Create a Fantasy Ghost Scene with Adobe Photoshop

In this tutorial, I'll show you how to create a fantasy piece featuring a ghost woman in a mysterious dark scene. You'll learn how to combine different stock images together, turn a woman in a ghost one, adjust color, enhance the mood and more.

Preview of the Final Result

Tutorial Resources

Step 1

Create a new 1666x1697 px document in Photoshop and fill it with white. Open the background image and drag it into the white canvas using the Move Tool (V).

Step 2

We'll remove one detail on the door as it looks messy through the transparent dress of the model. Hit Ctrl+Shift+N to make a new layer and activate the Clone Tool (S). Use this tool to erase the indicated detail.

Step 3

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance and change the Midtones and Highlights values to give the background some warm tone.

Step 4

We'll be making a dark scene so the background should be darker. Create a Curves adjustment layer and reduce the lightness. On this layer mask, activate the Brush Tool (B) and select a soft round one with black color. Use this brush to erase the dark effect on both sides of the top of the wall and the lower right as we aim to make some light on these areas.

Step 5

Make another Curves adjustment layer to make the background, especially the door darker and mostly hidden in the shadow. On the layer mask, paint on the both sides of the wall to reveal the lightness there.

Step 6

Isolate the model and place her on the area near the middle of the foreground.

Click the second icon at the bottom of the Layers panel to add a mask to this layer. Use a medium-soft black brush to reduce the opacity of the model's dress , make it appear semi-transparent but leave the wrinkles more visible than the rest.

Step 7

Make a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer above the model's one and set it as Clipping Mask. Bring the Saturation values to -43 to reduce the cyan of the model's dress, especially the part exposed in the light a bit. On this layer mask, use a soft black brush to erase the head and the part hidden of the model to keep it color's saturation.

Step 8

Create a Color Balance adjustment layer to give the model some bright warm tone. On the layer mask, use a soft black brush to reduce the effect on the model, especially on the higher part of the model's body.

Step 9

Make another Color Balance adjustment layer to make the bright part of the model warmer and a bit redder to fit the light on this side ( the right from the viewer). Paint on the rest so they won't be or less be affected by this adjustment layer.

Step 10

The model looks too bright compared the light of the background. Create a Curves adjustment layer and reduce the light on the model. On the layer, paint on the her dress or any details you feel too dark.

Step 11

Use another Curves adjustment layer to increase the contrast on the bright side of the model a little. The selected areas show where to paint on the layer mask.

Step 12

The dress still lacks a bit of fantasy feel so I make a new layer on top of the layers and pick a similar color with the dress's one (#54473f) to paint more details of its bottom . Vary the opacity of the brush to about 50-70% to make the dress look graceful and gentle.

Step 13

Make a new layer and use a soft brush with the color #54504b to paint on the transparent part of the dress. Change this layer mode to Linear Dodge 50% to give some glowing effect to this area.

Step 14

Create a new layer and use a small brush with the color #806d5c to paint more highlight on the both sides of the model's head.

Step 15

Open the tree image. Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) to take a small branch on the left to add to the top right of the wall. Use the Free Transform Tool (Ctrl+T) with the Warp mode to bend this branch as shown below:

Step 16

Take the twisted part of the tree to add to the top left of the wall.

Duplicate this layer twice and move them to other positions as shown below. Use Ctrl+T with the Warp mode to tweak them so they appear different.

Step 17

Take the small branch in the step 15 and the twisted one to add to the left bottom of the scene.

Add a mask to the small branch layer and use a soft black brush to blend it with the twisted one .

Step 18

On each of the tree layers mentioned in the step 17, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the radius to 6 px. This step is to give some depth to the whole scene.

Step 19

Select all of the tree layers and hit Ctrl+G to make a group for them. Change this group mode to Normal 100% and make a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer within this group. Bring the Saturation values down to -34:

Step 20

Create a Curves adjustment layer to increase the shadow of the branches. On this layer mask, use a soft black brush to erase the effect on the front or any details you feel too dark .

Step 21

Make another Curves adjustment layer to brighten the front of the branches . The selected areas show where to paint on the layer mask.

Step 22

On each of the tree layers which are on the top left, make a new layer, change the mode to Overlay 100% and fill with 50% gray.

Activate the Dodge and Burn Tool (O) with Midtones Range, Exposure about 15-20% to refine the light and shadow on these branches. You can see how I did it with Normal mode and the result with Overlay mode.

Step 23

Create a new layer below the tree group and use a medium-soft brush with the color #181411, the opacity about 30% to paint shadow for the branches on the wall.

Step 24

Make a new layer on top of the layers and change the brush to the cobweb ones. Use the color #e9ddd0 to paint different cobwebs on the branches' area. I've used two cobwebs on the top left but feel free to make your own.

Add a mask to the each of the cobweb layers on the top left and use a soft black brush to reduce their visibility.

Step 25

Apply a Gaussian Blur of 6 px to the cobweb layer on the bottom left to fit the softness of this place.

Step 26

Make a group for the cobweb ones and use a Curves adjustment layer to darken the hidden areas. Paint on the rest so they won't be affected by this adjustment layer.

Step 27

Open the butterflies image. As it has a transparent background so just use the Move Tool to drag butterflies to place them in different positions around the canvas. Use Ctrl+T to vary their size to increase the depth of the whole scene.

Step 28

Double click each of the butterfly layers , choose Outer Glow. Set the color of glow to white.

Step 29

Apply a Gaussian Blur of 6 px to the big butterflies on the foreground to help increasing the depth of the scene.

Step 30

Create a group for the butterflies layers and add a Color Balance adjustment layer to give the butterflies more vibrant.

Step 31

Use a Curves adjustment layer and increase the light so much to give the butterflies some ghostly effect.

Step 32

Add a mask to this butterflies group and use a soft black brush with a lowered opacity (about 20-30%) to reduce their visibility to make them more mysterious.

Step 33

Make a new layer on top of the layers and use a soft brush with the color #9c9489 to paint over the butterflies . Change this layer mode to Linear Dodge 20% give them some glowing effect.