Composite Images

I am often asked, how long it takes to complete an image or how they are put together. So this page is to demonstrate how an image begins and how it is finished. I save all my PSDs with layers intact, all my RAW images, all my hand-made brushes...so if you would like to know more about an image, send me an email or 'Like' my Facebook page.

Click on any of the thumbs below to see the composite breakdown and layers panel.

  • Toxic Fish
  • Toxic Fish
  • Toxic Fish

City Angel

City Angel is based in Manchester and features the husband.

Toxic Fish

The story is, my Hubby is an regional manager and one of his areas is security for Manchester, so I did this photo for him as he watches over Manchester day and night....my city angel.

This picture is not actually that complicated apart from the wings. It was my first time at doing wings so I probably added more layers than necessary.

The layers are more tidy that the Toxic Fish. As you can see each element is colour coordinated to make it easier to see. I also have a Spares folder where I put layers I have turned off and a Textures folder at the top as I wanted to see how it looked with some overlay textures, but I liked it just as it was in the end.

Toxic Fish

The RAW Photographs

The following RAW images are as shot. I wanted an aerial view of the city for my composite, so I headed to Manchester and went up the tallest building I could find...The Hilton. I asked permission when I went in to take photographs and even treated myself to high tea.

Toxic Fish

This was the view I used looking out towards the Pennines.

Toxic Fish

I wanted more sky, so I shot the sky separately, but from the same location.

Toxic Fish

This is the very compliant husband in the garden posing for me in his underpants, luckily I have very understanding neighbors that are obviously used to the strange noises that come from my garden. I wanted to keep the wall so I asked him to grip it as if he was on top of a very tall building.

Toxic Fish

This grave tomb was to give a weathered look to the building the hubby was sitting on.

Toxic Fish

This bird was used to give texture to the wings and his chest was used to make the hat of the angel.

Toxic Fish

This bird was used to make the wings, I should have used better feathers really, but this was all I had at the time.

Toxic Fish

Making the Composite

The city and sky put together and toned.

Toxic Fish

The lightning was created by a technics that starts with the difference cloud filter in Photoshop combined with a gradient to get a flash streak. It is then processed and chopped into many pieces with a glow effect.

Toxic Fish

The start of my angel is added onto the building platform and claws are created using the Wacom. His back is prepared to take the wings.

Toxic Fish

The wings took forever to make and involved many hours of bending them into the correct position and then stretching and smudging them until they took shape.

Toxic Fish

Layers of texture, colour, shadows and highlights was then added to the wings to give them a more realistic look.

Toxic Fish

Eventually the front wing was completed and the back wing was made from the front wing.

Toxic Fish

I took a good few days to create this photo, but it was enjoyable as it was a gift to my husband. I make my images for the love of making them, not just for competitions, that way if they end up not being for the club scene, well you still have image you can look back on and enjoy.

All images on this page were taken and created by KT Allen.