In this tutorial we'll learn to combine different photos, correct the colors, create drifting distorts, move off the unnecessary objects of the pictures, change the coiffure of the model, represent the hand out of the bubbles, use different textures, create the effect of a motioning object and smooth out little the picture.

For the beginning we have to open in a new window the picture representing the sand on it: File - Open (ctrl+o), I like this one:



Now we should copy this layer to make possible working with it (move it on the icon new Layer on the Layers window). The previous layer must be deleted (by moving it on the icon Delete Layer on the Layers window also). Now we should mark out a part of the picture, representing the stone and the sky (Rectangular Marquee Tool) and erase it. We should enlarge a little the picture in its highness, selecting the Crop Tool.



Open in a new window the picture of the sky, which will be inserted later in our picture (ctrl+o). Mark it out and make a copy of it: Edit - Copy (ctrl+c). Get back to the previous window and insert it on a new layer: Edit - Paste (ctrl+v). Represent its reflection now horizontally: Edit - Transform - Flip Horizontal and then make the necessary corrections on its size, using the next command: Edit - Free Transform (ctrl+t).



Create now a mask out of this layer (sky's layer): Layer - Add Layer Mask - Reveal All. Then select the Gradient Tool of black color and hide the sharp line between the sky and the land.

 

Make use of the next command Layer - Remove Layer Mask - Apply and then decolorize the sky: Image - Adjustments - Desaturate (shift+ctrl+u). Open in a new window the picture of a ballet-dancer (ctrl+o).



Mark out her contours, using the instrument from here: Polygonal Lasso Tool.



Make a copy of the picture (ctrl+c) and insert it on a new layer, above the sky's layer (ctrl+v). Make the necessary corrections on the picture's size if that is necessary (ctrl+t).



Now we should copy the layer containing the ballet-dancer (ctrl+j) and blur it out on its radial direction, selecting Filter - Blur - Radial Blur, setting the center approximately on the place the girl is situated on.



Create a mask out of the layer: Layer - Add Layer Mask - Hide All and make visible the layer only along the girl's dress's edges, using the Brush Tool with smooth edges of white color.

 

Combine this layer with that one the girl is situated on: Layer - Merge Down (ctrl+e). It's necessary to move off the crown of her head. For the beginning we should move off a part of the crown, situated on her hair, marking it preliminary with Polygonal Lasso Tool. After that we should select the Clone Stamp Tool to paint very accurately the rest of the crown by copying the hair near the processing place.



Move off the same way the band from the girl's hand.



Because we have several visible patches on the picture and the photo is of bad quality, we must use very accurately the Smudge Tool and smooth out the dancer's skin. The size of the instrument may be changed, depending on the processed zone.



Copy now the most neutral hair's nuance with the Eyedropper Tool and start using the set of prepared brushes that may be downloaded here: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/25147133/. Use them on a new layer to add a hair tail (insert it on the layer situated under the girl's layer and then use Free Transform option to turn it around and merge down the layers).



Select after that the Brush Tool of 1 px and make use of several colors (the light one, the neutral and the dark one) to make the girl's hair livelier.

 

Merge down the girl's layer and the tail's layer: Layer - Merge Down (ctrl+e). Make a copy of this layer (ctrl+j) and blur out the copy, using the Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur.



Change the layer's type on Overlay and combine after that the layers.



Make the corrections on this layer's colors: Image - Adjustments - Selective Color.



Copy this layer and situate the copy lower than the main girl's layer and blur it out on its vertical direction, applying the filter shown here: Filter - Blur - Motion Blur.



Then mark out and delete that part of the layer that gets outside the lowest girl's contour.



Minimize the layer's Opacity till 60%.

 

Adding the girl's shadow means in this case copying the girl's layer and show it vertically: Edit - Transform - Flip Vertical. Then distort it a little, applying next option: Edit - Transform - Distort.



Make this picture totally black by using the next selection: Image - Adjustments - Channel Mixer.



Then blur it out (Gaussian Blur).



And minimize the layer's Opacity till 15%.

 

Start using the Clone Stamp Tool with smooth edges on a new layer, above the girl's layer, to make the skirt's edges more blurred, by copying turn by turn the skirt's part and the sky's ones.

Blur out the layer (Gaussian Blur).



Insert now a textile's texture, above the background's layer.



Make the necessary corrections on the brightness and the contrast, applying Image - Adjustments - Levels.



Change the layer's type on Overlay and minimize the Opacity of the layer till 50%.

 

Cut out several gold fishes from a certain picture and insert each of them on a new layer:



Blur out the edges of the fishes' fins and the tails, using the Smudge Tool.



Then make many copies of the fishes' layer. Correct their sizes and placement, selecting the Free Transform option and Flip Horizontal selection. Then we should also change the distort level of several fishes, using the Distort option.



Merge down the layers with the fishes and correct the layer's brightness, making use of the next selection: Image - Adjustments - Curves (ctrl+m).



Create a kind of marking on a new layer, having the circle's shapes, using the Elliptical Marquee Tool and clicking on the shift button. Paint it in black, using the Paint Bucket Tool.



Select the next filter: Filter - Render - Lens Flare.



Using the Gradient Tool, it's possible to add more light on it:

 

After that we should cut out the sphere and insert it on a new layer: File - New (ctrl+n). Decolorize it (shift+ctrl+u) and invert the colors (because the brush's preset recognizes only the black color). Apply also the next command: Edit - Define Brush Preset



Get back to the window with the processed picture and choose from the brush's list our new created brush, select the white color and change the brush's adjustments on the Brushes' window, like you may see in the tables below:



Then change the brush's size and insert on a new layer several bubbles above the fishes and above the girl.



Open in several new windows the images with not blossom out lilies.



Mark them out, copy them and insert each of them on a new layer, above all the layers:



Mark out the stems of all the flowers and extend them, selecting the Free Transform option.



Copy several times the layers containing the lilies and combine them the way we want to.

 

We should blur out the stem of each of the flowers, selecting the Turbulence Tool in the Liquefy window (the blurring can be done, using a big size brush. After that we may select a brush of small size to correct the thickness of the stems).



Merge down the layer containing the flowers, decolorize them and move off the black color out of the picture, applying Image - Adjustments - Selective Color.



Insert on a new layer, above all the layers, the texture of the water.



Create its reflections horizontally and vertically and minimize the color's intensity, applying the next command: Image - Adjustments - Hue/Saturation (ctrl+u).



Change the layer's type on Overlay.

 

We want the lines and the colors look smoother (characteristic for an underwater atmosphere) that is why we should merge down all the layers: Layer - Merge Visible (shift+ctrl+e), copy the new layer and blur it out a little, selecting the Gaussian Blur.



Change the layer's type on Darken. The Crop Tool and Rectangular Tool may be useful in representing the picture's frame.



The illustration is finished!

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