You have a PNG cut-out and a landscape photo, and you want to drop the PNG on top of the photo. In Photoshop this is straightforward — here’s the short version.
Note: The original tutorial video for this post is no longer available because the source YouTube channel was taken down. A written walkthrough follows.
1) Where to Find a Transparent PNG
The object or person you want on top must have a transparent background, otherwise you’ll be left with a white square behind it.
- On Google Images, add
png transparentto your query: “car png transparent”, “bird png transparent”. - For cleaner results, switch on Tools > Color > Transparent.
- To make your own PNG from a photo, see How to Clean a Background in Photoshop.
2) Combining the Two Images
- Open the landscape in Photoshop: File > Open.
- Open the PNG too. Select all with Ctrl/Cmd+A, then Ctrl/Cmd+C.
- Switch to the landscape and hit Ctrl/Cmd+V. The PNG lands as a new Layer on top.
- Alternative: drag-and-drop the PNG layer directly.
3) Resize and Position
- Ctrl/Cmd+T for Free Transform: scale from the corner with Shift for uniform resize.
- Use the Move (V) tool to place it.
- If the cut-out has white edge halos, add a Layer Mask and brush them out in black.
4) Make It Look Natural
- Blending Mode: try Multiply, Soft Light or Overlay on the PNG layer.
- Color Match: Image > Adjustments > Match Color, or pop in a Curves adjustment layer.
- Shadow: paint a soft shadow underneath the PNG to anchor it on the scene.
5) Save
For editing later, save as PSD. For web/social, save as JPG, or keep transparency as PNG (File > Export > Export As...).
