How to Create a Sci-Fi Giant Tortoise Shelter Photo-Manipulation

 
Learn how to create this sci-fi giant tortoise shelter photo manipulation. In this surreal scene, the shell is a military base with spaceships flying around it. This tutorial will show you how to create giant-sized objects and other photo manipulation techniques for combining images.

Preview of Final Results

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How to Create a Sci-Fi Giant Tortoise Shelter Photo-manipulation PSD.zip | 106.76 MB
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How to Create a Sci-Fi Giant Tortoise Shelter Photo-Manipulation

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Tutorial Resources

• Beach – night-fate-stock
• Deep blue sky – night-fate-stock
• Tortoise3 Stock – SilkenWebs
• Apartment Stock 2 – Disney Stock
• Winter Walking – tlst
• Sci-fi Prop 1 Stock – Inadesign-Stock

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Step 1

Now, let’s start by creating a new image file, go to the Menu bar and click File > New, and then input the following values on their respective fields:

• Preset: Custom
• Size: A4
• Width: 297mm
• Height: 210mm
• Resolution: 300pixels/inch
• Color Mode: RGB Color; 8 bit
• Background Contents: Transparent

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Step 2

In this step, we will be creating the sky of our image. To start, open “beach” by night-fate-stock. Next activate the Rectangular Marquee Tool by pressing M on your keyboard.

Once activated, create a selection area around the sky as shown below:

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Step 3

Next, activate the Move tool (V) and drag the selected area by left-clicking on it and dragging it to the canvas. Position the selected area as shown on the image below:

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Step 4

Let’s rename this layer now to “sky”. To rename a layer, simply double-click on the words: “layer 1” (you can find that on the layer window) to prompt a text box to appear. Once that appears, you may now rename the layer. See image below:

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Step 5

Now, we would need to brighten the horizon; to do that, first we need to create a new layer. Start by pressing Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N on your keyboard and once a box opens, input “brighten horizon” on the name field.

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Step 6

Once you’re done with that, let’s now activate the Brush tool (B) but before we start, make sure that the active Brushes are the default brushes. The default Photoshop brushes are shown on the image below, if that’s not what you see, then follow the instructions below:

Right click the canvas while a layer is selected and while the Brush tool (B) is activated and then click on the button highlighted below:

Then click on “Reset Brushes” from the contextual menu.

Now, that that is done input the following settings for our Brush tool (B):

• Brush size: 1000px
• Hardness: 0%
• Opacity: 15%
• Flow: 100%
• #: ffffff

Note: The #: ffffff is the color of the brush. To change it to that, simply do the following:

Once the Color Picker box opens, input the following on the # box:

• #: ffffff

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Step 7

Now, that that’s done, we can now paint:

The result:

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Step 8

Next, let’s adjust the Brightness/Contrast of the sky. To do that, simply click on Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast from the Menu bar and input the following when the box opens:

The result:

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Step 9

Now, let’s create the ground of our image. To start, let’s open “Deep blue sky” by night-fate-stock. Once it’s open, activate the Magnetic Lasso tool (L) because we will need this tool to take the sand away from the image.

Now, that our Magnetic Lasso Tool (L) is activated, we can now start selecting our image.

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Step 10

Once we have made a selection area over the sand dunes, activate the Move tool (V) and drag the selected area to our canvas. Put this new layer above the “sky” layer and rename it to “ground”. Move and position the “ground” layer s shown below:

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Step 11

Next, we would need to darken the foreground because it is too bright. To start, select the “ground” layer and then create a new layer (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) and then name it “darken ground”.

Note: Selecting the “ground” layer before creating a new layer automatically puts the new layer above it. Activate the Brush tool (B) and input the following values:

• Brush size: 1100px
• Hardness: 0%
• Opacity: 8%
• Flow: 100%
• #: 000000

Now, let’s paint:

The result of that should be similar to this:

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Step 12

Now, we would need to darken it more through the use of the Burn tool (O).

Once the Burn tool has been activated input the following values for it:

• Brush size: 1000px
• Hardness: 0%
• Range: Midtones
• Exposure: 8%

Now, click on the “ground” layer and let’s start burning it!

The result:

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Step 13

To fully make the ground and sky look like one seamless image, we would need to adjust the Brightness/Contrast of our “ground” layer. From the Layer window, click on the “Create New Fill/Adjustment layer button”.

When it opens, click on the Brightness/Contrast tab from the contextual menu.

• Brightness: -40
• Contrast: 40
• Use Legacy: Uncheck

The result of that should be similar to this:

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Step 14

Finally, let’s add a little darkness on the foreground which will give more drama to the Tortoise shelter that would be put next. Click on the recently created Brightness/Contrast layer and then create a new layer (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) and name it as “darken ground 2”. Make sure this layer is above all the layers that we’ve created so far. Activate the Brush tool (B) and input the following:

• Brush size: 700px
• Hardness: 0%
• Opacity: 15%
• Flow: 100%
• #: 000000

Now, let’s paint:

The result should be similar to this:

When you’re done, select all the layers that we’ve created and press Ctrl/Cmd + G to group them. Once grouped, rename it to “Background”.

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Step 15

In this step, we will be creating the giant tortoise shell which was converted to a shelter by a race of humanoids from the future. To start, open the stock image: “Tortoise3 Stock” by SilkenWebs. Once the stock image is open, activate the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L).

Now, let’s create a selection area around the tortoise shell. Note: Unlike the Magnetic Lasso Tool, the Polygonal Lasso tool (L) is great in creating straight lines.

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Step 16

Once you’re done, activate the Move tool (V) and drag the image to our canvas. Make sure that you put this layer above all the layers that we’ve created. Rename this layer to “shell”. Position the tortoise shell to the area shown below:

Next, activate the Transform tool (Ctrl/Cmd + T) and right click on the canvas to activate the Transform tool’s contextual menu. Once it is active, click on “Rotate”.

Now, rotate the image as shown below:

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Step 17

Now, that that is done activate the Move tool (V) and move the image to the position as shown below:

The result:

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Step 18

Now, we would need to Burn the Tortoise shell. Activate the Burn tool (O) and input the following:

• Brush size: 500px
• Hardness: 0%
• Range: Midtones
• Exposure: 15%

Use the Burn tool on the areas shown below:

The result should be similar to this:

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Step 18

Next, let’s use black paint to darken the tortoise shell more. First, create a new layer (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) and name this layer: “darken shell”. Make sure that this layer is above the “shell” layer. Right click on this layer from the layer window and then click on “Create Clipping Mask” from the contextual menu.

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Step 19

Activate the Brush tool (B) and then input the following values:

• Brush size: 600px
• Hardness: 0%
• Opacity: 15%
• Flow: 100%
• #: 000000

Now, let’s paint:

The result:

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Step 20

Now, we will be creating the floor for the tortoise shelter. To start, let’s open “Apartment Stock 2” by Disney Stock. Once it is opened, activate the Polygonal lasso tool (L) and create a selection area around the floor as shown on the image below:

Once the selection area has been created, activate the Move tool (V) and drag the selected area to our canvas. Put this layer below the “shell” layer. Do this by left-clicking on the layer and dragging it all the way down until you see it below the “shell” layer. Rename this layer to “floor”. Position this layer as shown on the image below:

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Step 21

Activate the Transform tool (Ctrl/Cmd + T) and then resize the “floor” as shown below:

The result:

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Step 22

Next, activate the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L), we are going to cut the extra areas to make the floor look like it really is inside the tortoise shelter.

The result of that should be like this:

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Step 23

Next, activate the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) again and then create a selection area over the following areas of the “floor”.

The result:

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Step 24

Next, we will make this floor blend well with the tortoise shelter by adding shadows on the inside. To start, create a new layer (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) above the “floor” layer and name it “darken inside”. Right click on this layer from the layer window and then click on the “Create Clipping Mask” option from the contextual menu.

Activate the Brush tool (B) and then input the following values:

• Brush size: 300px
• Hardness: 0%
• Opacity: 50%
• Flow: 100%
• #: 000000

Now, let’s start painting:

The result of that should be similar to this:

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Step 25

Now, we will be creating the shadow of the tortoise shelter.

To start, let’s create a new layer (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) and name it “shadow”. Put this layer below the “floor” layer so that the brush paint would just be shown below the tortoise shelter.

Activate the Brush tool (B) and input the following values:

• Brush size: 15px
• Hardness: 0%
• Opacity: 100%
• Flow: 100%
• #: 000000
• Zoom level: 100%

Note: To change the zoom level, simply change the zoom values at the Navigator window. See image below:

Now, let’s paint:

The result:

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Step 26

Next, let’s create another layer (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) above this layer and name it “shadow 2”. Activate the Brush tool (B) and input the following:

• Brush size: 40px
• Hardness: 0%
• Opacity: 50%
• Flow: 100%
• #: 000000
• Zoom level: 100%

Paint here:

The result of that should be like this:

Create another layer again (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) and name it “shadow 3”. Activate the Brush tool (B) and input the following:

• Brush size: 20px
• Hardness: 0%
• Opacity: 100%
• Flow: 100%
• #: 000000
• Zoom level: 100%

Paint here:

The result of that should be like this:

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Step 27

Create another layer (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) but this time, name it “shadow 4”. Activate the Brush tool (B) and input the following:

• Brush size: 300px
• Hardness: 0%
• Opacity: 50%
• Flow: 100%
• #: 000000
• Zoom level: 100%

The result should be similar to this:

For our last shadow layer, name it “shadow 5”. Activate the Brush tool (B) and input the following:

• Brush size: 500px
• Hardness: 0%
• Opacity: 15%
• Flow: 100%
• #: 000000
• Zoom level: 100%

Paint here:

The result of that should be similar to this:

Now that is all done, select all the layers that we’ve made in steps 4 to 6 and press Ctrl/Cmd + G to group them.

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Step 28

Now, we will create the distant man walking towards the tortoise shelter. To start, let’s open “Winter Walking” by tlst. Once it is opened, activate the Magnetic Lasso Tool (L) and create a selection area around the man shown below:

Next, activate the Move tool (V) and drag the selected boy to our canvas. Put this layer above all the layers that we’ve created and rename this layer to “man”. Position the “man” as shown below:

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Step 29

Next, activate the Transform tool (Ctrl/Cmd + T) and then resize the image to the size shown below:

The result of that should be similar to this:

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Step 30

Next, let’s turn this man into a shadowy figure; to start, make sure that the “man” is selected and then go to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast. Once it is open, input the following:

The result:

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Step 31

Next, go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur and input the following:

• Angle: 90′
• Distance: 20px

The result:

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Step 32

After that, change the layer opacity of the “man” to 70%. To do that, simply go to the Layer window and left-click on the 100% value beside Opacity and from there you can change the layer’s opacity.

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Step 33

Now, let’s make the shadow of the “man”. Duplicate the “man” by pressing Ctrl/Cmd + J. Now, activate the Transform tool (Ctrl/Cmd + T) and then right click on the canvas to bring up the contextual menu – once it is opened, click on the “Flip Vertical” tab.

Once it has been flipped vertically, activate the Move tool (V) and drag it down until it resembles a shadow. See image below:

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Step 34

Next, activate the Transform tool (Ctrl/Cmd + T) and then right click on the image to activate the contextual menu and then click on Distort.

Now, let’s distort the image as shown on the following images below:

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Step 35

Next, activate the Eraser tool (E) and input the following values:

• Brush size: 100px
• Hardness: 0%
• Opacity: 100%
• Flow: 100%

The result of that would be like this:

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Step 36

Now, let’s create the ships flying over the shelter. To start, open “Sci-fi Prop 1 Stock” by inadesign-stock. Once open, activate the Polygonal Lasso tool (L) and create a selection area around the ship as shown below:

Next, activate the Move tool (V) and then drag the selected part of the image to our canvas. Once on the canvas, rename this moved layer to “ship”. Put this layer above all the layers that we’ve created. Position it in the canvas as shown below:

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Step 37

Activate the Transform tool (Ctrl/Cmd + T) and resize the ship as shown below:

The result of that should be similar to this:

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Step 38

Next, let’s give it a sense of movement; to do that, let’s use the power of the Motion Blur tool. Make sure that the selected layer is the “ship” layer and then go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur. Once it opens, input the following:

• Angle: 180′
• Distance: 30px

The result of that should be like this:

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Step 39

Next, let’s give the ship its engine blast. To start, create a new layer (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) and then name this layer as “engine blast”. Put this layer above all the layers that we’ve created and then activate the Brush tool (B). Once the Brush tool (B) is open, input the following:

• Brush size: 45px
• Hardness: 0%
• Opacity: 100%
• Flow: 100%
• #: 8fd1f0

Now, let’s paint:

The result:

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Step 40

Next, create the engine blast which is supposedly coming from the inner core of the engine. To start, create a new layer (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) and then name it “engine blast 2”. Activate the Brush tool (B) and input the following:

• Brush size: 30px
• Hardness: 0%
• Opacity: 100%
• Flow: 100%
• #: ffffff

Now, let’s paint:

The result should be similar to this:

Next, right click on the “engine blast 2” layer and then from the contextual menu, click on “Merge down” so that the layer would be merged with “engine blast 1”.

Now, that they are merged, we will give the effect that this engine blast is also in motion as with the ship itself. To do that, go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur and then input the following:

• Angle: 180′
• Distance: 30px

The result:

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Step 35

Now, let’s make the engine blast look more realistic. To do that, activate the Eraser tool (E) and input the following:

• Brush size: 100px
• Hardness: 0%
• Opacity: 25%
• Flow: 100%

Erase the area as shown below:

The result:

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Step 36

Next, let’s create the other patrolling ship. To start, click on the “ship” layer and then press Ctrl/Cmd + J to duplicate it. Once duplicated, activate the Move tool (V) and drag the image as shown below:

The result:

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Step 37

Activate the Transform tool (Ctrl/Cmd + T) and resize the duplicated layer as shown below:

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Step 38

Finally, let’s make the duplicated layer look like it is a little farther from the original ship. Change the layer opacity of the duplicated layer to the following:

The result:

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Step 39

Now, select all the layers that we’ve created for this step and press Ctrl/Cmd + G to group these layers.

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Step 40

Now, we will enhance the color and overall brightness of the image. To start, let’s create a Solid Color adjustment layer. From the Layer window, click on the “Create New Fill/Adjustment layer button”.

Once the contextual menu opens, click on Solid Color:

Now, clicking on the Solid Color option will open the Color Picker box. Now, input the following on the #: space.

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Step 41

Next, let’s change the Blending mode of this Solid Color so our image isn’t filled with brown. Change the Blending mode and Opacity to:

• Blending Mode: Soft Light
• Opacity: 30%

Note: To change the Blending mode, simply click on the Solid Color and then go to the Layer window and find the “Normal” option. Click on that and it will open a contextual menu, once its open, click on Soft Light as shown on the image below

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Step 42

Next, let’s adjust the overall Brightness/Contrast of the image, to do that, simply click on the Create New Fill/Adjustment layer button and then click on the Birghtness/Contrast from the contextual menu.

Once it’s open, input the following:

• Brightness: 25
• Contrast: 25
• Use Legacy: Uncheck

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Step 43

Next, let’s create another Solid Color adjustment layer. This time, input the following values:

• #: 00011d

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Step 44

Once your canvas is all blue, change the Blending mode and Opacity to the following:

• Blending mode: Exclusion
• Opacity: 60%

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Step 45

Finally, let’s create a levels adjustment layer from the Create New Fill/Adjustment layer button.

Once it is open, input the following:

• Channel: Green
• 15, 1.00, 255

Don’t close the Levels box yet, because we would now input the following for the Blue channel:

• Channel: Blue
• 15, 1.00, 255

The resulting image should be similar to this:

Final Results

Download the PSD

How to Create a Sci-Fi Giant Tortoise Shelter Photo-manipulation PSD.zip | 106.76 MB
Download from Website