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»Transform Rocks and Cities into Mind-Blowing Abstract Art in Photoshop
Photo Effect

Transform Rocks and Cities into Mind-Blowing Abstract Art in Photoshop

By James QuJune 19, 20254 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

Dive into the exciting world of Photoshop and transform ordinary rock and city stock images into mind-blowing abstract art! In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to blend rugged natural textures with sleek urban landscapes using powerful techniques like layer masking, adjustment layers, and blending modes.

Whether you’re an intermediate Photoshop user or a creative looking to craft a stunning, surreal masterpiece, this step-by-step guide will unlock your artistic potential and help you create a visually striking composition that captivates the eye.

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

This is an immediate level tutorial and some steps can be a little tricky, have a try!

Here is a preview of the final effect I have for this tutorial: (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 250+ other PSD Files + Extra Goodies + Exclusive Photoshop tutorials there. Signup now and get exclusive!

OK Let’s get started!

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

Model – by Anikathropoloustock

Rock

City

Grunge Brush Set (Pick a few from the list)

Debris Brush Set

Step 1

Create a new document sized 780px * 1000px with white background. Grab the Gradient Fill tool to fill the background with the following gradients: (Set the Gradient Fill tool to use Radial Fill)

Load the model image into Photoshop and cut out the model, paste it to the position as shown below: (Use the Free Transform tool to resize this layer to a smaller scale)

Grab the eraser tool to tidy up the edges of the model:

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

Black and White

On this black and white adjustment layer, use a soft eraser tool on its layer mask to reveal some colors on the model the facial area:

Levels

Curves

and here is the effect so far:

Use a grunge brush set, paint some grunge texture below the model layer:

Step 2

We will work on the rock texture in this step. Load the rock image into Photoshop and select the following piece from the image:

Copy and paste the selection over to our image and place the layer below the model layer, in the position shown below:

Use the chalk brush as eraser, remove the following portions from the rock layer and tidy up the edge:

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

Black and White

Levels

Curves

and you will have the following effect so far:

Use the debris brush you downloaded to paint some small particles into the space we removed in the previous step:

Put all these rock related layers into a layer group, duplicate this group a few times and move them to different positions as shown below: (Rotate and resize the duplicated groups as you see fit)

Step 3

We will work on the city building part of the manipulation in this step. Load the city image into Photoshop and select the following area:

Copy and paste the selection over to our document and place it into the position shown below: (resize the layer to a small scale to fit the size of the rock texture)

Use the chalk brush as eraser to blend the city edges into the rock texture:

Add the following 3 adjustment layers as clipping masks to this city layer:

Black and White

Levels

Curves

and here is the effect so far:

Repeat the steps described above to add another lot of buildings to the top left position as shown below:

Paint some particles on top of the city building with the debris brushes for extra effect:

Step 4

We’re almost done. We will work on some final touches in this step. Add some cloud round the rock with a cloud brush or cloud filter, use the Warp tool to warp the cloud so it forms a circular shape:

Flatten the image, duplicate the background layer and apply the following Crystalize filter to the duplicated layer:

and you will have the following effect:

Of course we don’t want to the whole image to be pixelated, so let’s apply the following layer mask on this crystallized layer:

Use a soft brush to paint some highlights on the model’s forehead:

I further adjusted the colour balance of the image with the colour balance adjustment layer, and here is my final effect: (click to enlarge)

That’s it for this tutorial! Hope you enjoy going through it and find it useful. Drop me a comment below if you have any question.

Till next time, have a great day!

abstract city manipulation photo rock stock
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}