Compositing techniques for surreal photography
Learn the essential compositing steps used in modern surreal photography: matching perspective, refining edges, creating believable shadows and harmonizing color. These techniques help turn separate photographic elements into a single convincing image.
1. Match perspective and focal length
Start with consistent vanishing points and focal lengths for foreground and background plates. Use transform tools and guides to align horizons and key lines.
2. Precise masking and edge work
Feathering, channel masks and frequency separation reduce halos and create seamless joins. Always inspect edges at 100% to avoid compositing artifacts.
3. Light direction, shadows & contact points
Create soft, matching shadows at contact points and add subtle ambient occlusion to ground objects. Shadow color and blur are as important as direction.
4. Color grading and integration
Use lookup tables, curves and selective color adjustments to unify the scene. Small global adjustments often work better than heavy local changes.
Related: Creative photography ideas (pillar) — see also Staged scenes and Color & tone.