How to Photobash, Step by Step

Photobashing means building an image from pieces of photographs, then painting over them until they become one picture. It is fast, and it gives you real detail you could never invent in the same time. It also fails in a very recognizable way: the pieces don't agree. One building is lit from the left, the next from the right. One rock was shot with a wide lens, the next with a telephoto. The result looks like a collage, not a place.

This guide walks through the process from a blank canvas to a finished paint-over. The steps work in Photoshop, Krita, Affinity Photo or any program with layers and masks. You can practise every step with a free pack.

Step 1: Decide the image before you collect photos

Start with a small thumbnail in grey values. Decide three things first:

• Where the horizon sits. This sets your eye level, and every photo you add must match it.
• Where the light comes from. Pick one main light source, such as low sun from the left.
• What the focal point is. Decide what the viewer should look at first.

Keep the thumbnail small, about the size of a stamp. At that size you can only judge big shapes and values, which is exactly what you need. Every later decision will be checked against this sketch.

Step 2: Choose photos that already agree

This step saves the most time. Look for photos that share the same light, lens and time of day as your sketch. The easiest way is to take most of your pieces from one location shot in one session.

A good practice pack is Limestone Arch, which is free. It has 41 photos of one natural arch on the Great Ocean Road, shot in different lighting and with two lenses: a 70–300 mm telephoto for close-ups and a 16–50 mm zoom for wider views. Sort the photos into groups by light and by lens before you start. You will see quickly that mixing groups causes problems.

For a clearer lesson in light, look at Bubble Bulging Rock Plateaus. The pack is split into an Overcast Plateau folder (110 photos) and a Sunset Plateau folder (216 photos) of the same rocks. Try to combine one photo from each folder and you will see why you should choose one light and stay with it.

Step 3: Match the perspective

Every photo has its own horizon line, at the height where the camera was. Before you place a piece, find its horizon and line it up with yours.

• Find the horizon in the photo. Follow two parallel lines, such as the top and bottom of a window row, until they meet. That point sits on the horizon.
• Line it up. Move and scale the piece until its horizon sits on your horizon line.
• Correct gently. Use Free Transform, Perspective or Warp to fix small differences. Large corrections stretch the texture and look wrong.
• Watch the camera height. A building shot from street level shows its underside. A building shot from a high window shows its roof. You can't mix the two without repainting.

Beach Highrises Cityscape is a good way to see this. It has 144 photos of the same Gold Coast towers, some from the beach and some from a high viewing platform. Compare the two sets: the towers are the same, but the perspective is completely different.

Step 4: Match the lighting

Next, make sure every piece is lit from the same direction as your sketch.

1. Check the shadows. Look at where the shadows fall in each piece. If a piece is lit from the wrong side, flip it horizontally. Check that it still makes sense, because text and some objects can't be flipped.
2. Match the color of the light. Morning and evening light is warm. Shadows under a clear sky are cool and blue. Use Color Balance or Curves on each piece so the highlights and shadows share the same color.
3. Match contrast. Hard sun gives strong contrast. Overcast light gives soft contrast. A hard-lit piece in a soft-lit scene will look pasted in.

If the light can't be fixed, don't use the piece. Finding a better photo is faster than painting light that was never there.

Step 5: Group your values

Values are how light or dark each area is. A strong image usually has three or four clear value groups: foreground, middle ground and background, plus the sky.

Air adds haze with distance, so distant objects are lighter and have less contrast. Put each depth layer in its own group and adjust it with Levels or Curves. Lighten and flatten the background. Keep the darkest darks and the brightest lights near your focal point.

Check your values often. Add a black-and-white adjustment layer at the top of the stack and switch it on and off. If the image doesn't read in grey, color will not save it.

Step 6: Mask instead of erasing

Use layer masks, not the eraser. A mask hides pixels without deleting them, so you can bring back an edge later.

• Use a selection tool to make a first cut, then refine the mask by hand.
• Use hard edges where objects are close and in focus.
• Use soft edges where things are far away, out of focus or in haze.
• Look at the edges at 100% zoom. Light halos around a cut-out are the most common sign of a photobash.

Step 7: Blend the pieces together

Now make the pieces feel like one photograph.

• Shared atmosphere. Paint a soft haze layer over the background and set it to Normal or Screen at low opacity.
• Contact shadows. Paint a dark, soft shadow wherever an object touches the ground. Without it, objects float.
• Bounce light. Add a little color from the ground or nearby walls on the shadow side of objects.
• Texture overlays. Use textures to tie surfaces together. The free Rust Sand pack (66 photos of orange sand and grey rock) works well as an overlay for ground planes.
• Matching grain and blur. If one piece is sharper or noisier than the rest, blur it slightly or add noise until all pieces match.

Step 8: Paint over

The paint-over turns a collage into your own image. Use a large brush first and paint over the joins between pieces. Simplify detail that competes with the focal point. Repaint edges, add light effects and remove anything that identifies a real place you don't want to show, such as signs.

Flip the canvas horizontally from time to time. A fresh view shows mistakes in perspective and balance that you stop seeing after an hour.

Step 9: Keep one lens and one light source

This rule runs through every step. One light source means every shadow points the same way and every highlight has the same color. One lens means the perspective and depth of field stay the same across the image. When you break either rule, do it on purpose, for example with a second, colored light from a window.

Where to find photos that work together

Complete photo packs make this easier because the photos already agree. Ho Chi Minh Cityscape has 174 photos of Saigon from one photographer. That is enough to build a whole skyline with matching light. You can browse more in our photobash packs and cityscape collections. For time-of-day studies, see lighting reference photos.

To practise for free, start with Limestone Arch, Rust Sand and Alpine Waterfalls (46 photos of glacier-fed waterfalls). All three are in our free reference photo packs.

Frequently asked questions

Is photobashing cheating?

No. It is a standard method in concept art and matte painting, where speed matters. Using photos doesn't replace drawing skill: you still need perspective, light and design to make the pieces work. Most professionals paint over their photobashes until little of the original photos is visible.

What resolution should my photos be?

Higher than your final image, so you can crop and scale without losing detail. Many Fotoref packs are 6000 × 4000 pixels. Each product page lists the exact resolution.

Can I use photos from image search?

You may not have the right to use them, and they are often compressed previews. Some may also be generated images with details that don't exist. Use photos you shot yourself or photos with a clear license.

Can I sell artwork I make by photobashing Fotoref photos?

Yes. Every license is royalty-free and covers unlimited projects. Photos in Editorial packs or folders can be used inside concept art and paintings. They can't be reproduced directly in advertising or on products for sale.