How to Create Vivid Arabian Night Composite in Photoshop

Step 13

Now let’s color correct the terrain a bit. Add a curve adjustment layer and use the settings shown below. Clip this layer to the layer below (it should be clipped to a Hue/Saturation layer which in turn is clipping the desert layer). Lower the opacity to 32%.

Step 14

Now let’s add some selective lighting. We will make the foreground part of the terrain darker. Add a curves adjustment layer and drag the curve down to darken. Click on the layer mask and with a black brush paint on the top part of the terrain to keep it untouched by the darkening effect. Lower the opacity until you achieve a pleasant effect (40%). Clip the layer to the layer below.

Step 15

And as a last adjustment layer applied to the desert create a Brightness/Contrast layer and drag the Contrast slider to the right until a value of 70 is reached. Clip the layer to the layer below.

Step 16

Group the terrain layer and the all the adjustment layers we applied to it into a new group.

Step 17

Now we’ll create a city in the distance. Create a new layer and press Ctrl + G to add it to a group. Name the group city and move it below the terrain layer.

Step 18

First of all be careful to put all city related layers inside the group City or else we will have a messy document. Our city will have three layers of building outlines to simulate depth. First outline will be dark and it will sit in front, second will be a little lighter than the first and sit in the back of the first outline and third will be even lighter and will sit behind the two other outlines. If you followed the step 17 you should have a single empty layer inside the City group. Select this empty layer and group it again by pressing Ctrl + G. Name the group Dark Buildings. Choose the Mosque Brush and with click a couple of times using a variety of mosque buildings to create a something like I did below.

Step 19

Now we will add some highlights to our dark outlines in order to give them some 3d volume. Create a new layer in the Dark Buildings group and name it Highlight. Clip this layer to the outline layer we created in step 18 (for clipping refer to step 12). We assume that the light comes from the left up side of our image so the highlights will have to be on the left side of the building outlines. Select a white round soft brush at 10% Opacity and paint some highlights on the left side and top of each building. Don’t overdo, be subtle.

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