Epic fantasy scenes capture the imagination through dramatic confrontations between legendary figures. This tutorial transforms simple photographs into a cinematic knight versus dragon battle scene.

You'll learn professional photo manipulation techniques including subject extraction, lighting adjustments, atmospheric effects, and color grading to create compelling fantasy artwork.

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Video by Nemanja Sekulic. Any links or downloads mentioned by the creator are available only on YouTube

Essential Tips for Fantasy Photo Manipulation

  • Convert layers to smart objects before resizing to preserve image quality when scaling up or down multiple times
  • Use Quick Mask mode (press Q) with a brush to refine automatic selections, especially for complex edges like hair or armor details
  • Create separate layers for highlights and shadows, using Screen and Multiply blend modes to adjust lighting direction
  • Apply Gaussian blur to background elements at different amounts to establish proper depth of field
  • Add atmospheric elements like smoke or mist using custom brushes to enhance the epic scale and mood

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