How to Create a Sci-Fi Landscape Photo Manipulation with Adobe Photoshop

In this tutorial, I'll show you how to create a sci-fi landscape. First, we'll build the base environment using images of the sky, mountain, and landscape. Later, we'll make the columns, add the planets and blend them together using adjustment layers, masking, and brushes. After that, we'll use the tech brushes and some basic tools to make several sci-fi effects, paint lighting, enhance the color and contrast, and more.

Preview of the Final Result

Tutorial Resources

Step 1

Create a new 2850x1780 px document in Photoshop and fill it with white. Open the sky image and use the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) to select the sky part only. Drag it into a white canvas using the Move Tool (V). Use the Free Transform Tool (Ctrl+T) to resize it to fit the size of the document.

Step 2

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation and set it as Clipping Mask. Change the Master values as the screenshot below shows:

Step 3

Create a Curves adjustment layer and reduce the lightness. On this layer mask, activate the Brush Tool (B) and select a soft round one with black color. Use this brush to erase the left and the middle of the sky to reveal the lightness there to fit the main light source (we'll see in the next steps).

Step 4

Open the mountain image and place it in the lower of the canvas. Use Ctrl+T to rotate the image a bit as shown below:

Click the second icon at the bottom of the Layers panel to add a mask to this layer. Use a soft black brush to remove the hard edges and most of the sky and reduce the visibility on some parts of the mountain.

Step 5

Make a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer (set as Clipping Mask) and decrease the Master settings:

Step 6

Create a Curves adjustment layer to make the mountain darker.

Step 7

Open the landscape image and use the Magnetic Lasso Tool ( L) to select the ground with the rocks only to add to the bottom of the canvas.

We'll fill in the missing part on the left. Use the Lasso Tool (L) to select this part and go to Edit > Fill and choose Content Aware. You should have a similar result like the screenshot below shows:

Step 8

Add a mask to this layer and use a soft black brush with the opacity about 30% -50% to soften the hard edges of the ground to fit the misty background.

Step 9

Create a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer (set as Clipping Mask) and bring the Saturation values down to -68:

Step 10

Make a Color Balance adjustment layer and change the Midtones settings:

Step 11

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

Activate the Burn Tool (O) with Midtones Range, Exposure about 10% to paint more shadow and details for the rocks in the middle. You can see how I did it with Normal mode and the result with Overlay mode.

Step 12

Add a Curves adjustment layer and increase the light and haze on the left and the rocks on the right. On this layer mask, use a soft black brush with the opacity about 50% to paint on the rest to keep its lightness.

Step 13

Make another Curves adjustment layer to darken the foreground and midground. On this layer mask, use a soft black brush with the opacity about 10% and 100% to reduce and remove the dark effect on the far left, middle and right of the landscape.

Step 14

Create another Curves adjustment layer to darken some areas on the far middle and right. On the layer mask, paint on the rest so they won't be affected by this adjustment layer.

Step 15

Make another Curves adjustment layer again to increase the contrast of the middle rocks. The selected parts show where to paint on the layer mask.

Step 16

Open the column image and use the Polygonal Lasso Tool to select the front of the column on the right to add to our working document. Use Ctrl+T to change the form of the column to fit the direction of the rock on the left.

Add a mask to this layer and use a soft black brush to blend the bottom of the column with the existing rock.

Step 17

Duplicate this layer and flip it horizontally (Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal) . Move it to the rock on the right and mask off its bottom to fit the existing ground.

Duplicate this layer and move it to one of the rocks behind . Use Ctrl+T to resize and change the form of this column a bit.

Step 18

Select all column layers and hit Ctrl+G to make a group for them. Change the group's mode to Normal 100% and add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer within this group.

Step 19

Make a Curves adjustment layer to make the columns much darker.

Step 20

Create another Curves adjustment layer to reduce the contrast of the columns.

Step 21

Make another Curves adjustment layer to reduce the visibility of the columns. On the layer mask, use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to select the right of the column on the left. Hold down the Shift key and continue using the Rectangular Marquee Tool to select the right of the other columns.

Step 22

Hit Ctrl+I to invert these selections and on the mask of this adjustment layer, set the foreground color to white. Click Delete and you should have a similar result like below:

Step 23

Make a Curves adjustment layer above the first column layer (set as Clipping Mask) and increase the lightness on the front of the column to fit the main light source ( we aim to add the main light source from left to right).

On this layer mask, use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to select the front of the column and then invert it using Ctrl+I. Turn the foreground to white and click Delete to restore the dark effect on the shadow side of the column.

Use a soft black brush with the opacity about 10% to reduce the light on the bottom of the front of the column a bit.

Step 24

On the second column on the right, use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to select the dark side and go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves (set as Clipping Mask) to reduce the visibility of the details on this side.

Step 25

Open the planet image and use the Move Tool to drag it into the main canvas. Place it in the middle section between the columns.

Duplicate this layer four times and resize them to be smaller and arrange them around the columns

Step 26

Make a group for these planet layers and change the group's mode to Normal 100%. Make a Curves adjustment layer within this group to darken the right of the planets to fit the main light source. On this layer mask, paint on the left of the planets to reveal the light there.

Step 27

Create another Curves adjustment layer to brighten some parts of the planets, especially the left. On this layer mask, use a soft black brush to reduce the light on their middle and right.

Step 28

Make a Curves adjustment layer (set as Clipping Mask) for the planet on the left to increase its hazy to fit the misty background. Use a soft black brush to reduce the highlight on the left.

Step 29

Create a Gradient Map adjustment layer on top of the layers and pick the colors #36434d and #9fb4c2.

Step 30

Make a Curves adjustment layer to darken the scene. On this layer mask, use a soft black brush to erase the left to reveal the light there and make some contrast for the whole scene.

Add another Curves adjustment layer to increase the contrast and depth of the whole scene.

Step 31

Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to make three selections on the columns (hold down the Shift key to make the second and third selections). Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color and pick the color #1d282a to make a shape on each of the columns.

Step 32

Double click this layer, choose Inner Glow. Set the color of glow to #728083.

On the mask of this color fill layer, use a hard black brush to refine the top and bottom of the shapes to fit the perspective of the columns.

Step 33

Make a Curves adjustment layer (set as Clipping Mask) to make the shapes on the first and the third columns brighter. On this layer mask, paint on the second shape's area so it won't be affected by this adjustment layer.

Step 34

Make a new layer and use a hard brush with the color #85cad9 to paint some lines and dots along the columns and shapes. Hold down the Shift key while painting to make the lines and dots straight.

Double click this layer, choose Outer Glow. Set the color of glow to #2fc8f3.

Step 35

Add a new layer and use a soft brush with the color #c6dcdb to paint some glow for the lines and dots created in the previous step. Change this layer mode to Overlay 100%.

Step 36

Make a new layer on top of the layers and set the foreground to #85cad9. Activate the tech brushes and select binary1 one to paint on the top of the first column. Convert this layer to a Smart Object and use Ctrl+T to scale it down and distort it a bit to fit the form of the column. Duplicate this layer to make the brush's effect more visible.

Step 37

Duplicate this layer and flip horizontally. Move it to the second column on the right and use Ctrl+T to make it a bit larger. Add a mask to this layer and use a hard black brush to erase the part outside the column and some details on the top.

Use the same method to add this effect to the third column.

Step 38

Make a group for these effect layers and add a Curves adjustment layer to reduce the visibility of the effect part on the dark side of the columns. The selected parts show where to paint on the layer mask.

Step 39

Create a new layer and use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to make a frame around the biggest planet. Go to Edit > Stroke and pick the color #79c0cf and convert this layer to a Smart Object.

Step 40

Lower the opacity of this layer to 50% and double click this layer, choose Outer Glow. Set the color of glow to #79c0cf.

Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the radius to 1 px:

Step 41

Make a new layer and use a tech brush (binary1) with the color #79c0cf to paint on the upper of the frame. Duplicate this layer to make the effect more visible. Duplicate this layer and use Ctrl+T to make it smaller and then duplicate it again to increase this visibility of the effect. Move them to the lower position of the frame. Repeat this step (duplicate, resize and then duplicate to make a stronger effect) and move them to the bottom right of the frame.

Create a group for these layers and add a mask to this group. Use a hard black brush to remove the effect part outside the frame.

Step 42

Make a new layer on top of the layers and hold Ctrl +Shift key while clicking the thumbnail of the planet layers (except the biggest one) to load their selection.

Stroke these circles with the color #66cef9 and the following settings:

Add a mask to this layer and use a soft black brush to remove the stroke on the right of the planets .

Step 43

Create a new layer and use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to draw a selection inside the frame and fill it with the color #79c0cf. Convert this layer to a Smart Object and use Ctrl+T to resize it down.

Add a mask to this layer and use a hard black brush to separate this shape into five pieces (hold the Shift key while doing it).

Step 44

Duplicate it five times and use Ctrl+T to vary their size. Move them to the different positions inside the frame.

Step 45

Create a new layer and hit T to activate the Text Tool. Choose Agency FB font (or any font you feel suitable) with the color #66cef9 and the size of 10 pt to type 4523.8960 or any numbers you like. Move the numbers to the left of the biggest planet .

Make four layers and use the Text Tool with the same color to type different numbers below or above the planets. This step is to make some codes for them. You can change the size of the numbers to fit the size of the planets.

Step 46

Double click the first text layer, choose Outer Glow. Set the color of glow to #61dceb.

Right click this layer, choose Copy Layer Style. Hold the Shift key and choose all other text layers and then right click the selected layers, choose Paste Layer Style.

Step 47

Create a new layer and use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to make a square on the canvas. Fill this selection with the color #66cef9.

Step 48

Double click this layer, choose Outer Glow. Set the color of glow to #79c0cf.

Duplicate this layer many times and resize them to be smaller. Arrange them around the codes of the planets to make some virtual buttons. I've lowered the opacity of the buttons around the planet on the right to 50% to fit the light/shadow there.

Step 49

Create a new layer and use a soft brush with the color #88c0bf to paint more glow and light for the areas around the planets and the smallest column. Change this layer mode to Overlay 100%.

Step 50

Make a Selective Color adjustment layer on top of the layers and change the Cyans settings:

Add a Color Balance adjustment and change the Midtones and Highlights values:

Step 51

Make a new layer below the column group and use a soft brush with the color #0e1213 to paint shadow for the left column on the ground. Add a mask to this layer and use a medium-soft black brush to refine the shadow to fit the main light source.

Final Result

Download the PSD

Sci-Fi Land.zip