Close Menu
PSD VaultPSD Vault
  • VIP Area
  • Photoshop Basics
  • Photo Effect
  • Text Effect
  • Premium Tuts
  • Resources
  • Drawing
  • Inspiration
  • Web Graphics
  • Abstract
  • Freebies
  • Advertise
  • Get in Touch
  • About PSD Vault
Facebook Instagram Pinterest YouTube TikTok
Facebook Instagram Pinterest YouTube TikTok RSS
PSD VaultPSD Vault
  • VIP Area
    • Sign Up
    • Log In
  • Photoshop Basics
  • AI
  • Photoshop Error Fixes
  • Video Tutorial
  • Photo Effect
  • Text Effect
  • Premium Tuts
  • Drawing
  • Opinion
PSD VaultPSD Vault
Home»Photo Effect»Learn How to Create Runic Magic Photo Effect in Photoshop
Photo Effect

Learn How to Create Runic Magic Photo Effect in Photoshop

By James QuDecember 18, 20224 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

In this tutorial, you will learn the process of how to create this great-looking, runic magic photo effect in Photoshop.

This tutorial is of intermediate difficulty and I recommend that you have sound knowledge of layer blending, image adjustments & masking, prior to attempting this tutorial.

The PSD file of this tutorial is available via the PSD Vault VIP members area.

Here is a preview of the final effect: (click to enlarge)

PSD Vault VIP Membership

You can download the PSD File for this tutorial via the VIP Members Area for only $6.95/Month (or less)! You will not only get this PSD File, but also 200+ other PSD Files + Extra Goodies + Exclusive Photoshop tutorials there. Signup now and get exclusive!

OK Let’s begin!

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

Cliff by The-strawberry-tree

Model by faestock

Nebula 1 by JennyLe88

Nebula 2 by Mithgariel

Runic Letters

Step 1

Create a new document sized 1300px * 700px with black background. Load the cliff stock image into Photoshop, select the following portion:

Copy and paste the selection to our document, use a soft eraser to fade the edge of the rock so it blends into our background:

Apply the following image adjustment layer on top:

Levels

Paint or render some cloud around the rock, and this is the effect so far:

Step 2

Load the model image into Photoshop, copy & paste it onto our document. Resize and place the model at the centre:

Apply the following image adjustment layer as clipping masks to the model layer:

Black & White

I decided to retain some hair & face colours on the right side, so I added the following layer mask to the above Black & White adjustment layer:

Levels

Curves

Use a soft black brush, paint some shadow under the model as shown below:

Step 3

Load the “nebula 1” image into Photoshop, select the following portion:

Copy & paste the selection to our document, use a big soft eraser, fade some parts of the nebula as shown below:

Use the Lasso Tool with 30px feather, select the following portion from the nebula stock:

Copy and paste the selection to our document:

Duplicate this copied nebula layer a few times, move the duplicated layer around the model as shown below:

Tip: use the free transform tool to adjust the shape and size of the nebula to increase variety.

Add nebula around the facial area:

Add some nebula colour over the rocks by duplicating the existing nebula layer, make sure you set the layer blend mode of the duplicated layer to “screen”:

Step 4

We will add a few runic symbol around the model int this step. Use the Ellipse Tool with the following settings:

Draw a circle as shown below:

Change the layer blend mode to “overlay” for this circle layer:

Duplicate it and resize the duplicated layer to smaller one:

Load the runic symbol into Photoshop, select a symbol:

Copy & paste the selection to our document, place it within the circle as shown below:

Repeat the process, add more symbols into the circle:

Then merge all the symbol layers into one, change the layer blend mode of this layer to “overlay”. You will have the following effect:

Step 5

Load the “nebula 2” stock image into Photoshop, select the following portion:

Copy & paste the selection onto our document, set its layer blend mode to “lighten”:

Apply the following levels adjustment to this nebula layer:

Duplicate this layer a few times and scatter them around the canvas, you will have the following effect:

I further adjusted the colour balance of the entire image, and this is my final result: (click to enlarge)

That’s it for this Photoshop tutorial! If you have any questions, simply leave a comment below. Till next time, have a great day!

magic photo runic
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
James Qu
  • Website

James is a seasoned Photoshop expert with over 25 years of experience, mastering the software since its 5.0 version. As the driving force behind PSD Vault, he authors the majority of its in-depth tutorials and insightful articles.

Related Posts

How to Create Stunning Cityscape Portraits in Photoshop

July 1, 2025

How to Create Epic War Scene in Photoshop

June 30, 2025

Create Fiery Dragon Ravaging Mountain Village Scene in Photoshop

June 27, 2025

Comments are closed.

Don't Miss

Why Learning Non-Destructive Editing is a Must for Every Photoshop Beginner

July 5, 2025

Mastering Sky Replacement in Photoshop: A Comprehensive Guide

July 4, 2025

How to Effectively Change Hair Colour in Photoshop

July 2, 2025

For Beginners

Basics

Mastering Sky Replacement in Photoshop: A Comprehensive Guide

By Lana WilsonJuly 4, 20256 Mins Read

How to Effectively Change Hair Colour in Photoshop

July 2, 2025

How to Use “Find Distractions” Feature in Photoshop for Easy Photo Clean-up

June 28, 2025

Photoshop June 2025 Update: Master New Features in Version 26.8

June 21, 2025

You May Also Like

Photo Effect

How to Create Stunning Cityscape Portraits in Photoshop

By James QuJuly 1, 20255 Mins Read
Photo Effect

How to Create Epic War Scene in Photoshop

By James QuJune 30, 20255 Mins Read
Photo Effect

Create Fiery Dragon Ravaging Mountain Village Scene in Photoshop

By James QuJune 27, 20254 Mins Read
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
  • About Us
  • Get in Touch
  • Advertise
  • VIP Area
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
© 2025 PSD Vault. All Right Reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}