Draw some rectangles like shown in the image below. Start by drawing rectangles around the text and eyes then adding more afterwards. If you make a mistake, just press Ctrl+Z to undo. Want to start over? Press Ctrl+D to deselect and start over.

Step 14

In the Layers palette, select the Photo group then click on the Add Layers Mask button. This will create a layer mask from the selection you made in the previous step.

Here’s what our image looks like so far.

Step 15

We’re almost done! Select the Rectangular Marquee tool and create selections around the text. Make sure your foreground/background colors are set to the default white/black by pressing D to reset the colors. Press Delete to fill the selected area with black. Press Ctrl+D to deselect.

When you’re done, set the mode back to New Selection so that you don’t get confused the next time you use the Marquee tool.

Step 16

In the Layers panel, click on the layer mask of the Photo group – make sure you’re clicking on the thumbnail so that you are editing the layer mask.

Press D on your keyboard to reset your foreground and background colors then press delete on your keyboard. This will fill the selected area with black. Press Ctrl+D to deselect the selection when you’re done. Here’s what our image looks like.

Step 17

Remember earlier when we talked about Smart Filters? Here’s an example of a situation where you will find them useful. The photo of the background seems too strong and we need to make changes to the Shadows/Highlights adjustment. To do this, just double-click on the Shadows/Highlights adjustment in the Photos layer. Without Smart Filters, you would have had to undo many steps to do this.

I reduced the shadows and increased the highlights for a more realistic look. Click OK after you’ve adjusted your settings.

Step 18

To finish the image, we’re going to add a slight gradient to the text. Right-click on any one of the text layers then choose Blending Options.

Checkmark the Gradient Overlay style then set the settings shown below. The Dither option reduces banding in the gradient by dithering and should always be enabled. Click OK when done.