How to Create a Surreal Moon Scene in Adobe Photoshop

Step 23

Cut out the child and place her in the left of the midground and resize her to be much smaller.

Step 24

We’ll make shadow for the child on the desert following the texture of the sand. On the desert layer, use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to select a part behind the child which we’ve aimed to add the shadow to. Press Ctrl+Cto copy this part and hit Ctrl+N to make a new document and Photoshop will open a new document with the size fit the indicated desert part (Mine is 396×155 px). Press Ctrl+Vto paste the desert into the new file. Save this file and name it whatever you want.

Step 25

Come back to the moon file and make a new layer below the child’s one. Hold Ctrl and click the child thumbnail layer to load her selection.

Fill this selection with the color #01101f and move it below the child’s feet. Convert this layer to a Smart Objectand use Ctrl+Tto distort this shadow to fit the light’s direction and lower the opacity of this layer to 70%.

Step 26

Go to Filter > Distort > Displaceand fill in the following settings and browse the desert file made in the step 24.

Step 27

Create a Hue/Saturationadjustment layer to desaturatethe child:

Step 28

Make a Color Balanceadjustment layer and change the Midtones, Shadowsand Highlightssettings:

Step 29

Add aCurves adjustment layer to darken the back of the child. On this layer mask, paint on the contour of the child to reveal the lightness there.

Step 30

Create a new layer, change the mode to Overlay 100%and fill with 50%gray.

Activate the DodgeandBurn Tool (O)with Midtones Rangeand Exposureabout 10-15%to refine the light and shadow on the child. You can see how I did it with Normal mode and the result with Overlaymode.

Step 31

Make a Curvesadjustment layer on top of the layers and decrease the lightness on the top middle. On this layer mask, paint on the rest so they won’tbe affected by this adjustment layer.

Step 32

Create a Photo Filteradjustment layer and pick the color #3053ebto make the color of the whole scene more blue.

Step 33

Make a new layer, change the mode to Hard Light 100%and fill with 50%gray. Use the Dodge Toolwith Midtones Range, Exposureabout 22% to paint highlights for the area around the moon’s bottom. Use a layer mask if needed to refine the unwanted light details.