I love Photoshop. Seriously. It's one of my favorite design tools, and I can't imagine working without it. For photo purists and journalists, there are many reasons to limit its use to the simplest color corrections. But in the commercial world, it's a phenomenal tool for illustrations and composites—and everything in between. I really enjoy making photo compilations from existing photography. And yes, for commercial editorial purposes I absolutely credit and pay the original photographers or stock agencies... and make sure the image is captioned accordingly.
Here are a few of my latest composites. I try to show the originals, and a couple of steps along the way. Hope you like 'em.
Mitchell B-25 Bomber
masked selection of Mitchell B-25
carrier and waves
masked carrier and wave selections
dramatic Shutterstock image for sky and waves
The final image used on Melissa Farris' Aviators cover