Create a Moody Landscape Photo Manipulation in Photoshop

Learn how to create a dark and dreamy photo manipulation by blending images seamlessly and applying a color effect using several adjustment layers. You’ll also learn how to use textures, apply lighting effects, and more.

Preview of Final Results

Create a Moody Landscape Photo Manipulation in Photoshop

Resources

Birds of a Feather - midnightstouch (Brusheezy)
Star Brushes - kuschelirmel-stock
Vintage 02 - FructisIndia-Stock
landscape 45 - night-fate-stock
desert mountain - night-fate-stock
Ol' Buttermilk Sky - xDante-stock
old tree - stock.xchng
Midnight Scratches - pelleron
barbwire - angeltouch1
bench - angeltouch1
rose - angeltouch1

Step 1: Create a New Image File

Create a new file with a width of 2000 px and a height of 1333 px at 300 dpi (Dots per Inch). Background Contents should be White.

Step 2: Create the Background

First off, let’s open the landscape 45 stock in Photoshop. We will be using the ground on this stock image so we will need to transfer it to our main canvas. Click the landscape 45 and press V to activate the Move Tool. Left-click the image and drag the image to the main canvas. Once you have it there, press Ctrl/Cmd + T to activate the Free Transform command and scale the image so that it’s the same size as our canvas. Change layer name to "Background"

Next, activate the Transform tool again (Ctrl/Cmd +T), and then right click on the canvas to bring up the contextual menu. Once open, click on "Warp". When activated follow the instructions below:

Now, goto edit > transform > Flip Horizontal.

The result should be similar to this:

Step 3: Create Mountains

let’s open the desert mountain stock in Photoshop. We will be using the mountain on this stock image so we will need to transfer it to our main canvas. Click the desert mountain and press V to activate the Move Tool. Left-click the image and drag the image to the main canvas. Once you have it there, press Ctrl/Cmd + T to activate the Free Transform command and scale the image so that it’s the same size as our canvas. Change layer name to "Mountains"

Next, activate the Transform tool again (Ctrl/Cmd +T), and then right click on the canvas to bring up the contextual menu. Once open, click on "Warp". When activated follow the instructions below:

Next, activate the Eraser tool (E). We're going to make the "Mountain" blend in with the background stoke. Input the following for the Eraser tool (E):

Brush size: 200px
Hardness: 0%
Opacity: 80%
Flow: 100%

Make sure that you've zoomed in to the image to at least 50% so that you can clearly erase. There is no need of detailing; erase freely. Now, let's erase highlighted areas:

Change it's Layer mode to "Darken".

The result should be similar to this:

Step 4: Create sky

First off, let’s open the Ol' Buttermilk Sky stock in Photoshop. We will be using the sky on this stock image so we will need to transfer it to our main canvas. Click the Ol' Buttermilk Sky and press V to activate the Move Tool. Left-click the image and drag the image to the main canvas. Once you have it there, press Ctrl/Cmd + T to activate the Free Transform command and scale the image so that it’s the same size as our canvas. Change layer name to "Sky".

Next, activate the Eraser tool (E). We're going to make the "sky" blend in with the atmosphere stoke. Input the following for the Eraser tool (E):

Brush size: 200px
Hardness: 0%
Opacity: 65%
Flow: 100%

Make sure that you've zoomed in to the image to at least 50% so that you can clearly erase and layer mode to "Multiply". Now, let's erase highlighted areas: