In this tutorial, we're going to combine 2 animals this:
and this:
To make our final product below:
Step 1:Selecting Sources
First and most important is to find the proper source images. I chose these 2 since the angles and stances are very similar.
Since I liked the high contrast color of the zebra, I decided to use the actual fur and "mold" it over the rhino's body. So with that said, I extracted the zebra from its background and pasted it into the rhino file on a new layer.
NOTE: It's a good idea to use a hi-res image because when you're stretching pixels, a low resolution file is going to lose its realism.
Step 2: Test Fit
okay, let's see how similar or different these two images are.
Lower the opacity of Zebra and compare it to the Rhino background. Using the Transform tool, stretch and compact the image as needed so that you could get the best fit possible. The better match now means less work later.
I found it important to match up the legs first and then the head for this image.
Step 3:Liquefy is your friend
Since my goal is to cover the rhino's body completely with the zebra, I decided to use the Liquify filter to make the rest of the adjustments.
You need to have quite a bit of patience with the Liquify filter to get the best results. I'm going to assume that you have some experience with this filter so I'm gonna get to the point.
1. Decreased the the Zebra's opacity to about 70% This will help you get better results matching up the two animals.
2. Start off by using a fairly large brush (about 1/3 the size of the animal) and with small strokes, pull the Zebra's main torso to match the rhino. Try to avoid making looong pulls because you won't get desired results. Using the large brush, I basically stretched out the top, buttocks, belly, chest and then I repositioned the head.
3. Once you're happy with those results, you're then going to fine tune the rest of the body using smaller sized brushes. For the Zebra's head, I used small, even strokes to match the shape of the underlying Rhino.
Since the legs are so close together, I had to use the Liquify filter's built in mask tool to protect one leg as I shaped the adjacent one.
Once you have matched the entire silhouette of the Rhino, save your adjustments and get ready for the next step.
Step 4:Shading
Okay, the shaping looks ok but our new animal friend is looking a bit flat. We're going to add more depth to this image by adding shadows. I'm not going to be using any blending modes because I want to keep as much detail and contrast as I can -- so with that said:
Make a new layer atop the Zebra and select a soft brush set a 15-30% opacity.
TIP: Hold down the OPTION key and move the cursor in between new blank layer and the Zebra layer. When the cursor changes it's shape, click the mouse button and you have now effectivley made a clipping mask. All your shadows will now be contained inside the zebra.
To get the best shading, I occasionally turned the visibility of the Zebra layer on and off used the Rhino background as a reference as to where to add new shadows.
Yeah, that looks better.
Now for the head:
If you look at the original rhino picture, you'll see that the head has a distinct shape under the horns. It looks like its beefed up.
Okay, add a new layer
Using a smaller, soft brush at around 30% opacity, draw out the distinct lines under the horns (again, use the rhino background image as a reference). With some patience you should get the desired results.
If you find that the shading is a bit too dark, you could adjust the layer opacity of your shadows.
Good Luck and I hope this helps.
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