The PHLearn Pro Compositing tutorial has a number of useful technique and productivity skills woven into each chapter. Below is a list of takeaways to review and to engender discussion.

01 - Building the Background

Work in Values.

Use the Crop Tool to enlage the canvas by eye.

Use of Layer Masks.

Use of Adjustment Layers.

Use of Clipping Masks.

Non-destructive editing.

Gradient Masks.

02 - Cutting Out the Mountains

Choice of Selection Tools.

Define Light Direction early.

Organize your project into Background, Mid-ground, and Foreground.

03 - Using the Rock Brush

Create a Custom Brush.

Brush Settings (F5)

Save to Brush Preset.

04 - Cutting out Tree Detail

Use Color Channels to define refined selections.

05 - Painting Vines

Select and Mask.

Size Jitter.

Stroke Path.

New Layer for each event.

06 - Additional Texture

Clone Tool.

ZOOM OUT.

07 - Balancing Light Levels

Clipping your adjustment layer to a group.

08 - Adding Clouds

Using Opacity and Flow to refine your brush.

09 - Adding Birds

Overlay Blend Mode on a Brush paints around the lightest areas of your layer

10 - Color Tone and Dodge and Burn

Use Hue and Saturation Blend Modes on a Check Layers Solid to understand the opposite property (i.e. Hue reveals Saturation etc).

11 - Blur and Final Touches

Fill a Layer Mask with black and "paint" using white brush to reveal very specific regions only.