HOW TO Create a natural-looking composite image

7 MAKE A SELECTION

Open the image containing a subject that you want to select. Choose Select > Subject. Photoshop will attempt to draw a selection marquee around the main subject. In this case it has also included some of the background lioness.

8 FINE-TUNE THE SELECTION

In the Tools panel Select section, click the bottom right tool. In the Options bar, choose the Quick Selection tool. Click the Subtract From Selection icon (grey on white rectangle). Spray over unwanted objects to remove them.

9 REFINE THE EDGE

In the Options bar, click Refine Edge. Set View to On Black. Tick the Smart Radius box and increase the slider to 2.1px. Tick the Smart Radius brush icon. Spray around the edge of the subject to reveal missing details.

3 COMPLETE THE SELECTION

You may find bits of background clinging to the edge, especially between delicate details such as hairs. Increase Contrast to 27. Add a Feather of 0.9 to soften the edge. Set Output to New Layer with Layer Mask. Click OK.

6 REMOVE THE DOG

Click the lioness layer’s eye-shaped icon to hide it. Click on the background layer containing the dog. Grab the Clone Stamp tool. Hold down the option key and click to sample some grass. Spray the grass over the dog.

9 SELECT THE SUBJECT

The layer mask will vanish, leaving the lioness against a transparent background. Hold down the command key and click on the lioness layer’s thumbnail. This keyboard shortcut selects the lioness’s shape with a marquee.

4 ADD NEW BACKGROUND

You’ll see a new layer with a black and white mask. Open the background photo. Choose Edit > Select All and then Edit > Copy. Go to the Lioness document and choose Edit > Paste. Drag the new background below the lioness.

7 MODIFY THE MASK

Make the lioness’s layer visible. Click on that layer’s mask to target it. Grab the Brush tool from the Tools panel. Set the Foreground colour to black. Spray over the paws to make them blend with more grass on the background layer.

10 FILL WITH BLACK

Choose Layer > New > Layer. Click OK. Click on the new layer. The marquee will still be visible. Choose Edit > Fill Selection. In the Fill Layer box, choose Black from the Use menu. Click OK. Press command-D to deselect the marquee.

5 TRANSFORM THE SUBJECT

Our lioness is too large. Click on that layer and choose Image > Transform > Free Transform. In the Options bar, tick Constrain Proportions. Drag the Transform box’s corner handles to scale the lioness down. Click the green tick.

8 APPLY THE MASK

Spray a black brush on the mask to hide any more unwanted background from the lioness’s original photo. Use a white brush to reveal missing details from the lioness’s edge. Right click on the mask and choose Apply Layer Mask.

11 TRANSFORM THE SHADOW

Drag the shadow layer below the lioness. Choose Image > Transform > Free Transform. Hold command and drag the corner handles to distort the shadow. Click the green tick. Choose Filter > Blur > Gaussian blur to soften the shadow’s edges.