• View: On White
• Checkmark "Smart Radius"
• Radius to around 2.3px
• Shift Edge to -20

Use the brush in this window and brushed all edges of trimmed trees. It takes away the haze from using a soft brush and you get a good contour without any noticeable transition between textures.

Step 4

Move "warsaw-100294" layer below the pond layer. Use Cmd/Ctrl + Opt/Alt + Shift + E to create a merged copy of whole image and convert this to Smart Object (right-click on layer > Convert to Smart Object or Layer > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object). To correct the image I used the filter "Camera Raw" because this filter has excellent opportunities for correction of material without the use of a whole bunch of adjustment layers. Go to Filter > Camera Raw or use shortcut Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + A. First you need to change the white balance. Set Temperature to +7, Tint to +5. Next reduce Exposure to -0.55, add a bit to Contrast: +8, Highlights: -100, Shadows: +100, Whites: +23, Blacks: +43, Clarity: +23.

Go to tab "Sharpness" (black & white triangles) and set the following values - Luminance: 21, Luminance Detail: 50, Amount: 20, Radius: 1.0, Detail: 25 and hit OK to apply changes.

Step 5

Draw your own light/shadow map on how we need it. To do this, you can use Screen/Multiply layers and work with Brush Tool (B), but I do not need much change in the contrast of the image, so I just use one "Overlay-neutral" layer. Hold Opt/Alt and click on the "Create a new layer" icon. In the window that appears, set Mode: Overlay and checkmark "Fill with Overlay-neutral color (50% gray)". Use the Dodge Tool (O) and Burn Tool (O) to create shadow and light. Set the settings for each tool like shown in the image below. Try to darken highlights on left leaves and lighten very dark parts of the image. On the image below red shows the shadows, cyan - where must be light.

Step 6

When I finished with the background, I added a lilies image (818382_82358191) in a working document slightly increasing its size and flip it horizontally. Try to find a harmonious arrangement of plants and the prospects for the overall composition. Do not be afraid to add details (as this image). This diversity of backgrounds and create a harmonious composition.