Discover how to create stunning photo manipulations in Photoshop. In this course, you'll learn everything from photographing models to creating dark conceptual artworks. If you enjoy our photo manipulation tutorials, you will absolutely love this course.
What you'll be creating
In this tutorial, we will create an emotional scene of a sad angel in a gloomy and cold atmospheric dreamscape with rain. We will use some essential techniques for doing photo manipulation. We will use masking, brush tool, some filter, color adjustments, and textures all through the steps in this tutorial. Use Adobe Photoshop CC to fully follow this tutorial. Some filters used in this tutorial will not be available in Photoshop CS. Don’t forget a glass of coffee and optionally a pack of cigarettes for your companion. Ready..?
Tutorial Resources
- Girl - Pixabay
- Black Wings Spread Out - chunga stock
- Dark Sky - knb stock
- Rain - elestrial
- Chicken feather jpg - raduluchian
Step 1
In the first several steps of this tutorial, we are going to create a figure of an angel. Start by opening the girl image in photoshop. We will cut out the girl. Take the pen tool (P). With the tool, trace the girl to create a path as indicated in the orange outline.

Step 2
Create a new document (Ctrl+N). Name this new document, say, broken angel. In this document, we will create the figure of angel.

Step 3
Then open the bird image, we will use the bird’s wings for the angel. Take the pen tool (P) and cut out the wings of the bird.


Step 4
Now we will do some refinement on the edges of the wings. To do this, take a smudge tool on the tool panel. Choose a very soft round brush (0% hardness) set to about 4pxl size with strength set to about 70%.


Step 5
Next, we will add some shading on the wing 2 on the area behind the angel as outlined in orange color.

Step 6
In this step, we will add cloth addition to the angel’s robe to cover the starting point of the wing 1. To do this, create a new layer (Shift+Ctrl+N) above the wing 1 layer. Take the pen tool (P). On this layer, create a shape like the one shown in the screenshot and fill (Shift+F5) the shape with any color we want. The dark blue color is the one given as an example.

16 comments on “Create An Emotional Photo Manipulation Of A Sad Angel In Photoshop”
I cant download the psd, link isnt working :(
Thanks for letting us know! PSD link has been fixed
This is amazing! Easy-to-follow steps and I created what seems like a masterpiece! Thank you.
I LOVE THIS! I am going to be giving this tutorial a try.
You have the link incorrect for the rain brush, its: http://elestrial.deviantart.com/art/Rain-35960575 -- Beautiful tutorial.
This is great! And for you to have provided steps showing how it's done....perfect. I'll give this a try, and once I can perfect it, I'll make one for my niece with her image. She's all into angels.
Wow, it amazes me that a person can see a final image and then create it basically from scratch on Photoshop. Nice work.
What am I doing wrong on Step 6. I cannot for the life of me do that step. I create a new layer, use the pen tool to create the shape, shift f5 to fil. Does wonderful, looks nice, but when I do the step to cut out the robe. Nightmare city. I can't get it done. What am I doing wrong???
awesome indeed
Brilliant Work Kindly re-uploaded PSD File its showing error. Thanks this work is really very helpful for me.
Thanks for letting us know! The PSD link has been fixed
thanks.
very good.thanks.
Very nice, enjoyed this guide.
bellissimo tutorial complimenti
Would it be ok to share your image on my photography facebook site if I credit you and link to your site?