To use this tutorial, you must have a basic knowledge of Photoshop and it's tools. Don't forget this is just an example because you can always play around more, just be creative ;) This is the piece below that I made and now I'll be going through step by step in this tutorial.
1. Let's open up the photos first. I have selected the ones with Sarah and Eliza below. Click on the images for bigger version and save them if you want to use these images.
2. On the next step I'm gonna cut out Sarah and Eliza using the Pen tool in photoshop. Larger the original image because this way you can easily use the pen tool. (open the first image below) When you done select ZOOM TOOL/ACTUAL PIXELS, now you have a normal size image again (open the second image below). Then select PEN TOOL and right click on the image, select MAKE SELECTION. (click on the third image) Use the settings I used and go EDIT - COPY - EDIT - PASTE (click on the fourth image). After all these steps you have a nice Sarah image without the bakcground. (click on the fifth image). Do the same steps with the Eliza image.
3. Next, you have to resize the images, select IMAGE - IMAGE SIZE and set the HEIGHT 370. You don't need the width, just the height important.
4. Now open up a new canvas with white background (1024x768) and copy the resized Sarah and Eliza images into the new canvas (click on the first image below). Place them anywhere you want. Next step.... you have to add a new layer below the Eliza and Sarah layer. Fill with BLACK and set the OPACITY 10% (click on the second thumbnail). After that select the SMG LAYER and your MAGIC WAND TOOL , click anywhere in yor image. (click on the third image). Next go SELECT - INVERSE (click on the fourth thumbnail) now your smg image selected so go to EDIT - STROKE and use the settings I used (if you want ;)) then hit OK. (click on the fifth image). Again go to SELECT - DESELECT and we have a nice border around Sarah. Do these steps with Eliza too.
5. On the next step we are gonna add a gradiant layer. I added a GRADIENT from this SITE and set the OPACITY 50 %. On the next step I used some brushes from these sites x. x., Lia's vector brush (I can't find her url) and put them UNDER the SMG and Eliza LAYER. For the last step I used one of my PATTERN on the top (click on the thumbnail below) and set the OPACITY 20% and I added the text. And this is the final result (click on the second thumbnail).
Hope this tutorial was easy to follow, and feel free to contact me with any problems or questions you have :)