Photoshop Compositing: Blending Highlights, Shadows, and Reflections

Creating realistic composites in Photoshop requires more than just cutting and pasting images. To make your designs truly believable, you must master how light, shadows, and reflections interact with different surfaces and subjects. This text-only course guides you through the foundational principles and practical techniques of seamless compositing. You will learn how to integrate graphics into portraiture and complex backgrounds, ensuring perfect color harmony and realistic lighting representation in every project. What you'll learn: - Understand the core physics of light, shadows, and reflections for realistic compositing. - Master selection and masking tools to isolate complex subjects with clean, precise edges. - Apply gradient maps and color-matching techniques to unify different image elements. - Create realistic shadows and highlights that match the directional light of your background. - Utilize non-destructive editing workflows and smart objects to keep your projects flexible. - Practice integrating graphic elements seamlessly onto portrait photography. The course starts with essential terminology and the foundational physics of light before moving into step-by-step written tutorials on masking, color grading, and shadow creation. You will practice these concepts through detailed written exercises designed to build your confidence. This course is designed for beginner to intermediate Photoshop users who want to elevate their digital art and photo manipulation skills. No advanced prior experience is required. Start reading today to transform your flat designs into depth-filled, realistic masterpieces.