Achieving an ethereal image is ridiculously easy when using the right tools in Photoshop. In this rendition, I started with images taken of my beautiful subject wearing a parachute draped around her as a dress. (Parachutes can easily and inexpensively purchased online under $100.)  A few assistants were needed to lift and lower the dress to create volume. Several shots were taken as the “dress” swirled and settled back in place. Inspired by her gaze into the distance, I settled on a few images to begin my composite.

First, I isolated my subject from the background. The newest version of Photoshop makes this process extremely easy. Generally, when I know I’m going to composite a subject into a scenery in a rather painterly way, I don’t get to particular about the extraction, as long as facial and body features remain relatively sharp.  With so many brushes available I don’t concern myself too much with hair, as this can be painted in or refined later. In this composite, I chose a piece of the dress from another image to add to the winged, butterfly look.

 Once extracted I created a new layer on top of my subject and changed the blend mode to “color” choosing a soft peach and painted his over the fabric of her dress. Adjusting the opacity is often necessary during his stage.  I then grouped the two layers together.

Using a medium shade of the peach, I created a layer beneath the subject. I copied an image of a brooding, cloudy sky on top of this color layer and changed the blend mode to soft light.  I then duplicated this image and changed the blend mode to “Screen”, applying an inverted layer mask to this  knowing I could brush highlights on  to my image with a soft round brush at a low opacity. 

Once satisfied, I created a workable merge visible layer. I duplicated this and used my mixer brush to paint over top to my liking.

The best encouragement I can offer is to experiment with all the tools photoshop has to offer. Don’t be afraid to trash a sample document. They are only pixels, after all!