Create This Incredible Surreal Photo Manipulation of a Dancer in Photoshop

Feb 2, 2025

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Dariusz Markiw

CLOUD 6022 – Folder CLOUDS\IMG_6022
Blending Mode: Normal
Opacity: 100%

CLOUD 6011 – Folder CLOUDS\IMG_6011
Blending Mode: Vivid Light
Opacity: 100%

Copy Cloud 6011 then press Ctrl/Cmd+T to activate the Free Transform tool. Change the position and transform then press Enter or double-click on your image to apply the transformation. Set the layers blending mode to Overlay and opacity to 100%.

CLOUD 6375 – Folder CLOUDS\IMG_6375
Blending Mode: Normal
Opacity: 100%

CLOUD 6371 – Folder CLOUDS\IMG_6371
Blending Mode: Normal
Opacity: 100%

CLOUD 6182 – Folder CLOUDS\IMG_6182
Blending Mode: Normal
Opacity: 100%

Here’s what our layers look like:

Step 4 – Dancer photo

Right-click on the Dancer layer and click “Convert to Smart Object”. I added a layer mask and erased part of the shoe. This isn’t necessary because later the image will be dark enough and the shoe will be covered.

Dancer photo from Shutterstock

On the Dancer layer, add a Gradient Overlay layer style (Layer > Layer Style > Gradient Overlay. Set the gradient to a black to transparent gradient like shown below. It will make the bottom of the Dancer layer a bit darker.

Step 5 – Roots

I’ll start now add roots, but first, I’ll explain how I created them. As you can see on the picture I prepared different shapes, they were cut out of the pictures of rocks. I did it with Lasso Tool (L). You can use any photo with interesting shapes like mountains, tree bark, rocks etc.

Under you see screen of the ROCKS.psd
Folder ROCKS / ROCKS.psd

I did not use them all, but maybe you will. To make them easier to find inside PSD I gave them the numbers.

Now I will explain how I transformed them. I will use Liquify (Filter/Liquify). I have to say that this is one of my favorite tools. On the next screen I showed in steps how I used this tool, as you can see it is really easy!

FEW EXAMPLES

Step 6 – Adding roots

Now I will start build roots.

More roots!

More roots!

Part in the red circle I want to put under the arm. I added a layer mask on root layer, then I selected Dancer layer. There are two ways to make such a selection:

Right click on Dancer layer and chose Select Pixels
OR Press Ctrl + click Dancer layer

Now go to root layer select Layer Mask then use Brush Tool (B) and paint with black #000000 part which you don’t want.

Now I will show which photo I used for roots marked in red.

The transformation was made of course with Liquify. Quick steps:

At this point all roots are in two folders

ROOTS_01
ROCKS_BACKGROUND

Step 7 – How to make image darker

This is good time make image darker, and of course add first lights. Between groups CLOUDS and ROCKS_BACKGROUND I created a new group called LIGHT (Layer > New > Group). Create a new layer (Layer > New > Layer or Shift+Ctrl+N). Set the blending mode to Color Burn and opacity to 100%. For the first layer I will use Gradient Tool (G) filled with black color #000000

26 responses to “Create This Incredible Surreal Photo Manipulation of a Dancer in Photoshop”

mukulmamun

April 1, 2019

Thanks for tutorial, it is very useful for beginners like us.

Reply
Allando

May 17, 2017

Where do we get the bricks, ground, clouds etc.?

Reply
1. Photoshop Tutorials Staff
  
  May 18, 2017
  
  It’s in the “Tutorial Resources” zip file (BRICKS / MAIN_BRICK.psd)
Renascor Sarpodyx

January 12, 2017

Nice! Although it lacks information :'(

Reply
krish mulllins

April 11, 2016

Really great fantastic work thanks for share it .

Reply
Maidul Islam

September 20, 2014

These look fantastic! Thanks for bringing them together – what a great collection

Reply
Althea

May 14, 2014

You lost me! :( I apply the color & gradient maps just like you said but no color comes through!

Reply
Samantha

May 16, 2013

Why would you use a shutterstock copyrighted image that has to purchased? We cant use this dancers image at a deent size/resolution without purchasing it. Makes this tutorial kind of a fail :(

Reply
john thomas

April 6, 2013

hmmm, Shutterstock hay? ……….no thanks! i’ll pass.

Reply
William Gore

March 22, 2013

NICE! Adrenaline is coursing through my veins right now. Can’t wait to try this out at home.

Reply
JR

January 16, 2013

All my eyes go to is that black shape on the right side of his right arm other then that this is a sweet tutorial thank you for sharing your mad skills

Reply
ABHIMANYU

January 4, 2013

awesome……. but have doubts… if you could provide a video tutorial it would be worth watching and learning……. :)

Reply
rafatul

January 3, 2013

Great editing
I like this post

Reply
Marcos Sandro

January 1, 2013

Undoubtedly the tutorials you in handling fotografais are the best of the website would love to if I baber podeira copies some tutorials to put on my website sintando the source

Reply
michal

December 27, 2012

Panie Darku super robota. Jedyne ‘ale’ to latajace korzenie , cegly itp. Ogolnie bardzo fajnie i “czysto” wytlumaczone kroki. Jesli to mozliwe, w przyszlosci c hetnie skorzystam z Pana wiedzy. prosze o kontakt. pozdrawiam

Reply
maung

December 26, 2012

:D……Thank You!…….I love photoshop & design.

Reply
Kyochan

December 21, 2012

The overall picture looks good and you obviously spent much effort on it, thank you :). But some highlights and shadows of dancer, parts of ground, roots, and flying bricks are wrong :).

Reply
1. Dariusz Markiw
  
  December 22, 2012
  
  I always have a problem with it :) Thank you!
Chaser

December 21, 2012

This looks good but is so badly explained. You have steps that are lacking info and steps with unnecessary info. You don’t need to tell us to “change the blending mode to normal and opacity to 100%” because that’s done by default. Some instructions don’t even say anything… It just says what image and blending mode but goes into no detail what was done. Good picture but sorry the tut is bad

Reply
1. Dariusz Markiw
  
  December 22, 2012
  
  Please tell me which part you do not understand, then I will fix it for you.
2. Randall Normal
  
  December 23, 2012
  
  I think you are being too picky. Obviously this is not intended for beginners.
  
  But I agree with you on the excessive info. You don’t need to tell people to set opacity to 100% when it’s already 100% by default. It’s annoying to read.
3. Randall Normal
  
  December 23, 2012
  
  And kudos to the author for offering to fix steps. Most people would get angry but you stayed cool
4. Dariusz Markiw
  
  December 25, 2012
  
  I’ll keep that in mind! :)
Ana Sousa

December 21, 2012

Very nice job! Thanks.

Reply
1. Darek
  
  December 21, 2012
  
  Fantastic work!!!
2. Dariusz Markiw
  
  December 22, 2012
  
  Thank you!