In this tutorial you'll create a beautiful dreamlike illustration using adjustment layers and filter effects, all in Photoshop.
The girl featured in this tutorial is from a stock photo
First use the quick selection tool to select her, then use the Refine Edge options (Select>Refine Edge) to smooth out the selection.
Open a new 3000 x 2000 Photoshop document, and place the girl in the centre.
Use a small soft eraser to tidy up any loose strands of hair.
Now we'll add several adjustment layers by clicking on the button at the bottom of your layers panel.
First create a Curves adjustment layer, and use points on the chart to boost the contrast.
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Add a Hue/Saturation layer and take the Saturation down to -15 and the Lightness to +5.
Next add a Color Balance layer and use the settings shown above.
Add a Gradient layer from white to transparent.
Finally add a Solid Color layer using the colour 307eff.
Change the Color Fill layer's blending mode to Lighten, and it's Opacity to 20%.
Next we'll add a painted effect to the girl.
Go to Filter>Filter Gallery and choose Paint Daubs.
Set the Brush Size to 8, and the Brush Type to Simple.
Now create clipping masks for all the adjustment layers, except the Color layer.
Then put these layers and the girl layer into a folder called 'girl'.
Drop it into your file, and resize it if necessary.
Use a Curves adjustment layer to brighten the sky.
Now use the Paint Daubs filter again, this time with the brush size set to 30.
Add a Gradient adjustment layer set from white to transparent to lighten the bottom area of the sky.
Then add a Hue/Saturation layer and enter the settings shown above.
With the girl and the background completed, all we need to do is add the rose petals.
Once they are downloaded, open each of them in Photoshop, and use the Quick Selection tool to select them.
Drop the first one into your file and use the Transform tools to rotate it, and make it nice and big.
Go to Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation and enter the settings shown above.
Add a Paint Daub effect with the brush size set to 40.
This will be the biggest petal. Next place another two or three petals using the same Hue/Saturation settings, and Paint Daubs - make these ones smaller than the first one.
Now you can just copy and paste these petals a few times, but make them a lot smaller and change their rotation etc.
When you've finished placing all the petals, select the largest petal and go to Filter>Blur>Lens Blur and set it to 30px.
Then do the same with the 2 or three smaller petals but set to 10px.
The rest of the smaller petals can stay as they are.
Finally add a new layer below the blue Color layer, and fill it with black.
Go to Filter>Render>Lens Flare, and position your lens flare.
Change the lens flare layer's blending mode to Soft Light and it's Opacity to 70%.
And here's the final outcome.
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