This is a design I worked on as a self project. I wanted to test my hand at cutting a difficult subject from a background, and playing with scatter effects thereafter. I chose this stock image because I knew the hair on the bears fur would be a challenge to cut without making it look "cheap".
First things first...color. The original stock image felt dull. Through use of masks and overlay techniques, I brightened the image as a whole, and added whites to the edges of the bears fur. This added more intensity to the image, and makes it more interesting to the eye. Really makes the colors POP!
Next step was effects. A bear is cool, but a bear fading into nothingness...I mean come on. So first I had to duplicate the cut of the bear. Next, I liquified the duplicated layer, threw a mask over it, and applied a starry brush to the edges. I also flipped the bear horizontally. I can't honestly explain why I did this last step. I guess I just prefer things looking to the left.
The finished image. (Personal brand logo on the top left)
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