Advanced Creation of Surreal and Dreamlike Images Using AI
A course by Daniel Arranz Molinero , Professional photographer
Joined March 2017
Create surreal dreamlike compositions using AI, Photoshop, Firefly, Nanobanana and advanced upscaling techniques
Joined March 2017
Explore an advanced workflow for creating surreal and dreamlike backgrounds by combining AI image generation, AI video tools, and professional motion graphics.
In this course, you will learn how to design abstract compositions with Freepik’s AI Suite, refine prompts for precise visual control, and organize your creative assets in folders for efficient projects. You will upscale images and videos to higher resolutions, improve sharpness, and prepare them for animation.
You will then move to Photoshop to integrate characters and elements into your AI backgrounds using smart objects, compositing, subject selection, Camera Raw, depth of field, generative fill, lens blur, and harmonize tools to match light, color, and shadows. You will also create custom smoke and fog brushes from AI images to add atmospheric effects.
Finally, you will take your assets into After Effects to develop seamless animated loops and abstract motion backgrounds. You will apply effects like Levels, Curves, Colorama, Gradient Ramp, Motion Tile, Warp, Turbulent Displace, Kaleida, Lumetri Color, and Time Remap to stylize color, distort shapes, and create fluid motion for video art, intros, and visual content. The course is ideal for designers, illustrators, video editors, and motion designers who want to expand their creative toolkit with AI-driven workflows and professional postproduction in Photoshop and After Effects.
What will you learn in this online course?
7 lessons & 2 downloads
- 73 students
- 7 lessons (2h 5m)
- 2 additional resources (1 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Spanish, German, English, French, Indonesian, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software & tools for this course
Adobe PhotoshopWho is this online course for?
Digital artists, photographers, designers, content creators, and AI enthusiasts seeking to blend generative tools with Photoshop for surreal, dreamlike compositions, exploring workflows for upscaling, harmonizing elements, and refining fantastical scenes with professional polish
Requirements and materials
No extensive prior knowledge required, just basic familiarity with computers plus interest in visual creativity. You only need Adobe Photoshop (preferably the latest beta version), stable internet connection, a browser and enough disk space for AI images.
Daniel Arranz Molinero
A course by Daniel Arranz Molinero
Daniel Arranz is an Adobe Photoshop (ACE and ACA) Certified Photo Retouching Specialist and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Expert. He is the coordinator of the post-production area at the photographic specialization school La Maquinaria, where he carries out extensive work as a photo editing and retouching teacher.
As a photographer, he is an expert in professional lighting, although his specialty is travel and street photography, and his works have obtained more than 40 awards in international competitions such as the Sony World Photography Awards (UK), IPA Awards (USA), Prix de la Photographie (France), International Loupe Awards (Australia), International Color Awards (USA), among others. He has also obtained national awards in El País, National Geographic Spain, Iberia, Eurostars Madrid Tower, and more.
His work has been exhibited in numerous national and international galleries, including the Somerset House in London.
Content
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Advanced Creation of Surreal and Dreamlike Images Using AI
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Course Overview: Advanced Surreal and Dreamlike Image Creation with AI
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Designing Surreal Backgrounds and Characters with AI
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Designing the Mood Board in Photoshop
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Integrating Characters and Depth of Field in Your Surreal Scenes
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Integrating Characters and Atmospheric Effects in Your Final Compositions
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Scaling and Upscaling: From PNG to High-Resolution Surreal Worlds
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Bonus Project: Final Surreal Composition and Upscaling Comparison
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Final project
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
What are Domestika's online courses?
Domestika courses are online classes that allow you to learn new skills and create incredible projects. All our courses include the opportunity to share your work with other students and/or teachers, creating an active learning community. We offer different formats:
Original Courses: Complete classes that combine videos, texts, and educational materials to complete a specific project from start to finish.
Basics Courses: Specialized training where you master specific software tools step by step.
Specialization Courses: Learning paths with various expert teachers on the same topic, perfect for becoming a specialist by learning from different approaches.
Guided Courses: Practical experiences ideal for directly acquiring specific skills.
Intensive Courses (Deep Dives): New creative processes based on artificial intelligence tools in an accessible format for in-depth and dynamic understanding.
When do the deep dive courses start and when do they finish?
All deep dive courses are 100% online, so once they're published, deep dive courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
What do Domestika's deep dive courses include?
The deep dive courses are divided into different modules. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with other students, as well as share your work and your final project, creating a community around the deep dive courses.
Have you been given a deep dive courses?
You can redeem the deep dive courses you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
Adobe Photoshop