Create This Surreal and Medieval Style of a Battlefield in Photoshop

You will know, how to make this epic photomanipulation in medieval-fantasy style. I’ll show you, how to mix stock, use transforms and how to change colors on further photomanipulations. You will know, how to use blurs and colors in making perspective in photomanipulations. I’ll show as well, how to use Topaz Clean 3 plug-in in works.

What you’ll be creating

Composition “Field of glory” is showing dropped sword in the background of battlefield. I’ll show how to use adjustment layers, how to make fog in the picture and how to use Topaz Filter. You’ll need Photoshop CS5 or newer to follow this tutorial. You’ll need Topaz Clean 3 plugin to Photoshop as well.

Tutorial Resources

• Fire stock – CGtextures
• Caimari – pixabay
• Grass Clumps 04 – Wolverine041269
• Golden Run Sword – Fantasystock
• Grass 10 – Wolverine041269
• Lateral foliage – eveblackwoodstock
• Battlefield Skies – missstark
• Magic fire 02 – Ayelie-stock

Step 1

Create new file. Go to File > New… (Ctrl + N)

Step 2

Place “caimari” stock to created file.

Step 3

dd new adjustment layer with Hue/Saturation. Go to Layer > New adjustment layer > Hue/Saturation or use marked shortcut.

Step 4

Add new layer (Layer > New > Layer… , Shift + Ctrl + N or marked shortcut). Use big, soft round brush, choose #232827 color. Draw flat shadow on mountains.

Step 5

Change blending mode of this layer to Soft light. Decrease opacity to 12%.

Step 6

Duplicate created layer with shadow – drag it and drop to new layer symbol or go to Layer > Duplicate layer.

Step 7

Change blending mode of this layer to “Normal” and change opacity to 15%.

Step 8

Add new layer (Shift + Ctrl + N or marked shortcut). Use big, soft round brush, choose #c6b69b color. You’ll create lights on mountains – draw some strokes on the edges of mountains.

Step 9

Change blending mode of this layer to Overlay.

Step 10

Add new adjustment layer with Hue/Saturation – you’ll gently decrease lights on stock image. Go to Layer > New adjustment layer > Hue/Saturation or use marked shortcut.

Step 11

Add new adjustment layer with Color Balance. You’ll add blue tone to shadows. (Layer > New adjustment layer > Color Balance or use marked shortcut).

Step 12

Add new adjustment layer with Color Balance (Layer > New adjustment layer > Color Balance or use marked shortcut).

Step 13

Place “Battlefield sky” stock – drag it and drop to your file.

Step 14

Use hard round brush and mask area with mountains.

Step 15

Add new layer. (Shift + Ctrl + N or marked shortcut). Use big, soft round brush, choose #a9a9a9 color, set brush opacity to 50%. You’ll create lights on mountains – draw some blurred dots on the edges of mountains, where light goes. For better effect on the left top, You can use #2e2e2e color and draw a few dots.

Step 16

Change blending mode to Color Burn and decrease opacity to 27%.

Step 17

Duplicate created layer – drag it and drop to new layer symbol or go to Layer > Duplicate layer.

Step 18

Change blending mode to Screen and decrease opacity of this layer to 6%

Step 19

Add new layer. (Shift + Ctrl + N or marked shortcut). Use big, soft round brush, choose #c8b998 color. You’ll create lights on mountains – draw strokes on the edges of mountains, where light goes.

Step 20

Change blending mode to Linear dodge (Add), decrease its opacity to 22%.