Along the way, we will use some photo retouch skills, create a flower particle brush and add a flying rose to the image :)

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Here is a preview of the final effect I have for this tutorial: (click to enlarge)

Warm Version

Cold Version

PSD File Download

To complete this tutorial, you will need the following stocks:

Model

Rose

Step 1

Create a new document size 780px * 1100px with black background, load the model image into Photoshop, cut out of the model and paste it onto our document as shown below:

Use a soft eraser tool, tidy up the edges of the model as shown below:

Remove the feet of the model with the eraser tool to produce some floating, surreal effect:

You can also use the liquify filter (use the forward warping tool) to add some flying effect on the silky part of the sword on top:

Use the the Sharpen Tool with around 20%  strength to sharpen the eye areas of the model a bit:

and here is the effect so far:

Step 2

Let’s add the following image adjustment layer as clipping mask for this model layer:

Black and White

On the layer mask of this black and white adjustment layer, reveal the following area:

Levels

Curves

Brightness and Contrast

and here is the effect so far:

Step 3

Now let’s create a new brush to add some flower particle effect to the image – to do this, create a new document and use the Pen Tool to draw a shape like below and close the path:

Fill the path with black colour, and turn off the background layer, use the Image > Trim and trim off the transparent pixels:

Define a new brush via Edit >New Brush Preset, then apply the following brush options:

Shape Dynamics

Scattering

Other Dynamics

Use this newly created brush, paint some particles around the model as shown below with red colour:

Also paint some bigger particles around the canvas with a lower opacity, as shown below:

Step 4

Now we will add the rose into the image. Load the rose stock image into Photoshop, use the magic wand tool to select the rose, and copy it out:

Paste the selection onto our document, flip it horizontally once and apply the following motion blur setting to it:

And you will have the following effect:

In order to produce a flying effect, we can add some warped cloud (render the cloud via the cloud filter) behind the rose: (check out this tutorial on PSD Vault if you have issue with the cloud warp (scroll down and find the cloud warp section)

Duplicate the cloud layer twice, resize them to a smaller scale and attach them to different areas of the cloud, in order to add some variety:

Step 5

We’re almost done! For some final retouches, I added a curvy line with Pen Tool to the model as shown below:

Further rendered some cloud around the model:

Also added some cloud/aura effect around sword:

Added some highlight on the sword to make it shine: (this is done via a soft white brush painting)

Use the warp tool to adjust the highlight in order to fit the shape of the sword:

and here is the effect so far:

Furthermore, you can add some colour to the cloud and sword to make the image look more magical and surreal:

I then further added some colour and light adjustments and here is the final effect I have: (click to enlarge)

Warm Version

Cold Version

That’s it for this tutorial! Hope you enjoy it and find it useful! Till next time, have a great day!

Welcome to another Exclusive Photoshop tutorial written specifically for the PSD Vault VIP Members. In this tutorial, we will explain to you some sweet techniques to use Adobe Illustrator in your advantage for your Photomanipulation work in Adobe Photoshop. Aside some texture tips and brush packs worth downloading. Hope you enjoy it :)

If you’re VIP member, you can log in to the VIP Members Area and click on Exclusive Tutorial button to download the tutorial. If you’re yet to become a VIP member, you can simply click on the banner below to signup:

To find out more about PSD Vault VIP Membership, check out: http://www.psdvault.com/vip

Final Image Preview

(click to enlarge)

VIP Members Only Tutorial

This tutorial is written exclusively by Bram Vanhaeren for PSD Vault VIP members:

Bram is 21 years old and studies cross media design. He’s been developing his style since his first pen tool experiments in Illustrator about 5 years ago. Bram’s style ranges from simple illustrations and typography to mixed media artwork.

Visit Bram’s Blog

What You Will Learn

In this tutorial, we will explain to you some sweet techniques to use Adobe Illustrator in your advantage for your Photomanipulation work in Adobe Photoshop. Aside some texture tips and brush packs worth downloading.

Tutorial Spotlights

Interested? Log in to your VIP members area to download it now :)

Not a member yet? Click on the banner below to sign up now:

To find out more about PSD Vault VIP Membership, check out: http://www.psdvault.com/vip

Hope you enjoy it and find it useful! Thank you for your support and have a nice day!

I will also use some basic image adjustments and photo retouch techniques along the way.

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Here is a preview of the final effect I have for this tutorial: (click to enlarge)

Alternative Version

PSD File Download

To complete this tutorial, you will need the following stocks:

Model

Water Color Brushes

Various Grunge Brushes

Step 1

Create a new document sized 1200px*800px with a dark grey background, create a new layer with around 30% layer opacity, and paint some grunge patterns around the canvas:

Duplicate this layer once and flip the duplicated layer horizontally, you will have the following effect:

Step 2

Now let’s cut out the face portion from the model image we downloaded – use the Pen Tool to draw a path and make a selection as shown below:

Set Feather Radius to 0 pixel, and press “OK”:

Use the Refine Edge filter (Ctrl + Alt + R) to smooth the edge a bit:

Copy and paste the selection onto our document, resize it to fit the scale:

Step 3

Now let’s get to the fun part of this tut – masking the face! Use the brushes you downloaded as eraser, erase some parts of the face off via layer mask:

Left Side of the face:

Top part of the face:

Right side of the face:

The above screenshots are indicative only – of course you can experiment different brushes and see what result they will bring you:

Step 4

Now let’s add some image adjustment layers to this face – apply the following 3 adjustment layers as clipping mask to it:

Black and White

Erase the following area on the black and White adjustment layer mask to reveal the lips and parts of the eyes:

Levels

Curves

and here is the effect so far:

Step 5

Let’s add some further touches to the face – firstly, I add some tear drop mark to just below the eyes using a small, soft black brush:

I used the cloud filter, added some cloud around the face area for some dramatic effect:

You can also add some particle paintings around the head area using some particle brushes, as shown below:

Step 6

OK for some final adjustments, I flatten the image and duplicate the background layer, apply the following Reduce Noise (Filter > Noise > Reduce Noise) settings to the duplicated layer to sharpen the image a bit:

Add a new “Selective Colour” adjustment layer to apply some colours onto the image:

For the selective colour adjustment, you only need to adjust the white, neutrals and black colours, have a play and see what result they will bring you:

I used a warm colour scheme with red and yellowish colour, as shown below:

If you would like to know a bit more about applying colour effect, check out this video tutorial I have below:

That’s it for this tutorial! Hope you enjoy it and find it useful! Till next time, have a great day!

Along the way, we will be using some simple retouch skills, as well as some custom brushes and the liquify filter to produce special effect.

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Here is a preview of the final effect I have for this tutorial: (click to enlarge)

PSD File Download

To complete this tutorial, you will need the following stocks:

Crack Texture

Model by faestock

Eagle

Smoke Brush

Step 1

Create a new document with black background sized 800px * 1100px. Load the crack texture into Photoshop and cut out a piece of it and paste it onto our document, compress it down and perspective it with the free transform tool:

Use a soft eraser to remove the edges off the texture as shown below:

Hint: set the eraser flow and opacity to around 50% both. This will help creating depths and light on the ground.

Add the following 3 adjustment layers to the ground texture layer as clipping mask:

Black and White

Levels

Curves

and here is the effect so far:

Step 2

Create a new layer and use either the smoke brushset and the cloud filter to add some cloud effect

Load the model image into Photoshop, cut out the model and paste it onto our document – don’t worry if the edges is a bit rough, it’s not important in the tutorial:

We would be adding some flying/liquid effect to the model – so bring up the liquify filter and apply the following settings to the forward warp tool:

Apply this to the model’s skirt and some other areas as shown below:

and here is the effect so far:

Step 3

Now let’s add the following 3 adjustment layers to this model layer as clipping mask:

Black and White

Levels

Curves

Use a soft black brush to paint some shadow under the model:

and here is the effect so far:

Step 4

Now let’s add some hair to the model to make up for the selection – create a new layer and draw a curvy path as shown below:

Right-click the path and choose “Stroke Path” option:

Stroke the path with a 3px hard white brush (with simulate pressure option turned on), duplicate the stroked line layer a few more times, adjust each layers opacity for some depth:

Duplicate this hair group a few more times, resize and attach them to different part of the model’s hair for some variety:

Step 5

Now let’s add some simple nebula effect around the model – Create a new layer and use a soft white brush to paint a big white dot over the model:

Use the smoke brush set as an eraser, erase some parts off the white light (specially in the centre and around the edge) as shown below:

Use the liquify filter’s forward warp tool, push the cloud from the centre toward the edge, you will have the effect below:

Erase the left half of the cloud and leave only the liquified part, and here is the effect so far:

Duplicate this layer a few times, resize and scatter them around the model as shown below:

Step 6

Now let’s adding flying creature into the image. I decided to go with eagles – and let’s load the eagle stock image into Photoshop, cut of two of them from the image and paste it onto our document, resize them to a smaller scale, place them above the cloud as shown below:

If the edges of the edges happen to a be rough, we can apply some refine edge filter settings to smooth them out:

Hint: you will need to select the layer first before applying the refine edge filter.

Add the following 2 adjustment layers as clipping mask to this eagle layer:

Black and White

Levels

and here is the effect after the adjustments for the eagles:

Step 7

OK we’re almost done! For some final retouches, I added some highlight with a soft white brush painting over the hair area shown below:

Also I used some feather brushes to paint some falling feather to add some more surreal effect:

Further added some colour with a few colour balance adjustment layers on top of the all layers, and here is the final effect I have: (click to enlarge)

That’s it for this tutorial! Hope you enjoy it and find it useful! Till next time, have a great day!

Along the way, we will be using custom water drop brush and combine it with liquify filter, as well as some vexel hair techniques. We will also be using a variety of selection techniques and some basic photo retouch tool to add extra effect to the image.

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Here is a preview of the final effect I have for this tutorial: (click to enlarge)

PSD File Download

To complete this tutorial, you will need the following stocks:

Model – by GosnayStock

Water Drop Brush

Rock

Step 1

Create a new document sized 1280px  * 800px with black background. Load the rock texture into Photoshop and we will use it create a base – use the quick selection tool to select a triangle shape as shown below:

Hint: I used a 54px hard brush setting for the quick selection tool, this way we can keep the edge selection rough, as well as adding some smaller selections around the main triangle selection.

Use a soft eraser, remove the edges as well as parts of the rock to create some depth:

Also use the burn tool (20% exposure) to darken some parts of the rock:

Add the following 3 adjustment layers to this rock layer as clipping mask:

Black and White

Levels

Curves

and here is the effect so far:

Make a new layer folder and put all the previous layers into it, duplicate this folder twice and resize them to a smaller scale, attach them to the left and right edge of the main base:

Step 2

Load the model image into Photoshop, cut out the model and paste it onto our document, resize it to fit the width of the rock:

Use a soft eraser, gently remove the bottom edges so it blends into the rock texture.

Use the Dodge tool (20% exposure), Slightly brighten the hair portion:

Again use the dodge tool, set the brush size to be around 7-10px, with around 30% exposure, brighten the edges of the model as shown below:

Add the following 3 adjustment layers as clipping mask to this model layer:

Black and White

Levels

Curves

and you will have the following effect:

Step 3

Let’s add some water texture with the liquify filter. Firstly create a new layer and use a water brush you downloaded, paint some texture on the new layer, then use the liquify filter to warp it as shown below:

On the liquify filter setting, make sure you set the backdrop to use “Background”, this way you will see the black background instead of seeing the transparent the background:

You can also further apply the Twirl filter (Filter > Distort > Twirl) and add some rotating effect to the water texture:

You will have the following effect on the water texture:

Duplicate this water texture layer a few times, and scatter them around the canvas as shown below:

Hint: utilise the liquify filter, warp the water texture into different shape and size. Add the texture to different parts of the model’s body.

Add some more water texture with a smaller water brush around the model:

You can further add some water stream around the rock area for some surreal effect:

You can create a new layer under the model layer, and use a soft white brush to paint some back light around the model:

Step 4

Let’s add some vexel hair on the model for some dynamic effect. Use the Pen Tool to draw the following path:

Pick a 3px hard brush with 100% hardness:

Stroke the Path with the Simulate Pressure option turned on:

You will have the following effect after the stroke:

Use a soft eraser to remove the edge so it blends into the rest of the hair:

Duplicate this hair layer once, use the Hue/Saturation adjustment tool to adjust the lightness – this will create a layered effect for the hair:

Duplicate the hair a few more times, resize and rotate them, then attach them to the different part around the head area:

Step 5

We’re almost done :) For some final touches, we can add some cloud effect with the cloud filter (or a cloud brush) to the image:

Hint: use a soft eraser tool to remove some parts of the cloud to create depth and make some shape for the cloud.

You can also add some highlights around the feet area with a soft white brush:

I also decided to add some warm colour around the model, and here is the final effect I have for this tutorial: (click to enlarge)

That’s it for this tutorial! Hope you enjoy it and find it useful! Till next time, have a great day!

Along the way, we will be using some photoshop retouching techniques, selection tools, cloud effect, texture application and custom brush painting.

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Here is a preview of the final effect I have for this tutorial: (click to enlarge)

PSD File Download

To complete this tutorial, you will need the following stocks:

Model by *jagged-eye

Stone

Fire

Debris Brush

Step 1

Create a new document sized 790px * 1050px with black background, create a new layer and use the gradient fill (set to radial gradient) tool to fill the background as shown below:

Load the stone texture into Photoshop, use the quick selection tool to select a portion of the texture as shown below – we will be using this to create some ground texture:

Copy and paste the selection onto our document, use the free transform tool to perspective it a bit to create some depth:

Use a soft eraser tool to remove the edges so it fades into the background:

Add the following 3 adjustment layers to this stone texture as clipping mask:

Black and White

Levels

Curves

and here is the effect you will have so far:

Step 2

Load the model image into Photoshop, cut out the model and paste it onto our canvas, resize and position the model in the centre as shown below:

Use the Smudge Tool with 6px pressure to remove the roughness around the legs area:

Add the following 3 adjustment layers on this model layer as clipping mask:

Black and white

Layer mask on this black and white adjustment layer:

Levels

Layer mask on the levels adjustment layer:

Curves

Layer mask on the curves adjustment layer:

After the adjustment, you will find that we now have some burnt effect around the legs, which I think works well with the fiery theme:

Create a new layer and use a soft black brush, paint some shadow under the feet: (use a 20% flow and opacity setting, we don’t want to over paint the shadow)

and here is the effect so far:

Step 3

In this step, we will be adding some cloud and fire effect to the image. With the cloud part, we can simply use the cloud filter in Photoshop, combing it with the warp tool to render some nice effect around the model:

If you’re having trouble with the technique, check out one of my basic tutorial here: 5 Useful Little Photoshop Tricks to Add Extra Elegance For Your Design

Make sure you adjust the layer opacity of the cloud layers, so that you will have more levels and depths for the image:

We can now add some fire effect for the model. Load the fire image into Photoshop, and use the quick selection tool to select a portion as shown below:

Copy and paste the selection onto our document, resize and fit it to the leg area as shown below:

Use the liquify filter forward warping tool, adjust the shape of the fire a bit:

Then go back to the original model layer, load the selection of the it and inverse the selection:

On the fire texture layer, go to “Edit > Clear” and clear the selection, and leave only the portion that is on the leg:

Change the blending mode of this fire texture layer to “overlay”, you will have the following effect:

Apply the same technique as shown above (apart from changing the blending mode), add some more fire texture around the model:

Step 4

Now we can add some extra flying rocks for the image. Go back to the stone texture and use the quick selection tool to select some random blocks of the stone ground, as shown below:

Copy and paste the selection onto our document, rotate it and use a soft eraser to remove the edges of the stone to fade it into the cloud:

Add the following 2 adjustment layers onto the stone layer as clipping mask:

Black and White

Levels

and you will have the following effect:

Create a layer folder and put these layers into it, duplicate it a few times and scatter the duplicates stones layer around the canvas:

Hint: adjust the settings on the levels adjustment layer for the contrast of the stone, and the layer opacity of the stone layers for variety. Apply some motion blur to create a flying effect.

Step 5

OK we’re almost done. For extra effect, I decide to add some debris around the model using the debris brush downloaded:

Duplicate this particle layer once, and apply the following Radial Blur settings to the duplicated layer:

And you will see the following blurring effect for the particles:

You can further add some colour and adjust the contrast of the image via a few more adjustment layers, and here is my final result for this Photoshop tutorial: (click to enlarge)

That’s it for this tutorial! Hope you enjoy it and find it useful :) Till next time, have a great day!

We will be combining several images together and use custom brushes to render the blood effect. We will be using some image adjustments as well as tools such as the background eraser tool and the quick selection tool.

Clever sticker printing designs can be used as gift labels and are great around the holiday season.

Here is a preview of the final effect I have for this tutorial: (click to enlarge)

PSD File Download

To complete this tutorial, you will need the following stocks:

Arm

Chain

Cracked Brush

Splash Brush

Step 1

Create a new document sized 800px * 900px with black background. Create a new layer, use either a cracked or a grunge brush, paint some texture over the background layer, set the layer opacity to be around 30% for a subtle effect:

Load the arm image into Photoshop, select the arm with the magic wand tool:

Copy and paste the selection into Photoshop, resize and position it as shown below:

Step 2

Add the following 2 adjustment layers as clipping mask to this arm layer:

Black and White

Levels

On the Level adjustment layer mask, use a big soft eraser to erase the top left part of the fist, and you will have the following effect:

Step 3

Now let’s add the chain into the composition. Load the Chain stock image into Photoshop – Now we want to cut of the chain from the rest of the image: grab the background eraser tool from the toolbox:

Apply the following setting for the background eraser tool:

Unlock the background layer of this chain image, erase the textures around chain with the background eraser tool – this creates some dusty effect around the chain:

Once you’ve done than, use the quick selection tool to select a portion of the chain and its surroundings:

Copy and paste the selection onto our canvas, resize and rotate it with the free transform tool, attach it to the right side of the arm:

Step 4

Add the following 3 adjustment layer as clipping mask to this chain layer:

Black and White

Levels

Curves

Use a soft erase to remove the edges around the chain to fade it into the background:

and here is the effect so far:

Use the cloud filter and a cloud brush, add a new layer of cloud over the chain for some dramatic effect: (set layer blending mode to around 20%)

Make a new folder and put those adjustment layers and the chain layers into the new folder, then duplicate the folder and flip it horizontally, move it the left:

Use the crack brush as an eraser, apply a layer mask on the arm layer, and use this crack eraser to add some cracking texture on the arm:

Step 5

Now let’s add some blood and stain to the arm. Select a dark red colour, grab the water splash brush we downloaded, and paint over a new layer (set layer blending mode to “Color Burn”):

and you will have some dark black spot over the arm and fist area:

Duplicate this layer and change the layer blending mode of the duplicated layer to “Color”, and you will have some red colour over the black spots, creating a stained effect:

Add some more blood splash around the arm with the dark red brush:

You can add some motion to the image by adding a new layer, paint or render some cloud on it, and apply some motion blur to this new layer:

Set layer opacity to be around 30%, attach the motion blur layer to the fist – this adds a air flowing effect to the image:

Step 6

OK we’re almost done! We can add some final touches to the image. Go back to the arm layer and apply the following unsharp mask settings:

This will bring out more details from the arm:

Add some soft highlight around the chain with a soft white brush with 20% flow and opacity setting:

Also I added some lens flare effect over the figure:

And here is the final effect I have for this tutorial: (click to enlarge)

That’s it for this tutorial! Hope you enjoy it and find it useful :) Till next time, have a great day!

Along the way, we use a lot of selection and masking techniques, as well as lighting effect and image adjustments. We will also revise the techniques such as cloud warp, custom brush creation in Photoshop.

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Here is a preview of the final effect I have for this tutorial: (click to enlarge)

PSD File Download

To complete this tutorial, you will need the following stocks:

Sand

Rock texture

Mountain

Crack Brush

Model – by Kuoma-stock

Step 1

Create a new document sized 1440px * 900px with black background, load the sand image into Photoshop and select a portion of the image as shown below:

Copy and paste the selection onto our document, resize it to fix the canvas size.  Then use the free transform tool to perspective it to form the ground texture, apply a gradient mask on this sand layer so the top edge fades into the background:

Let’s add some rock/stone texture onto the sand. Load the rock image into Photoshop, use a 30px feather Lasso Tool to select a portion as shown below:

Copy and paste the selection onto the sand, use the free transform tool to distort and compress it down as shown below:

Duplicate this rock layer a few times, and move them to different places of the sand texture:

Apply the following 2 adjustment layers on top of all previous layers:

Black and White

Levels

Layer mask on the Levels adjustment layer:

and here is the effect so far:

Step 2

Now let’s add some more effect onto the sand. Use the crack brush you downloaded, paint some black crack onto the position shown below (on a new layer):

Create a new layer and paint some white crack texture onto it: (Use the free transform tool to perspective and compress it down, and use a soft eraser to remove the edges so it blends into the sand texture)

Create a new layer and add some soft light with a soft brush brush:

Hint: Set the brush flow and opacity to 40% for a subtle, glowing light effect.

Step 3

Now let’s add the mountain part onto the image. Load the stock image into Photoshop and select the top portion of the image as shown below:

Copy and paste the selection onto our document, resize it to the fit the canvas size. Use a soft eraser to fade the top and bottom edge, then reduce the layer opacity to around 60%:

Add the following 3 adjustment layers on to this mountain layer as clipping mask:

Black and white

Levels

Curves

and here is the effect so far:

Step 4

Create a new layer and use a grey soft brush to paint a spot light in the centre of the canvas:

Now let’s add the model onto the image – load the model stock into Photoshop and resize it to a smaller scale and place it in the centre:

Use a soft eraser to remove the bottom part so it fades into the sand ground:

Add some highlight to the top left of the model with a soft white brush (set blending mode to “soft light”):

Then, add the following 2 adjustment layers as clipping mask for this model layer:

Black and White

Levels

Add some cloud around the model using either a cloud brush, or the cloud filter, reduce the layer opacity of this cloud to around 40% for a subtle effect:

Step 5

Now let’s add some great aura/smoke to the top of the staff. Create a new layer and use the lasso tool (set feather to 40px) and draw a selection, render some green cloud (set foreground colour to green) inside the selection:

Warp the cloud a bit as shown below:

Change the blending mode to the “overlay”, you will have the following effect:

Duplicate this layer once and change the blending mode of the duplicated layer to “Screen”, and you will have the following effect:

Use a soft white brush (around 20px) to paint a shining dot on the staff as shown below:

Step 6

Now let’s add some light strips around the model – check out this video tutorial below for the steps of creating this light effect:

Add some cloud effect on the top of the model – Use a soft eraser tool to remove the edges so the cloud forms a flowing effect:

Now let’s add some planetary objects to create the surreal effect. Create a new layer and use a 5px feather elliptical tool to draw a circle as shown below:

Apply the following blending options to the circle layer:

Outer Glow

Gradient Overlay

Use a soft white brush (set its flow and opacity to around 40%), paint a small white dot on the top left of the circle on a new layer (set it as a clipping mask to the circle layer):

and you will have the following basic planetary effect:

Create a new layer folder and put those planetary layers into it, and duplicate this folder a few more times – adjust the layer opacity of each duplicated planetary layer for more depth:

Add some cloud over the planets for some dramatic effect:

Also add some star on the sky with a 1 – 2px brush, and use the rain brush to create some star falling effect:

You can check out the following video tutorial for creating this star falling brush in Photoshop:

Step 7

Ok we’re almost done! For some final adjustments, I add some more green smoke to the staff tip area:

I added some red colour on the foot area (set layer blending mode to “Color Dodge”):

I also applied some dodge and burn effect with the dodge/burn tool for lighting adjustment:

Dodge

Burn

I then applied some subtle colour effect (with colour balance adjustment layer) and adjust the levels of the image a bit. Here is the final effect I have for this tutorial: (click to enlarge)

That’s it for this tutorial! Hope you enjoy it and find it useful :) Till next time, have a great day!

Along the way, you will learn tricks on combining objects, and add special effect (such as lava, smoke, laser ray) onto them. I have also included some techniques I have shown in the past such as cloud warping, rain brush creation and hair creation (video tutorials) if you’re interested.

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Here is a preview of the final effect I have for this tutorial: (click to enlarge)

PSD File Download

Space Brushset

Step 1

Create a new document sized 1440 * 900px with black background. Load the mountain stock image into Photoshop and select the mountain portion with the quick selection tool:

Copy and paste the selection onto our document, position it on the lower half of the canvas, and use a soft eraser to remove the top edge as shown below:

Add the following 3 adjustment layers as clipping mask for this mountain layer:

Black and White

Levels

Layer Mask on the levels adjustment layer: (Use the explosion brushset as eraser to remove the bottom left portion of the levels adjustment layer)

Curves

Layer mask on the curves adjustment layer: (Use the explosion brushset as eraser to remove the bottom portion of the levels adjustment layer)

Also add some cloud effect with the explosion brush on top edge of the mountain: (Do not paint too much cloud, a subtle effect would do)

Here is the effect so far:

Step 2

Load the tower stock image into Photoshop, select the tower portion as shown below:

Cut out the selection and paste onto our document, resize and position it to the place shown below:

Add the following 3 adjustment layers as clipping mask for this tower layer:

Black and White

Levels (Important: Use a small soft brush to erase the right side of the tower on the layer mask of this levels adjustment layer, otherwise the whole tower would turn black)

Curves

Reduce the layer opacity of the original tower layer to around 60%, this will create a fading effect for the tower:

And add some cloud around the tower with either the cloud filter, and the explosion brush set. Remember don’t add too much cloud, a subtle effect will do:

Now let’s add some light shooting from the top of the tower – create a new layer and paint a single dot as shown below:

Perspective this layer as shown below:

Rotate and attach this light to the top of the tower, adjust its perspective angle again:

Use the explosion brush as an eraser, set 40% flow and opacity for this eraser, apply it on this light layer to create this “light through smoke/cloud” effect:

Here is the effect so far:

Step 3

Now use the cloud brush, add some cloud on the sky portion: (you can use surface blur filter to soften the cloud a bit if you like)

Let’s create this laser ray effect – add a new layer and paint a small dot on the the canvas, then compress and rotate it as shown below:

Use the explosion brushset as an eraser, erase some part of the laser light as shown below:

Now let’s a some splash light on the bottom to create some ground impact for the laser. Create another new layer and paint a single white dot on it, compress it down as shown below:

Change the blending mode of this layer to “overlay”, duplicate it a few more times for more effect:

and here is the effect so far:

Optinal: you can add some warped cloud around the laser:

If you’re interested in learning this effect, I have a video tutorial here:

Use the debris brush, add some particles on the bottom of the laser: (Use the sharpen filter to sharpen the particle a bit)

Step 4

Now let’s add the planet onto the image. Create a new layer and use the elliptical marquee tool to draw circle on the top right corner as shown below:

Keep this selection, use the grunge brush to add some texture inside it:

Deselect the selection, use the soft eraser to remove the edges on the planet object:

Add some light effect to the bottom by adding a soft white dot on a new layer, then warp it as shown below:

Create a new layer and paint another single dot with a soft white brush, and here is the effect so far:

Step 5

If you’re having difficulty with this part, here is video tutorial I made:

Now let’s add some lava effect onto the image. Load the fire texture into Photoshop, select the fire as shown below:

Copy and paste the selection onto our document, resize it to a smaller scale:

Change the layer blending mode of this new fire layer to “Vivid Light” – you will have the following effect:

Duplicate this fire layer once, and you will see the effect increases:

Now duplicate this layer a few more times, and scatter them around the mountain – you will have the following effect:

Step 6

Ok let’s add a human figure into the image. Load the model image into Photoshop and select the model:

Copy and paste the selection onto our document, resize and position it as shown below:

Add the following 3 adjustment layers as clipping mask for this model layer:

Black and White

Levels

Curves

Optinal: Because the hair of the model is still from the original stock photo, I added some vexel hair to make a flying/windy effect: (If you’re interested in the vexel hair technique, I have a video tutorial below to show you the steps)

Although the video tutorial above is for another model, the technique should be the same and can be applied to this image as well:

and here is the effect so far:

Step 7

OK for some final touches, I added some star patterns on the sky with the space brushset:

And add some meteor shower effect with the rain brush I created previously -if you’re interested, I have made video tutorial on how you create this rain brush in Photoshop:

I then added a few colours to dramatise the effect, and here is the final effect I have for this tutorial: (click to enlarge)

That’s it for this Photoshop tutorial! Hope you enjoy it and find it useful and inspirational! Till next time, have a great day!

Amongst the steps of this tutorial, I will some tricky of manipulate stock images and combine them together, along with some brush effects for decoration purpose. We will also apply various image adjustments and layer blending mode during the manipulation process.

These images will look awesome when they’re included on a postcard printing order.

Here is a preview of the final effect I have for this tutorial: (click to enlarge)

PSD File Download

Cloud Brushes

Rock

Model

Swan Wing

Feather Brushset

Ice Texture

Fire Texture

Step 1

Create a new document sized 1440px * 720px with black background. Create a new layer, and use the cloud brushes you downloaded to paint some background texture: (set brush flow and opacity to around 20% when you paint, and adjust the default brush size as you see fit)

We can add a stone ground to the image with some stone texture. Load the rock image into Photoshop and use a 30px feather Lasso tool to selection a portion:

Copy and paste the selection onto our document, resize and perspective it a bit as shown below:

Add the following 2 adjustment layers as clipping mask to this stone layer:

Black and white

Levels

Create 2 new layers – one above the stone ground layer and one below, use the cloud brush to paint some cloud effect above and below the stone ground:

and here is the effect so far:

Step 2

Load the model image into Photoshop, cut out the model and paste it onto our document above the stone ground:

Add the following 3 adjustment layer to the model layer as clipping mask:

Black and white

Levels

Layer mask on Levels adjustment layer:

Curves

Use a soft eraser to gently remove the bottom part of the model, so it blends into the ground and the cloud:

and here is the effect so far:

Step 3

Now we can attach the wing to the model. Load the swan wing image into Photoshop, copy and paste the wing onto our document, place its layer below the model layer, then resize and rotate it as shown below:

Add the following 3 adjustment layers to this wing layer as clipping mask:

Black and white

Levels

Curves

Create a new layer and use the feather brush we downloaded, paint some random feathers around wing and model:

Hint: use brush options (F5) for more dynamic results.

Add some spot lights around the model and wing area with a soft white brush (do a single-click) on a new layer:

Grab a dark red brush (5px, 40% hardness), paint some dark red blood like effect on the model:

and here is the effect so far:

Step 4

Now we can add the magic orb onto the image. Load the ice texture image into Photoshop and use the Elliptical Marquee tool to selection a portion as shown below:

Copy and paste the selection onto our document, resize and position it as shown below:

Use a soft eraser to gently remove some part of the texture to make it look like an orb:

Add the following 3 adjustment layers to this orb layer as clipping mask:

Black and White

Levels

Color Balance

Create a new layer with blending mode “overlay”, add some highlights to the orb to the position shown below with a soft white brush painting:

and here is the effect so far:

Step 5

Now we can add some fire effect onto the orb. Load the fire texture into Photoshop, select the fire portion as shown below:

Copy and paste the selection onto our document, resize and position it over the orb layers:

Use a soft eraser to remove the edges and leave only parts around the orb:

Use the cloud brush to paint some cloud around the orb for some smoke effect:

Go back to the fire texture, use quick selection tool to select several pieces of the fire texture: (hold Shift key)

Copy and paste it on to the orb area, resize it to fit the size of the orb:

Step 6

OK we’re almost done! For some final retouches, I added some vexel hair on the model: (Check out this tutorial for the technique used here)

Or, you can check out this video tutorial below for the vexel hair technique:

Here is the area that I have vexel hair added:

I added also some warm colour and lighting effect to the position shown below: (Detailed instruction in this tutorial)

I then flatten the image, duplicate the background layer and use the Lasso tool (with 30px feather) to select the head area of the model, and apply the following reduce noise filter settings:

Hit Ctrl + F a few times to re-apply this reduce noise filter, and you will see the hair becomes softer and have a glowing effect:

I then painted some more feather to the position shown below:

Also applied some Burn and Smudge effect to the wing area as shown below:

and here is the final effect I have for this tutorial: (click to enlarge)

That’s it for this tutorial! Hope you enjoy it and find it useful! Till next time, have a great day!