In this tutorial I’ll show you how to create a fantasy scene featuring a little girl riding a snail. You’ll learn how to combine different stock photos and textures using a range of photo manipulation techniques. You’ll learn also how to work with group, enhance lighting, create depth of field and more.

We’ll start this tutorial by adding a blurry background and cleaning it using some basic Photoshop tools. Then we’ll add a snail and make its grassy shell using a meadow image. Later we’ll add a child, flowers, butterflies, grass blades and blend them using adjustment layers, masking and brush. After that we’ll use a light and bokeh texture to enhance the atmosphere. Finally we’ll use some adjustment layers to finish this tutorial. I recommend you to use Photoshop CS5 or newer to follow this tutorial properly.

Tutorial Resources

• Background
• Snail
• Child
• Grass pack
• Meadow
• Flowers 1
• Flowers 2
• Flower 3
• Light texture
• Butterflies
• Bokeh

Step 1

Create a new document in Photoshop with the given settings:

Step 2

Open the background image. We need to remove the plant on the rock so I made a new layer and actived the Clone Tool (S). Use this tool to clone over the plant:

Press Cmd/Ctrl+Option/Alt+Shift+E to merge the background and clone layers into a new one. Drag the merged layer into our white canvas using the Move Tool (V):

Step 3

I used an adjustment layer with Clipping Mask to change the background color. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance:

Step 4

I used a Curves adjustment layer to darken the background:

On this Curves layer mask, active the Brush Tool (B). Use a basic, soft brush with black color to erase the bokeh part to leave the dark effect only visible on the rock:

Step 5

Add the snail image to our main document and remove its white background using a layer mask:

Step 6

Make a new layer under the snail one and use a soft black brush with the opacity about 40% to paint his shadow under the body:

Call this layer “shadow 1”.

I aim to make the light source from the left and above of the snail so he should have a shadow behind. To do it make a new layer under the shadow 1 one. Hold down the Cmd/Ctrl and click the mask thumbnail of the snail layer to load its selection:

Fill this layer with black (Shift+F5) and convert it to a Smart Object. Flip this shadow vertically (Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical), then lower the opacity to 60%:

To soften the shadow, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the radius to 6 px:

Step 7

I used Color Balance to match the snail color with the background:

Step 8

I used Curves to darken the snail:

On this layer mask use a soft black brush to erase the upper part and make the dark effect visible on the back, the lower part of the snail:

On this layer mask use a soft black brush to erase the upper part and make the dark effect visible on the back, the lower part of the snail:

On this layer mask use a soft black brush to erase the back of the snail and create a nice contrast on his body:

Step 9

Make a new layer, change the mode to Overlay 100% and fill with 50% gray:

Active the Burn Tool (O) with Midtone Ranges, Exposure about 10-15% to darken the lowest edge of the snail body. You can see how I did it with Normal mode and the result with Overlay mode:

Step 10

Open the meadow image. Use the Retangular Marquee Tool (M) to select a grass part then place it over the snail shell, use the Free Transform Tool (Cmd/Ctrl+T) to tweak it a little:

Add a mask to this layer and use a black brush to erase the grass following the shape of the shell. To make the edge of the grass, I used a hard brush and the size about 3-4 px to trim (it’s better if you use a tablet pen):

Step 11

I used Color Balance to change the grass color:

Step 12

I used Curves to darken the grassy shell:

On this Curves layer mask I used a soft black brush to erase the upper of the grass to keep it brighter than the lower (it’s illuminated by the light):

Step 13

I created a new layer with the same settings like in the step 9. Use the Dodge and Burn Tool to define the light and shade of the grassy shell:

Step 14

Isolate the child from the background and place her onto the top of the grassy shell:

To change the form of her dress to fit the shell , go to Edit > Puppet Warp:

Step 15

Add a mask to the child layer and use a hard black brush with a smaiil size (2-3 px) to blend the dress bottom with the grass:

Make the child shadow as done with the snail:

Step 16

I used an adjustment layer to reduce the child saturation:

Step 17

I used Color Balance for the child layer and on its layer mask use a soft black brush to reduce the little green effect on the skin:

Step 18

I used Curves to darken the child and on its layer mask use a soft black brush to erase the face and dress parts:

Step 19

I made a new layer with the same settings like the step 9 and 12. Use the Burn Tool to darken the dress bottom more:

Step 20

Cut out the flowers from the images indicated in the resources list and arrange them around the grassy shell, duplicate, use Cmd/Ctrl+T to transform them if needed:

Place these layers under the child one.

Step 21

Take a flower from the flowers 1 image and place it behind the model, make its size much bigger than the other flowers:

To correct the pose of this flower, use the Puppet Warp and drag the petals down to make the two sides of the flower more proportional and the stem more straight:

Step 22

I made a new layer with Clipping Mask) for this big flower and used the Burn Tool to give more details to the petals:

Step 23

Select all the flower layers and press Cmd/Ctrl+G to make a group for them. Change this group mode from Pass Through to Normal 100%. Make a new layer at the bottom of this group and use a soft black brush, the opacity about 40% to paint the shadow for some of the flowers:

Step 24

Create the shadow for all other flowers as done with the child and snail:

Step 25

Make a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer on the top of the flower layers (within this group) to change their color:

Step 26

I used Curves to darken the flowers:

On this layer mask use a soft black brush to clear the effect on the flowers parts which are darker than the rest already:

Step 27

I used another Curves adjustment layer to brighten some of the flowers. On this layer mask erase the parts which are hidden from the light and the big flower:

Step 28

Open the grass pack. Take some different blades and clumpings to add to the foreground:

Apply a Gaussian Blur of 4 px to all the grass layers:

Step 29

Make a group for the grass ones as done with the flowers. Create a Curves adjustment layer to brighten the grasses and on its layer mask use a soft black brush to erase the grasses bottom (at the edges):

Step 30

Open the light texture pack. I chose “starry 4” image and placed it over the working document and changed the mode to Screen 100%:

Add a mask to this layer and reduce the light intensity on the snail and child:

Step 31

I used Hue/Saturation to change the light color:

Step 32

I used Levels to increase the highlight and on its layer mask erased the big flower as I didn’t want it to be too bright and lost the details:

Step 33

Open the butterflies image. Choose different butterflies and arrange them on the snail head, at the edge and above the child where she is looking up at.

Step 34

I used Curves to brighten the butterfly in the middle as I found it darker than the others:

Step 35

Make a group for the butterflies. Use Hue/Saturation for their color change:

Step 36

I used Curves to brighten the butterflies:

Step 37

Place the bokeh texture over the image and change the mode to Screen 100%:

Add a mask to this layer and use a soft black brush to reduce the bokeh effect:

Apply a Gaussian Blur of 8 px:

Step 38

It’s time for coloring the scene. Make a Gradient Map adjustment layer on the top:

Change this layer mode to Soft Light 100%:

Step 39

I used Color Balance to add some yellow to the scene:

Step 40

I used Curves to brighten the whole picture:

On this layer mask use a soft black brush to reduce the lightness on the snail and the big flower:

Final Results

Download the PSD

Tutorial by Jenny Le