Create a Surreal Portrait Scene Using Generative Fill in Photoshop

Create a Surreal Portrait Scene Using Generative Fill in Photoshop

Transforming an ordinary portrait into a magical nighttime scene traditionally requires advanced compositing skills and multiple stock images. This tutorial demonstrates how to create an entire surreal portrait using only Generative Fill, converting a simple daylight photo into an atmospheric Gothic scene complete with Victorian clothing, glowing lanterns, and mystical environments.

The process involves iterative prompting to transform clothing, lighting, backgrounds, and atmospheric elements while preserving facial details through strategic masking techniques.

Watch the Video

Video by Adobe Photoshop. Any links or downloads mentioned by the creator are available only on YouTube

Practical Tips

Here are essential techniques for successful surreal portrait creation:

  • Start with specific prompts and refine them iteratively — your first attempt rarely produces the perfect result
  • Use layer masks to preserve original facial details when AI generates unwanted changes to face structure
  • Build complex scenes gradually by adding one element at a time rather than requesting everything in a single prompt
  • Apply color correction and curves adjustments to match AI-generated elements with the overall scene lighting
  • Add final atmospheric touches like vignettes and highlight enhancement to create cohesive mood

Explore more creative portrait techniques and advanced editing methods with these tutorials.

Turn Pictures Into Paintings Using Generative Fill In Photoshop
Converting photographs into artistic paintings has traditionally required advanced Photoshop skills, complex layer blending techniques, or expensive third-party plugins. Many photographers and designers struggle with creating convincing painted effects that maintain the original image's character while adding genuine artistic style. This tutorial demonstrates how to transform photos into paintings using Photoshop's generative fill feature combined with channel-based selections. The technique cr
How to Add Objects to Photos Using Photoshop's Generative Fill
Photoshop's Generative Fill transforms photo editing by letting you add realistic objects using simple text descriptions. This AI-powered feature creates seamless additions that match your image's lighting, perspective, and style. The process requires just a basic selection and a descriptive prompt to generate professional-looking results in seconds. Watch the Tutorial Essential Tips for Generative Fill Success * Make your selection slightly larger than the object you want to generate — t
How Generative Fill in Photoshop is Transforming Photo Editing
In the ever-evolving realm of photo editing, a game-changing feature has emerged that promises to revolutionize the way we approach image enhancement. Enter Generative Fill, an innovative tool introduced in the Photoshop Beta, and it's already making waves. Spearheaded by the renowned creative mind Aaron Nace from PHLEARN, this tool is poised to reshape the landscape of digital editing. Generative Fill isn't your typical editing tool that relies on traditional methods. Instead, it leverages the
Surreal floral face photo manipulation in Photoshop
This captivating tutorial shows you how to create a surreal floral face photo manipulation. Learn how to seamlessly transform a portrait into a captivating floral composition. Half-human, half-bloom, this technique offers endless possibilities for book covers, posters, and truly unique artwork. The video will guide you through utilizing layer masks, selection tools, and potentially even floral brushes to achieve this dreamlike effect. Unleash your creativity and create captivating portraits tha
Merge two photos in just a few clicks using Photoshop's Generative Fill
Photoshop Training Channel presents a helpful guide for blending multiple images together with ease. Generative Fill is one of Photoshop's most powerful but underutilized tools, and in this video PTC shows users how they can take advantage of its full capabilities. Through a simple step-by-step process, viewers will learn how to use Generative Fill to automatically composite numerous photos into a single cohesive image. Presented in PTC's clear training style, photographers and image editors of
Complete Guide to AI Photo Editing with Photoshop's Generative Fill
Modern photo editing has entered a new era where artificial intelligence can solve complex visual problems in seconds. Tasks that once required hours of manual work—removing unwanted objects, changing skies, adding realistic elements—can now be accomplished with simple selections and text prompts. This comprehensive tutorial demonstrates 37 practical applications of Photoshop's AI-powered generative fill feature. From basic sky replacements to advanced portrait retouching, these techniques show
Create a Surreal Miniature Portrait in Photoshop
In this Photoshop tutorial, you'll learn how to create a surreal and miniature portrait photo manipulation. You'll start by working with a small image of a solitary man sitting on the edge of a piano key. Using various Photoshop techniques, you'll transform this image into a captivating and mysterious piece of art. Through step-by-step instructions, you'll explore ways to blend the man into a surreal landscape, playing with scale and perspective to achieve a sense of wonder and intrigue. You'll
Essential Guide to Generative Fill: Remove, Add, and Replace Objects in Photos
Generative Fill has transformed how photographers handle object removal, additions, and replacements in their images. This comprehensive tutorial demonstrates four practical applications using real examples—from cleaning up unwanted graffiti to adding garden gnomes and creating custom sunflower boots. You'll learn to work with both Adobe's Firefly Image 3 and Google's Gemini 2.5 models, understanding when to use each approach for optimal results. Watch the Video Practical Tips Here are the
Create a Striking Text Portrait Poster in Photoshop
Transforming an ordinary portrait into a captivating text-based artwork presents a unique creative challenge in Photoshop. Often, the frustration lies in making text appear to organically wrap around a subject's contours rather than just sitting flat over the image. Achieving this seamless integration, especially when dealing with complex shapes, can feel like navigating an intricate technical puzzle. This tutorial offers a clear pathway to mastering text portrait effects using advanced masking
Transform a face into a creative mixed media portrait
This tutorial demonstrates a powerful Photoshop technique for transforming standard photographs into dynamic mixed media portraits. It explores how to achieve a unique artistic aesthetic that blends traditional art elements with digital imagery. Viewers will learn a non-destructive workflow to apply textured effects and patterns to a portrait, with the added benefit of easily replacing the subject without redoing the entire process. This approach is ideal for artists and designers seeking effic
Unfolding Paradoxes: How Adobe Firefly Transforms Abstract Concepts Into Visual Realities
AI image generation has revolutionized how artists and designers explore creative concepts. These tools, like Adobe Firefly, are built with one primary objective: to serve the user’s vision. Their extensive training prepares them to interpret precise prompts, guided by established techniques like keyword specificity, compositional references, and style definitions.
The Enchanting Beauty of Leaves: Exploring Nature’s Art Through Adobe Firefly
Leaves, in all their varied forms, have always held a special place in the world of art. Their delicate veins, intricate shapes, and vibrant colors offer endless inspiration. Now, with the help of AI, we can explore the artistic potential of leaves in entirely new ways. A Symphony of Shapes

Get tutorials & freebies delivered to you.

Subscribe to the Photoshop Roadmap newsletter, a weekly roundup of new tutorials, insights and quality downloads, trusted by 6500+ readers.

You might also like

Create a Liquid Gel Logo Effect in Photoshop

Liquid gel effects transform flat logos into dimensional, glossy designs that appear to bubble and flow. This technique uses multiple layer styles and strategic duplication to build depth, creating surfaces that catch light like thick, viscous liquid. The method combines gradient overlays, bevel effects, and inner glows across several duplicated...

How to Use Photoshop's AI Sharpen Filter and When It's Worth the Cost

Photoshop's new AI Sharpen filter promises one-click sharpening powered by advanced algorithms. This tool uses technology from Topaz Labs to enhance image details without manual adjustments, but it comes with a significant cost in credits. Understanding when to use this automated approach versus traditional methods like the High...

How to Use Harmonize and Generative Upscale Tools in Photoshop

Creating realistic photo composites requires matching lighting and color between different images—a traditionally time-consuming process. Two new AI-powered tools in Photoshop solve these challenges: Harmonize automatically adjusts lighting and shadows to blend subjects seamlessly into backgrounds, while Generative Upscale enlarges small images without losing detail. These tools work together...

How to Create Convincing Scale Effects in Photoshop Composites

Creating believable scale effects requires more than simply resizing objects—it demands understanding how light, perspective, and atmospheric conditions change with distance. When tiny subjects appear massive or giant objects seem miniature, viewers should feel the illusion is completely natural. This technique combines careful attention to lighting consistency, depth cues,...

How to Flip Images Horizontally and Vertically in Photoshop

Flipping images is a fundamental technique that can dramatically change the composition and impact of your photos. Whether you need to correct the orientation of a subject, create mirror effects, or simply improve the visual flow of your design, knowing how to quickly flip images both horizontally and vertically gives...

How to Use Nano Banana Pro in Photoshop for Background Replacement and Scene Changes

Nano Banana Pro transforms how you place subjects into new environments in Photoshop. This advanced AI model maintains perfect subject likeness while seamlessly integrating them into any background you can imagine. The tool excels at matching lighting, preserving facial features, and even adapting clothing to complement new scenes, all through...

You’ve successfully subscribed to Photoshop Roadmap
Welcome back! You’ve successfully signed in.
Great! You’ve successfully signed up.
Success! Your email is updated.
Your link has expired
Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.