Sometimes you want a special effect for impact, or to set a certain mood. A skilled Photoshop artist can transform reality into fantasy. Consider the before and after set on the left.
At the top, we have the original photo. It's a nice shot. It's artistic and tasteful; somewhat revealing without being pornographic. But we don't have to be satisfied with mere reality.
First, we do a bit of digital body painting. Sure, we could do this with body paint and a lot of time, but it's kind of messy. We can get the same effect (if not the same level of enjoyment for the painter) by using Photoshop.
Next we add a suitable background and a slight bluish cast to the model's auburn hair so it doesn't make the ethereal look seem false. A little cropping, and we're done.
Voila! Our photo is now a work of art.
