Create This Striking Fairy Tale Photo Manipulation in Photoshop

Fill the layer mask of this adjustment layer with solid black color to hide the adjustment. Grab the Brush Tool (B), select some soft round brush and set the Opacity on about 50%. Pick white color and paint around the edges of the picture to make them darker. On the following image you can see how your photo manipulation should look like so far.

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Step 21 – Adding More Depth

In this step you’ll create more dimension in your image. There is general rule (which has its exception of course): closer objects seems to be darker and objects in the distance seems to be brighter. Based on this rule you’ll make the reed in front darker and you’ll lighten the horizon. Add new empty layer on the top of all layers and name it MORE DEPTH. Grab the Paint Bucket Tool (G) and fill this layer with mid grey color (#808080). To blend it properly with the rest of the image change its Blending Mode from Normal to Overlay.

Grab the Brush Tool (B), select soft round brush and lower its Opacity on about 15%. Pick black color and start painting over the areas you want to darken. After you’re done pick white color and lighten areas which should be lighter. You should make darker following parts of the image:

• reed in the foreground (because of the rule named in the beginning of this step),
• shadow under the tree,
• shadow under woman.

You should lighten:

• horizon,
• tree on the side where sun hits,
• woman’s clothes on the side where sun hits.

You can get the idea where to paint with black and white on the following layer where you can see my MORE DEPTH layer with Blending Mode set on Normal.

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Step 22 – Adding 2 Gradient Maps

In this step you’ll increase contrast, darken image and add blue tones to shadows by adding two Gradient Map adjustment layers.

Add first adjustment layer on the top of all layers. With this one you’ll increase contrast of the image and make it slightly darker. To do it choose Black, White gradient in Gradient Editor and press OK.

Lower the Opacity of this layer on 20% to achieve the darker and more contrasted image you want.

Add second adjustment layer Gradient Map on the top of all layers and set the Gradient Map as on the following picture.

Change Blending Mode of this layer on Color and lower its Opacity on 30%.

On the following photo you can compare how the photo manipulation looks with these two adjustments.

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