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The Power of Compositing in Photoshop 2025

by Aaron Nace
September 3, 2025
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Difficulty

Advanced
Length

3.25 hours
Videos

7
Software

Photoshop

Description

Discover the art of compositing in Photoshop! In this tutorial, we’ll go through six examples to help you create stunning, realistic images by blending multiple photos together. We’ll cover new AI tools like Harmonize as well as traditional techniques to seamlessly remove backgrounds, match color and light, and create amazing art.

THIS COURSE INCLUDES

26 Sample Images
6 Sample PSDs

1 | Course Preview

01 - What You’ll Learn

4:34m

2 | Getting Started

01 - Giraffe In The City

29:11m
02 - Moody Mountain Scene

41:09m
03 - Desert Cyclist

22:17m

3 | Your Skills In Action

01 - Butterflies In The Field

33:23m
02 - Wall Painting

11:02m
03 - Church Crows

51:39m

Course Downloads

Compositing in 2025

AFTER

BEFORE

Seamless Photo Blending

One of the keys to great compositing is blending different elements, so that they appear to be part of the same original photograph. In this tutorial we’ll explore the best tools and techniques to seamlessly blend a subject into a new environment, from understanding the basics of perspective to using advanced AI features to match light, color, and shadow.

Combining Tools

Learn how to combine the power of both AI and manual techniques. We’ll show you how to leverage new AI tools like Harmonize for speed and efficiency, while also teaching you essential manual skills. This will help you understand when each approach is best, giving you complete control over your creative vision.

Non-Destructive Editing

Non-destructive editing is essential in compositing images to maintain flexibility and control. In this tutorial you’ll learn how to work with smart objects and adjustment layers, so you can easily modify and refine your composite without affecting the original image.

AFTER

BEFORE

Matching Perspective

Matching perspective is a key to making a composite look real. We’ll show you how to align the horizon lines of your subject and background so they look like they belong in the same photo. Learning this skill is critical because it makes your images believable, and we’ll teach you exactly how to do it.

Select & Refine

Making a perfect selection is the foundation of a great composite. Photoshop’s Select Subject tool uses AI to quickly isolate a subject, but it’s rarely perfect. We’ll show you how to refine these selections, from cleaning up edges to perfecting fine details, so you can achieve great results every time.

Sky Replacement

Learn how to use Photoshop’s sky replacement feature to transform a scene. We will show you how this powerful AI tool automatically selects and replaces the sky. You’ll also see why it’s a valuable skill, as it allows you to instantly change the mood and drama of a photo with just a few clicks.

Combine Multiple Images

Six Images Into One Masterpiece

Follow along as we use six beautiful images from free stock photo websites and combine them into a stunning scene, turning simple photos into a fantastical, surreal work of art.

AFTER

BEFORE

Crafting Your Vision

We’ll teach you the power of rough composition. Before you get into the details, you’ll learn to quickly place all your images into a scene to see how they look together. This crucial first step allows you to experiment with your creative vision, ensuring your composite has the right feel before you begin the final refinements.

Matching Light & Color

Craft a convincing composite image by flawlessly matching light and 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.

Blending Modes

Blending Modes control how pixels on one layer interact with the layers below, dramatically affecting how light, color, and texture blend. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to use them properly to instantly integrate elements like a moon or clouds into a scene.

AFTER

BEFORE

Harmonize Tool

Discover the power of the Harmonize tool. You’ll learn how to use this AI feature to instantly match a subject’s lighting and color to its new background. We’ll also show you how to use Harmonize as a guide for making your own manual color and light adjustments, giving you full creative control.

Hands-On Learning

Get ready for an awesome learning experience! This tutorial includes 26 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.

Compositing Learning Path

Master the art of conceptual Compositing with our Magical Compositing Learning Path. This path 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!.

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 Elise Wilcox, Shiebi AL, Drew Walker, Aaron Burden, ALisa Marie Theck, Riccardo Saraceni, Glen Carrie, Jens Aber, Jonathan Varghese, Justlomi, Narubono, Veronica Dudarev, Jonas Degener, Mykhailo Volkov, Rita Burza, Ron Szalata, Tengy Art, Teslariu Mihai, Victor Rosario, Valeksandra Dementeva, Clay Banks, Katie Luka, Nir Himi, Ting Tse Wang, and Thomas Evans.