Learn how to create cool moody composite images in this Photoshop tutorial. We’ll talk about masking, Camera RAW, Smart Objects and Filters, blending images together, Select and Mask, and a ton more!

Download sheep stock photo here.

Download the wolf/husky stock photo here.

Download the fog Photoshop brushes here.

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Recording notes:

• Open sheep photo
• Duplicate the background and convert to a Smart Object and enter Camera Raw editing for that layer
• Reduce: exposure -1, highlights -70, whites -70, dehaze -100, vib -40
• Increase: shadows +10, blacks +10
• Flatten curve white point by one grid square and boost black point by half a grid square
• Show the fog brushes and use one or two to mask away the Camera Raw’d background from the foreground sheep
• Add a Curves layer just above the bottom (colorful) sheep and reduce contrast
• Add a Levels adjustment above that and open the darker tones a bit
• Add a Virbance layer above that and reduce vibrance -100 and saturation -40
• Create  dodge/burn layer and darken the light streak on the pasture hill
• Add a Curves adjustment layer and flatten the white point a bit and use this to top off the blending for that lighter area of the pasture
• Cut out the Husky and drag him into the image
• Mask him into place around the hills
• Clip a Levels layer to him and reduce the brightness and contrast big time on him (use the black and white layer trick to get him looking about right
• Build up the shadow on the side of the husky, the hill and near the edge of the hill/beginning of his fur using Dodge/Burn and Levels and masking and also using feathered selections filled with black to transparent gradients
• Create a 50% gray layer set to Luminosity to check on color differences between the sky and foreground and add a Color Balance layer to adjust. Mask this layer to the sky area.
• Sample a very light gray/green color from the sheep or sky and create a gray to transparent gradient in front of the husky to create the first bit of the fog
• Mask that fog into place
• Add a few layers of fog with the fog brushes and tweak and erase until they look good
• Create a Levels adjustment layer above this all and use this to create another shadowing to the left side of the husky. Mask and tweak until it looks perfect
• Merge all layers to a new layer, convert to Smart Object and enter Camera RAW again
• Boost Temp and Tiny +20
• Reduce exposure -0.30
• Boost contrast +30, clarity +75, dehaze +30
• Use Curves to add some red and some yellow
• Reduce saturation of the Yellow and Green channels a little bit
• Reduce this layer’s opacity to 55%
• Create a new layer and use the Pen Tool to draw shapes for the husky’s eyes.
• Duplicate the eye shapes and blur 10px at a time until they look nice and blurred.
• Merge the stack of eye shapes and add an outer glow of Normal 100%, 150px size and the color of #b9ffa4
• Add a Teal to green LUT at 40% opacity above this all and a grain layer to finish blending
• Tweak the camera RAW layer for final bits
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