Welcome to my tutorial! In this tutorial you will learn how to create images similar to the one above and the ability to put your own twists on what you create!
Tutorial:
Step 1: Brainstorming and Getting Started
The first step requires you to brainstorm a little. In this step you will need to think of an athlete or person that inspires you and the city they are currently based or originally from (athletes work best). After that, you are ready to begin. For my project I picked LeBron James and he plays in Los Angeles so I picked an image of him about to dunk, an image of the skyline of Los Angeles at night, an image of the milky way galaxy, and a crown to pay homage to his nickname, “The King.” (Note: Accessories like the crown are optional)
Step 2: Inserting the city into Photoshop
In this step you must drag your image of the city you chose into a new Photoshop tab. Simply drag your image into the page and let go and it will be in your tab!
Step 3: Inserting the galaxy into the Background
In this sep you will be doing what you did in step 2 but will be dragging the image of the galaxy into the tab that contains the city and putting it over top.
After that, move the layer containing the galaxy behind the layer containing the city. To position the galaxy exactly where you want it, lower the opacity of the layer containing the city so you can see behind it. The opacity is located in the layers tab on the right of the screen. Increase the size of the galaxy with Command-T and position the it how you want. Restore the opacity to 100% (Note: To keep the shape of the image the same, hold shift while you adjust the size.)
Step 4: Creating a layer mask to let the galaxy appear in the sky
In this step you will need to select the foreground of the city using the Quick Selection Tool leaving the sky un-selected. (Note: What you have selected will be outlined with a moving, dotted line.)
After you have selected your desired area, create a layer mask using the Add Layer Mask button in the bottom right of the screen. After your mask is created, the galaxy will appear in the background.
Step 5: Removing the background of your person and inserting them into the image
Drag the image of your person into a new Photoshop tab.
Select only the person and copy what you have selected. Paste your selection into this area and hide the background using the eyeball next to the image. Next, use the Background Eraser Tool to erase any big areas that the previous step didn’t remove. Use the standard eraser tool to remove the rest. Do this by selecting brush mode so your erasing is more smooth. Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to select all of what your person to copy and paste into the city and galaxy image.
Step 6: Inserting the person into your image
For this step you simply paste the image of the person you just selected and then you size and position him or her how you want.
Optional Steps: Accessory
In this step you will repeat the previous step to insert an accessory into the image. I used a crown since LeBron’s nickname is “The King.” You will want to merge the two separate images for the next step. To do that, click on the person layer then shift-select the accessory layer. Use the key command Command-Option-E to merge them.
Step 7: Giving the person a glowing effect
In this step you will want to select the Eyedropper tool to select the color of the glow. It is recommended to use the main color of the jersey or clothes on the person in the image. Select the lightest part of the jersey or clothes with the eyedropper, then drag the color selector in the color bar to the left to make it as light as possible while still retaining the color originally selected. After that, lower the opacity of the person layer or the combined layer (if you are using an accessory click the eyeball next to both the person and accessory layers so they don’t get in the way). Then select the brush tool and click the Brushes tab next to the color bar and select the Soft Round Pressure Opacity and Flow brush.
Now select the lower of the levels and paint over them while tracing the edges of your person to give them a glowing effect and you are done!
