TURTLE
KINGDOM

1. Download the eight original photographs. Create a folder named Turtle_Kingdom_Lastname with subfolders Originals, Working, Exports and Evidence. Keep the supplied filenames inside Originals.
2. Use the source-built reference as the construction target. The earlier AI image is mood inspiration only; it contains invented castle detail and waves that are not present in the photographs.
3. Write one sentence about the story. Example: “A living island carries a fragile kingdom between dry land and the sea.” Identify the turtle, tallest tower and foreground as three depth zones.
4. Choose the full build or teacher-approved supported route. Prepared cut-outs save selection time but do not demonstrate your own masking skill. Record every support you use.

Think: Which part should a viewer notice first, and what will make it stand out?

1. Choose File > New. Enter Width 1600 px, Height 1200 px, Resolution 72 pixels/inch, RGB Color, 8 bit and sRGB IEC61966-2.1. Use a white background and turn Artboards off.
2. Choose File > Save As. Save on your computer as Working/Turtle_Kingdom_Lastname_v01.psd. Keep this layered PSD throughout the project.
3. Open Window > Layers and Window > Properties. Turn on View > Rulers. Right-click a ruler and choose Pixels; reset the ruler origin to the upper-left by double-clicking the rulers’ intersection.
4. Add horizontal guides at roughly y=470 (horizon), y=580 (shell top) and y=1000 (front contact). Drag from the top ruler while watching the position, or use View > Guides > New Guide.

1. Choose File > Place Embedded. Select Sea__by_ephedrina_stock.jpg, then press Enter/Return to finish the initial placement. Rename the layer 01_Ocean.
2. Press Ctrl+T (Windows) or Cmd+T (Mac). Enable the reference point in the options bar and select its top-left square. Keep width and height linked.
3. Enter W = 1600 px, X = 0 px and Y = 150 px. When a size field initially shows a percentage, include the px suffix. Commit with Enter/Return. Alternatively use Properties > Transform and the same dimensions.
4. The lower part of the photo extends outside the canvas; leave it there. Its real horizon should now sit close to y=470. Do not stretch the wave vertically to fill the top gap.

1. With 01_Ocean selected, choose Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All. Click the white mask thumbnail, not the photograph thumbnail.
2. Choose the Rectangular Marquee tool (M). Set Feather to 0. Select the entire area above y=470. Choose Edit > Fill > Black, then Select > Deselect.
3. With the mask still selected, open Window > Properties and start with Feather = 2 px. At 100% zoom, use a small soft Brush (B), black, Opacity 100%, to remove any remaining blue strip above the horizon.
4. Use white to restore any water you accidentally hide. Do not make a wide, soft band across the sea: keep the transition within about 5–12 pixels of its horizon.

1. Open the cloud photo. Immediately Save As Working/Sky_Crop.psd. Select the Rectangular Marquee tool; choose Style: Fixed Size, Width 2048 px and Height 1200 px. Click the original upper-left corner.
2. Choose Image > Crop. This keeps the top 1200 pixels and excludes the distant buildings below. Save the working PSD; leave the original JPG untouched.
3. Return to the master. Select Background and choose File > Place Embedded > Sky_Crop.psd. Rename the layer 00_Sky and place it below 01_Ocean.
4. Free Transform the sky to W = 1600 px with linked proportions. Use the top-left reference: X = 0, Y = -435 px. Commit. The lower cloud crop extends slightly behind the ocean mask.
5. Inspect the horizon at 100%. Adjust the ocean mask, not both photographs, to remove a bright seam. Keep one continuous horizon.

1. Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves. Name it Ocean_Tone and click OK. Choose Layer > Create Clipping Mask so it affects only 01_Ocean.
2. In Properties, leave the channel on RGB. Click near the centre of the curve, then type Input 128, Output 112. This is a starting value; keep foam detail visible.
3. Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment above it, clip it to the same ocean base, and start at Master Saturation -35. Add a clipped Color Balance adjustment: Midtones +10 Red, 0 Green, -10 Blue; Preserve Luminosity on.
4. Toggle the three adjustments off and on. The ocean should be less blue and slightly darker, not orange. Select the ocean and its clipped adjustments and group them as WORLD_OCEAN.

1. Open the turtle original and Save As Working/Turtle_Cutout.psd. Press Ctrl/Cmd+J to duplicate Background and hide the original Background layer.
2. Convert the visible duplicate with Layer > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object. Rename it Turtle_Source.
3. Choose Object Selection from the W tool group and draw around the whole turtle. Include the broad front flipper, the head and the two visible rear flippers.
4. For missed parts, use the Quick Selection tool in Add mode. Use Subtract mode for unwanted sand. A manual alternative is Polygonal Lasso: click short segments around the silhouette, Shift to add and Alt/Option to subtract.

1. Choose Select > Select and Mask. View the selection On Black, then On White. These contrasting views reveal different fringes.
2. Start with Radius 1 px, Smooth 1, Feather 0.4 px, Contrast 10% and Shift Edge -5%. Leave Decontaminate Colors off. Inspect before accepting; these are not mandatory values.
3. Use the ordinary Brush tool inside Select and Mask for small additions/subtractions. Do not sweep Refine Edge Brush over the hard shell or eye; these are not hair edges.
4. Set Output To: Layer Mask and click OK. Toggle the original background off if needed. Fix remaining sand on the mask with a small brush; paint white to restore a missing flipper tip.

1. With only the cut-out visible, choose Image > Trim > Transparent Pixels; trim Top, Bottom, Left and Right. Save Turtle_Cutout.psd. Do not flatten it.
2. In the master, select WORLD_OCEAN. File > Place Embedded > Turtle_Cutout.psd. Rename the placed layer 03_Turtle.
3. Free Transform with linked proportions to W = 1380 px. Using the top-left reference point, enter X = 75 px and Y = 580 px. Commit.
4. Your hand-made mask can trim a few pixels differently. Aim for a shell top near y=580 and the front flipper near y=1075. Keep the head inside the right edge.
5. Supported route: place prepared_supports/Turtle_Cutout.png with the same width and position. Record this support; do not claim the prepared mask as your own selection.

1. Ctrl-click/Cmd-click the 03_Turtle image thumbnail to load its visible pixels. Create a new empty pixel layer below it and name it 02_Turtle_Contact.
2. Set the foreground colour to #30271A. Choose Edit > Fill > Foreground Color, then Select > Deselect. Move this shadow 8 px right and 10 px down with the Move tool.
3. Choose Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, Radius 10–12 px. Set the layer blend mode to Multiply and start at 40% opacity.
4. Add a white layer mask. Paint black over any shadow visible above the shell or around the top of the head. Keep the darkest contact near the underside and flipper bases, not as an all-around outline.

1. Add Curves, choose Layer > Create Clipping Mask, and name it Turtle_Tone. Start at Input 128, Output 116.
2. Add a clipped Hue/Saturation adjustment with Master Saturation -15. Add clipped Color Balance: Midtones +8 Red, 0 Green, -8 Blue. Keep Preserve Luminosity on.
3. At Fit on Screen, compare the brightest shell and flipper highlights with the nearby water. Reduce the adjustments if the head loses detail.
4. Create a temporary Black & White adjustment at the very top of the document for a brightness comparison. Inspect, then delete this temporary diagnostic layer. Save v02.

1. Open the original and Save As Working/Sand_Texture_Patch.psd. Use Rectangular Marquee, Style Fixed Size, Width 648 px and Height 490 px.
2. Place the selection at approximately x=1400, y=1000. This samples the lower-right slope, not the tower, water or dark tunnel. Use the marked source map to check the location.
3. Choose Image > Crop and save the working PSD. Return to the master and File > Place Embedded the patch above the turtle corrections.
4. Rename the new layer 04_Sand_Platform. Supported route: use Sand_Texture_Patch.jpg from prepared_supports; it is the same cropped source region, not a newly generated texture.

1. Free Transform the patch. Temporarily unlink width and height and enter W = 870 px, H = 355 px; place its top-left at X = 335, Y = 575. Commit.
2. Choose Edit > Transform > Warp. Use a 3 × 3 grid where available. Gently raise the two lower corners about 30–40 px while keeping the centre lower: the base should follow a shallow curved shell.
3. Move the top-middle control only a little, keeping the texture inside the shell. Commit with Enter/Return. Texture can be reshaped; towers and the turtle must not be stretched this way.
4. Lower the layer opacity briefly to 50% to see the shell beneath. Check the fit, then restore 100% before masking in the next step.

1. Choose Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All. The texture disappears; that is expected. Click its black mask thumbnail.
2. Choose a soft round Brush (B), white, Size about 180 px, Hardness 0%, Opacity 100%, Flow 25%. Paint several passes over the upper shell to reveal the central platform.
3. Use a smaller 50–80 px brush near its boundary. Follow the dome from about (360,780) through (750,585) to (1170,820), then curve back across the lower shell.
4. Keep the head, neck, flippers and original lower shell rim uncovered. Use black at 20–30% opacity to fade the sandy edge; keep central sand mostly opaque.
5. Alt/Option-click the mask to inspect it, then Alt/Option-click again to return to the scene.

1. Add a clipped Curves adjustment named Sand_Tone. Start with Input 128, Output 138 to lift the midtone. Add a clipped Hue/Saturation adjustment with Saturation -10 if the sand is too yellow.
2. Add another clipped Curves adjustment named Sand_Shade. Set Input 128, Output 105. Select its white mask and press Ctrl/Cmd+I to turn it black.
3. With a soft white brush, Opacity 15%, Flow 20%, paint on the Sand_Shade mask along the lower-right quarter of the platform. Build the shading slowly.
4. Leave the upper-left side lighter. Toggle Sand_Shade to check that the platform gains a rounded form without becoming a flat grey patch.

1. Open sand_castle.jpg. Save As Working/Castle_Main_Cutout.psd. Duplicate Background, hide the original and convert the duplicate to a Smart Object.
2. Zoom to 200–300%. This enlarges your view, not the photo’s real detail. Use Polygonal Lasso to enclose the tall central castle and the curving sand path below it.
3. Leave out the large sand figure on the left, the distant skyline and the far-right background. The selection may still include small blue gaps between turrets.
4. Click Add Layer Mask. Keep the castle visible and the outer background hidden. Do not trim yet; the source coordinates still need to match the selection reference.

1. Choose Select > Color Range. Set Select to Sampled Colors, Fuzziness around 40, and leave Localized Color Clusters off. Sample a blue patch between turrets.
2. Use the plus eyedropper or hold Shift while clicking other blue shades. In the preview, white should indicate blue sky to be removed. Stop if warm stone begins to turn white.
3. Click OK. Now click the EXISTING mask thumbnail. Choose Edit > Fill > Black to hide the selected blue pixels; Select > Deselect.
4. Inspect the small gaps and arch openings. Keep genuinely dark doors and cast shadows; remove only blue/background holes. Paint small repairs on the mask.

1. Open Select > Select and Mask with the layer mask active. Start with Smooth 0, Feather 0.2 px, Contrast 10% and Shift Edge -3%. Keep Decontaminate Colors off; Output To: Layer Mask.
2. Inspect the spire tips against both dark and light backgrounds. Use a 2–5 px mask brush for repairs, not a large Refine Edge sweep.
3. With the original Background hidden, choose Image > Trim > Transparent Pixels and trim all four sides. Save the layered PSD.
4. Supported route: Castle_Main_Cutout.png is supplied with a prepared mask. In either route, keep a copy before blending the lower path so you can recover it later.

1. File > Place Embedded > Castle_Main_Cutout.psd. Rename it 05_Castle_Main. In Free Transform, keep proportions linked and set W = 390 px.
2. Use the top-left reference point: X = 635, Y = 172. Commit. The exact height depends on your trim; the prepared example is approximately 614 px tall.
3. The castle’s path should extend into the sandy platform, not stop at the shell’s highest point. The top spire should have clear sky around it.
4. Do not warp the entire castle to bend the path. Keep towers vertical and blend the bottom with a second, outer mask. Save v03 before doing that.

1. Add a white mask to the placed 05_Castle_Main layer. Use a soft black Brush, Size 70 px, Hardness 0%, Opacity 20%, Flow 20%.
2. Fade the bottom of the path into the platform in several short passes. Work across the lower 70–100 px of the visible castle footprint; vary the edge rather than making a straight line.
3. Use a smaller brush to soften the lower left/right corners where the source rectangle becomes visible. Keep standing walls and stairs above the join opaque.
4. Toggle the castle off and on. The platform must continue underneath it. Refine the platform mask when its colour or edge changes abruptly at the castle foot.

1. Open the gate photo and Save As Working/Castle_Gate_Cutout.psd. Duplicate and hide Background; convert the duplicate to a Smart Object.
2. Use Polygonal Lasso to enclose the two towers and the sand at their feet. Add a mask. Exclude the distant hillside and buildings, especially left and right of the gate.
3. Use Select > Color Range to select blue, then fill that selection black on the existing mask as in step 17. The blue area INSIDE the tall arch must also disappear.
4. Use a small mask brush to remove any distant landscape still visible inside the arch. Leave the genuinely dark doorway below. Trim transparent pixels and save.
5. Supported route: Castle_Gate_Cutout.png. The same prepared gate will be used twice at different sizes; this is not a separate third castle photo.

1. Place the gate PSD as an embedded Smart Object. Name it 06_Gate_Left. Set W = 305 px, X = 405, Y = 382 with linked proportions and a top-left reference.
2. Duplicate it with Ctrl/Cmd+J. Name the duplicate 07_Gate_Right. Set W = 190 px, X = 1000, Y = 519. Keep both gates above the main castle in layer order.
3. Add an outer white mask to each gate and blend its lower sand into the platform, as in step 20. Do not fade the walls or leave rectangular corners.
4. Keep the smaller gate darker by a small amount when you match tone. Avoid horizontally flipping the gate only to make it different: that also reverses the photographed light direction.

1. Create a pixel layer named 08_Castle_Contact. Set its blend mode to Multiply. Choose foreground #443118 and a soft round Brush about 45 px.
2. At Brush Opacity 15% and Flow 20%, paint short contact marks immediately beneath the gate bases and the main path where they touch sand.
3. Make the contact darkest at the base and let it soften toward the lower right. Add a white layer mask to hide spill outside the platform.
4. Toggle this layer. You should feel the buildings settle onto the shell without noticing black ovals. Lower the layer opacity before increasing the blur.

1. Above 05_Castle_Main, add clipped Curves with Input 128, Output 122. Add clipped Hue/Saturation with Master Saturation -18. Start with subtle warming in clipped Color Balance: Midtones +6 Red, 0 Green, -6 Blue.
2. Repeat with separate clipped adjustments for the left gate. For the smaller right gate, begin slightly darker: Curves Input 128, Output 116.
3. Compare the sand at all three bases to the platform. Adjust these values until the differences look like lighting, not three unrelated photographs.
4. Select the three castles, their clipped adjustments and 08_Castle_Contact, then group as KINGDOM. Keep the platform in its own group/layer below. Save v04.

1. Open dry003.jpg and Save As Working/Ground_Patch.psd. The original contains a creator credit band; keep the original intact and record the credit in your source log.
2. Use Rectangular Marquee, Fixed Size 1600 × 1197 px, beginning at x=0, y=105. Choose Image > Crop and save the working texture crop.
3. In the master, select WORLD_OCEAN. Place Ground_Patch.psd above it but BELOW the turtle shadow. Rename it 09_Cracked_Ground.
4. Free Transform to W = 1600 px, H = 570 px with proportions temporarily unlinked; X = 0, Y = 630. This deliberate vertical compression turns a texture into a shallow foreground plane.
5. Add clipped Curves at Input 128, Output 114 and clipped Hue/Saturation near -25. Begin warming with Color Balance +12 Red, 0 Green, -10 Blue.

1. Add a hide-all mask to 09_Cracked_Ground. Use a white soft brush about 250 px, Opacity 100%, Flow 25%, to reveal the texture along the bottom of the frame.
2. Build upward toward y=970–1020, varying the boundary. Let a few crack shapes reach closer to the turtle and leave other places as wet sand.
3. Switch to a smaller black brush to hide a repeated or straight edge. The texture must remain below the turtle; do not paint a crack over the eye or flippers.
4. Inspect at 50%. Keep a transition zone of wet sand/foam between sea and dry plates rather than an abrupt dry-to-wet stripe.

1. Open the ocean source again and Save As Working/Foam_Patch.psd. Use Rectangular Marquee with Fixed Size 1600 × 400 px, starting at x=0, y=590.
2. Choose Image > Crop and save. This is the lower breaking-wave and foam region, not the sky. In the master, Place Embedded above the KINGDOM group and all subject layers.
3. Rename it 10_Foam_Overlap. Set its dimensions to W = 1600, H = 330 px, top-left X = 0, Y = 820. Commit; the rectangular patch will cover much of the scene temporarily.
4. Leave the blend mode Normal. Do not set Screen as a shortcut: it can brighten all of the dark water as well as the foam.

1. Double-click the empty space to the right of the layer name to open Layer Style. Choose Blending Options. Under Blend If, leave Gray selected.
2. Use the TOP ramp labelled This Layer. Move its black slider toward 110, then hold Alt/Option and drag the right half of that black slider toward 207.
3. The split should read approximately 110 / 207 at the dark end. Leave the white end at 255 and leave the Underlying Layer sliders unchanged. Click OK.
4. Dark water is hidden, midtones become partly transparent and pale foam remains. Add a clipped Hue/Saturation adjustment near -80 if the isolated foam looks blue.

1. Choose Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All. With its black mask active, use a soft white brush, Size 100–160 px, Opacity 25%, Flow 20%.
2. Reveal small areas near the rear-left contact, along the lowest front-flipper edge and at the wet sand to the right. Use the close-up as a location guide.
3. Keep the eye, head top, shell centre and castles entirely free of foam. Avoid one uninterrupted white band across the turtle.
4. Use black to remove repeating patterns or high foam that looks like it climbs a vertical wall. Optional support: place Foam_Overlap_Canvas.png at W1600, X0, Y0; it already includes the crop and mask, so do not apply the crop transform again.

1. Create a layer named 11_Horizon_Haze. Choose foreground #F1D8B1 and a soft round brush, Size 350–500 px, Opacity 10%, Flow 10%.
2. Paint one broad pass just above and below the distant horizon, approximately y=450–520. Do not paint across the entire image.
3. Lower layer opacity to 15–30% if the haze becomes obvious. Add a mask to remove it from places where a detailed crest should remain crisp.
4. Toggle it at Fit on Screen. Keep it only if it gently separates the castle/turtle from distant water. It is acceptable for this layer to be barely visible.

1. Add Curves named 12_Dodge. Set RGB Input 128, Output 151. Set this adjustment layer’s blend mode to Luminosity. Invert its white mask to black.
2. Add Curves named 13_Burn. Set Input 128, Output 105, blend mode Luminosity, and invert its mask to black.
3. On the Dodge mask, paint white using a soft brush, Opacity 10%, Flow 10%, over small upper-left-facing edges: selected tower edges, shell ridge and flipper highlights.
4. On the Burn mask, paint white along the lower-right side of the sand platform and a few contact areas. Keep the eye and the brightest foam detail visible.
5. Compare on/off. The goal is a consistent soft upper-left key light already suggested by the photographs—not a new hard sun that contradicts their shadows.

1. Add an UNCLIPPED Curves adjustment called 14_Global_Contrast. Start with points Input/Output 64/59, 128/128 and 192/198. Keep endpoints at 0/0 and 255/255.
2. Add an unclipped Color Balance adjustment called 15_Global_Warmth. Start with Midtones +4 Red, 0 Green, -5 Blue and Preserve Luminosity on.
3. Compare with the grade hidden. Keep only enough warmth to bring the materials together; the ocean does not need to become the same brown as the castle.
4. Inspect the brightest foam and the darkest eye. Reduce grade opacity if either loses texture. Save v05 with the previous checkpoint still available.

1. Set RGB Curves to Input 128, Output 110. Change the layer blend mode to Luminosity, then invert its white mask to black.
2. Choose a large soft white brush, approximately 700–900 px, Opacity 15%, Flow 15%. Paint lightly on the mask at the four corners.
3. Keep the centre, eye, tallest spire and front flipper mostly untouched. Lower the adjustment layer opacity until the effect is subtle.
4. Toggle the vignette at thumbnail size. Remove it when it closes the scene too much; a vignette is optional finishing, not evidence of technical competence by itself.

1. Inspect join 1: castle to platform. Remove rectangular sand edges, blue arch holes and semi-transparent walls. Edit the relevant castle mask.
2. Inspect join 2: platform to shell. Reveal the original shell rim; keep sand off the neck and face. Edit the platform mask, not the turtle.
3. Inspect join 3: turtle to ground. Fix pale fringes and misplaced shadows. Inspect join 4: foam to flipper. Remove a continuous white belt or obvious duplicate foam.
4. At Fit on Screen, check hierarchy: tallest castle first, turtle identity second, foreground third. Temporarily hide optional atmosphere/grade layers to see whether the joins still work.
5. Capture a before/after crop of one repair. Save it in Evidence with a brief explanation of the layer or mask you changed.

1. Rename groups and layers so another person can identify SKY, WORLD_OCEAN, GROUND, TURTLE, SAND, KINGDOM, FOAM and FINISH. Save as Working/Turtle_Kingdom_Lastname_FINAL.psd.
2. Keep Smart Objects and masks. Do not flatten the only PSD. Hide any diagnostic background, temporary monochrome layer or layout guide artwork.
3. Choose File > Export > Export As. Select JPG, 1600 × 1200 px, a high quality setting, Convert to sRGB and Embed Color Profile where offered. Export to Exports/Turtle_Kingdom_Lastname.jpg.
4. Fallback: use File > Save a Copy > JPEG after checking the document is sRGB. Reopen the exported image in a separate viewer to check dimensions, colour and visible edges.
5. Include a source-credit text file with the image. This package does not verify permission to publish every original stock asset publicly.

1. Submit the JPEG, layered PSD and three evidence crops: a mask/edge decision, a castle-to-shell join, and a foam or tone correction. Add source credits and disclose prepared assets.
2. For each crop, write three short sentences: What looked wrong? Which layer, mask or setting did you change? What improved in the result?
3. Prepare a 60-second demonstration: select a mask, hide a small area, restore it with white, then explain the difference between that mask and a clipping mask.
4. Complete one short transfer task chosen by your teacher: reposition the small gate and repair its contact shadow, or change the sky and rematch one subject. Keep the change reversible.
5. Export your browser notes at the end of the session. Browser checkboxes record progress, not a grade; the teacher assesses the work and your explanations.