Step 1
Open the "Girl" image in Adobe Photoshop.
Step 2
Using the Quick Select tool (W), trace a selection around her.
Step 3
With the selection still active, click the Layer Mask button on the Layers Palette to create a mask. This will hide the background on the source layer.
Step 4
See result of the layer mask action below.
Step 5
For the bleeding wound where her wing has been torn from her body, we will use this wrist slash stock noted in the Resources section.
Step 6
Using the Lasso tool (L), select just the wound area from the source image.
Step 7
Paste the selected wound into a new layer in our project, which I have named "Wound". If necessary, adjust the saturation of this layer with Hue/Saturation (Ctrl+U).
Step 8
On the Wound Layer, create a new layer mask.
Step 9
Ensure that the layer mask is selected; using a soft black brush, paint the rough edges of the Wound layer away. I've shown the mask in red () to illustrate the painting path.
Step 10
See image below for the desired result of painting the layer mask
Step 11
Duplicate the Wound layer (Ctrl+J) and rename it to "Wound Screen". Next, change the blend mode to Screen. We've done this to match the highlight contrast between the two images.
Step 12
The next part is a little tricky. Create a Duplicated/Merged layer (someone please leave a comment if there's a better name for this) by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Alt+E; rename it to "Wound Vibrance" and open the Vibrance menu (Image>Adjustments>Vibrance) and increase the Vibrance value to +100.
Step 13
On the Wound Vibrance layer, create a negative layer mask by holding alt while clicking the layer mask button on the layer panel. Next, using a soft white brush, paint only over the wound area. This will increase the color intensity ever so slightly.
Step 14
Open the "Background" image in adobe photoshop and select it all with the Marquee tool (M). Ctrl+C to copy it onto the clipboard.
Step 15
Paste the selection into a new layer below all the other layers. I have named it "Background".
If you notice the perspective is off between the previous image and the one pasted into the project, it is. When creating this piece, i didn't bother resizing it to fit, I just used the visible portion.
Step 16
In a new layer, which i have named "Light"; using a soft white brush set at 50% opacity, paint a halo of light on the model's head to simulate the light from the background image reflecting on the girl.
Step 17
Change the layer opacity to 41% to match the light intensity.
Step 18
Make only the Girl layer visible by alt+clicking the visibility button to the left of the layer. Next, go to the Channels panel and create a duplicate of the Blue channel by right-clicking and selecting Duplicate Channel.
Step 19
With the copied blue channel selected, open the Levels pane (Ctrl+L) and change the values to those notated below: 0, 0.49, and 142. This will be used to emphasize the shadows on the girls body.
Step 20
Copy the contents of the copied blue channel layer into a new layer in the project. I have named the new layer "Shadow".
Step 21
Create a negative layer mask (alt-click the layer mask button); using a soft white brush set to 40% opacity, paint the existing shadows on the girl's body to emphasize and darken them. Lastly, change the layer blend mode to Multiply.
Step 22
Using the feather brushes mentioned in the Resources section, paint black feathers in a new layer. Place them below the wound area to convey the effect of them falling from the place her wing used to be.
Step 23
Duplicate (Ctrl+J) the Feathers layer and move the copied layer below the original. Next, using the move tool (V), move the copied feathers slightly down and to the left of the original feathers. The copied feathers layer will become the feather shadows.
Step 24
Renaming the copied feathers layer to "Feather Shadow", apply a Gaussian Blur filter (Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur) to the layer with a Radius of 3.0 px.
Step 25
Change the opacity of the Feather Shadow layer to 42%.
Step 26
Create a new Levels adjustment layer (Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Levels) and change the parameters to those shown below: 0, 0.83, 255. This will serve to accentuate the shadows even more.
Step 27
On the channels panel, create a copy of the Red channel (right-click>duplicate channel), open the Levels pane (Ctrl+L). Change the parameters to those shown below: 0, 0.79, 102.
Step 28
Copy the contents of the modified Red channel to a new layer, which I have named "Highlight", change the layer blend mode to Screen, and change the layer opacity to 55%.
Step 29
Create a new Vibrance adjustment layer (Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Vibrance), and change the parameters to those shown below: Vibrance - 100; Saturation - 28.
Final Product
Congratulations, you've just recreated my artwork titled, The Fallen; a fantasy photomanipulation with a illustration type effect. I hope you learned some valuable techniques you can carry forward to your future projects.
