Making it read better

This is a quick but impactful step in the process, where I adjust the overall value of the foreground elements. I create a selection with the Lasso tool and mask out the area I want to bring forward. In this case it’s the nearest dune and main figure. I then paint in some volumetric fog outside the selection to push back the background elements and bring forward the selected area. Within that selected area I also use a Levels Adjustment to darken the values slightly.