Sweat the Small Stuff
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Tips & Tutorials, by Anna-lisa Saywell
Cristal Reza on the attention to detail required to create a realistic image in Photoshop
Draw it out

Use your start image to sketch out your ideas and plan out which elements will fit in which space. Photograph or source the images that you’ll need to create the final piece. Seeing sketches on the image will help you visualise the style of the source images.
Source and composite

Make a quick composition and add the main lights and shadows to see how the image reacts to them. Consider how pieces fit together, such as the window. It shouldn’t be sat on top of the pear, but rather it should be cut into it.
Add the Detail
Add in the small elements that you may think will go unnoticed, such as the railway and clouds reflected in the windows. The image may work without them but at the same time they give something more to put your eye on.