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Stock
Images : Nude
Mermaid
,
Beautiful
beach
, Beach
rock
, Sea
foam ,
Dark
clouds
,
Beautiful
golden texture
, Little
sea stars
, Fish
texture
, Paper
texture
Preview
of The Final Image
Step
1 – The Mermaid
Open
a new document with the size 670 / 625 pixels. Open this beautiful
photo Nude
Mermaid
by
rajeevnair1981. The statue stands beautifuly on Kollam Beach
,
India
.
Scale the image to 80 % .
It
is now time to crop the mermaid from her natural landscape. With the
Pen Tool trace the mermaid shape. Call this shape layer - Mermaid
Shape layer. Press CTRL and click the thumbnail of the Mermaid Shape
layer . Now make sure that the Mermaid Layer is selected. Pick the
Magic Wand Tool , right press inside the selection and choose Select
Inverse. Press delete.
Step
2 – Adjust the Mermaid Photo
As
you can see the mermaid has a leftover from a metal fence or
something and some grass. So we really have to get rid of that. So
for that you can use many tools: Spot Healing Brush Tool , Smudge
Tool or Clone Stamp Tool. I will use the last one because I will
obtain not only an propriate color but also the stone statue texture.
First
Press CTRL and click the name of the layer to create a selection.
That way you make sure that you not exceed the edges of the mermaid.
Use ALT + click to choose the starting point.
Now
another problem is with the behind of the woman. She intially stands
on a hard surface. This time I will sitt her on the sand so I want to
make her shape a little curved.
Because
I don’t have a graphic tablet I will draw the extension with
the Pen Tool (paths).
Use
the same Clone Stamp Tool to fill the selection. Be carefull how you
choose the start point because you want the girl to look real.
Step
3 –The Sand Beach Background
I
am placing the mermaid on a different beach . The blending process is
never easy for me …. There is always a struggle for finding
the right photo . This time I have choosen this
beautiful beach photo.
Resize the photo and place it like in the image below. Call this
layer Sea Beach Layer.
Use
the Clone Stamp Tool to fill out the empty sand space.
I
will use the photo but I will draw the sand shape and the water shape
with the Pen Tool.
So
draw two shapes, one for the sand and one for the water with the Pen
Tool (Shape Layers Option) above Sea Beach Layer. Call the two
layers Water Shape Layer and Sand Shape Layer. Change the blending
mode of Sand Shape Layer from Normal to Multiply 100%.
Step
4 – Water Texture
Finding
the water texture, here is another adventure . I will use this beach
rock photo
because I like the texture of the water even though it is just a
small part. I will crop parts and try to blend them. So duplicate two
times the selection below three times and merge the layers. Call the
layer Water Texture Layer.
Now
make a selection from Water Shape Layer and crop the Water Texture
Layer with this shape. Call this new layer Water Texture Layer and
delete the old one . Set the blending mode of this layer to Soft
Light 50%.
The
next thing that we have to do to make this water real is to add sea
foam. I have found this sea
foam photo
. Resize it to fit the screen. Call this layer Sea Foam Layer .
Select and delete the sky and part of the sea. Cange the opacity of
this layer to 50 % . Than adjust the Color Balance as shown in the
image below.
Carefully
delete the areas that don’t blend ok with the rest ; for
example the area where the sand meets the sea foam. With the Eraser
Tool this time a lower opacity, 20 % blend the 2 sea images.
Step
5 – Mermaid Details
The
first thing I want to do is to add the mermaid shadow on the sand.
Choose the foreground color # 8e6f3e
and draw the shape with the Pen Tool. Than go to Filter – Blur
– Gaussian Blur 0,8 andthan Filter – Noise – Add
Noise 3.
Another
important detail is to add a nice mermaid tail. With the same Pen
Tool draw the tail shape. Make sure the Paths option is selected.
Create a new layer and call it Mermaid Tail.
Right
click and choose Make Selection.
Now
with the Clone Stamp Tool fill the shape with the mermaid skin color
and texture . Make sure the Sample All Layers box is checked. With
the Burn Tool Darken the edges of the tail. Go to the Blending
Options of this layer and add Stroke , color # 5b564e.
Step
6 – Add Clouds
With
the Clone Stamp Tool I have covered with clouds the lighthouse and
the house from the background image. Than I have added another image
with dark
clouds.
Change the opacity of Dark Clouds to 65 % . Resize the image to fit
the screen and crop the image to keep only the sky and clouds.
Step
7 – Add the Ships
Download
this brushes: Warships
Brushes
. Create a new layer above all the other layers that we have created
so far. Call this layer Ship1 Layer. Use the Brush Tool , color #
0d0801
, opacity 100% , size 190 to draw a ship like in the image. Create a
new layer Ship2 Layer and do the same, add a boat this time smaller ,
the size of the brush is 80 pixels.
I
will add now for both layers Outer Glow option like in the image. The
color for the glow is # ffffbe
:
Step
8 – Add Texture
I
will now use this beautiful
golden texture
to add an old misterious look to the image . Change the Blending Mode
of this Texture Layer to Multiply 65%. I will add this texture in a
new layer but this in a next step. For now the image looks like this:
Step
9 – Add Little Sea Stars
In
the left corner of the beach I will now place a few little
sea stars.
Go to Edit – Transform –Distort and create the right
perspective :
Change
the Blending Mode to Overlay 50%. Erase the background of the stars
to blend with the sand.
Step
10 – Fish Texture
As
much as I wanted to the mermaid did not looked good so I wanted to
add it a texture on the tail area. I was lucky enough to find, after
many searches,this interesting
fish texture
.
So
copy this texture two time in two different layers.
Scale
the first layer to 70%.
Now
change the color of the texture : Image – Adjustments –
Hue /Saturation , colorize Hue : 196 , Saturation: 35 , Lightness :
0.
Add
Brigtness / Contrast : Contrast +32.
Now
duplicate this layer. Now select the mermaid shape and delete the
extra texture from the first layer . Than select the mermaid tail
shape and delete the extra texture from the second layer.
With
the Eraser Tool easily delete the areas where the two textures
intersect. Erase also the hand texture and for the back give the tail
texture a round shape. Lower the opacity of the Eraser Tool to blend
the texture.
With
the Burn Tool add shadows on the two texture layers.
Step
11 – Final Details
Add
the beautiful
golden texture
in a new layer . Set the Blending Mode to Soft Light 40%.
Copy
this paper
texture
and place it obove the ship . Crop a round shape and the rest delete
it. Change the Blending Mode to Color Dodge 100% . Add Gaussian Blur
, radius 8,4.
Change
the Hue / Saturation settings as shown in the image :
The
last this that I usually do is to create a new layer and Apply Image
(Image – Apply Image). I do that because the new layer is in
fact an image of all the visible layers merged. In this image I like
to play with Burn Tool , Dodge Tool to add contrast , to lighten or
darken parts of the image.
This
is the Final Image !
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