In this tutorial I'll show you how to create a simple shadow puppet style image.
Create a 2000 x 1300 Grayscale Photoshop document, and add a new layer.
Use the pen tool to draw a simple shape that will be your foreground.
When your shape is finished, right click on it and choose Fill Path, then choose to fill it with Black.
Now you can right click again and delete the path.
Next draw the midground and background by doing the same again in two additional layers.
Double click on the midground layer to bring up the Layer Style box. Click on Color Overlay and choose a light grey colour.
Next give the background layer a lighter grey colour using the same method.
Now, below the background layer, add a Solid Color adjustment layer.
Use a grey that is lighter than the background layer.
Next we will add some more objects to the foreground.
You can download a stock photo for the tree here. Once downloaded, select it and drop it into your project file.
Once you've positioned it where you want it, give it a black Color Overlay as you did with the other layers.
You can find a great selection of pre-cut crow stock here. Once downloaded, just drop them straight into your project file, and resize them.
Give them all a black Color Overlay.
Next add another tree just above the midground layer When you give it a Color Overlay, use the color picker to make it the same colour as the midground.
To avoid confusion, you can now group all the foreground layers into one group (crows, tree, foreground etc.), and all the midground layers into another.
Now add a Gradient adjustment layer below the background layer.
Use a white to transparent Radial gradient with the Scale at 150%. Change the gradient layer's blending mode to Soft Light.
Duplicate the layer twice, and place one below the foreground layer, and one below the midground layer.
Now add another gradient layer above all the other layers, this time black to transparent. This will darken the edges of the image.
Next we'll add some fog between the layers. Create a new layer called 'fog' below the foreground group.
Go to Filter>Render>Clouds, then take the Contrast up to +70.
Change it's blending mode to Screen and take the Opacity down to 20%. Duplicate the fog layer, and place it below the midground layer.
Next we'll blur each layer.
First select the background layer, and go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Set the Radius to 8 pixels.
Next right click on the midground group, and choose Merge Group. Now give the layer a Gaussian Blur at 5 pixels.
Finally merge the foreground group and Gaussian Blur it at 0.5 pixels.
Lastly we're going to blur the edges of the image. Group all of your layers together, then duplicate the group. Right click on the second group and choose Merge Group.
Gaussian Blur this layer at 8 pixels.
Finally add a layer mask then use the gradient tool to draw a radial gradient, masking out the middle of the layer.
Here's the final result.
