Make a Melting Camera Scene

Step 1

Open the camera file by bennorz, double-click on the layer to unlock it and create a new one beneath. Fill the new layer with a red (#ff0000) color. Now you have a red background beneath the camera layer and it makes it easy to see borders of the object when masking. It is not necessary to use red, but it is better to use a color which is not in the object.

Apply a layer mask to the camera layer. Be sure to have it selected when masking.

Step 2

Masking is the non-destructive way of removing parts of the image especially the background. That's because erasing is done on the mask not on the image so you can create a mask and then delete it and the image stays untouched. Other great things of masks are that you can use a variety of tools to create it such as the Pen Tool or brush.

This time we will use the brush technique. Select the Brush Tool and set its Hardness to 93% - a mostly hard brush creates better borders on objects. Now we are ready to start masking.

Step 3

You can start whenever you want in the image, just bear in mind that if you use a "Black color" the brush will start erasing the image and if you use a "White color" or eraser (E) the image will start appearing back.

So mask everything except the camera - just paint around the camera, zoom in and out and resize the brush to get the adequate effect. Pay more attention to corners - the most critical ones are shown in white circles below. Here you should be most precise. It may take you some time practicing before you are used to it.

Step 4

Create a new document that is 1600 px wide and 1200 px high at a resolution of 72 pixels/inch and fill the "Background" layer with a gray (#dfdfdf) color. Put the masked camera image into this document. If you have the document with the camera still open, then you can just drag it with the Move Tool (V). It will create a new layer with the camera in the workspace. There is still the mask which we won't need to edit so right-click on it and choose Rasterize Layer.

Step 5

Now we have the camera ready. So duplicate the layer, then resize it as shown below.

Step 6

Now it's time for the Liquify filter. You can find it in Filter > Liquify filter (Shift+ Command + X). Then just drag parts of the camera image the way the arrows show. Bear in mind that the camera is laying on the plane and the effect should have a little perspective so you have to play with the technique a little bit to get adequate results.

Step 7

Grab the Eraser Tool (E) and set the Hardness to 0%, then select the "camera" layer, not the melted one. Now erase it to almost fit the melted copy. Then select both layers, the not melted and the melted ones, then merge them. You can merge layers by selecting them and press Command + E.

Step 8

Now open the Liquify filter and polish the melting effect on the merged image. Then duplicate the layer and move it to the bottom, just above the background layer. Then go to Edit Menu > Transform > Flip Vertical, and adjust the position of the result.

Step 9

Now we are going to create the ice plane. Just open the tiles photo and put it into the scene. Scale it by going to Edit > Transform > Scale (Command + T). Now drag the corner with the while holding Shift to fit the document width, and then duplicate the layer. These two layer should be arranged at the bottom of the scene just above the "Background" layer. Arrange the duplicated layer to the top-left corner as shown below.

Step 10

Merge the two plane layers. Decide where is the horizon line and delete the remaining part of the image above it. Then grab the 300px Brush Tool with Hardness set to 0 and delete the border of the image to create a blurred effect. Then set the Opacity of the layer to 25%.

Step 11

Now select the layers of the camera and its reflection and merge them. Then create one more duplicate of the result layer. Drag these two copies of the camera to the exact positions and resize them to create the illusion of space.

The layers of the cameras should be behind each other in size and ordered from larger to smaller. Create a new layer just beneath the layer with the largest camera. Then grab the Brush Tool and set the Hardness to 0. Select 100% white and play around with Brush sizes to draw fog around the cameras. The simple rule is to avoid the tendency to cover the whole space with white.

Step 12

To create more illusion of space the cameras should be disappearing a bit, so set the Opacity of the smallest one to 25% and 55% for the middle one.

Step 13

Now we bring some light into the image. Select the largest camera layer. Go to Filter > Render > Lens Flare, and choose the 105mm Prime with 76% Brightness. Then adjust the position of the reflection to the top of the lens.

Step 14

Now we are almost finished. We can also add some scratches to the ice plane. Grab a 1px size Brush and set a white color for it.

If you think the scene needs more realism, then you can add some shadow beneath the largest camera layer. Create a new layer and draw the shadow with a black color. Now adjust the Opacity or set the layer style to Overlay.

Conclusion

Now we have finished the illustration of a melting camera. You can add some typography to it and get to create a really nice camera ad or use it as is.

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Set of Digital Painting Icons

Step 1

We will need two wood textures for this icon so let's download them from StockXchng: first texture and second texture.. Start Photoshop and create a new blank document that is 512 pixels by 512 pixels. Set the foreground color to a pale yellow then type P to select the Pen Tool. Make sure the Shape layers mode is active (1a) and draw the outline of the palette (1b). Name the layer "palette."

Step 2

In the Pen Tool options choose Subtract from path area (2a) and draw an ellipse. It will be subtracted from the main shape, thus creating a hole (2b).

Step 3

The palette's shape is complete. Duplicate the layer then hide it. We will keep working on the copy. We are satisfied with the shape so we can right-click on it and choose Rasterize.

Import the first texture into the document, place it above the palette. Scale it and rotate it so it's slightly bigger than the palette and its grain runs at an angle. Command-click the palette to load its contour as a selection, then mask the texture by clicking on the mask button at the bottom of the Layers palette (3a). The palette is starting to look good (3b).

Step 4

We want the texture to be much lighter than it is so hit Command + M to bring up the Curves window. Click the curve directly in the middle and drag up (4a) to lighten the texture (4b). At this point you might want to adjust the rotation like I did here (4c).

Step 5

We can now merge the two layers, "palette" and "texture," together. Select the "texture" layer, right-click on the mask and choose Apply Mask. Then hit Command + E to merge the layer down. A dialog will appear asking what you want to do with the palette's mask. Choose Apply. Now we have a single layer (5a).

Let's give the palette some thickness by adding a Bevel and Emboss layer style. Make sure you pick a dark brown color for the shadow instead of the default black (5b). The palette now looks much better (5c) but it's not finished yet.

Step 6

Add a Gradient Overlay style (6a) so the top is lighter (6b). Now duplicate the layer, naming the copy "palette shadow." Clear all styles. Move the shadow below the palette and make it a bit smaller (6c). Fill it with dark brown, set it to Multiply mode and reduce the Opacity to 65% (6d). Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and experiment with the values until the shadow looks similar to image 6e.

Step 7

Let's add the paint dollops now. Using the Pen Tool in Shape layer mode draw a few colored blobs around the palette (7a). Select the blue one and add a Bevel and Emboss style (7b). The paint now looks thick and shiny (7c).

Let's add some ambient reflections by adding an Inner Glow style too (7d). Now it looks more realistic (7e). Right-click on the blue paint layer in the Layers palette and choose Copy Layer Style. Now right-click on the other paint layers and choose Paste Layer Style. Change the settings to achieve some variation (7f).

Step 8

The paint dollops need a shadow. Let's create one for the blue dollop then apply the same workflow to the others. Make a copy of the paint layer and rasterize it. Fill it with black (8a). Apply a 2px Gaussian Blur filter (8b). Set the layer to Multiply at 60% Opacity (8c) and move it behind and below the paint dollop. Image 8d shows the result for all paint colors. Note how the shadows are short, blurry and variously transparent. At this resolution some variation is always advisable.

Step 9

Let's go back to the palette now because I am not satisfied with it. It's too polished! Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise and use the settings shown in image 9a to add a fine grain to the texture. Now it's finished (9b). Group all layers together as "PALETTE" and hide them.

Step 10

Let's create the brush now. Draw a long, thin ellipse down the middle of the canvas. Use either the Pen Tool (and rasterize the shape once you're satisfied with it) or the Elliptical Marquee Tool (M). Fill the ellipse with a subtle reddish-brown gradient. Make the left side darker (10a). This is of course the handle of the brush. Since it's rounded we need to add a highlight across its length. Make a copy of the layer and scale it down horizontally (10b). Set it to Screen blending mode (10c).

Step 11

The handle is tapered at each end so we need to make the highlight conform to that shape. Hit Command + T to select Free Transform, then right-click on the highlight directly on the canvas, and choose Warp. In the Option bar at the top of the window choose these settings: Arc, toggle on the axis chooser and set Bend to -5 (11a). The highlight now bends to the right (11b). Duplicate the layer a few times then merge all copies together. This will make the highlight stronger (11c). Apply a 2px Gaussian Blur (11d).

Step 12

It's time to add a wood texture to the brush. Drag the second downloaded texture into the document and scale it to fit the handle (12a). Mask the texture to the handle (12b). Apply the mask and merge the texture down. The result is nice but too dark (12c). With Command + L bring up Levels and drag the right slider to the left until the wood is light enough (12d). Adjust the highlight by making it brighter and less opaque (12e and 12f).

Step 13

Now we need to add the metal grip where the bristles are attached. Draw a black rectangle about 3/4ths down the handle (13a). With the Elliptical Marquee Tool select the top edge and delete a half ellipse (13b). Now make another selection at the bottom edge and fill it with black (13c). The result is shown in image 13d.

Step 14

Adjust the length of the metal grip if you need to. Use a horizontal Gradient Overlay to simulate reflections on metal, use the colors shown in image 14a. Now make a copy of the grip, move it behind the original and nudge it up a few pixels. Command-click the grip and erase the selection from the copy (14b). Now add a Drop Shadow pointing downwards (14c). The result is a small indented ring (14d). Make a few copies and distribute them across the metal grip. When you're done merge all layers together (14e).

Step 15

Let's create the bristles now. Erase the bottom part of the handle, or just mask it out (15a). Draw the outline of the bristles with the Pen Tool in Shape layer mode (15b). Rasterize the shape when you're satisfied with it and name it "bristles."

Step 16

On a new layer select a thin horizontal stripe (16a), hit D to load the default black and white colors then Alt + Backspace to fill the selection with black. Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise and choose the settings shown in image 16b. Activate Preserve Transparency for the layer (16c) and go to Filter > Pixelate > Mosaic and choose a Cell size of 5 (16d). Now the strip is filled with random grayscale pixels (16e).

Step 17

Type Command + U to bring up the Hue/Saturation window. Activate Colorize and move the sliders (17a) until the strip turns brown (17b). Stretch the layer vertically (17c) and squash it horizontally (17d). Copy it horizontally a couple of times until it covers the bristles (17e).

Step 18

Reduce the Opacity temporarily so you can see the outline of the bristles. Activate Free Transform (Command + T) and select Warp from the right-click menu (18a). Manipulate the points until the vertical lines match the shape of the bristles below (18b). When you're done bring the Opacity back to 100%. Alt-click between the two layers to mask the lines with the bristle outline and merge the two layers together (18c). Group the bristles, handle and metal grip together as "BRUSH" (18d).

Step 19

Now let's compose the palette and brush into the final view. Squash the palette vertically and move it to the bottom of the canvas. Rotate the brush 45 degrees counterclockwise (19). Let's examine the shot. The light comes from the top of the palette, the paint dollops and the brush's handle and metal grip are lit accordingly. The bristles are not though. Let's correct that immediately.

Step 20

Select the Burn Tool (O) and set it up as in image 20a. Paint the base and the bottom of the bristles to darken them (20b). Now select the Dodge Tool (O), set it up as in image 20c and paint a highlight across the middle of the bristles, where the light falls (20d).

Step 21

On a new layer draw some blue paint on the brush with the Pen Tool (P) and position the blue paint dollop directly below the bristles of the brush. Now it looks like we just dipped the brush in the blue paint (21a). Apply Bevel and Emboss to the paint on the brush (21b) to match the lighting (21c). The brush is finished so we can merge all its layers together.

Step 22

The last thing to add is the brush's shadow on the palette. Duplicate the brush and make the copy black (22a). Move it below the brush and modify its shape so it lies flat across the palette. To do that enter Free Transform (Command + T) and use a combination of Skew and Distort, both accessible from the right-click menu (22b). Mask the shadow to the palette (22c). Shadows are generally set to the Multiply blending mode and their Opacity varies from 40% to 70%. Pick 40% this time to keep the shadow subtle (22d).

Step 23

Now let's apply a 3px Gaussian Blur to the shadow (23a). Type Q to enter Quick Mask mode. Paint a black-to-white gradient from the top-left to the bottom-right corner. You will see a red gradient fading out: that represents the part that will be masked out (23b). Hit Q again to exit Quick Mask mode and the gradient will now be a selection. Apply it as a mask to the shadow. As you can see the shadow now fades away from the tip of the brush (23c). The icon is finished.

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Set of Digital Painting Icons

Step 1

Fire up Photoshop and create a new RGB blank document, choosing a 512px x 512px square canvas. Choose a dark gray foreground color then select the Rounded Rectangle Tool (U) from the toolbar. In the option bar at the top of the screen enter 30px for the corner radius (1a) then Alt-click and drag from the center of the canvas to create the main body of the tablet (1b). Alt-clicking centers shapes, selections and transformations around the mouse. It's a pretty useful keyboard shortcut so note it down. When you're satisfied with the shape right-click on the layer and choose Rasterize Layer. Name it "base."

Step 2

Let's establish now that the light comes from the top. This requires that we make all upward-facing surfaces lighter and all downward-facing surfaces darker. We will stick to this rule throughout the tutorial.

The tablet's main body looks flat. Let's add some lighting by choosing a light gray as foreground color and keeping the previous dark gray as background color (2a). Hit G to select the Gradient Tool. Before we paint the gradient, though, let's lock the "base" layer's transparency by clicking the transparent square at the top of the Layers palette (2b). Now we can safely paint all over the tablet because we will be limited to the existing pixels. Paint the gradient with a vertical stroke, light to dark (2c).

Step 3

The surface of the tablet is not so smooth. There's a very fine grain. To create that go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise and choose 1%, Uniform and Monochromatic (3a). See the result (3b). We also need to give the tablet some thickness so double-click on the "base" layer to open the Layer Style window and click on Bevel and Emboss. Refer to image 3c for the settings. Now the tablet has thickness and a gentle curve around the edges (3d).

Step 4

Let's draw the glass surface. Select the Rounded Rectangle Tool (U) again but this time set Radius to 10px (4a). Draw a smaller rectangle at the top center and name it "glass" (4b). Rasterize it, lock its transparency and fill it with a vertical gradient from a medium to a very dark gray (4c).

Step 5

The actual active area is a bit smaller than the glass and has sharp edges. Draw it with the Rectangle Tool and give it a Gradient Overlay style, light to medium gray (5a). Now is also the time to add a logo at the bottom of the glass. Use the Text Tool (T) and a very light gray (but not white) to add your custom logo (5b).

Step 6

The glass is inset from the tablet's base plastic surface. Duplicate the "glass" layer and name the copy "glass rim." Set the Fill to 0% (6a). The layer's actual pixels are invisible but any Layer Style we add will not. That's a neat trick when you just want to use a layer's contour without showing its content. What we want is Bevel and Emboss again. Make sure you choose the "Down" option, which will create an inset bevel (6b). Now the glass has a hard, shallow edge inset from the base (6c).

Step 7

To finish the screen we'll add a big reflective highlight. Cmd-click the "glass" (7a) then fill a new layer with white (7b). Name it "reflection" (7c). Using the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) make a slanted selection over the right side of the layer (7d). Add the selection as a mask (7e) then set the layer's blending mode to Screen, 20% opacity (7f). The screen is finished (7g) so we can group all related layers now (7h).

Step 8

For the LED light, pick the Ellipse Tool (U) and draw a 7x3 pixel, light blue ellipse at the top left corner of the tablet (8a). Name it "LED 1" then add an Outer Glow (8b) and Inner Glow (8c) layer style. We now have a nice glowing status light (8d).

Step 9

Duplicate the LED light and add some symbols below them. Make up your own or refer to pictures of the actual Cintiq.

Step 10

On to the side buttons. First let's make the touch strip. Choose the same gray as the "base" layer. Using the Rounded Rectangle Tool (U) with a 2px radius draw a thin vertical strip on the left side of the glass (10a). The strip is inset from the main body so let's add a Bevel and Emboss style (10b). Activate the Contour option too (10c). See the result (10d).

Step 11

Next to the touch strip there is another scalloped section that contains the four function keys. Duplicate the strip, move it to the right and widen it so the four keys will fit. Name it "key strip."

Step 12

For the function keys choose a lighter gray color. Draw the top key with the Rectangle Tool (12a) and name it "top key." They key casts a shadow all around itself. Create that shadow with an Outer Glow style (12b). The remaining keys can be easily created by duplicating the "top key", adapting their proportions and positioning them on the strip (12c).

Step 13

Group both strips and the five keys in a group called "BUTTONS L." Duplicate the group, name the new one "BUTTONS R", move it to the right of the glass and flip it horizontally (13a). To finish the tablet let's add a drop shadow. On a new layer beneath the "base" draw a thin long black ellipse. Set it to Multiply, 70% opacity. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and choose 3px. The result is a soft, natural-looking shadow (13b).

Step 14

Time to create the stylus now. Draw the right half of the stylus using the Pen Tool in Shape Layer mode (14a). Create the other half (14b) then merge the two shapes together. Use a medium gray as base color (14c). Name the layer "pen body."

Step 15

Let's add the main highlight. Duplicate the pen layer and scale it down horizontally. Brighten it using either Hue/Saturation (Cmd + U) or Brightness/Contrast (15a). Finally add a 1px Gaussian Blur to blend it with the bottom layer (15b). You might need to set the highlight's blending mode to Screen depending on the colors you picked and the outcome you desire. Name the layer "pen body reflection."

Step 16

Using the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) select a thin horizontal strip on the "pen body reflection" layer halfway up the tapered end. Darken the selection (16a). Now select the tip on both layers and erase, leaving a flat end (16b).

Step 17

Add the nib as a simple dark gray rectangle (17a) on a layer below the "pen body." The eraser can be created with a dark gray ellipse, it too on a layer below the pen (17b). Since the eraser is rounded we need to add some color variation on the surface. We do this with a Gradient Overlay style (17c).

Step 18

Draw the rubber grip with a rounded rectangle slightly tapered so it flares at the top (18a). The radius should be really small, about 3px. Add a Gradient Overlay style (18b). The rubber grip now appears round (18c).

Step 19

Let's draw the side button on the stylus. Draw a dark gray rectangle on a new layer, right where you thumb would be if you gripped the stylus (19a). Marquee-select the bottom two-thirds (19b) then hit Cmd + J to copy the selection to a new layer. This side of the button faces upwards, therefore we have to brighten it (19c). Hit Cmd + E to merge this face down. Now we only have to add an Outer Glow to simulate the hole in which the button is set (19d). The side button is complete (19e).

Step 20

Group all the layers that make up the pen and name the group "PEN" (20a). Keep the layer structure for later modifications. Duplicate the group and hit Cmd + E to merge all layers into one. At this point we can add a Drop Shadow (20b) and position the stylus where we want. We are done (20c).

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Hair Processing

The first thing that you should make to bring some shine to the hair. Select the Dodge Tool (Brush: 100px, Range: Highlights, Exposure: 30%) and brightened some parts, as shown below:

After that select the Sharpen Tool to add a bit of sharpness in some places.

Ok, move to the next step. Now, proceed to the coloring of hair. I prefer to create multiple strands and make them different colors. For this effect use the Polygonal Lasso Tool to create selection as on my picture below and fill selected area with color of #ef8008 on the new layer.

After that create five more selections and fill each of them with such colors: #f51464, #cd1bd4, #416fb4, #41b0b4 and #b1ce06.

Ok, remove selection with Ctrl+D and apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur with next presets:

Change layer mode to Overlay and see the result now:

After that duplicate current layer with Ctrl+J and reduce opacity to 20% for this layer.

Ok, we are done with woman fringe. Move to the lower part of hair. Create a new one layer and make a new selection with Polygonal Lasso Tool, then fill this selection with color of #b1ce06 on the new layer.

Add five more lines in the same way and using the same colors as before.

Ok, remove selection with Select > Deselect and apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur with similar settings to these:

Change layer mode to Soft Light and you will see the result.

To increase the intensity of color duplicate layer with Ctrl+J and set opacity to 60% up for this layer.

Ok, on this step we are done with this tutorial. On the picture below you can see the difference before and after. Looks really nice as for me, isn’t it?

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Abstract Text Effect

Step 1

Create a new document sized 1400px * 650px, fill the background layer with the following gradients:

Step 2

Create a new layer on top of the background called “light top”, grab a big soft round brush with a white color, do a single click on the top centre region of the canvas:

Create another create called “light bottom” and use a similar brush as mentioned above, do a single click on the centre of the canvas, resize and perspective it with free transform tool (Ctrl + T) to produce more depth for it:

Here is the effect so far:

Step 3

Type some texts on top of all previous layers we created. You can use any font you like but I preferred a big, bold font (download it here):

On the text layer, apply the following layer blending options:

Drop Shadow

Bevel and Emboss

Gradient Overlay

Stroke

Here is the effect so far:

Optional: to add a bit more depth to the text, make a duplicate this text layer, drop the opacity of the duplicated layer to around 20% and move it to the left of the original text layer a bit:

Step 4

Now let’s start make a simple brushset. Create a new document with a size of 200px * 200px, leave the background layer as white, and grab the polygon tool and draw a shape as shown below (use the distort option from the free-transform tool to adjust the shape):

The Polygon Tool:

Polygon Tool Settings:

Draw the shape:

Tip: use the trim tool to get rid of the extra height and width of the canvas.

Important: after drawing the shape, make sure you rastersize this shape layer. and make the background layer tranparent.

Once you finish the aboves, go to Edit > DefineBrush Preset:

In the box popped up, type a name for this brushset and hit “OK”, you will see the newly created brush appearing in the brush list:

Step 5

Select this newly created brush, apply the following brush dynamics to it:

Shape dynamics

Scattering

And tick the “Airbrushing” and “Smoothing” options.

Create a new layer underneath the orginal text layer, draw some random patterns as shown below with this dynamic brush, as shown below: (try adjusting the brush size)

Step 6

Now let’s spice up the effect a bit by adding some cloud over the text. So create a new layer called “cloud”, render some cloud inside it with the cloud filter (set foreground color to a dark grey, and black background colour).

You will have the following effect:

Change the blending mode of this cloud layer to “Screen”, you will have the following effect:

You can also duplicate, resize this cloud layer and move those duplicated layer around for more effects, as show below:

Resize

Duplicate

Step 7

To produce even more depth for the text, here is a quick way to do it: create a new layer just above the original text layer, set the blending mode of this layer to “Vivid Light”, grab a soft brush to paint some color onto it:

Add a black and white adjustment layer on top of all layers, adjust the settings accordingly, until you see there is a shadow appearing on the bottom of the text:

Here is the effect you’re aiming to achieve: (you can see now because we have a shadow under the text, the overall effect looks deeper and more attractive)

Add another color layer on top of the black and white adjustment layer, set the blending mode to “color” and paint some color on it, you will have the following effect:

Step 8

Now we’re on the best part of this tut – apply the filter effects! Firstly we flatten the image, then duplicate the background layer once and apply the following Reduce Noise filter to the duplicated layer:

and you will see the text look much clearer and the overall image looks sharper:

Duplicate this sharpened layer once, and apply the following motion blur settings to it:

You will have the following effect:

Change the blending mode of this motion blur layer to “Hard Light” and erase the portion shown blow with a big soft brush (we don’t want the whole text to be blurred)

Step 9

Go back to the sharpened text layer and make another duplication of it, drag it to the top and apply the reticulation filter to it (Filter > Sketch > Reticulation):

You will see the following effect:

Change the blending mode to “color dodge” and erase the edge of the layer off, you will have the following effect:

Optional: go to site5 such as qbrushes.net and find some grungy brushsets, and create a new layer with the blending mode set to “overlay”, paint on it with your choice of grungy brush.

Here is my effect so far:

Step 10

We’re almost done! To add some final touches, we can create a new layer on top of all other layers, render some cloud inside it and set the blending mode to “soft light”, you will have the following effect:

I also added a colour balance adjustment layer on top of all layer to finish the effect off:

and here is my final effect for this tutorial: (click to enlarge)

Ok that’s it for this tutorial! Just one last word: always try out different layer blending modes and see what effect that bring you! Sometimes you will be surprised to see some real cool effects :)

I hope you enjoy it and find it useful and inspirational!

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Christmas Bells

(1) The hardest part of this tutorial is creating the bell shape. I used the Pen tool for this and converted my path to a selection. I then created a new layer named BELL and filled it with any color.



(2) Select the Gradient Tool. Then, click on the gradient preview in the options bar to open the Gradient Editor dialog box. Once there, create a gradient similar to this reference image.



(3) Cltr + click on the BELL layer to put a selection around the bell shape.
Select the Linear Gradient Tool and choose your new gradient. Then drag from left to right across the bell as I have portrayed in this reference image.



(4) Create a new layer above the BELL layer named INNER BELL.

(5) Using the elliptical marquee tool, draw an oval that is almost as wide as the bell shape and 1/10 of the height.


(6) Fill this oval selection with the same gradient but reverse the direction in which you drag.



(7) Double click the INNER BELL layer to display the Layer Styles dialog box. Choose Stroke and make your settings similar to the first reference image. Then add an inner shadow layer style similar to the next reference image.





(8) Next, we need the small ball shape inside of a bell. This is the part that makes all of the noise (and coincidentally, the part that I remove before giving the bell to my toddler son when we put up our Christmas tree - can you say headache?). Create a new layer below BELL and call it BALL. Using the elliptical marquee tool, create a circle and fill it with the same gradient that we have been using but choose the radial gradient option instead of the linear one.



(9) Ctrl + Click on the INNER BELL layer to put a selection around the oval shape.
Choose Select > Inverse. Make the Ball layer that you just created with the radial gradient active and hit delete.



(10) Finally, we need to add a hook holder thingee (not really sure what they call them) at the top. I used the rounded rectangle tool for this by creating a rounded rectangle shape behind the BELL layer. I then added a gradient to it by choosing Metals from the Gradient flyout menu and applying the Silver gradient.

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Text Wet Sweaty Window

Use Google Images or any stock photo websites to find some appropriate picture of the window with water drops or feel free to use mine picture.

Open up the picture and apply Image > Adjustments > Desaturate to make it black and white.

After that I would like to reduce brightness with Image > Adjustments > Levels using following presets:

Your result should look as mine:

Ok, after that I would like to add one more picture, for example, night city picture as the street background out of glass. Use your pictures resource again to find the appropriate picture again or use mine picture.

Bring it to our canvas and reduce with Edit > Free Transform as shown on my picture below:

To bring it realistic view apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur with similar settings to these:

Change layer mode to Overlay and set opacity up to 80%. See what we have now:

Ok, move to the main strep of our tutorial. Select the Brush Tool and chose the one brush from the standard Photoshop brushes gallery:

After that reduce brush size till 30 pixels and draw out the text with black color on the new layer.

Reduce brush size till 8 pixels more and add small burr in some places.

To emphasize the focus on the text create a new one layer and fill it with white color. After that mess with the layer mode & opacity/fill. I tried Soft Light with a fill of 67%.

Well, we’re done for the tutorial! I hope you enjoyed it, even just a little bit.

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How to Create Laser Beam

Get started by finding a suitable photo to work with. For this you’ll want to use Google Images or feel free to use my picture of young woman. Open up the picture and start the tutorial. I would like to add some cold blue hue to the picture. For this you may use Image > Adjustments > Levels with the same presets as you can see below:

The result should be the same as mine:

Ok, move to the next step. Time to add the first light beam. It is really so easy. Let me show you. But before we can start making the beam, I would like to note you that you need to get out the Brush Tool before and set up with the following settings:

Also set foreground color to #00ccff. After that select the Pen Tool (you need to make sure that you’re working with Paths instead of Shape Layers). Draw out the curve line using paths. Don’t forget that woman body has some reliefs, so in this case the line should be relief also because beam is refracted on the body and clothes.

Then right-click and select Stroke Path.

A little dialog box will appear as in the screenshot. Choose the Brush resource and press Ok.

Next right click again and select Delete Path. So, your picture uses to look as mine:

Ok, good start! After that apply Outer Glow layer style to the current layer:

And the result should be next:

Then, select the Eraser Tool and a soft round brush to clear line in a sharp fracture line places.

After that get out the Smudge Tool (Strength: 100%) and for the brush resource chose one of the standard Photoshop brushes and reduce it size till 15 pixels.

Then make some strokes as on my picture below:

Ok, looking good, isn’t it? Make the same thing two more times:

Good, three laser beams will be enough for now. Then move to the second part of this tutorial. I think that we should add some highlight from the beams on the woman’s body and clothes. Get out the Polygonal Lasso Tool and select the face area. After that create a new layer and change layer mode to Overlay for this layer. Then choose the Brush Tool (Soft brush about 80 pixels, Opacity: 20%) and add some blue spots using the color of #00ccff like on my picture below.

Now, reduce brush size till 8 pixels and underscore the lips lines.

Ok, we are done with face area. After that invert selection with Select > Inverse and process the hands and neck areas in the same way also.

And the last one area that we need to add the blue hue is clothes.

Ok, now remove selection with Ctrl+D. So, on this step we are done with tutorial!

Laser beams looks amazing and fantastic as for me. Feel free to experiment and you will get the best results!

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Color pencil

In the beginning you should create new document about 500×300 pixels and full it with white color.

Ok, after that use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to create rectangular selection and fill it with color of #7000a4 on the new layer. It will be the shape of the first pencil.

After that use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to create another one selection and apply the Dodge Tool (Brush: 50 px, Mode: Highlights, Exposure: 50%) to selected area to create first pencil’s verge.

Ok, create one more selection from another side and apply the Burn Tool (Brush: 50 px, Mode: Shadows, Exposure: 40%) to create another verge.

Remove selection with Ctrl+D and apply Inner Glow Blending Option to our pencil:

Now we have good looking pencil, isn’t it?

Ok, move to the next step. Duplicate current layer with Ctrl+J and move copied layer a little bit right as on my picture below. Ok, after that apply Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation to get another color for your second pencil.

See the result here on my picture below:

Add more different colors pencils in the same way.

Looking as amazing pencil rainbow as for me. Ok, go on. Now, I would like to add a small accent to the picture. Let’s start to make it. Chose one of the color lines a little bit left or right from the middle, then select some part of it with Rectangular Marquee Tool again and press Delete button to clear selected area.

Remove selection with Ctrl+D. ok, after that we should create pencil top. Select the Polygonal Lasso Tool and create a new one selection as on my picture below:

Now, use the Elliptical Marquee Tool and hold Alt button to cut away small round part of selection in the bottom.

Cut away two more round parts of selection in the same way. After that fill selected area with color of #f0d196.

Then use the same Photoshop tool to create another one selection and use the Dodge Tool to create the first verge of the top.

After that create another selection and use the Burn Tool to create another verge.

Ok, now using the Rectangular Marquee Tool create new rectangular selection and apply Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation again with following presets to selected area:

The result should be next:

Remove selection and apply the Drop Shadow layer style to current layer.

See the difference now?

And the last one thing that we have to do is add some title to our pencil. Use the Horizontal Type Tool and write out the text with white color which you can see on my screenshot below. I prefer to use the Electrofied font, but if you don’t have it fell free to use another one.

After that use Edit > Transfrom > Rotate 90 CCW to rotate our text line vertical.

Now, apply the Drop Shadow layer style to this layer.

We get nice title, isn’t it?

We are done for this step! Also you can use the same method to create funny colorful wallpapers. Thanks to all for reading this tutorial!

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Burning Text

Step 1

So let’s start with a new document of 3300 px width and 2336 px height at 300 resolutions. I created large document because I wanted to print it on A4 size.

Step 2

Press U and select rectangle tool and create a rectangle of document size and apply gradient overlay with colors 890000 & ffb400. Now select transform tool and increase rectangle size from document size to 4515 px width and 3196px height.

Duplicate the rectangle and apply 10% transparency with normal mode. Your gradient will automatically transform and results will be like this.

Step 3

Now select type tool and write letter “H”. Font is your choice but I used here font Akashi of 180 pt weight. Go to the layer style option and reduce the Fill Opacity to zero in Advanced Blending. Now apply these layer styles.

Gradient overlay: color c00000 & ec7272

Inner glow: color fba8a8, opacity 76%, blending mode screen.

Inner shadow: color ffc7c7, 65% opacity and size 13px.

Step 4

Now duplicate the letter H and name it emboss. Remove all layer style and fill opacity to 100%. Shift it slightly right and down to give it emboss look. Now ctrl + click on text layer “H” and press delete to remove unwanted area.

Ctrl + click emboss layer, right click and click on “Make Work Path”. Now select direct selection tool by pressing A and select anchor points. Adjust them and fill it with color d90000 to give it a real 3d look.

Step 5

Now isolate all the faces of emboss layer like right face, bottom faces, and apply these layer style.

Step 6

Apply layer style same as in step 5 here.

Step 7

Now select the bottom of letter H and apply gradient overlay same as in step 5 with 90 degree angle.

Step 8

Repeat step 3,4,5,6 & 7 in letter O and T. The result will look like this.

Step 9

Merge all layers of text HOT and name it hot. Change its blending mode to overlay. Duplicate the HOT layer and change blending mode to darken name it HOT 1. Duplicate this HOT1 layer.

Step 10

Ctrl + click HOT1 layer, select a soft brush of color black and size 100 px and paint the shadow of text considering the source of light on top left. Change its opacity to 10% and blending mode to multiply.

Step 11

Now ctrl + click letter H, O, and T and save this selection to HOT and apply layer mask. Create new layer & name it shadow, load selection HOT and fill it with black color. Apply motion blur of -36 degree and decrease its opacity to 25% with multiply mode.

Step 12

Copy HOT layer and change its blending mode to dissolve. Create a new Hue/Saturation adjustment layer with setting; Hue 6, Saturation 3, Lightness 0. Create clip mask by pressing alt + click on between the adjustment layer & HOT layer.

Step 13

Duplicate HOT layer again and keep it on top go to Filter gallery choose Reticulation filter with these settings:

Density: 3
Foreground Level: 40
Background Level: 5

Change its blending mode to soft light. Name it R filter.

Step 14

Looks good! Now select brush of 15 px size and 100% hardness, press F5 to access brush option and increase size jitter to 100% on Shape Dynamics. On the scattering option keep scatter 90%. Now click layer mask button bottom to layer pallet. Click on the layer mask, choose black color and hide the area where we’ll burn it.

Step 15

Create a level adjustment layer below R filter layer with these settings.

Click on layer mask, press ctrl + I. It will mask everything; now select a soft brush of size 20, color white, and opacity 70% and paint around hidden areas of R filter layer. Now ctrl + click on R filter layer and hide selected area. The result will look like this.

Step 16

Add layer mask to HOT layer and hide the area outside burned texture. This will give a warmer feel to the text inside burning texture.

Step 17

It’s time to add some fire on it. I used images from sxc.hu Drag images into document and change color mode to screen and duplicate image twice to get desired result.

Step 18

We’re near to complete. Now it’s time to add some finishing. Create a new layer select gradient tool and use colors cb0b0b, f89d9d and f2acac. Add noise of 3px, monochromatic, distribution Gaussian. Keep color mode to multiply. Add layer mask and mask areas around text HOT by a smooth brush.

Step 19

Create a level adjustment layer with these settings. Now we are facing a problem that is letter H & O is darker then T. To fix this problem add layer mask and hide area of H & O by painting soft 70% opacity brush.

Create curve adjustment layer with input 84 and output 100.

Now create another level adjustment layer with these settings and name it level 2.

The result will look like this.

Step 20

Nearly finished the whole effect but not looking very impressive right? Ok, apply layer mask to “level 2” adjustment layer, select large soft brush with color black and hide the area around fire. This will add life to the scene because we added fire’s light refracted on text and texture.

That’s all friends!

And We’re Done!

That’s the tutorial finished! I hope you’ve enjoyed it and learnt something useful. Click on the image below if you would like to view the full sized final image:

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