Must Know Compositing Tips in Photoshop
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These three must know compositing tips help you blend a subject into a background so the light, color and reflections all match.
This is another episode of PTC Edits Your Photos for must-know compositing tips!
Click here to check out the first entry to this series
In this tutorial, we’ll be opening the .PSD document by Ferdinand Hartmann of a wonderful outer space concept.
Let’s get started!
Key Takeaways
- Brightness differences between a subject and a background are usually the first thing that gives a composite away.
- A Levels adjustment layer set to Luminosity blending mode changes brightness without shifting color.
- Pushing Saturation up on a gray fill layer reveals a scene’s ambient color cast, even when the scene looks neutral at first glance.
- Puppet Warp pins let you reposition one body part without distorting the rest of the layer.
- A reflection has to match the blur, opacity and shadow tone of the surface it sits on, not just its shape.
Table of contents
What You Will Learn
- How to match luminosity between a subject and background with a Levels adjustment layer
- How to spot and correct an ambient color mismatch with a Solid Color fill layer and Color Balance
- How to build a realistic reflection with Puppet Warp and Gaussian Blur
- How to blend a reflection’s edges with Blend If
Requirements
Before you start
- Photoshop 2021 or the current version
- A subject already cut out onto its own layer or group, ready to composite onto a background
Must Know Compositing Tips Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Clip an adjustment layer to the layer below | Ctrl Alt G | Command Option G |
| Duplicate the selected layers | Ctrl J | Command J |
| Merge the selected layers | Ctrl E | Command E |
| Free Transform | Ctrl T | Command T |
Match Luminosity
At a glance, you will immediately notice the luminosity difference between the subject and the background, the subject being brighter than the rest of the image.
Opening the Sarah Group, the subject has been applied with different layers to darken it.
To simplify the process of application, create a new Levels adjustment layer above the Group.
Then, set its Blending Mode to Luminosity to only affect the brightness and not the colors.
Press CtrlAltG (Windows) or CommandOptionG (macOS) to clip the Levels adjustment layer to the layer below it.
On the Properties panel, adjust the white output level and drag it to the left to decrease the brightest pixels’ luminosity.
Adjust the midpoint slider to add more contrast.
Match Ambient Color
One of the must know compositing tips is matching the ambient color. To do that, create a Solid Color fill layer.
On the Color Picker window, set the color to any gray shade as long as the Hue and Saturation remain 0.
Press OK to exit the window.
Then, change the Solid Color’s Blending Mode to Luminosity.
Increase the Saturation to better view how ambiance color doesn’t match based on which colors are prominent.
In this case, the rest of the image is blue, while the light source and its reflection are red/orange.
On the other hand, the entire subject is red/magenta, and against a dominantly blue background, you can finally determine why the composite doesn’t look in harmony.
To correct this, click on the New Adjustment Layer icon > Color Balance.
Click on the Clipping Mask icon to clip Color Balance to the layer below and only affect the subject’s layer.
This adjustment layer gives you the ability to adjust the colors from Shadows, to Midtones, and Highlights.
Set the Tone to Midtone and adjust the slider to add more Cyan.
Adjust the Yellow-Blue slider to add more Blue to it.
Repeat the same step to the Shadows and Highlights so the color adjustment looks even across all tones, one of the must know compositing tips!
You can delete the Solid Color fill layer and see the color result in real-time and add more tweaks if needed until the subject’s color fits well into the composite.
Add a Reflection
One of the must-know compositing tips is always to check if the perspectives and shadows are correct. In this case, the window reflects the shiny floor, but the subject does not.
For an easy method of adding reflection, select the Sarah Group and the Levels and Color Balance adjustment layers.
Press CtrlJ (Windows) or CommandJ (macOS) to duplicate the layers.
Then, press CtrlE (Windows) or CommandE (macOS) to merge the layers into a single layer.
Press CtrlT (Windows) or CommandT (macOS) to transform the layer
Right-click on the layer > Flip Vertical.
Place the reflected layer directly opposite the subject, the soles of the shoes should be placed side-by-side.
Then, place the Reflection layer right below the Sarah Group layer.
To make sure that the shoes’ soles are touching, choose Edit > Puppet Warp.
Click on the body joints, so when you move one part of it, the rest of the body does not move.
Tip: These pins also let you manipulate one body part without moving the rest. Read our complete Puppet Warp guide to see every pin option.
Add pins to the left foot and manipulate it so that the two soles meet.
Then, click on the checkmark to commit to the changes.
Take note of the window reflection on the floor. It’s blurry. To match the reflection with the rest of the scene, choose Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.
Then, on the Gaussian Blur Window, adjust the Radius of the blur until it matches with the windows.
Tip: For a more realistic effect and must know compositing tips, reduce the layer’s Opacity or change the Blending Mode for a better result.
Double-click on the side of the Reflection layer to bring out the Layer Style window.
Under Blend If, adjust the sliders to enhance the appearance of the shadows.
Tip: Want the full walkthrough? Read our complete Blend If guide for every slider and channel option.
To know more about must-know compositing tips, here’s a perfect tutorial to check out!
Frequently Asked Questions
A brightness, or luminosity, mismatch between the subject and the background is usually the first giveaway. Add a Levels adjustment layer set to Luminosity blending mode above the subject, then adjust the output sliders until the brightness matches the background.
Add a Solid Color fill layer set to a neutral gray, then set its blending mode to Luminosity. Temporarily raise the Saturation to see the true color cast in each part of the image. Then use a clipped Color Balance adjustment layer to shift the subject’s Shadows, Midtones and Highlights to match.
Add a gray Solid Color fill layer set to Luminosity blending mode, then push its Saturation up. Colors that were too subtle to notice become obvious, showing you which areas of the scene lean warm or cool.
Duplicate and merge the subject’s layers, then flip the merged copy vertically with Flip Vertical. Place it directly below the original so the two line up, then use Puppet Warp to adjust any body parts that need to touch the reflective surface.
Open Puppet Warp from the Edit menu, then click to add pins at each joint. A pin locks that point in place, so dragging a different pin moves only the area between it and the nearest locked pin.
A reflection off a shiny floor or window is rarely as crisp as the original subject. Apply Gaussian Blur to the reflection layer and adjust the Radius until it matches the softness of the reflective surface in the photo.
Blend If hides part of a layer based on how bright or dark its pixels are, without using a mask. It works well for fading a reflection’s shadows into the surface below it for a more natural look.
Conclusion
These three tips, matching luminosity, matching ambient color and adding a reflection, cover the details that make or break a composite.
None of them require advanced skills, just a Levels adjustment layer, a Solid Color fill layer, Puppet Warp and a little patience.
Watch the full video above, and comment on the video if you have a question.
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Ready for more? Check out 7 more tips for realistic composites.
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