Displace filter allows you to wrap one image around another one.

You will need to create a Displacement map – a grayscale version of an image saved as a Photoshop file.

The Displace filter then uses the displacement map essentially as an applied texture.

The black areas are the low points and the light areas are the high points of the contours of the original image.

create displacement map

Pick your character.

Select a face using Object Selection tool

Just drag a rectangle around the face – it will do the rest.

Use Quick Mask mode to adjust the selection.

Exit Quick Mask mode.

Do not forget to save the selection – you will need it again later.

Select > Save Selection

Apply Layer mask to hide the rest of the image.

Crop the image to fit just the head.

Save it now as a new separate file.

Apply Layer mask to the layer.

Convert the file into Grayscale color mode to remove all color information.

Image > Mode > Grayscale

Increase contrast if needed – use Levels.

This image is going to serve as a map for the Displace filter – it needs to know if to bend the pixels up (light values) or down (dark values).

To make the bending smoother – we need smoother transitions between values.

Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur

Experiment with blur settings.

Crop the image again to minimize the background.

Save it.

Close.

applying displace filter

Now open your texture file.

Make a rectangular selection in the center approximately the dimensions of the saved FACE file.

Edit > Copy > Paste.

When you paste a selection, it automatically creates a new layer and deselects it at the same time.

We need reselect this selection: its boundaries will define the area that we want to apply the displace filter to.

The easiest way is to select the empty background, then invert the selection.

Use Magic Wand tool and click on the empty area outside of the rectangle to select it.

Select > Inverse

Now it’s time to apply the displace filter to the selected area.

Filter > Distort > Displace

Experiment with scale settings. The default setting is 10×10, but you might need to increase that number for more dramatic bending.

I used 25×25 for this particular image.

OK

The filter will ask you what image to use as the displacement map.

It recognizes only .psd files.

Now is the time to find the blurred file that you saved previously.

This is what it looks now.

If you don’t like the result – undo it and re-apply the filter with different settings.

As you see – you can kind of recognize where the head is. But we need to remove the stretched background around the head.

Deselect the rectangular selection.

Open your original file. Load the selection. Drag the head over your texture file.

Resize it to match the "wooden face".

Do not distort it if both faces do not match perfectly – adjust the wooden face layer.

On the top layer (photo): use Magic Wand and click on the empty background to select everything outside the head.

On the "wooden face" layer: Delete or Edit > Clear

This will remove the stretched background around the head.

Experiment with top layer blending modes.

If there is not enough details…..

… duplicate the layer and experiment with more blending modes and opacity settings.

When you are satisfied, we can add shadows and highlights.

There are many ways to do so:

• use Burn and Dodge tools on a "wooden face" layer copy
• use multiple copies of the "wooden face" layer with different levels settings of midtones
• use Brush tool and paint shadows and highlights on a separate layer
• there is more…

Pick one method.

This particular image is simple enough – so we can just paint.

Select the head again.

Create a new layer above the "wooden face" layer.

Use a soft brush tool, paint with a dark color to add shadows (not Black, but any dark color that will work with the wood colors).

Add highlights.

Experiment more.

Optimize it as .jpg and submit.