Conceptual product images in Photoshop: a yellow and purple sneaker in a dynamic splash of purple and white liquid against a starry black background.

How to Create Conceptual Product Images in Photoshop

THIS COURSE INCLUDES

  • 5 Lessonsfollow-along
  • 1h 52mof captioned HD video
  • Intermediatesome Photoshop basics
  • 12 Sample Images+ a brush
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DESCRIPTION

Gain the confidence to master your product photography as well as the inspiration needed to push the boundaries of what you can do in post production. In this Phlearn PRO Tutorial on conceptual product images you will learn to composite, dodge, burn, shade, paint, color, sharpen and much more!

What You’ll Learn

  • Composite product splashes into a single seamless shot
  • Match highlights and shadows so composites feel real
  • Retouch and color products for a polished look

How to Retouch & Composite Product Photography
  • 01 - Introduction to Product Photography & Planning the Composite
    6:04m
  • 02 - Compositing (Part 1)
    12:29m
  • 03 - Professional Product Retouching
    47:50m
  • 04 - Compositing (Part 2)
    30:06m
  • 05 - Color & Sharpening
    15:22m

Shoot and Edit Conceptual Product Images

Yellow and purple high-top sneaker photographed on a plain surface
The same sneaker erupting in a splash of white liquid
AfterBefore

Make Advanced Selections for Conceptual Product Images

In this tutorial you will learn how to make advanced selections. Then use layer masks, clipping masks, layer properties and more to make the addition of effects and details in your conceptual product images flawless.

Add Splashes

Each splash is a separate image that needs to be combined in Photoshop. Learn how to integrate multiple photos together seamlessly as well as build shadows to make the splash appear as though it is coming off the shoe.

Retouch Products

Learn how retouching conceptual product images is much different than retouching people and how to easily correct the details that will make your product images more professional.

Match Highlight and Shadow

Create stronger composite images by matching the subject highlights and shadows to the background. Learn how advanced selections can keep the rest of your subject intact while only editing the highlights.

Juicy Kicks – conceptual product image compositing and retouching
Featured Technique

Juicy Kicks

The perfect combination of compositing and product retouching.

Juicy Kicks – dodge and burn example

Dodge and Burn

Learn how to dodge and burn to draw attention to your subject. Alter the highlights and shadows to create extra details in specific areas. Use what you learn to add style and interest to any image.

Add Style and Color to Conceptual Product Images

Learn how to enhance color and bring life to a product. More than simply adding splashes to a shoe, we go in depth on how to retouch and enhance the colors, making this a great conceptual product images retouching tutorial.

Blend and Composite

Learn the secrets to compositing and blending multiple photos together to create seamless, stunning effects. From start to finish, you will see how each element of the conceptual product images is adjusted and combined using Photoshop.

Make Perfect Cutouts

Follow along as we explain the correct tools and techniques to cut out the subject for this image. Learn how to use the Pen Tool to create paths and turn the paths into selections. Create incredible selections and speed up your background cleanup.

Why Conceptual Product Images Sell

Conceptual product images do a job a clean catalog shot cannot: they give the product a story. The splashes on these sneakers are not decoration, they suggest motion, freshness, and energy, which is exactly what the brand wants a buyer to feel. Every technique in this tutorial serves that idea, from shooting the liquid separately so it can be placed with intent, to matching highlights and shadows so the splash reads as physically real, to the final color work that keeps the shoe as the hero.

Aaron Nace, founder of PHLEARN

Class Instructor

Aaron Nace

PHLEARN Founder & Lead Instructor

Aaron Nace is a photographer, digital artist, and the founder of PHLEARN. He has been teaching Photoshop, Lightroom, and photography since 2011, and has taught at Adobe MAX for more than eight years.

Aaron publishes a free tutorial every week and a new in-depth PRO course every month.

  • 2M+YouTube subscribers
  • 160M+video views
  • 1,000+tutorials published
  • 15years teaching Photoshop

Reviews

  1. I have to admit, I repeated the process at least three times until I got the idea of what’s going on with layers, layer masks, etc. For a beginner like me, this may seem the crucial test whether to continue practicing on this or just not; and as Aaron mentioned this is a very fun and calm process, for all Thank you.

  2. Amazing! I Love ALL of your tutorials! This was very informative!!!

  3. A fun and insightful tutorial with some very useful techniques demonstrated. I would recommend this tutorial to those who have an intermediate understanding of Photoshop since there is less explaining of the tools and more on creating the composite.

  4. This is so great, you are amazing

  5. (verified owner)

    loved this video like all the others….. 🙂
    <3 Phlearn

  6. (verified owner)

    Hi PHlearn,

    Great tutorial, found it a little stressing at times but got through it and here are my results….. not perfect but not bad for my first composite i guess !!!
    Looking forward to doing another very soon.
    As you can see i added a little more to my image, hope you like it and thanks to you guys for the great tutorials, keep them coming :))

    Regards Terry

  7. (verified owner)

    As usual another great tutorial. I think I’ve done seven or eight tutorials now and I’m amazed by how challenging and fun even an “intermediate” videos can be. Thanks so much for all that you have taught me! Keep it up!!!!!!

  8. crazy depth compositing, but i like it!

  9. (verified owner)

    Difficult tutorial. Lots to learn. I enjoy beauty but this is good practice for ads.

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