Photoshop Image Remix

Cosmic Capricorn traveller

I chose a fantasy and space theme for my remix image. The concept I developed revolves around a time traveller represented as a Capricorn archetype, journeying through time and space pursuing ambition, knowledge and wealth. I applied some symbolism throughout this remix image by incorporating characteristics of a Capricorn, including the constellation sign, ruling planet and Capricorn animal symbol associated with Capricorn. The final artwork combines more than ten individual images and being transformed into a cohesive surreal scene representing ambition, knowledge, and personal growth through the cosmic journey of a Capricorn time traveller. These images were altered and transformed using techniques such as masking, blending modes, colour grading, scaling and the transform tools in Adobe Photoshop.

All the images in the remix composition were sourced online from royalty-free and free stock platforms: Pexels, Unsplash, Freepik, and Pixabay.



The original image depicts a snowcapped mountain with purple sky. In the horizon, there is a blood moon and silhouettes of pine trees. In its original form, it reflects a natural landscape taken in the evening. I chose this image as my foundational layer because it contains strong visual elements of the dark skies, blood moon and trees that fits within the fantasy and in space theme. First, I resized the image to 2:3 portrait canvas in Adobe Photoshop and positioned it to fit the canvas format and set this as the background for my remix image. I then made adjustments to the colour balance and overall tone to more a blue, mixed purple so the background is transformed into a surreal and cosmic settings for my make-believe planet. The moon is the focal point for my remix image that was integrated into a fantasy background. For final touches on the background, I used the soft brush tool in the colour #660099 to blend parts of snow-covered hillside allowing it to harmonise with the colour tone of the moon.


Building on the fantasy and space theme, I added multiple new layers on top. I started by adding the image of the planet; Saturn which represents Capricorn ruling planet, and positioned it to the right.  The original beige and brown tones were adjusted with color balance, Cyan and magenta levels to were increased to reflect more bluish and purple tones to match with the overall blue and purple colour scheme of the background.

Next, I added the image of the wormhole. Using the Transform tool, this image was resized and repositioned sideways. Skew and distort adjustments were applied to make the image appears to be swirling and developing motion. This functioned as a cosmic portal for my time traveller in space.



The layer was then converted into a Smart Object that allowed for non-destructive editing and use of Smart Filters. This way, I can apply changes to the layer without altering the original image permanently. The Color Balance was adjusted to shift the original colours which were made up of grey hues towards cooler tones and blue hues. To achieve this, I increased the levels of cyan and magenta within the Color Balance. Further, the glowing effect in the centre of the cosmic portal was created by increasing the brightness and highlights, while keeping the outer edges darker to create contrast. To enhance the motion, subtle blur effects and opacity adjustments were applied. These adjustments visually blended the cosmic portal into the rest of the surreal backdrop of blue and purple tones that was created earlier in the process.


To further develop the scene for time travel in space, I introduced the image of an astronaut in suit. An image of a mountain goat was added and edited using the eraser tool to remove its body while retaining its head The goat’s head was composited onto the astronaut’s head to form a hybrid creature representing the Capricorn archetype. This became my main character, a Capricorn inspired time traveller.

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Additional elements were added as symbols to reinforce the narrative of a Capricorn archetype. The stacked books symbolise knowledge,, the owl sitting on branch and looking at camera represents wisdom, the star held by the main character signifies excellence,and the suitcase of money represents wealth.

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Each of the elements was adjusted with the Transform tool. This includes using rotate and resizing. To create an ethereal effect for the books and suitcase, skew adjustment was applied. I also reduced opacity of the suitcase for it to blend into the surreal environment. Color balance was applied to each of the elements so they will blend seamlessly into the purple, and blue background.


To further enhance the fantasy and Capricorn theme, I added a cosmic ray element was introduced into the scene. I also added the Capricorn constellation in the sky to tie together the Capricorn theme. Blending modes were applied to cosmic ray to integrate with the background.

The Final Results