in the portrait to ensure a seamless blend with the new background. You can use the Select and Mask workspace to achieve this. Adjust the settings, such as feathering and contrast, to make the edges look more natural.

Step 6: Combine the images
Drag the AI-generated background layer below the portrait layer in the Layers panel. Use the Move tool to adjust the position and alignment of the background as needed.

Step 7: Enhance the composite
Add any necessary adjustments to improve the overall appearance of the composite. You may use adjustment layers such as Curves, Levels, or Hue/Saturation to balance the colors and tones. Additionally, you can apply filters and blending modes to further enhance the final result.

Step 8: Save the final image
Once you are satisfied with the composite, save the final image in your desired format, such as JPEG or TIFF. Make sure to save a PSD version as well, to preserve the layers for future edits.

The Mid Journey AI-powered platform makes it easier than ever to create custom backgrounds for your portraits and composite the images together in Photoshop. With these techniques, you can unlock endless possibilities and take your creative vision to the next level.

The Ultimate Guide to Compositing in Photoshop Using AI & More

  • Review
    5.00 out of 5
    32 Reviews
  • Difficulty
    Easy
  • Length
    2.25 hours
  • Videos
    6
  • Software

Description

Have you been looking for a way to get into the fun and creative world of compositing? Well, free stock photos are all you need!

Follow along as we show you how to find and choose the best free stock images for compositing. Learn how to analyze lighting, color, and perspective to find images that will blend together seamlessly.

THIS COURSE INCLUDES

  • 21 Sample Images

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 | Introduction
  • 01 - What You'll Learn
    1:32m
Chapter 2 | Choose Photos for Compositing
  • 01 - Learning What to Look For
    34:59m
  • 02 - Finding Subject Images
    19:20m
  • 03 - Finding Background Images
    25:49m
  • 04 - Developing the Composites
    19:55m
  • 05 - Finishing the Composite
    29:43m

Course Downloads

Choose Photos for Seamless Composites

how to choose photos for compositing

how to choose photos for compositing

Light, Color & Perspective


We show you how to find photos that will blend together seamlessly, identifying all of the little details that need to match in order to create a great composite image.

how to choose photos for compositing

COMPOSITE ANYWHERE, ANYTIME

Choose Photos for Compositing

There are a lot of ways to approach compositing. You can cut a person out of their background and place them in a new environment. Or you can create your own alien worlds. No matter what your goals are, all compositing has one thing in common: Photoshop can’t do it all. You need the right collection of photos to pull off a realistic final image.

Find Free Stock Images

This course is all about using free stock photos to create your own composite images. No photoshoots required! But finding the right stock photos can still be a challenge. We show you what to look for when choosing images for a composite so that everything will blend together perfectly.

Compositing in Photoshop

We want you to feel comfortable creating your own composites anywhere and at any time. Learn some of the basics of combining images in Photoshop, from making selections to matching light and color. Then, when you’re ready to level up your game, check out one of our more in-depth compositing courses like Photoshop Compositing: Essential Tools & Techniques and Intro to Photoshop Compositing for Beginners.

how to choose photos for compositing

COMPOSITING FROM START TO FINISH

See Light, Color & Perspective

To make great composites, you’ll need to be able to analyze and identify differences in light, color, perspective, and even camera settings and equipment (like lenses). Learn how to see images in light and perspective so that you can quickly determine if they’ll work well together in the same scene.

Choosing Subjects & Backgrounds

The simplest composites will consist of a subject, a person or object that the viewer can focus on, and a background. We show you how to find subjects and backgrounds that will work together, taking into account the lighting, the perspective, depth of field, and more.

Composites From Scratch

We hope this course will inspire you to start creating your own composites from scratch! Using free stock images and your newly-trained eye, you’ll be able to find photos that will work together perfectly.

how to choose photos for compositing

Artist Credit

There are some great resources out there to find free stock images and icons, all from brilliant artists and photographers. Check out Pexels, Unsplash, and The Noun Project for wonderful photos and icons. And a special thanks to the artists below for their work that’s included in this course.

Thanks to These Artists & Photographers:

Analyze Light & Perspective

how to choose photos for compositing

how to choose photos for compositing

SEE WHAT AND WORKS WHAT DOESN’T

What Works, What Doesn’t

We don’t just show you what works when choosing images, we also show what doesn’t work. Through multiple examples, we demonstrate what image characteristics help to make great composites, what can be acceptable, and even some examples that lead to obvious and unrealistic results.

Planning Your Composites

Once the images are chosen, you’ll still need a plan to start pulling them all together. Follow along as we create a composite image from start to finish, integrating a subject, a background, and even text and graphics.

Quick Selections

When planning and testing images out for a composite, it’s important to be able to work quickly to see what’s going to work and what won’t. We show you how to use powerful Photoshop tools and techniques to make quick work of selections, lighting, and color adjustments so you don’t waste any time.

how to choose photos for compositing

CHOOSE THE RIGHT PHOTOS

Free Stock Image Websites

There are a lot of great resources out there to find both paid and free stock photos. We use services like Pexels and Unsplash, which have a huge variety of images from great artists and photographers all over the world.

Matching the Subject to the Background

The background of a composite will often inform a lot of the decisions you make about what subjects will work in the scene. Learn how to find subjects that fit in with the perspective and natural lighting of the background.

Basic Compositing Techniques

Not only do we show you how to choose photos, we walk you through some of the basic tools and techniques you’ll need to cut subjects out, adjust color and exposure, line up horizons, and more!

Class Instructor

Aaron Nace

PHLEARN Founder – Class Instructor

Aaron Nace is a photographer, Photoshop artist and founder of PHLEARN. He is the #1 Photoshop instructor in the world with millions of YouTube subscribers.

View More Classes by Aaron Nace

Reviews

  1. Perfect place for beginner to learn Image Compositing… Worth to watch..

  2. Excellent tutorial, I learned so much. It is the perfect start to compositing.

  3. Aaron, I initially selected this video to learn compositing based on a studio still-life image I’d like to do some compositing on. I don’t think I’ll have the challenges with lighting, perspective and color etc. that are key to doing successful composites on exterior lit subjects. The image I will be working on will be “still” (camera was on a tripod) with lighting changing on various elements, one being on a perfume bottle where I had to have my hand in the shot to hold a reflector behind the bottle. I just want to comp the “best lit” bottle in a background image that looks good. Do you have any compositing vids where “products” are involved? By the way, this is a freak’n great video…I’m learning a lot. There were elements of the video where I had to go back a few times because you explained elements a little quick. Other than that, keep plugging my friend. John.

  4. Great tutorial incorporating so many new ideas and concepts into the planning stage of image compositing to make the final product successful. Loved this tutorial! Hope there will be many more like this type

  5. About a year ago I attempted some composites around Christmas decorations. They were terrible but now I know *why* and I’m looking forward to bringing the same ideas to fruition this year. The understanding of light, tone and camera angle as related to the image elements is invaluable and the finishing tricks are great (and applicable many places).

  6. That was a very great tutorial !

  7. Hello Aaron, I found this tutorial excellent mainly because of the key teaching points of matching light, perspective, and colour. And as with all of your tutorials, great examples to explain each teaching point. Thank you.

  8. Excellent tutorial. Very clear explanations about how and why the pieces of a composite work or don’t work together, how to normalize components that do work, and how to recognize when the components are just not very compatible. Thank you!

  9. Yeha Aaron!! Feel good

  10. Thank you Aaron for a great tutorial on compositing. I work with clients that send me their photos of there loved ones which I composite into a large photo for framing etc. these would me of their departed loved ones, it can be a bit daunting trying to match everything in Photoshop to make a great composite. Your tutorial on compositing has helped me enormously, your tips and methods are so easy to follow, I learn more each time I watch. Please make more tutorials on compositing, this would be great, thanks again Aaron. Patrick…. in Dublin, Ireland

  11. wonderful course. It’s so useful to have somebody directing my eye, guiding my thought processes and helping to make decisions based on knowledge, rather than a (often failing) gut feeling.

  12. Thanks.. this was really awesome.. I can learn the technical aspects of the tools (your tuts make the process much faster) but the analysis and how to think about what needs to be done and why some things work and some don’t is super super helpful..

  13. Congratulations! Providing perspectives beyond Photoshop, by sharing techniques for matching different images was superb! Loved it and looking forward to watching similar compositing classes by taking different paths.

  14. this is super useful to understand the behind the scene of compositing. The solid basis to start for a strong final image.

  15. As usual, Aaron brings a wealth of insight to this topic and explains in a manner that is both accessible and enjoyable. Despite having learned a great deal from Aaron’s earlier compositing tutorials, I still found so much helpful material here. That little trick for the shadows — applying a “Multiply” blend mode and then playing with a clipped Levels layer — is just great, as the crop/content aware and the tilt-shift blur filter. I don’t think I’ve come across any of those before. Most importantly for me to this point, I found the discussion and demonstrations regarding lens type particularly useful. Prior to this, I’m not sure that I really appreciated how two images taken with, say, a telephoto lens and a wide angle, are never going to look natural together when composited. I would be happy to hear more about how to recognize the lens type used for a given image. Thanks, Aaron! You’re a goldmine! Mark

  16. Great Course, as always!

  17. Thank you Aaron , i really enjoyed the course its really helpful cuz you show why this compositing work and why not , and i really wish you do more like this .

  18. Aaron is always good for a surprise. Thought there was nothing new for me in this course. Have to admit I was wrong

  19. So nice courses. Thanks

  20. As a retired senior, I’m finally getting the time to learn new hobbies. This is very helpful and addresses an area I was having some difficulty with. I’m just starting to work with matte painting and photo bashing techniques and this along with the other tutorials on compositing are very informative.

  21. A service I’ve been trying to incorporate into my photo digitizing and restoration business is cutting out subjects and popping them into new backgrounds I’ve purchased on Etsy.com. I can almost always get the technical things looking right such as scale, matching lighting, perspective, etc… but something still felt “off”. Thank you for the extra techniques mentioned such as the sections on shadows, blur, and noise! These are skills I’ll be able to put into practical use on a photo I have already open in Photoshop. YAY, to Aaron and the crew at Phlearn!! <3

  22. Great course into selecting images, being new to compositing images myself, I learned some nice starting points and have a better idea on what to look for in selecting my images. Overall, Aaron was clear and concise, like usual, and you won’t be disappointed. I watched at an accelerated speed (1.25x) and didn’t work along, but treated it more like a lecture. Now on to a more advanced course.

  23. I always think something is missing in my compositing. Now I know what is it. Thank you very much for this course.

  24. I really enjoyed your tutorial “Introduction to Photoshop Compositing for Beginners”, and it touched on some of the points that you covered in detail during this tutorial. I think now I should go back and review the introduction lesson with a better understanding of the compositing planning process.

  25. Why things work and don’t work really helps. Thanks a lot>

  26. This tutorial provides essential tips about compositing images together. Clear, easy examples to follow in the video. Blurring trick at the end is very clever and a nice touch. Aaron, thanks for doing this for us.

  27. Understanding camera angle and lighting aspects in compositing is huge! The concepts you teach here help me understand why some composites work and others just don’t feel right.

  28. Very nice – lots of great tips and techniques. I honestly learned the most from the “this is not going to work” example. I have looked at some composites (mine and from other photographers) and felt that something was “off”, but could not really explain why. I have a much better sense now of how to spot these inconsistencies.

  29. Excellent and mind-blowing content! It definitely changed the way that I search for image assets, especially for the perspectives and lights. Thank you so much! I would love to see more tutorials like this!

  30. Thats Amazing Tutorial Concept. This is Very Basic Step by step Process.. Learnt many . Loved it

  31. This was an invaluable tutorial. There are many compositing courses online, some of them given by Aaron over the past few years. They teach the photoshop skills needed to change components of the composite to match one another. However none of them show the complete thought process behind choosing stock images for those composites. Reasons for those decisions were so useful for me.

  32. This is exactly what I needed. I now have a much clearer understanding of compositing, how to match focal lengths, perspectives, color, and horizon lines. Please keep tutorials like this coming.

The Ultimate Guide to Compositing in Photoshop Using AI & More

  • Review
    4.85 out of 5
    36 Reviews
  • Difficulty
    Advanced
  • Length
    2.75 hours
  • Videos
    6
  • Software

Description

We’ve received such great response about Advanced Compositing with Stock Images that we’re back for round two!

Follow along and transform 8 free stock images into an epic science fiction scene. Learn how to combine multiple photos together, create sci-fi lightning and disintegration effects, and match light and color for a seamless final image. But best of all, we show that you all you need are some free stock photos and some Photoshop savvy to unlock your creativity!

THIS COURSE INCLUDES

  • 8 Sample Images
  • 2 Photoshop Brushes
  • 1 Sample PSD

Share

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 | What You'll Learn
  • 01 - What You'll Learn
    1:39m
Chapter 2 | Creating the Scene
  • 01 - Placing the Mountains
    45:43m
  • 02 - Circle and Lightning
    34:32m
  • 03 - Floating Rocks
    32:59m
  • 04 - Clouds and City Lights
    22:52m
  • 05 - Coloring and Finishing Touches
    20:57m

advanced compositing stock images 2 after

advanced compositing stock images 2 after

CREATE EXTRAORDINARY SCENES

Build Conceptual Composites From Scratch


Out-of-this-world compositing doesn’t require big budgets and crazy gear. Join us and learn how to create your own fantasy landscape images using free stock image resources and some Photoshop savvy.

Fantasy Worlds With Free Stock Photos

advanced compositing stock images 2 after

advanced compositing stock images 2 after

AMAZING SCI-FI EFFECTS

ORIGINAL

Create Composites Using Only Stock Photos

Looking for a new project? We’re here to show you that you can get creative at any time using free stock images and your Photoshop skills. Learn how to take a group of photos and use powerful compositing tools to combine them together to make your own fantasy worlds and scenes.

Light, Color & Perspective

Learn how to match lighting, color, and perspective between multiple photos to create a seamless composite image. Use Adjustment Layers to adjust exposure, change colors, and even check to make sure elements from multiple images match perfectly in the scene. New to compositing? Learn the fundamental of matching light and color in Intro to Photoshop Compositing for Beginners.

Create Depth

We show you how to composite mountains from one image into the background of another, adding atmosphere, lighting, and coloring so that they realistically fit the landscape. And if you haven’t already, be sure to watch the original Advanced Compositing With Stock Images in Photoshop. By the end of both courses, you’ll be a master of crafting your very own fantasy worlds.

advanced compositing stock images 2 after

advanced compositing stock images 2 after

FLOATING ROCKS & DISINTEGRATION

ORIGINAL

Rock & Cloud Photoshop Brushes

We include 2 custom-made Photoshop Brushes that will allow you to create photo-realistic clouds and fog, and surreal disintegration effects. Best of all, we walk you through the process of creating these Brushes so that the next time you need a stunning special effect, you’ll know how to make it yourself.

Amazing Sci-Fi Effects

Learn how to create dazzling lightning and lighting effects, disintegration effects, and even a sci-fi city! We break down the process step-by-step, showing you how to layer multiple images and effects for a balanced and realistic fantasy scene.

Professional Photoshop Skills

While we’re working on creating a fun image in this course, these tools and techniques are the same ones that professional artists and creatives use on daily basis. Learn how to analyze and modify light, make precise cutouts and selections, seamlessly blend different photos together, and add beautiful coloring.

Lightning & Disintegration Effects

advanced compositing stock images 2 after

ADD MOUNTAINS & ATMOSPHERE

ORIGINAL

Clouds, Fog & Atmosphere

Create realistic clouds, fog, and atmosphere with the included PHLEARN-made Photoshop Brushes. Great tools for adding depth and dimension to any photograph–and they’re yours to keep and use forever.

Learn About Check Layers

Check Layers are tools that we’ve developed to help with the compositing process. More specifically, they’re special Adjustment Layers that we use to help match luminosity, saturation, and hue across multiple different images. We show you how to create and use Check Layers in Photoshop which will help you create seamless, ultra-realistic composite photos!

Color Grading

Once the compositing is complete, color grading is how we tie it all together. Learn how to add beautiful coloring effects that will help put the finishing touches on a composite image while adding richness and realism to the scene.

advanced compositing stock images 2 after

advanced compositing stock images 2 after

OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD LIGHTING EFFECTS

ORIGINAL

8 Stock Photos Included

Is it possible to create a complete science fiction world with just 8 free stock images? You bet! Watch and see for yourself as we take a small collection of free stock photos (from some great artists on Unsplash.com) and composite them together to create a scene that’s out-of-this-world.

Sample PSD

Not only do we show you how to create a beautiful scene in Photoshop, we also provide the complete PSD file so that you can see how a professional artist assembles and organizes their work. Take a look at how the entire image was created, with every Layer, adjustment, and effect available for you to see.

Master Photoshop Compositing

We love compositing in Photoshop! So much so that it’s become a pillar of our course catalog here on PHLEARN. If you’re new to the craft, we recommend trying some of the courses that break down the fundamentals. Try Photoshop Compositing: Essential Tools & Techniques to level up your compositing skills!

Class Instructor

Aaron Nace

PHLEARN Founder – Class Instructor

Aaron Nace is a photographer, Photoshop artist and founder of PHLEARN. He is the #1 Photoshop instructor in the world with millions of YouTube subscribers.

View More Classes by Aaron Nace

Reviews

  1. Anytime I want to learn from scratch or just a technique I usually check your library first. most of the time you have just what I’m looking for. In the last year I’ve started using more compositing in my photography. Boxing, vampires, pirates, martial Arts is something I would like to see more of in compositing.

  2. Another great tutorial Aaron. I’ve been following and learning from Aaron from way back when he first started. Quite a ride, and I always learn something new. A suggestion for future content. As an “advanced tutorial” I think we spent too much time on many of the basics. I would think in an advanced tutorial you might be able to just say “clip it” without having to explain what a clipping mask is. You can just say “let’s use the blue channel to make this selection” without having to explain channel selections. Advanced users should know how to make a brush. In lieu of the above, we could revisit some of the concepts that I do think are advanced and present in many of your early generation compositing tutorials: advanced perspective, puppet warp, displacement maps, advanced highlighting and detail work, etc. This might also provide an opportunity to dive into the newer features, like perspective warp, new warp features, and the AI algorithms. Thanks Aaron, despite the tutorial being beginner to intermediate levels, I still always have a blast listening to you and enjoy learning from you. Thank you for all the lessons over the years.

  3. Great! Would love to see more of these type of landscape composites.

  4. Great, third time through it and I pick up more each time. I would love to see more of these. Thank you!

  5. Aaron your content is great. You lay things out in a very easy and understandable way for anyone to pickup and run with or create with after watching the tutorial. Having signed up for “PRO,” I would have expected a few more advanced techniques or less explanation. Of course, you need to consider your audience. You obviously want everyone to enjoy the tutorials. In other tutorials, you have basic, more advanced, and advanced cut outs. Maybe you could do something similar with compositing? You could have basic, more advanced, and advanced tutorial or lesson plan.

  6. loving these, more please 🙂

  7. Lesson is called “Advanced Compositing”. Half-way through, and 50% of the tutorial has been Photoshop 101 stuff. This has been a theme for almost every pro tutorial class I’ve done here. Aaron, your one of the best instructors, which is why I signed up. However, you do not have to spend half of every tutorial explaining the most basic elements of PS. If someone doesn’t know what check layer is, selection tools, S&M, etc., they shouldn’t be taking an ADVANCED compositing class. Please stick with your one tutorial for the basics of PS and after that, please assume it should be known for other lessons. It’s maddening having to waste hours sitting through the basics in every lesson. Either that, or have tutorials for “basic” learning, and a separate section of tutorials for those that are more intermediate/advanced and are here to learn your more expert level techniques.

  8. I just love all of your tutorials about compositing. I really learn a ton here!

  9. First vid I watched and so glad I joined the Pro Subscription!!! Highly recommend this course and looking forward to the rest.

  10. Great tutorial I would like to see more like this.

  11. Really helped me to overcome some of my misunderstandings and constant mistakes of compositing.

  12. Amazing tutorial! Learning a ton of tools and techniques that are helping me with blending images. Thanks Aaron.

  13. I am pretty well versed in compositing and I still learned a ton from these videos. Phlearn is seriously the best resource for all things Photoshop! Thanks Aaron! 🙂

  14. Fun concept and great explanation as always

  15. Great work. I used to approach light and colour in a similar way, however he has actually broken it down into layers and segments which gives better results.

  16. This tutorial sucks… I am just playing, i think is very useful how he takes short pauses sometimes to explain how he does something or why he is doing it. Also, he helps you understand not only how to make that image, but also how to apply the same elements in other compositions.

  17. Brilliant, love these compositing tutorials, really inspiring with so many tips and tricks perfectly explained. Aaron is always engaging to watch.

  18. Aaron you are the master. Thanks as always for sharing your knowledge. Thoroughly enjoying this one

  19. As always, great tutorial. Definitely would love to see more composites, using landscapes or more like Baxter. They are so fun and creative and a way to get out of ones own head and just have fun with imagination.

  20. Great tutorial again. Always something to take away. Like we salute in Nigeria, 1000 gbosa for you. However, can you do a tutorial on photobook album compilation and design?

  21. Thanks, Aaron, for your fantastic tutorials. You always inspire us 🙂 Can you please do a tutorial explaining the colour toning of images like the artwork of “Dan Hecho” and “David Dubnitskiy.” I am also interested so much in learning the way Black and White images of”Hengki Lee.” 💕

  22. Best thing about these composites is that they are all about problem solving. You have to think. What technique works best here? Mask or Color Range selection? What creative idea can be applied to this stage? Birds in? Birds out? Even Aaron can be undecided. I find myself diverging. Like the reflections in the pools of water. Not quite so subtle for me. How? Work it out. Keep them coming.

  23. Awesome!!! Never bored during watching videos. I love the details. Thank you!!!

  24. Once again you brought us another amazing composition with a lot of new learning techniques. I so look forward to your new stuff. I always learn so much, especially the circle of light, how awesome was that. Greatest teacher ever

  25. Such an amazing and informative tutorial. I love how easy Aaron makes it through his organization and clear communication. Best teacher/mentor ever!!!!

  26. So glad to have joined Phlearn. As someone who loves doing composite work, it’s great to watch Aaron share his extensive Photoshop knowledge in these awesome videos! Would love to see more of these advanced techniques as the final results are stunning!

  27. I have never tried composite images and it is not really my thing normally. This course is awesome and has changed my mind completely! Bring on the composites

  28. This was a fantastic tutorial. I love creating composites with stock images. I hope there are lots of these composite tutorials in the future. Aaron is wonderful to watch land listen to. He carefully explains his thought process and shows us how some changes work and others do not.

  29. I really enjoyed this tutorial, Adam covered many techniques that come in handy when doing this type of work. Also Adam is always a pleasure to listen to.

  30. Great tutorial and don’t worry, you couldn’t hear the children at all.

  31. Again a great example what you can do with just a few stock images. Easy to follow and fun to watch. Makes you want to start composing right away. Please more of these tutorials. Maybe a bit more advanced, by which I mean you do not have to explain smart objects, clipping masks and so on (it’s a PRO tutorial).

  32. Hi Aaron This is excellent tutorial learned alot. However, I would like to see more on Check layers technique specially when you have multi colored composite using stock images. Excellent job thank you once again.

  33. Aaron Nace is my modern day Bob Ross. The talent and artistry he applies to his Photoshop compositions is inspiring. This is a great tutorial on composition jammed packed with a ton of useful information. There is so much to learn from this lesson and the full Phlearn catalog. I wouldn’t be where I am in my career as an artist if I had never discovered Aaron and Phlearn. That’s a scary thought. Happy Phlearning!

  34. Amazing tutorials Aaron its looks so realistic no one can figure out that this image are composites. I have a suggestion though for a beginner like me it would be supper helpful if you can put in place a ‘tutorial Playlist’ starting from beginner – advance skills one each for photo editing, retouching and compositing. Please direct me if playlist is already available.

  35. Great tutorial! If you are like me and are stuck at home constantly with either bad weather or some sort of pandemic happening, then you’ll enjoy this and it will get the creative juices flowing. I personally learn so much more when Aaron creates conceptual images and to see more to come

  36. This was awesome, I love this kinds of images. You are going to have to make this an entire series. LOVED IT !!!! Great work :)))))

Learning Paths > Magical Compositing Learning Path
  • Magical Compositing Learning Path

  • by PHLEARN
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Details

9 Courses
33+ Hours
Medium

Welcome to our Magical Compositing Learning Path, where imagination meets reality! Get ready to embark on a creative journey as we delve into the art of compositing. From mastering light and color with stock images to exploring mind-bending creations by guest artists, and even discovering some of our most classic composites, this learning path empowers you to bring your wildest visions to life.

Join us as we unlock the secrets of advanced compositing and unleash your creative potential!

Crafting Wonder Worlds

 

Master image compositing! Learn to blend photos, match light & color, and create stunning composites with AI and traditional tools.

Photoshop  |  Compositing  |  Advanced  |  3.75 hours  |  9 videos

17 Sample Images  |  8 Sample PSDs

100 out of 5
( 12 )
 

Ready to dive into the world of creating conceptual artwork in Photoshop? Our tutorial covers everything you need to know, from mastering subject cutouts and harmonizing color and lighting in multiple images to even crafting a captivating parallax animation in After Effects.

Photoshop, After Effects  |  Compositing  |  Advanced  |  4.5 hours  |  8 videos

15 Sample Images   |  1 Sample PSD  |  1 Sample AE Project File

100 out of 5
( 9 )
 

Learn how to create stunning nature composite using only free stock image assets and some Photoshop savvy.

Photoshop  |  Compositing  |  Advanced  |  2.75 hours  |  6 videos

6 Sample Images   |  1 Sample PSD  |   2 Photoshop Brushes

100 out of 5
( 12 )

Guest Artists Showcase

fine art compositing photoshop rob woodcox
 

Learn portrait retouching, background retouching, and creative compositing from fine art and fashion photographer, Rob Woodcox! And along the way, Rob gives valuable insight into his process and how to run a successful creative business!

Photoshop  |  Compositing  |  Medium  |  6 hours  |  24 videos

66 Sample Images

100 out of 5
( 19 )
Surreal Portrait Compositing with Natalia Seth
 

Natalia Seth is a creative force of nature. Follow along as she guides through creating four extraordinary self-portraits, teaching compositing, retouching, and stylistic coloring.

Photoshop  |  Compositing  |  Medium  |  4.25 hours  |  23 videos

21 Sample Images  |  14 Photoshop LUTs  |  2 Lightroom Presets   |  1 Photoshop Action

100 out of 5
( 13 )
 

Learn to create stunning composite images using just your phone. Join mobile artist Elise Swopes as she guides you through multiple apps, shares her creative vision, and discusses building her online business.

Lightroom  |  Compositing  |  Medium  |  3 hours  |  19 videos

13 Sample Images  |  1 PDF Guide

100 out of 5
( 6 )

PHLEARN’s Classics

 

Create a sci-fi themed composite from start to finish. Learn how to photograph with a composite in mind. Then jump into Photoshop to build a background, create elements from scratch, and integrate subjects into the environment.

Photoshop  |  Compositing  |  Advanced  |  4.25 hours  |  12 videos

24 Sample Images  |  1 Photoshop Action  |  7 Photoshop Brushes

100 out of 5
( 49 )
 

Compositing in Photoshop allows you to create impossible scenes. In this tutorial, we blend reality with fantasy as we teach you how to combine multiple exposures, composite a background, create light sources, and focus your viewer’s attention.

Photoshop  |  Compositing  |  Advanced  |  3 hours  |  2 videos

9 Sample Images  |  3 Photoshop Brushes  |  1 Photoshop Action

100 out of 5
( 13 )
 

Learn how to calculate advanced perspectives, create shadows, cut out subjects, and add light sources to an image. We also cover how to photograph and composite your subjects into a new background so they really stand out.

Photoshop  |  Compositing  |  Advanced  |  3.25 hours  |  7 videos

20 Sample Images  |  4 Photoshop Brushes  |  1 Photoshop Action

100 out of 5
( 13 )

Reviews

There are no reviews yet.

The Ultimate Guide to Compositing in Photoshop Using AI & More

  • Review
    5.00 out of 5
    57 Reviews
  • Difficulty
    Advanced
  • Length
    5 hours
  • Videos
    12
  • Software

Description

You don’t need expensive gear or complicated photoshoots to create beautiful works of art in Photoshop! Follow along as we show you how to use advanced compositing techniques to combine 19 free stock images into an out-of-this-world fantasy scene.

Learn how to cut out objects from their background, match light and color between images taken in different environments, create realistic depth and atmosphere, and more!

THIS COURSE INCLUDES

  • 19 Sample Images
  • 1 Sample PSD
  • 4 Photoshop Brushes

Share

Table of Contents

Course Preview
  • 01 - What You'll Learn
    1:59m
Creating the Composite
  • 01 - Building the Background
    28:58m
  • 02 - Cutting Out the Mountains
    26:06m
  • 03 - Using the Rock Brush
    19:50m
  • 04 - Cutting out Tree Detail
    13:18m
  • 05 - Painting Vines
    23:46m
  • 06 - Additional Texture
    36:01m
  • 07 - Balancing Light Levels
    18:48m
  • 08 - Adding Clouds
    35:38m
  • 09 - Adding Birds
    17:36m
  • 10 - Color Tone and Dodge and Burn
    43:48m
  • 11 - Blur and Final Touches
    22:44m

Create a Fantasy Landscape From Scratch

advanced compositing stock photos collage

COMPOSITING WITH STOCK PHOTOS

Create Your Own Fantasy Landscape


It’s one thing to create an epic fantasy scene in Photoshop. It’s another thing entirely to do it using only free stock photos. Learn how to seamlessly combine 19 different images together, while perfectly matching light, color, and perspective.

advanced compositing stock photos collage

advanced compositing stock photos collage

INTO ONE AMAZING FANTAST LANDSCAPE

TURN 10 STOCK IMAGES

Advanced Compositing with Stock Images

If you know PHLEARN, you know that we love creating conceptual composite images in Photoshop. But a lot of other courses, like The Beginners Guide to Levitation and How to Create an Epic Composite, involved multiple photoshoots using high-end photography gear. So what if we told you that you can make your own works of art using only free stock photos? Well, it’s possible! And we’re here to show you how.

Match Light & Color

The biggest challenge of using stock images for a composite is that, most of the time, the lighting and color in each photo will be different. If we want our final image to look like everything was photographed in the same scene, we need tools and techniques to help tie it all together. Learn how to use advanced Photoshop tools like Curves, Levels, Gradient Maps, and Check Layers to seamlessly match light and color between any number of images.

Foreground, Midground, Background

The best images build depth by having elements in the foreground, midground, and background. We show you how to create the illusion of depth using light, color, and atmospheric effects so that you can build your own photorealistic worlds.

advanced compositing stock photos collage

advanced compositing stock photos collage

ADD VINES & ROCKS

ORIGINAL

Rock & Vine Photoshop Brushes

When you’re going for a particular special effect, making your own custom Photoshop Brushes can save you time while delivering realistic results. For a floating island effect, we needed rocks and vines to clean up Layer Masks and to help tie different elements together. Learn how to create and use specialized custom Photoshop Brushes for amazing special effects!

Amazing Sci-Fi Effects

Misty mountains. Floating islands. Strange, new worlds. Learn how to create realistic special effects that you can use to create your own science fiction and fantasy scenes. If you’re looking for more fun and challenging projects like this, try How to Create a Parallax Effect in Photoshop & After Effects.

Professional Photoshop Skills

While we’re working on creating a fun image in this course, these tools and techniques are the same ones that professional artists and creatives use on daily basis. Learn how to analyze and modify light, make precise cutouts and selections, seamlessly blend different photos together, and add beautiful coloring.

Out-of-this-World Photoshop Techniques

advanced compositing stock photos collage

ADD CLOUDS, FOG & ATMOSPHERE

4 PHOTOSHOP BRUSHES INCLUDED

Clouds, Fog & Atmosphere

Create realistic clouds, fog, and atmosphere with the included PHLEARN-made Photoshop Brushes. Great tools for adding depth and dimension to any photograph–and they’re yours to keep and use forever.

Learn About Check Layers

Check Layers are tools that we’ve developed to help with the compositing process. More specifically, they’re special Adjustment Layers that we use to help match luminosity, saturation, and hue across multiple different images. We show you how to create and use Check Layers in Photoshop which will help you create seamless, ultra-realistic composite photos!

Color Grading

Once the compositing is complete, color grading is how we tie it all together. Learn how to add beautiful coloring effects that will help put the finishing touches on a composite image while adding richness and realism to the scene.

advanced compositing stock photos collage

advanced compositing stock photos collage

CREATE DEPTH WITH LIGHTING & ATMOSPHERE

ORIGINAL

19 Stock Photos Included

All 19 stock photos used to create this scene are included with the course! That means that you’ll have everything you need to start learning and creating right away. You can even customize your work with other free stock images! We recommend using websites like Pexels and Unsplash to find free assets captured by brilliant artists and photographers.

Sample PSD

Not only do we show you how to create a beautiful scene in Photoshop, we also provide the complete PSD file so that you can see how a professional artist assembles and organizes their work. Take a look at how the entire image was created, with every Layer, adjustment, and effect available for you to see.

Master Photoshop Compositing

We love compositing in Photoshop! So much so that it’s become a pillar of our course catalog here on PHLEARN. If you’re new to the craft, we recommend trying some of the courses that break down the fundamentals. Try Photoshop Compositing: Essential Tools & Techniques, and Intro to Photoshop Compositing for Beginners to level up your compositing skills!

Class Instructor

Aaron Nace

PHLEARN Founder – Class Instructor

Aaron Nace is a photographer, Photoshop artist and founder of PHLEARN. He is the #1 Photoshop instructor in the world with millions of YouTube subscribers.

View More Classes by Aaron Nace

Reviews

  1. This was a very educational tutorial! It was advance level but it was so easy to follow 🙂 and I had a lot of fun doing it! Im gonna move to the underwater composite now :3

  2. This course is EXACTLY what I need to go to the next level in my digital art. Aaron explains each step and the why we do them- not only the how. VERY HELPFUL.

  3. Yea You really did yout thing with these tutorials i needed this, really want to be one of the best to create anything and you helped so much with these

  4. Pena que meu inglês não seja perfeito. Existem milhares de pessoas que poderiam ser beneficiadas com esse curso, caso houvesse tradução. Quem sabe a produção do Aaron não pense seriamente nisso e extenda essa possibilidade a milhares de estudantes do planeta.

  5. I loved this Tutorial, it covers everything in such a detail. I have taken many classes but still I learned so many things. Sometime it’s such a simple step or adjustment but it makes a huge difference. Thanks for an amazing class.

  6. Another amazing tutorial. It’s jam-packed with useful tips and insights. I definitely learned a lot going through all of the steps. The transformation from the sample images to the final product is nothing short of spectacular.

  7. Superb tutorial as always Aaron. I have been compositing images for around a decade and am still amazed to find so many new ways to do things in Photoshop. I especially appreciate the methods for matching luminosity and colour in this tutorial. I look forward to trying them out in my own work. Thank you.

  8. UNBELIEVABLY helpful and clear. The one complaint I have about some of the other free youtube tutorials is sometimes people don’t take enough time to tell you WHY things are happening and what those choices mean, they go too fast, or they gloss over certain important things that are actually really important, and this ends up making me feel confused and frustrated. This class is the opposite. It’s so easy and clear and he goes at a reasonable pace! I had never really worked in Photoshop before (as a video person, I would usually get in and get out of Photoshop as soon as possible because it was unfamiliar and scary) and after this one class I feel VERY comfortable in Photoshop now, and a lot of my knowledge from the video side (blend modes, opacity, working with layers) transferred right over! Highly recommend!

  9. A very thorough tutorial, highly recommended. The only thing I don’t get is why Aaron left some of the vines totally black. To my eye they do not fit the photo that way. Otherwise learned so much and it looks very realistic! -J

  10. Just stunning! Thank you! So many subtle learning points that its a must re-watch again and again. Simply the best tutorials on the net. I’m hooked. 🙂 key points on tools and grouping etc. would be great as a set of notes to accompany the tutorials.

  11. I really enjoyed this tutorial. Thank you for all the information, techniques, and especially the free to watch! I appreciated your teaching style, humor and the relaxed atmosphere. Once again, many thanks!

  12. So much amazing, practical and useful information, well presented and structured. Your tutorials are helping me develop my photoshop skills and to learn new ways of manipulating images. Thank you.

  13. It´s an amazing course, full of tips and really cool PS features. Everytime I come to Phlearn I always get amazed by how much I realize this powerfull program can do.

  14. Thank you for the opportunity to view this tutorial. I enjoyed it very much and learned a lot. Thanks alot.

  15. Always love Aaron’s tutorials and this one is no exception. Much appreciated, thank you!

  16. I am not a compositing artist, but I have seen some of the earlier Phlearn tutorials. This one by Aaron takes it up a notch – to a new level. Take your time to watch this tutorial, because there are some excellent tips and suggestions that he throws in along the way. Watch his process carefully. You will learn a lot from this. And, his style of delivering the tutorial is fantastic. Excellent

  17. Awesome!!! I learned so much watching this demo. Knew about clipping mask but didn’t realize the range of options available. Color balance was very informative also. Thank you!!

  18. While I primarily use PS to colorize B&W photos of WW II aircraft and crews and railroad images I found the whole process amazing. I’ve always wondered what one of your complete tutorials would look like so I appreciate the opportunity to review this one. Unfortunately the fact that I am a 78 year old retiree living on a fixed income and just doing this type of work as a hobbyist precludes me from investing in your program. Still, I am convinced that anyone who is serious about PS would benefit from your teaching. Thank you so much for making this tutorial available. the finished product is amazing!

  19. What a great tutorial. So much information. The image was not zoomed enough for me on some of the painting and adding textures. I really could not “see” what you were doing. I think if you really zoom in when you were working on the teeny parts, I would have been able to enjoy it even more! Thank you so much for making this available!

  20. I can’t begin to list all the tips ‘n tricks I picked up while engaged in this comprehensive tutorial. I appreciate Aaron’s engaging style but especially his ability to clearly demonstrate a technique. I have a PRO membership – this is exactly why!

  21. This tutorial is awesome! It gives you the opportunity to learn and practice a ton of skills with Photoshop. Aaron is an excellent educator; he takes the time to explain the rational behind every step. Overall a great learning experience. Highly recommended!

  22. Brilliant tutorial from Aaron. I have always wanted to do composites. I wish I could purchase just this tutorial w/o the yearly subscription which I cannot afford. Wonderful and clear instructions. I shall watch it as much as possible before it disappears!

  23. Thank you for all your great tutorials! I always learn something new or another way of doing something that may create a better effect. Five stars for sure.

  24. Thanks a lot for this fantastic tutorial. and apart of your Ps knowledge, for your didactic qualities. With so many object in the composite, I noticed how many times you searched the layer you wanted to work on, I got the idea of adding a temporary text layer above each object of the composite with a number corresponding to the name of the group of the object: maybe it could help.

  25. Thanks for the tutorial. I really enjoyed it. Sometimes I thought you went into too much detail but I ended up learning more than I knew when I began. Good Job!!!!

  26. The best thing about this course is the work flow. Starting with the background and then working to the foreground pics. Not worrying about colors at first, but instead focusing on lighting. These are techniques that can be used in any composite. So next composite you start on your own, you will actually have a good workflow model to follow. More than just advanced skills and techniques, it is project planning. Great course. Great structure.

  27. LIke, like, like, like.

  28. perfect tutorial !!!

  29. Amazing tutorial, always so helpful with the different ways to solve problems! Thank you so much Aaron 🙂 You’re the best!

  30. as always an excellent tutorial, learn small new tricks in every class…and reinforces techniques from previous classes !! it would be wonderful to know exactly how much time it takes for the retouch when you speed up the workflow…just to have an idea your work speed.

  31. It gives so much to think about. Great course. Learned a lot!

  32. I loved doing this tutorial. At the end it went a Little bit to fast for me. The color handeling I found difficult (colorblind 🙁 ) the saturized layer helped a bit But it was my first lesson after the 30 days course. so I think it was not the easyest. and I Learned a lot.

  33. This tutorial is really excellent. As well as teaching Photoshop techniques, Aaron uses best practice in workflow and organisation which is really helpful. I followed along with this and built my own version that I am quite happy with and I learned so much in the process. Thank you Aaron. Keep up the great work.

  34. Great tutorial !!!

  35. I’ve just finished this tutorial, it was fun to watch and practice with you, I believe the best way to teach is by doing real examples this way the informations will stick better, I hope will you continue to do more compositing tutorials like this or to continue this like a series, I noticed there is another tutorial like this but I hope to make it a series about compositing and focus on other concepts in each new one. Thank you so much for all the info you provided to us🌹🌹

  36. I love all those tutorials you’ve made. They help me much. Thanks a bunch.

  37. Great tutorial, one of my favorites. If you work with compositing or are interested in giving it a try this is a must see.

  38. Fantastic pro tutorial, it is really worth it every single minute. Great to see Aaron going back to the basis, it was how I got interested in his outstanding work and became a loyal Phlearn member – learning him creating real composites.

  39. I enjoyed this Tutorial so much! Aaron you are such a patient and creative teacher!

  40. amazing. we need more compositing tuturials like this.

  41. It’s really amazing how you master all these techniques and tools in Photoshop – really showing master control. Even if I know and use several of the tools and techniques in this long and super complex video, I always learn something new or realized that I forgot about some techniques that I can or should use. Since it’s recorded I can skip some parts where you are nit picking on details that are important for a final product but I dont’ need to spend too much time watching it – not saying it’s not important and useful for others. I admire your patience and dedication to details.

  42. I’d like to add so many swear words in my review, but I’ll stick with: “AARON, THIS WAS AMAZING!!!” Really, I had a blast following the tutorial! Added sooo many new tools to my toolbox… And I got a beautiful image that I’m super proud of to boot!

  43. Great class as always 🙂

  44. This is my favorite advanced compositing tutorial yet! Aaron shows clearly how to treat color, luminosity, saturation and position to simulate perspective. He lets us hear his thought processes which I find super helpful. He reviews the use of check layers which we use throughout the tutorial. I hope there will be more advanced tutorials using stock images with compositing.

  45. Great tutorial!! I learned many tips from it.

  46. Aaron is one of the best PS and LR trainers I’ve watched. He is clear and Thorough.

  47. Excellent tutorial as always from Aaron. Some great techniques used in this. So inspirational!!!

  48. Great tutorial, learned so much and encourages me to try some new things, Thanks Aaron

  49. …fantastic tutorial, it helps me to implement my new ideas better.

  50. I was able to pick up so many tips from this tutorial which I am sure will help to up my skills, Thanks Aaron

  51. Tremendous tutorial! I expected to learn about matching colors, and selection but the tips on use of custom brushes for cutouts and creation of shrubbery as well as clouds was a surprise bonus that I expect will be very useful. Hadn’t really thought of using brushes with scatter, randomness on masks in particular.

  52. Great tutorial !!!

  53. What makes Aaron’s tutorials stand out is not just his Photoshop skills (which are obviously excellent) but the sheer perfectionism that he brings to every image that he produces. There are a number of very skilled Photoshop tutors around but none in my experience are as thorough and painstaking as Aaron Nace. This particular tutorial is an excellent example of his approach.

  54. I loved this tutorial. Really amazing and detailed with clear explanations. Great job Aaron. I am a big fan of your tutorials. I learnt a lot from this one. Looking forward to using the skills to create a dreamscape of some kind! Raj Talluri

  55. Brilliant! This is the kind of content I enjoy the most! Your techniques help to achieve the types of results needed to make these composite so believable. Also, the layer and group organizing keeps things in their place to find later. Please add more content like this one. Thank you Aaron.

  56. One of the best tutorials! Thank you so much for including the .PSD file, it is great to follow along with a starting point and an accurate reference 🙂

  57. Another great tutorial from Aaron Nace. Once again the effort put into giving us this material is simply staggering. This style of tutorial reminds me of watching Aaron some years back. I shall be polishing my compositing with this. I recommend that you should watch his other tutorials on compositing also. Great work!!

Catalog > Free Tutorials > Natural Light & Levitation: Compositing in Photoshop with Rob Woodcox
  • Natural Light & Levitation: Compositing with Rob Woodcox

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Download Sample Images


Click the link below to download the sample images and follow along with this tutorial.

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Tutorial Description

Fine art and fashion photographer Rob Woodcox is here to share his creative skills with you! Watch and follow along as he pulls together one of his most popular images. You’ll learn how to create a levitation composite in Photoshop from photos that were all taken in a single location and using only natural light!

If you want to learn even more about how Rob creates his extraordinary images, check out our PRO tutorial Fine Art Compositing with Rob Woodcox! Join Rob as he recreates four stunning composite images, sharing professional techniques for blending images together, retouching people and environments, and creating beautiful compositions. Best of all, he offers valuable insight into how he shot each image and how he continues to grow and maintain his creative business.

Make sure you follow Rob on Instagram and see if he’s coming to a city near you for an hands-on workshop!

Fine Art Compositing

Rob’s work communicates powerful messages of unity, identity, and the importance of human interaction. Combining locations that are both beautiful and interesting, with expressive models and subjects, he is able to fuse people and places to create stunning scenes.

Rob talks about his inspirations, how he develops his ideas, and how he uses Photoshop to bring it all to life.

Retouching, Compositing & Composition

Over the past ten years Rob has traveled the world, creating beautiful images of the people and places he’s explored. That experience has helped him develop a strong and efficient workflow for compositing, retouching, and sharing his work with the world.

Learn techniques for capturing both a subject and location at the same time and using the same natural light source. This allows for easier compositing later when pulling all of the elements together into Photoshop. Rob is also a master of composition, always finding interesting ways to place his subjects into the surrounding environment. See his process in action as he talks through how he comes up with such creative scenes and powerful composition.

The Ultimate Guide to Compositing in Photoshop Using AI & More

  • Review
    5.00 out of 5
    19 Reviews
  • Difficulty
    Medium
  • Length
    6 hours
  • Videos
    24
  • Software

description

Rob Woodcox is a fine art and fashion photographer whose work explores identity, human interaction, and his own personal experiences. Follow along as Rob recreates four of his most extraordinary images in Photoshop!

Learn detailed portrait retouching, background retouching, and how to seamlessly blend multiple images together. Along the way, Rob gives valuable insight into his photographic process and how to run a successful creative business!

THIS COURSE INCLUDES

  • 66 Sample Images

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 | Introduction
  • 01 - What You'll Learn
    2:05m
  • 02 - Get to Know Rob Woodcox
    21:11m
  • 03 - Building a Business with Fine Art Photography
    20:39m
Chapter 2 | Desert Spirits
  • 01 - Creating Desert Spirits
    9:37m
  • 02 - Merge Backround
    25:40m
  • 03 - Clothing & Background Retouching
    11:43m
  • 04 - Color & Contrast
    9:53m
Chapter 3 | Heavenly Creature
  • 01 - Creating Heavenly Creature
    8:47m
  • 02 - Merge Backround
    19:48m
  • 03 - Background Retouching & Gradient
    15:29m
  • 04 - Skin & String Retouching
    21:30m
  • 05 - Dodge & Burn
    10:03m
  • 06 - Color & Contrast
    10:29m
Chapter 4 | The Wave
  • 01 - Creating The Wave
    9:58m
  • 02 - Merge Background
    6:16m
  • 03 - Cut Out Models for Composition
    17:43m
  • 04 - Compose Models
    16:05m
  • 05 - Color & Contrast
    10:03m
Chapter 5 | Human Tetris
  • 01 - Creating Human Tetris
    11:27m
  • 02 - Merge Background
    8:47m
  • 03 - Background Reconstruction
    44:44m
  • 04 - Cutting Out Models
    14:25m
  • 05 - Composing Models
    28:12m
  • 06 - Color & Contrast
    4:24m

Fine Art Compositing in Photoshop

Rob Woodcox The Wave BeforeRob Woodcox The Wave After

MASTER COMPOSITING AND COMPOSITION

ORIGINAL

Fine Art Compositing

Rob Woodcox is a photographer that strives to put meaning and intention into every image he creates. Learn about his process for developing ideas and then see how he pulls all the pieces together in Photoshop using professional compositing techniques.

Blending Images in Photoshop

Learn how to use compositing to solve problems and create surreal scenes. Rob demonstrates his compositing techniques for merging multiple photos together to create a full-frame look and for placing subjects into a new background or environment.

Professional Retouching

As a portrait and fashion photographer, Rob excels at subtle retouching that reduces distractions while highlighting a subject’s natural beauty. Through 4 examples, you’ll learn techniques for retouching clothing, skin, hair, and even backgrounds!

Rob-Woodcox Heavenly Creatures BeforeRob-Woodcox Heavenly Creatures After

DETAILED RETOUCHING & COLORING

ORIGINAL

Workflow on-the-go

As a traveling photographer, Rob needs a workflow that helps him complete projects quickly and while using as little hard drive space as possible. See his tricks for working more efficiently on-the-go while preserving precious storage space on the computer.

Composition

Composition is one of the key ingredients to making powerful images. Now you can learn the art of composing a frame from one of the best. Analyze locations, shapes, and model poses to create the perfect composition in Photoshop.

Reconstruct Backgrounds

Photoshoot locations aren’t always perfect, but that’s why we have Photoshop. Follow along as we work through several examples where backgrounds need to be cleaned up, extended, and even have sections completely rebuilt!

Creative Retouching & Compositing

fine art compositing rob woodcox photoshopRob Woodcox Editing Desert Spirits

Follow along with step-by-step instruction

Learn from pro photographer Rob Woodcox

Art & Business


Learn how to turn your creativity and passions into a way of life. Rob Woodcox shares his professional experience, creative process, and how he brings it all together in Photoshop.

Photoshop Icon

Become a Professional Creator

If it’s your dream to travel the world and create fantastic images, this tutorial is for you! Learn from Rob Woodcox, a professional photographer who has worked to turn his passions into a lifestyle.

You’ll Learn:

  • Retouching
  • Compositing
  • Photoshop Skills
  • Workflow
  • The Business Side
  • Photography Tips
Rob-Woodcox Desert Spirits BeforeRob-Woodcox Desert Spirits After

RETOUCH PEOPLE, ENVIRONMENTS & CLOTHING

ORIGINAL

Color & Contrast

Color is a powerful tool that can help you tell better stories with your photos. Learn the art of making color adjustments in Photoshop, while taking full advantage of the natural colors already present in an image.

From Passion to Business

Turn your creativity and ideas into a full-fledged photography business with the skills and advice offered in this tutorial. Learn a professional’s approach to coming up with concepts and bringing them to life in Photoshop.

Photoshoot Overview

Rob sits down with Aaron Nace to discuss some of the photoshoots and some of the challenges involved in capturing these images. Hear great advice on planning, overcoming obstacles, and how to be as resourceful as possible when bringing an idea to life.

Rob Woodcox Human Tetris BeforeRob Woodcox Human Tetris Before

RECONSTRUCT BACKGROUNDS & ARCHITECTURE

ORIGINAL

Warp & Liquify

Rob loves to work with interesting shapes and geometry. And oftentimes he needs to reshape a subject or environment to fit the form that he’s looking for. Learn how to use the Liquify and Transform tools to make subtle changes to shapes and perspective to create the perfect composition.

Creative Inspiration

If you’ve been looking for some inspiration to spark your next project, you just might find it here! See how Rob takes simple captures of models and locations, then combines them in Photoshop to create stunning scenes.

Meet Rob Woodcox

From subtle retouching to surreal compositing, learn how Rob creates stunning works of art in Photoshop. Best of all, we sit down with Rob to discuss his life, his business, and how he captured each of these amazing images.

Class Instructor

rob woodcox fine art compositing photoshop

Rob Woodcox

Fine Art & Fashion Photographer – InstagramWebsiteArt Book

Rob Woodcox is a fine art and fashion photographer currently splitting time between Mexico City, Los Angeles and New York City. Rob’s passion for photography has developed into a dedication for advocacy and making strained voices heard. Rob has produced projects raising consciousness and conversation around the US foster system and adoption, queer identity, body positivity and racial diversity. Having been adopted as a child and interacting often with the foster care system, Rob creates from a unique perspective, finding hope in the human connection and the will to overcome negative constructs within our complex societies. Rob has taught thousands of students in over 15 countries and 25 cities worldwide- he has taught over 80 workshops to date. He has worked for clients such as Universal Pictures and Capitol Records and has been published in many top level media outlets internationally. Rob’s main passion is sharing creativity and inspiration with others, he is thrilled to be a part of the Phlearn community.

View More Classes by Rob

Reviews

  1. This was very instructive. Got a lot of ideas on how to use PS in a faster and easier way. You are the born teacher, making complicated actions so easy.

  2. So amazing!! Thanks Rob for sharing your knowledge!

  3. Amazing! Thank you!

  4. Really great tutorials !!!! The content is very well explained and Rob made every tiny detail easier to be handled. Thank you for sharing!!!

  5. Really enjoyed this. Great techniques, very well explained and excellent results.

  6. What a great set of tutorials!! I found Rob so engaging and his love for his art and for humanity shines through in everything he contributed. So inspiring! Hanging out with Aaron & Rob would be so much fun. 🙂 Rob’s extraction techniques are really interesting, of course, they take a little longer than photoshops more automated processes, especially with recent improvements in the select and mask tools. However, the incredibly precise and clean results are clearly worth the effort when the image requires it. I would really like to mention Rob’s workflow because it is so different from my own. Like many who have followed Phlearn for years, I am pretty anal about non-destructive editing. Rob’s approach works so well because of his incredible attention to the small details. There is definitely something to learn for us all in his approach. The most enjoyable tutorials I have seen for quite some time. (Y)

  7. I loved this tutorial. He is easy to follow along with and gives great tips!

  8. Rob is very straightforward and easy to understand. Learned quite a lot from his tutorial

  9. Rob is very articulate in sharing his creative design process and this is a wonderful tutorial and insight into the artistic process. Thanks to Rob, Aaron, and the PhLearn team for making this available.

  10. This was exceptional! Rob was great in his explanations and made all his techniques look easy. I loved his love of his work/art. He rivals Aaron as a great instructor. (I will not comment on which is better!) . I would also recommend that everyone look up Rob’s on line photos. They are amazing.

  11. What an amazing tutorial!! Learnt so much and now I feel super inspired!! Thank you Rob and the Phlearn team for making this possible!

  12. Wonderful tutorial. Rob made the difficult tasks easy. I like how he does not follow conventional and heavily structured norms, and goes on to demonstrate some ‘free-hand’ techniques, especially with masking out subjects.

  13. love the tutorials with rob woodcox I have larn a lots thank you

  14. Incredible tutorials! It’s so valuable to see how different artists edit. Rob was able to demystify his techniques and show how a few tricks can make things beautiful.

  15. Great tutorial. Learned some great new techniques. Liked the presentation and build up of the several parts of the class. A thumbs up for Rob and the Phlearn Team

  16. Wow! One of the most inspiring and well put together tutorials I’ve ever seen! Great collaboration PHLEARN and Rob Woodcox!!!! I learned a lot of new ideas and techniques, and learned about the importance of interconnections in art and life. Thanks for this!

  17. Fantastic tutorials, thank you!

  18. Loving this already, great use of the colour techniques Rob, thank you.

  19. Wow these look amazing! Thank you!

The Ultimate Guide to Compositing in Photoshop Using AI & More

  • Review
    4.90 out of 5
    13 Reviews
  • Difficulty
    Medium
  • Length
    4.25 hours
  • Videos
    23
  • Software

Description

Natalia Seth is a creative force of nature. With over 200,000 followers on Instagram, people all around the world are inspired by her colorful and imaginative images. Follow along as she guides you through creating four of her most popular self-portraits in Photoshop.

Learn how to combine multiple images, retouch portraits, apply creative coloring, and get valuable insight into her success on one of the most popular social media platforms.

THIS COURSE INCLUDES

  • 21 Sample Images
  • 14 Photoshop LUTs
  • 2 Lightroom Presets
  • 1 Photoshop Action

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 | Introduction
  • 01 - What You Will Learn
    1:28m
Chapter 2 | Meet the Instructor
  • 01 - Interview with Natalia Seth
    15:26m
Chapter 3 | Tropical Resort
  • 01 - Cleaning Up the Background
    8:21m
  • 02 - Adding the Bird
    11:27m
  • 03 - Dodge & Burn
    6:32m
  • 04 - Coloring
    10:26m
Chapter 4 | Unraveling Strings
  • 01 - Extending & Lightening the Background
    11:56m
  • 02 - Retouching
    5:19m
  • 03 - Drawing the Strings
    12:45m
  • 04 - Coloring
    6:18m
Chapter 5 | Paint Splash
  • 01 - Extending the Background & Removing Distractions
    4:43m
  • 02 - Retouching
    9:53m
  • 03 - Converting to Black & White
    6:50m
  • 04 - Retouching the Hand & the Background
    17:35m
  • 05 - Coloring the Eye
    9:09m
  • 06 - Adding Paint Splashes
    20:45m
Chapter 6 | Garden Girl
  • 01 - Lightroom RAW Processing & Liquify Hair
    7:42m
  • 02 - Retouching
    21:34m
  • 03 - Adding the Frog
    16:12m
  • 04 - Adding Flowers
    10:36m
  • 05 - Adding Leaves
    18:37m
  • 06 - Adding Dragonflies
    3:33m
  • 07 - Coloring & Finishing
    6:14m

Magic & Imagination

CREATE EXTRAORDINARY COMPOSITE IMAGES

ORIGINAL

Color & Compositing

Natalia is known for making impossible scenes full of color and energy. You’ll see her creative process end-to-end, from realistically combining multiple photos together, to her approach for applying stylistic color.

Blend Images in Photoshop

Combining images is some of the most fun you can have in Photoshop. We break down the principles of blending multiple images, from creating realistic scale and perspective to matching highlights and shadows. See the entire process from cutout to finished composite.

Color Toning

Learn how to color an image using a combination of LUTs and Lightroom Presets to dial in a look perfect for any photo. Follow along as Natalia demonstrates her coloring process, applying multiple layers of color and experimenting until she finds a combination that fits the mood of an image.

BRING IDEAS TO LIFE

ORIGINAL

Tips & Techniques

Learn how to make quick and accurate cutouts, apply subtle dodging & burning, and combine multiple images realistically into the same scene. This tutorial covers a lot of ground and will have you feeling like a Photoshop pro in no time.

Portrait Retouching

You only need yourself and a camera to start making great images. See how Natalia pulls together surreal self-portraits using easy-to-find props and some Photoshop knowhow. Learn how to quickly combine photos and master the fundamentals of portrait retouching like blemish removal and dodging &a burning.

Surreal Composites

Animals. Paint splashes. Impossible objects. If you can imagine it, Photoshop can make it a reality. Learn how to combine multiple images to create unforgettable scenes. Natalia breaks down her techniques for cutting out objects and placing them realistically into a new background.

Colors that Pop

AFTER

BEFORE

Style & Color


Learn how to use color creatively to bring simple self-portraits to life.

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Photoshop LUTs

LUTs (or Color Lookup Tables) are advanced color presets in Photoshop. We include 14 custom looks fine-tuned by Natalia that can be used on their own or combined to create colors that pop. Use these LUTs on your own photos and use them as a base to create your own unique style.

Photoshop Actions & Lightroom Presets

In addition to LUTs, we include custom Lightroom Presets designed by Natalia to help you get the best possible color out of your RAW images. And you can speed up your retouching workflow with our custom Dodge & Burn Photoshop Action, perfect for adding shape and definition to the subject of a photo.

Creative Photoshop Ideas

We all hit a creative wall from time to time. Seeing how someone else pulls together their fantastic ideas can help. Hear how Natalia comes up with her concepts and how she brings it all together through both photography and post-production in Photoshop. x

@ESCAPINGYOUTH INSTAGRAM

Instagram Influencer

If you’re a visual artist, Instagram is the perfect place to share your work with the world. Natalia gives valuable advice for building, maintaining, and interacting with an audience on one of the most popular social media platforms.

Create Original Content

As a social media influencer, you constantly need new content to share with your followers. Hear how Natalia keeps herself motivated and see her process for coming up with fresh ideas. Once you’ve completed this tutorial, grab your camera and start creating.

Networking & Engagement

How do you connect with other Instagram personalities? How do grow and manage a large community of followers? Learn how a successful Instagram star manages their time and how they build and maintain connections through comments, stories, and DMs.

Course Instructor

Natalia Seth

Photographer – Class Instructor – @escapingyouth

Natalia Seth is an 18-year old self-taught photographer whose creations are inspired by her dreams. Her imaginative photos feature a rainbow of colors, unexpected objects, oversized bananas, and… really, anything in an out-of-the-ordinary and whimsical manner. Her surrealistic composites transport the viewer to unconventional worlds.

|View More Classes by Natalia Seth

Reviews

  1. That was so fun. And i just love Natalia’s work !

  2. I have a Windows computer. I was going to edit my other review, but it isn’t showing yet. IF you have a Windows computer and didn’t change any of the installation paths, try using this path to locate your LUTs folder. C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CC 2019\Presets\3DLUTs

  3. I am really enjoying Natalia’s instructions. I can’t figure out where to put the LUTs on my Windows computer. And no, buying an apple is not an option! 😀 Great job and I am learning a lot!

    Aaron Nace – PHLEARN Founder
    Hello Teresa, please see our LUT Quick Install Guide for detailed instructions on installing LUTS. We also have install videos available on our LUTs. If you need further assistance, please message us using the contact button at the top of the page. Thanks!
  4. Thank you! Very creative and inspiring. I appreciate the attention to detail and looking forward to playing with some ideas.

  5. This was such a fun bunch of tutorials to follow along with. Natalia’s abundance of creativity shows through in each composite worked through. Her great sense of humour and clear instructions help to make following along captivating. It was great to see another talented tutor sharing their workflow. Great work Natalia!

  6. Thanks Natalia for some great stuff. Color Splash was great

  7. Thank you Natalia. One more good training section at Phlearn.com!

  8. So happy to see this tutorials!!!….Thank you Nathalie & Aaron!!!….

  9. Thank you sooo much for a fantastic new & different creative approach to Surreal. It’s brand new in my world and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed what I’ve seen of Natalia’s work. My suggestion is simply to give the broad overview of the edits required (assume Intermediate to Advanced Users), rather than labouring under the actual work being done. I like that the structure of the recording allows one to jump to ‘next’ (short lunch breaks, etc.) – but all in all, WELL DONE to the Phlearn Team and Natalia : really appreciate and, totally inspired!

  10. OMG you guys! This was so much fun to watch. Natalia, you are adorbs. Both of you keep up the good work. You can tell that you were her teacher Aaron. Same way you’ve taught all of us. Unparalleled talent, both of you!

  11. I love you guys!!!

  12. thanks Natalia!

  13. I love photo compositing tutorials. Maybe in the future you can bring Erik Johansson in your studio 🙂

The Ultimate Guide to Compositing in Photoshop Using AI & More

  • Review
    4.90 out of 5
    44 Reviews
  • Difficulty
    Easy
  • Length
    5.5 hours
  • Videos
    22
  • Software

Description

From high-end product photography to wild conceptual scenes, many of the pictures we see are actually two or more photos combined in post-production. If you’ve been searching for a great entry point into the fun and challenging world of image compositing, look no further!

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to analyze light, perspective, and camera settings to predict how well two photos will merge. Then we’ll take you into Photoshop to break down the compositing process, covering tips and techniques for making selections, finding great composition, and matching light and color.

THIS COURSE INCLUDES

  • 25 Sample Images
  • 1 Photoshop Brush

Share

Table of Contents

Introduction to Compositing for Beginners
  • 01 - What is Compositing?
    1:47m
  • 02 - Choosing Photos for Compositing: Light, Perspective & Focal Length
    5:05m
Compositing for Beginners | Picture Frame
  • 01 - Picture Frame - Image Analysis & Working with Smart Objects
    10:39m
  • 02 - Picture Frame - Removing Backgrounds & Creating Realistic Shadows
    7:15m
  • 03 - Picture Frame - Color Matching
    12:15m
Compositing for Beginners | Castle
  • 01 - Castle - Image Analysis
    23:40m
  • 02 - Castle - Removing a Background & Creating a Fog Effect
    17:16m
  • 03 - Castle - Coloring for Composites
    13:17m
Compositing for Beginners | Portrait
  • 01 - Portrait - Image Analysis
    20:46m
  • 02 - Portrait - Matching the Subject and a New Background
    21:25m
  • 03 - Portrait - Matching Lightness, Hue & Saturation
    17:48m
Compositing for Beginners | Mountain Scene
  • 01 - Mountain Scene - Image Analysis
    23:58m
  • 02 - Mountain Scene - Removing a Background & Cutting Out Hair
    14:01m
  • 03 - Mountain Scene - Matching Light & Color
    20:31m
Compositing for Beginners | Floating House
  • 01 - Floating House - Image Analysis & Extending a Background
    6:53m
  • 02 - Floating House - Removing a Background & Extending Walls
    8:39m
  • 03 - Floating House - Creating the Bottom of the House from Scratch
    11:36m
  • 04 - Floating House - Matching Light & Color
    8:29m
Compositing for Beginners | Forest Scene
  • 01 - Forest Scene - Image Analysis
    17:12m
  • 02 - Forest Scene - Removing a Background & Matching Light Levels
    12:36m
  • 03 - Forest Scene - Cutting Out Hair & Creating a Realistic Shadow
    18:26m
  • 04 - Forest Scene - Matching Light & Color
    28:24m

Learn Compositing Basics

CREATE STUNNING EFFECTS WIH PHOTOSHOP COMPOSITING

ORIGINAL

What is Compositing?

Image compositing has a very broad and easy-to-understand definition. When you make a composite, you merge two or more photos together to create a seamless final image. This usually involves several steps to ensure that everything looks like it was all captured straight out of camera.

Why Combine Photos in Photoshop?

There are countless reasons that learning to blend photos together can help you both creatively and professionally. Whether you’re working with products, landscapes, weddings, or you just want to create stunning visual effects, the ability to merge two or more photos together will often help you solve a number of creative problems and get the most out of your images.

A Beginner’s Guide

If you’ve ever come up with an idea for a great image but weren’t sure how to capture it in camera, this tutorial can help! Compositing images in Photoshop can help turn your imagination into reality. Whether you plan to merge two images or 200, this is a great place to start.

CREATE REALISTIC FANTASY ENVIRONMENTS

ORIGINAL

Easily Blend Multiple Images

Compositing is one of the most challenging skills to master. It requires knowledge of countless tools within Photoshop as well as a strong understanding of how to find and capture images that will blend together well. Starting your compositing journey has never been easier with our simple approach to the basics of combining pictures in Photoshop.

From Beginner to Pro

We start with the basics, but this tutorial is designed to help artists at every level. We teach the fundamentals and expand upon it by adding in powerful tools, tips, and techniques that can take your blending to the next level.

Our Secrets to Realistic Composites

Image compositing starts with finding and capturing the right photos. We start this tutorial by helping you develop the eyes of a compositing artist, teaching you how to analyze pictures in a way that will help you determine how well they will fit together. Learn the fundamentals of light, perspective, camera settings, and more!

LEARN TO MATCH LIGHTING & COLOR

ORIGINAL

Match Light

Photos are all about light, which is why being able to identify light quality and direction is so important for creating great composites. Learn the differences between soft light and hard light and how to determine the directionality of light to help make sure your subject fits naturally into an environment.

Match Perspective

In order to make everything appear like it was captured in the same environment from the same camera, you’ll want to make sure that the camera height and angle is similar across each photo. We’ll show you some tricks to help you find the vanishing point and horizon line in each image so that you can quickly and easily line up multiple photos in the same scene.

Match Focal Length & Camera Settings

A wide angle lens will exaggerate space and will stretch things out the closer they are to the camera. A telephoto lens will compress space and will typically result in more natural-looking dimensions. Learn to identify differences in focal length, perspective distortion, and depth of field to make sure all of the photos you’re compositing will fit together beautifully.

Compositing Made Easy

Beautiful Composites


Follow along and learn to match color, luminosity, and perspective to create photorealistic composites.

MATCH PERSPECTIVE AND ANGLES

ORIGINAL

Step-by-Step Tutorials

Like many things in Photoshop, compositing is a process. We’ve created a simple guide to walk you through each step, from determining which photos you should use, to making cut-outs and selections, and tying it all together by adding additional light and color.

Photo Analysis

We don’t just show you how to merge images together, we show you why certain images will work and why certain images won’t. See several examples that demonstrate what happens when the lighting, perspective, and focal length don’t match while we try to find the right photo for the job.

Compositing Tips & Techniques

Compositing has been a staple of PHLEARN education for a long time. Over the years, we’ve developed tried-and-true methods to making the process of blending images as efficient and effective as possible. Once you have mastered the basics, move on to some our favorites like Photoshop Compositing: Essential Tools & Techniques, How to Change and Remove Backgrounds in Photoshop, and The Beginner’s Guide to Levitation.

START LEARNING WITH SIMPLE COMPOSITES

ORIGINAL

Light, Color & Check Layers

We can’t always trust our eyes in Photoshop. That’s why we teach you to use tools that will help help interpret things like color and luminosity. Learn to match light levels and color saturation between any number of images faster and easier than ever before!

Family Portraits to Creative Concepts

Compositing isn’t just for ultra-conceptual, sci-fi, and fantasy images. Being able to realistically blend multiple images together will help you solve problems like fixing someone’s blinking eyes in a group photo or placing a bride and groom in front of a more romantic scene. Once you’ve mastered the ideas and techniques in this tutorial, you’ll be ready to put your compositing skills to work in a way that’s best for you and your images.

Simple Examples for Advanced Results

There’s no secret to high-end composites. We use simple examples, each blending two images in Photoshop, that will have you feeling confident enough to start combining a dozen photos in no time.

Course Instructor

Aaron Nace

PHLEARN Founder

Aaron Nace is a photographer, Photoshop artist and founder of PHLEARN. He is the #1 Photoshop instructor in the world with millions of YouTube subscribers.

Reviews

  1. I am enjoying the work that is being presented.

  2. Good

  3. I did really learn a lot however needs an update on the tools from the version of photoshop he is suing to todays version as there was some incompatibility and second notes on the tools and techniques would be super helpful.

  4. The final example of the lady in the forest was comprehensive and highly educational, bringing together an understanding of so many available tools and exactly how to apply them. Strongly suggest that having the final PSD file showing the complete list of layers would help students to be able to review each step, while being able to note the sequence that was used to reach the final goal….and have an excellent reference guide. A PDF script for this one demonstration would also be quite valuable.

  5. Dear Aaron, Thank you for the instructional movie you offered us. There is one thing I don’t know the answer to though, maybe you do. When adding a layer to add a motion blur I get the message that “it is not possible to make an edit because the layer is empty”. Do you know of an adjustment to prevent or remedy this? Sincerely, Rob van Kerkoerle

  6. Great tutorial as usual! Thanks

  7. Amazing tutorial thanks Aaron!

  8. Video consistently freezes and at times goes out of focus. Very disconcerting .

  9. I just love the process of Aeron teaching from beginner to pro level. I have been looking forward to taking my retouching skills to another level and this course will be my ride there. Thanks again to the PHLEARN team.

  10. I’ve been casually working with Photoshop for nearly three years now, but I’ve never really been sure what “aspect” of Photoshop I wanted to work in (retouching, logo design, etc). This course solved that question for me. I have fallen in love with the process of compositing, and I am for sure going to be taking the more advanced courses after having now completed the beginner course. You’re awesome, Aaron!

  11. A really excellent tutorial, filled with information and techniques that I’m sure to find useful in all photo-editing, not just compositing. Thanks very much

  12. Thanks for another great course. Heaps of different style examples to work along with.

  13. can you please make a tutorial on how to create shadows in different situations based on the direction of the light and types of light ( hard or soft light), also I would like to learn how light falls and affect the subject( in a composite image) and how to create that effect, but more than anything else I want to learn how to determine the direction of light in a photo I found it very difficult to define it especially if the light source was large I wonder if there is a check layer or something that helps?

  14. Loaded with information, technique, and essentials. Takes a while to get through. (I broke it up into 3 parts). Then I watched it again. Well worth it!

  15. What a great course! I have done a bit of compositing in the past, but this beginners’ course was not only simple to follow, but already made me a much better composite artist! I highly recommend starting here if you are getting into compositing. Great job, Aaron!

  16. Awesome course.

  17. Omg… this course is really amazing I learn lots of new things and very simple easy tricks, this course is very helpful for a beginner like me, I love it…

  18. I’m new to photo compositing and this course is a FANTASTIC introduction. I learned a ton. I appreciated the explanations of why certain images do or do not work near the beginning of each section.

  19. What a great course. This is my second online Photoshop course and I have to say is superior to the Udemy course I took. Aaron is such a great teacher, and the subjects and tutorials feel more current and stylish. Highly recommend.

  20. Really its a good tutorial. Mainly that threshold technique. Loved this one

  21. Phlearn……I love you! These tutorials have been put together with so much thought. Every question that comes to mind while watching is answered only a few moments later. Aaron Nace is hilarious and easy to understand and he makes even the most complicated techniques fun to learn. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.

  22. Intro to Photoshop Compositing for Beginners This was an amazing lesson for me. I stumbled up Aaron trying to put things and people in photos they weren’t in. After discovering the lessons he had to offer, I bought some and began my journey with floating books: the space one, (I forgot the name of, was just too hard back then for me), plus with my Pro subscription there were other things I need to learn before jumping into compositing again. Now I am here, and I am so glad I took all the pryor lessons because it is much easier to follow him as he mentioned tools I am familiar with; along with new ones that will be added to my toolbox. This lesson covers: horizons, perspective, threshold and so many other tools one truly needs to have in order to present a great composite. Vanishing Point Filter was my favorite. It takes an array of techniques for compositing because you’ll never know which tool will be needing until you find the right picture for what you want to create. Aaron gives great tips on how to find that also. Happy PHLEARNing, Rose

  23. Brilliant tutorial, changed the way I view all of my photo compositions.

  24. Great tutorial!!!

  25. WOW! Ive been compositing for a few years and I learned so much from this beginners course… Im not to sure how and why I never knew this stuff on coloring but im sure glad I got this course… Thank you!

  26. There is no way to describe how much I love these tutorials. Gonna stay here for a couple of months. 🙂

  27. I love these tutorials!. Aaron is a great instructor and I love his sense of humor. The tutorials are easy to follow and I feel like I’m learning tons and can’t wait to continue on to another video lesson.

  28. This is an outstanding course! I watched every video of this course on compositing and I many times go back to refresh because there are just so many valuable lessons here. Aaron is the best teacher for Photoshop and Lightroom (Although I haven’t started Lightroom yet). I super enjoy learning from him. He’s truly gifted and this platform is a huge gift as well because we can learn so much. These courses really speed up the process of learning from what would take some people years of trial and error. I simply don’t have much patience to do that. I love the Phlearn platform so much, I just wish I had founded out about this sooner!

  29. I love how you break things into beginners to advanced like this tutorial series. There is no information overload, everything is getting imprinted in your head as you follow and amount of time we spend on topics is just on point. If you have Photoshop installed you need this website along with it.

  30. I have learned so much! I have been working on compositing for a while, and this tutorial is one I will be referring to a lot, I am sure. There are tools I learned about that I have not used much and will be using A LOT in the the future. I had a lot of facepalm moments because there are things that made so much sense to think about, yet I never really have. I would totally recommend anyone interested in compositing (whether you are new or an old hat to it) to watch this tutorial.

  31. This was so so helpful, thank you.

  32. A tremendous amount of practical application of tools I’ve rarely used (select > modify > contract > delete), or even knew how to use correctly. Thanks for this intense and gratifying introduction to my new found compositing future. Aaron and his polished team continue to amaze.

  33. You’re the best.

  34. Simply great! Thank you!

  35. How did you manage to squeeze so much information into those 5 hrs.. I do not know 😉 Absolutely loved it.

  36. The Solid Color adjustment layer set to Saturation or Hue is absolutely fantastic and helps me get realistic results. Many thanks from France!

  37. Another mindblowing easy to digest and fun course from Aaron. Thanks man, u’ve helped me a lot this last 10 months.

  38. It was fantastic tutorial, Aaron! In particular, I admired that you showed the process of “Selecting suitable photos” for compsite, so that I could solve the problem that I always had. I think this tutorial not just focused on a technical issues, but it gives us a practical knowledge of the real world. And he also gives many Tips! How to use Threshold to analize the Lights between background & subject, How to adjust Hue, Saturation using hyper-Saturated Solid Color, How to find a Horizontal Line in the picture, Why things that are close look darker than far objects, How to draw the reflexion of the surrounding environment that permeates the subject. It’s a lecture that teaches you how to use these knowledges to make more natural composite photo! Thank you again, for your great tutorial!

  39. Did she ever find Tony wandering around Yellowstone?

  40. As someone who creates photo-composites to help clients visualise their design, I found that this tutorial helped me to elevate my skills to a whole new level. Understanding why certain images do and don’t work well together was extremely helpful. There is some really great content which makes it worth retaking this course a couple of times to help really solidify your understanding. Looking forward to pushing my skills further with future composting episodes. An excellent tutorial to upgrade your compositing skills.

  41. Loved it. I feel I learned so much by seeing also what did not work and why.

  42. I have watched many of Aaron’s composition vid’s and always been impressed but he has always left me with a few unanswered questions,This course answers those questions and a lot more i never even thought of.Probably not a complete beginners course but if a complete beginner can understand this,then he/she will be a top class compositor in a lot less time.This course is THE best on composting and i have watched a lot over the years.I am no way near Aaron but i thought I knew a bit about the subject,I know now I dont really but with this course i will.This course is worth the subscription on its own.Thanks Aaron and your Phlearn team, you guys really ROCK. My very best regards Rob

  43. As someone who thought they already knew how to composites quite well… I learned so much from this tutorial! I was not as good as I thought I was! I always struggled to match colour balances and now I can do so easily. I learned how to create seamless composites that the viewer is unsure if it is photoshopped or not. Thanks Aaron!!

  44. Having watched several PhLearn compositing tutorials, this one encapsulates all the essential guidance and techniques. I would say it’s the most efficient one in terms of getting the information across in the amount of time. Excellently done, and is the one I would use a reference guide. Not sure about the “for beginners” in the title given the use of masks and blending modes, but hey if there’s a future one for intermediate/advanced users then count me in! Love the inclusion of the Fog Brush, and it would have been nice to include an action similar to the “Bakster Check Group” .. perhaps a short additional bonus segment? Thanks Aaron and team PhLearn for this most excellent tutorial.

Catalog > Free Tutorials > How to Match Colors Automatically in Photoshop
  • How to Match Colors for Compositing in Photoshop

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match colors before photoshopmatch colors photoshop after

ORIGINAL

AFTER COLOR MATCH

Download Sample Images


Click the link below to download the sample images and follow along with this tutorial.

Download

Tutorial Description

Some of the most challenging and satisfying work in Photoshop comes when we need to composite images together and make them appear like each piece existed in the same environment. This sort of problem solving often requires us to match color, luminosity, and perspective across multiple photos. Today, we show you how you to tackle one of those steps faster and easier than ever before. Watch and learn how to automatically match colors in Photoshop!

Matching Color for Composites

Like many tasks in Photoshop, there are countless ways to match colors across multiple images. Some methods are manual, requiring multiple steps and multiple tools. While the manual route is usually the most precise, it also takes the most time. For those compositing jobs where you feel like the color matching process should be quicker and easier, Photoshop’s Match Color tool might be your answer!

Non-Destructive Workflow

Before we go any further, there’s a very important note about using the Match Color option. Any changes you apply to a layer using this tool are permanent. We always preach the importance of a non-destructive workflow, meaning every edit, every change, and every adjustment should be able to be turned off, modified, or removed easily without ever affecting our original photos. In this particular case, be sure to duplicate the layer or layers that you’re adjusting with Match Color. This allows you to make all the changes that you need while still having the ability to get back to the originals.

Now, on to the good stuff.

Matching Color for Composites

We’re working with two images: a mountain landscape that will act as the background and a subject that we will be placing onto that background. You’ll notice that we’ve already gone through the process of selecting and removing the original background from the image with our subject. Cutting out objects and removing backgrounds is a tutorial in itself, which is why we have several great PRO classes that teach just that. If you’re looking to master these skills as well, be sure to watch How to Change & Remove Backgrounds in Photoshop!

With our subject cut out and ready to go, we just need to place him over our background layer and adjust until we have a composition that we’re happy with. Once our layers are positioned (and we can always adjust this later), we want to duplicate the layer with the subject so that we can keep an original in the event we want to start from scratch.

Now we can begin the color matching process by going to the Image menu, hovering over Adjustments, and clicking on Match Color.

Using the available sliders, we can dial in the look that we want. Be sure to experiment with how far you can push the Match Color tool. This will help give you an idea of what jobs it will work for and what jobs might require a more manual approach.

Use the Right Tool

Keep in mind that any automated process can sometimes yield unexpected or unwanted results. It might take a few attempts and it occasionally might not be the correct tool for the task you’re trying to perform. Always be ready to make changes or try something different if and when you get stuck!

Compositing is fun, challenging, and a great way to test your creative problem solving skills! Add this tool to your repertoire and always keep looking for more. The more options you have, the more freedom and flexibility you will have to help your creative vision come to life.

Thanks for watching!

Catalog > Free Tutorials > How to Remove Edge Fringe in Photoshop
  • How to Create Better Cut-outs for Compositing

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remove fringe large beforeremove fringe large after

ORIGINAL

AFTER FRINGE REMOVAL

Download Sample Images


Click the link below to download the sample images and follow along with this tutorial.

Download

Cut Out Your Subject

Fringing usually appears around the edge of a cut-out subject, and stands out the most when you change the image background’s color. This tutorial is about fringing, so we’ve already cut out our subject to show you how to correct this issue. If you want to learn how to remove the background from an image, check out our PRO tutorial How to Change and Remove Backgrounds or Photoshop Compositing: Masking and Cutting Out Subjects. Our free tutorial How to Add a Colored Background to a Portrait is a great, quick lesson as well.

Use a Clipping Mask

Clipping Masks are a little-known but very powerful tool in Photoshop for making your composites look realistic. Simply create a new layer above your subject, right-click and select Create Clipping Mask, and anything painted on that layer will show up only where your subject is visible. By setting this same layer to Hue, any colors you paint on it will also change the color of the subject underneath. So, on this clipped layer set to Hue, and with the brush tool, hold ALT/OPTION to sample a color from the subject (in this case, her hair) and paint that color over the edge fringe. This will effectively turn the fringe into our subject’s hair color, and make her hair blend into a new background much more seamlessly.

Extra, Extra!

For a really natural look, sample colors from the new background and paint along the edges of your subject with a large, soft-edge brush to create the illusion of the background’s light wrapping around your subject. It will further place them in the scene with great effect.

Go forth now and remove those pesky edge fringes!

The Ultimate Guide to Compositing in Photoshop Using AI & More

  • Review
    4.95 out of 5
    33 Reviews
  • Difficulty
    Medium
  • Length
    6.25 hours
  • Videos
    24
  • Software

DESCRIPTION

Creating precision masks and cutouts is one of the keys to mastering Photoshop. If you’re a product photographer, a web designer, or an artist making conceptual composites, you’ll need to be able to make accurate selections of objects and people to place on a variety of backgrounds.

In this tutorial, we cover several tools and techniques that, when combined, will allow you to create perfect masks of anything from the precision curves of designer products to the messy detail of a head of hair.

THIS COURSE INCLUDES

  • 18 Sample Images
  • 4 Photoshop Brushes

Share

Table of Contents

Photoshop Compositing: Masking (I)
  • 01 - Tutorial Introduction
    1:32m
  • 02 - Techniques Overview
    1:01m
  • 03 - Magic Wand and Refine Edge
    14:53m
  • 04 - Lasso Tool
    9:35m
  • 05 - Color Range
    13:17m
  • 06 - Focus Area
    7:13m
  • 07 - Channels
    10:48m
  • 08 - Custom Brushes
    15:35m
  • 09 - Pen Tool
    16:12m
Photoshop Compositing: Masking (II)
  • 01 - Examples Overview
    1:00m
  • 02 - Logos & Graphics
    19:47m
  • 03 - Solid Edges (Part I)
    17:16m
  • 04 - Solid Edges (Part II)
    16:03m
  • 05 - People (Part I)
    26:07m
  • 06 - People (Part II)
    13:18m
  • 07 - Pets & Animals (Part I)
    28:59m
  • 08 - Pets & Animals (Part II)
    9:57m
  • 09 - Pets & Animals (Part III)
    22:43m
  • 10 - Pets & Animals (Part IV)
    24:59m
  • 11 - Hair (Part I)
    18:14m
  • 12 - Hair (Part II)
    18:17m
  • 13 - Hair (Part III)
    13:25m
  • 14 - Hair (Part IV)
    18:57m
  • 15 - Hair (Part V)
    25:58m

Quick & Clean Cutouts in Photoshop

Tools & Techniques

There are dozens of tools and techniques that can help you cut an object or a person out of their background. We’ll provide you with a versatile set of options to handle any situation you encounter. From using the Pen Tool to create perfect curves or Channels to capture all of the details of soft edges, you’ll have access to every trick in the book.

The Perfect Combination

Once you have a handle on all of the best methods of masking and cutting out, the next step is understanding that you might need to use a combination of tools to get the job done right. We’ll cover how to mix and match techniques for those circumstances where just one won’t cut it.

Skills For Any Application

Web designers need images to blend seamlessly into the design of their pages. Product photographers need to provide stunning images that can be applied to a variety of backgrounds. Composite artists want to create realistic images that look like they’re straight out of camera. No matter what your goals with Photoshop are, understanding the techniques in this tutorial will bring you one big step closer to mastery.

More Than Meets the Eye

Sometimes cutting something out of a background means more than creating a perfect selection. Depending on the environment that the original photo was taken in, you might find yourself needing to lighten or darken edges or change the color of reflected light. Once we show you how to cut out the subject, we’ll take it a step further and show you how make it look like the new background was there all along.

Edit Faster

Creating accurate cutouts doesn’t have to mean spending hours upon hours in front of the computer. Some circumstances will require a bit of time and patience but we’ll show you some incredible tips on how to start with a rough selection and then refine only the areas that need it, saving you valuable time.

Recreate Details

Sometimes it’s better to make a rough selection and then paint the details back in. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to create and utilize custom brushes to paint in realistic-looking hair and details that would have otherwise been impossible to cut out.

MAKE COMPLEX CUTOUTS & SELECTIONS

Professional Cutouts


Making precise masks and selections has never been easier! Master all of the tools Photoshop has to offer for making professional cutouts.

Hair, Everywhere

Getting a realistic selection of hair is one of the most challenging and satisfying skills to master in Photoshop. We spend a ton of time covering several methods to make it happen. Whether the background is plain or complex, we’ll show you how to get impressive results, every time.

PETS & ANIMALS

HAIR

PEOPLE

LANDSCAPES & NATURE
Course Instructor

Aaron Nace

PHLEARN Founder

Aaron Nace is a photographer, Photoshop artist and founder of PHLEARN. He is the #1 Photoshop instructor in the world with millions of YouTube subscribers.

Reviews

  1. I bought a course at affinityrevolution “Perfect selections” and it seems like content is 90% similar to this!

  2. Great tutorial Will you be updating it when new features comming to photoshop….. like Select subject and remove background?

  3. A great lesson with a great range of techniques taught that can be used on many different subjects. This is no slight on the tutorial, or on Aaron, but I had a lot of trouble with the fringing around the hair on the second lady (the one in front of the bridge). I’ve restarted that section 3 times now but I must be doing something wrong. I’m going to go back in and see how realistic (or time-consuming) it might be to shape that mask with the pen tool. Wish me luck!

  4. Gotta say love watching Phlearn and how you make so enjoyable , and de mystifying PS 🙂

  5. Have been using photoshop since version 1 (yes, I’m an old lady) and yet always there is more to learn, different and better ways to do things. Thank you for this tutorial, learned several things which will help in my work. BY the way, I used your technique to make a “hair” and then turned it 180 and created a double-ended version, since you aren’t using the base of the brush anyway. Then the shape dynamics-angle-control “Direction” feature worked great!

  6. So far so good, have only got part way . However I have found the new Curve Pen tool much easier to use and control than the older tool, perhaps Pen tool videos need an update.

  7. Excellent excellent teacher really well done and thanks Aaron

  8. I like to thank aron for showing me masking and cutting out just love it

  9. The cutting out of the baby with the pen tool and the replacing of the hair was a great lesson for me. Now I can move on to the pets which I am grateful for. The pen tool was hard but like you said if you put time into working at it you will get it. I got it now and I use it like nothing. Your class is very important to me because I don’t get to go shooting the way a walking people do to being in a wheelchair; so I shoot my kids and fur kids then place in backgrounds I want to use. I’ve been with you for three years now and I love how you have made it available for all to learn from you. #PhlearnPhiday <3 Rose

  10. I love watching the tutorials.

  11. Super grateful to Aaron, the tutorials are great and I learned a lot. I’ve been using photoshop for many years and right now I’m doing it correctly, I love you sensei!

  12. VERY, VERY, SUPER COOL 😉

  13. Hello there, this tutorials are really great. So much to learn and very good explanation. However i have very big problems in cutting out things like wedding veils. How shall i do this with the tranparency in the veil. A tutorial about such objects would be great.

  14. Hello Phriends! Love the learning here! 😉 Advertising it to others big time! Guys, please let me know what is the intro song and where can I find it! 🙂 Thanks a lot!

    PHLEARN Staff
    Thank you! The song is Glory Days off of premiumbeat.com
    • Thank you for spreading the word about PHLEARN! The song is Glory Days off of premiumbeat.com

  15. It’s always too good to follow your tutorials! You have a perfect didactics and the fact that everything happens “live”, that is, there are no stops that can hide some trick, makes it even more useful and applicable to the routine of all professional photographers and amateurs.

    PHLEARN Staff
    What Aaron does may seem like magic, but we promise no tricks are used in our tutorials 😉
    • What Aaron does may seem like magic, but we promise no tricks are used in our tutorials 😉

  16. I absolutely LOVE your tutorials. So informative and super easy to follow. I ran into a problem, though, and couldn’t figure out how to fix it. Being a “newbie” to Photoshop, I had to Youtube it. While trying to make the fur brush for the dog, I could not get my pen path to produce a stroke that was bigger in the middle and ends in a point on both ends. I am using a mouse and realized that I had the “Control” in the “Shape Dynamics” section of my brush properties turned off from where I was making the cat fur brush. I set it to “Pen Pressure” and then tried the stroke again. It turned out great! Might want to mention that in case someone else runs into that problem.

  17. Aaron, will you marry me? 🙂 When the 1st time i use Photoshop to cut somethings out of background, it’s a so hard issue especially hair. Through many years, i can’t still seek methods that can make me happy until i find you, phlearn and now “Masking and Cutting Out Subjects”. You’re the Grand Master. I phlearned so much from this tutorial and thankful due it. Can’t thank you enough, Aaron. Keep it up.

    PHLEARN Staff
    You made Aaron blush 🙂 Thanks for taking the tutorial and we’re happy you loved it! Aaron has so many more tutorials on the way for you.
    • You made Aaron blush 🙂 Thanks for taking the tutorial and we’re happy you loved it! Aaron has so many more tutorials on the way for you.

  18. Phlearn tutorials are the absolute BEST! I’ve taken Photoshop in college and studied online tutorials from both Lynda.com and CreativeLive but only Aaron makes learning easy and fun while providing a comprehensive understanding. So many of the others are boring, confusing and/or shallow. Phlearn is my go-to source for Photoshop tutorials and a constant source of inspiration.

  19. This was awesome!! I learned so much, thank you!!

  20. Outstanding! I love this Workshop! So many “YES-Moments”. THANK YOU PHLEARN!

  21. Aaron is a fantastic teacher and these tutorials are just treasure. I started watching and learned completely new things from the very first minutes. After having watched all the videos in this tutorial, I feel it has definitely helped me a lot and I am looking forward to exploring more from PHLEARN! Also, Aaron seems to be perfectionist to the point that annoys me that sometimes I am not 😛 Like this, I am also having a live example of how a great professional should act when it comes to little details. Congratulations and thank you for this amazing series, now gonna watch some more cool stuff from here!

  22. The overlay trick – super! helpful. Thanks!! Love the videos.

  23. Aaron please… include captions, these will help a lot, to the ones who dont speak english as natives…as me…

    PHLEARN Staff
    Thanks for your comment, all our PRO Tutorials include closed captioning. There is a “CC” button in the player that will display the closed captions – all the best!
    • Thanks for your comment, all our PRO Tutorials include closed captioning, there is a CC button in the player that will display the closed captions – all the best! – Aaron

  24. Best so far, I have problem with selections on most part, getting better as time goes on, but I learned so many new techniques in this tutorial and I want to say you rock

  25. A really great tutorial!

  26. Excellent tutorial!

  27. Just amazing!!! One of the best of nothing but the best! Thanks so much for this tutorial and all the fabulous tutorials on this site. Super job!!

  28. FANTASTIC! Thank you for the help

  29. Phlearn tutorials have been absolutely invaluable to me. Without them, I’d be in a world of Photoshop pain. I love that Aaron’s instructions are clear and concise and are so easy to follow. I also like the way the videos come in short segments – this makes it easier to go back and find a topic you need without searching through a long video.

  30. This tutorial by Aaron is THE best on extraction, it builds up from super easy to super difficult.I have seen countless videos on hair extraction by PS experts but this blows them all away, the use of clipping masks is a technique that must be known to many but no one teaches,another top class tutorial from King Aaron

  31. Great stuff! Clearly organised and easy to follow. Loving it.

  32. Super legit and useful tutorial! Well paced and jamed packed!!!!! Two thumbs up!!!

  33. Yesterday I bought Photoshop Compositing: Masking & Cutting Out Subjects x1 .. the videos are obviously in English … I understand English written but not spoken .. Would there be a possibility of getting the written tutorial? .. if there was written tutorial would encourage me to buy more … thanks in advance.

    PHLEARN Staff
    Thanks Luisa, at this time we don’t offer written versions of our tutorials, however all the tutorials do have closed captioning, so you can read along. Press the “CC” button in the video player to turn on closed captioning.
    • Sorry, we don’t have written versions of our tutorials.