Inside Photoshop® CS

Adding Some Finishing Touches

You've come a long way. The image could certainly pass for a spring-time setting. However, there are still a few details that might help to improve the overall look even further. We're done adding elements, but let's fine-tune the image.

Many of the elements that we added were resized to fit into the master image. Because the scaling process tends to soften the added elements (due to lost pixels), the first question to ask yourself is whether any of these elements could benefit from some sharpening. Next, consider the lighting. Try to imagine where the lighting source is coming from, and add some appropriate shadows, maybe even some additional lighting itself. The next exercise will show you how to take care of all ...