Halloween is here, and in this photo editing tutorial we’ll show you how to combine images for a gruesome, surreal effect!
We all know the only limit to what you can do in Photoshop is your own imagination. We’ve got a little gruesome here with an unconventional portrait that is simply made up of two images, an eye and a mouth with a ping-pong ball inside. You can use our photos or take your own, which is half the fun.
01 SELECT THE BALL
Open your first image of the mouth and select the ball using the Quick Selection tool. To refine the edge of your selection to get a softer transition, go to Select>Refine Edge and set Radius to 10px. Go to Layer>New>Layer via copy to copy the selection to a new layer and rename it ‘Shadows’.
02 ADD A MASK
Next open your eye image and drag and drop into the mouth image as a new layer. Hit Cmd/Ctrl and click on the ‘Shadows’ layer in the Layers Panel to load the cut-out ball shape as a selection. Click on the Add Layer Mask icon to turn the ball selection into a mask on the eye layer.
SEE MORE: How to cut out people like a professional with the Refine Edge tool
03 TRANSFORM THE EYE
In the Layers Panel, click on the link between the eye layer thumbnail and the Layer Mask thumbnail. This will unlink the layers. Next, highlight the eye layer thumbnail and grab the Move tool then transform the layer to fit the hole in the mouth.
SEE MORE: How to make a bokeh effect in Photoshop
04 ADD THE SHADOWS
To give a more realistic appearance of the eyeball inside the mouth, we need to add some shadowed areas. If we go back to our ‘Shadows’ layer we made earlier, we can add this to our eyeball. Do this by dragging the ‘Shadows’ layer to the top of the Layers Panel.
05 BLEND THE LAYERS
Next, we need to blend the two layers together. Select Multiply from the Blend
Mode drop-down box at the top of the Layers Panel. To tone down the shadows, adjust the Opacity setting in the Layers Panel. You can also add a Layer Mask and paint with a black brush to graduate the shadows.
SEE MORE: Blend modes – the 10 best blends for photographers
06 ADD ADJUSTMENT LAYERS
For the finishing touches to your composite, add a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer and set the Saturation to -42. Next, add a Photo Filter Adjustment Layer and set the Density to 20%. Finally, add a Curves Adjustment Layer and create a small S-curve to boost the contrast in the image.
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