This Photoshop tutorial is designed to give instruction on the techniques of creating a single composite photo illustration from multiple photographs, using copy, paste, and blending in layers. The final result of the photo illustration should look like a completely new "photographic" or "photo-realistic" image.
By combining elements from two or more photographs, you can successfully retouch or recreate large areas of a photo, and create a completely new photo-illustration. In this tutorial we will add a structure to an existing photograph of a panoramic outdoor scene.
Creating a Seamless Background in Photoshop
To create or panoramic outdoor scene, we needed to combine several photographs together. By standing in one place, and shooting multiple shots using the horizon as a guide line. To make a seamless background, there must be significant overlap in each photo, so that you can use a soft-edged eraser brush to feather the overlapping edges. Each photograph may need to be rotated slightly to align the horizon so that it forms a perfectly straight line.
Once the photographs are oriented correctly, and there edges have been feathered, you will use Photoshop's Curves, and Color Balance tools to match each photo, merging them together as you go along.
Photo Composition with Photoshop
Now that we have a complete background 'base' photograph, the first step is to map out the perspective of the base layer, using a 2-Point perspective grid to find the vanishing points and horizon line. In this case, that will be very easy, as the ocean has a sharply defined horizon.
Once we have a line-art template, we can begin fitting all of our photographic elements into the various shapes in our line drawing. Using existing photographs of various building materials, we will begin adding each element to its defined area.
As we add each photographic element, we may need to distort it into the correct angle or perspective using the Photoshop Free Transform Tool. Once the photographic element is in place on its own new layer, you will go back to the line-art layer and use the "Magic Wand" tool to select the area that the object will be isolated in. Once the selection is made, you will reverse the selection (using Selection>Inverse in the menu-bar), then go back to the photographic element and erase away the surrounding area.
Now that you have isolated the defined area, use the Burn & Dodge Tool to add shadow and highlight to the element. When doing this, it is best to turn on the background layer so that you can match its tonal characteristics, and lighting direction.
Now it is simply a matter of going section-by-section and adding each photographic element, until the entire building is complete. Once all of the photographic parts are in place, you will turn off, or discard the line-art template, giving the building a "photographic" or "photo-realistic" look.
Once your foreground image (building, person, object, etc.) is complete, you may need to bring elements of the background to the front, overlapping the foreground object so that it does not look "placed" in the scene. In this example, we will need to copy some plants, rocks and grass to a new top layer, and carefully erase around them where they overlap the structure.
