Turn your portraits into the fantasy images you imagine (step by step, even as a beginner).

You can picture the fantasy portrait. How do you get it there?

You have an idea for your portrait, but you're not sure how to make it happen in Photoshop.

Maybe an effect looks like it's sitting on top of the photo instead of belonging in it. Maybe you've adjusted the colors and the image still feels flat. The pieces are there, but it looks like something you just photoshopped and slapped together, not the scene you imagined.

It's hard to know what to change next, or which change will bring it all together.

In The Otherworldly Edit, I show you how I approach magical realism: blending the extraordinary with the real, so all of your elements speak the same language.

We'll draw on a principle from painting, chiaroscuro: contrasting light and shadow to create depth. I'll explain how I work with light, shadow, color and added elements in Photoshop, so you understand what makes an edit feel cohesive and can bring those ideas to your own photos.

The portrait you'll learn to edit

Who this fantasy Photoshop course is for

If you're drawn to fantasy photography and want more of your imagination in your edits, this course is for you. You might photograph portraits, make costumes or cosplay, paint, or create digital art. The only starting point is wanting to turn a photograph into something more.

You don't need professional Photoshop skills. I explain the basics as we go, and you can pause, replay and follow each lesson at your own pace.

Whether you're a beginner or returning to creating, we'll go step by step.

Come with me and find your enchantment again.

Meet Ro, your instructor

Hi, I'm Ro, artist and creative director behind Alquatica.

For years I've photographed fashion, lifestyle and products for brands, each with my own folklore and fantasy twist. With Alquatica, I built a world of my own through dark fantasy self-portraits, working on both sides of the camera from the shoot to the final edit.

I've also taught Photoshop in the classroom, in design and new media. In The Otherworldly Edit, I explain the tools I use and the reasons behind each choice, so you can bring the same thinking to your own photos.

Prepare your portrait

Set up a working file you can trust, and clean up distractions so the eye goes where you want it.

Refine skin and shape

Even out tone while keeping real skin texture, then make gentle changes to shape and line, like lengthening elf ears.

Illustrate light and shadow

Paint light and shadow by hand to give your character depth, drawing on chiaroscuro.

Bring in new elements

Add elements, like my glowing circle and smoke, so they look as if they were always part of the photograph.

Unite and finish

Bring everything into one color story, then export an image that holds up wherever you share it.

From a photograph to a finished fantasy portrait

By the end, you'll have followed one portrait all the way through: my Night Elf, from the original photo to the finished image, with light, shadow and added elements working together as one scene.

My image is our worked example. What you take with you is a way of editing fantasy portraits that carries into your own photos, whether your next idea is dark and dramatic or bright and ethereal.

9 video lessons

About 1 hour 20 minutes of guided editing, from the original photo to the finished portrait.

Instant access, for the life of the course

Start as soon as you join, and come back for as long as Alquatica offers the course.

Bonus: The Workbook · Value $37

The whole edit written out step by step, plus quick-reference recipes for the key techniques, so you can find a step without scrubbing through a video.

Bonus: Photoshop Shortcuts · Value $15

A cheat sheet for Mac and Windows to keep beside your keyboard, with every shortcut used in the course marked.

Photo editing software

You need photo editing software. I made this course in Photoshop 2026, and the latest version is best. You can still learn from it in other photo editing software: the thinking behind each adjustment is what matters, even when the tools or steps look different. However, to follow my exact tools and steps, you'll want Photoshop.

A portrait to practice on

Bring your own photo, or add the optional Practice Assets Pack ($17) at checkout to follow along on my Night Elf, with my working files and the elements I use.

A mouse, or a drawing tablet (optional)

A mouse and keyboard work fine. If you come from illustration, or you love the feel of pen and paper, a drawing tablet makes the move into editing feel more natural and gives you finer control when you paint light and shadow. I go back and forth between both.

Skill level: beginner-friendly.