Create a Montage in Photoshop

In today's tutorial we show you our process for making a montage in Photoshop .

It may seem overwhelming if it's your first time, but don't worry; it's all about staying curious and wanting to discover more . Take it at your own pace and enjoy the creative process.

For this image we used two photographs: one of the Tláloc Notebook and one of a paper cloud.

We leave the video below, we hope it is very useful for you :)

The key points of this assembly are:

Separate your elements:

Use the Pen tool (shortcut: P) to outline the edges of your image and make a selection from your path. Separate your image onto a new layer using the shortcut CMD + J.

Try not to leave any white edges, or they'll give away the trick. If you missed any, you can still erase them using a layer mask .

Remember that you can hide part of your image by painting on the layer mask with the black brush. To reveal part of your image, paint with the white brush.

Arrange your items:

Transform your images using the CMD + T shortcut. You can rotate them, change their scale, perspective, or even deform them as you wish.

Right click to open the menu with the transform mode tools.

Keep your workspace tidy:

Place all your images in the same file to keep everything visible. A montage almost always uses many layers. We recommend naming each layer so they don't get all mixed up.

You can even create layer groups. Select the layers you want to group and use the shortcut CMD + G. Don't forget to name these groups, too.

Use shadows:

Shadows are your allies to give cohesion, volume and atmosphere to your montages:

Create shadows for your elements. Restore your selection by Cmd + Clicking on the layer with the image you cropped. Then, create a transparent layer and fill your selection with black. Use blurs to give your shadows more realism.

Use gradients (shortcut: G) to add interesting contrasts and volumes to your photography.

Creative brushes:

In Photoshop, brushes can do much more than just paint. Create your own brushes with special shapes to create special effects.