Weekly Photo Challenge: Special Effects

I used this photo for my special effects because it shows many levels of layers and the overall process is more complex than most typical Photoshop pictures. I started with 2 layers, the first being a picture of a desert road inside Death Valley California and the second was a sky with defined cloud shadows.
I removed the original bland sky from the picture of the road and created a new layer underneath the road picture. After color correcting both photos I started applying filters. I used a combination of swirl and textures to get the correct sizing and perspective.

The angle and perspective is what my primary focus was on. I wanted to create the view as if the road went on forever with this menacing digital block sky up above in the distance. The blocks took quite awhile to place into the correct places and adjusting them into the perfect place was very tedious.

After all was said and done I was happy with the illusion the perspective of the road gives. The widest part starts at the bottom of the frame and the smallest runs right down the center. Assignments like this are fun to show off some special effects.