How to make water transparent in Photoshop. Water reflection effect in Photoshop. Reflection in water in Photoshop

Create a new document in Photoshop (Ctrl + N) with a size of 800x780 pixels. You can use a larger canvas, the main thing is to maintain the proportions. Add an image of the sky to the created document and reduce it vertically by 80-90%.

Create a copy of the sky layer and flip it using Free Transform mode (Ctrl + T). Place both layers like this:

water surface

Paste the ripple texture into our document and desaturate it (Ctrl + Shift + U).

Create a Levels adjustment layer:

Activate Perspective mode (Edit ? Transform ? Perspective) and change the shape of the layer.

Right-click on the texture layer and select Create Clipping Mask (Ctrl + Alt + G). Set the blending mode to Screen and reduce the opacity to 75%.

Add a mask to the ripple layer.

Use a soft brush to erase the ripples from the horizon line.

Waves on the water

Paste the wave image into our document and set the blending mode to Screen.

Change the height of the image to 30% using Free Transform mode (Ctrl + T).

Add a Levels adjustment layer.

Make the waves black and white (Ctrl + Shift + U) and use the Eraser Tool (E) with a soft edge to erase the edges to create a smooth transition.

Girl on the water

Insert the girl into our document and position her in the center of the waves.

Add the mask and use a soft brush to submerge the girl in the water.

Create a copy of the girl's layer and flip it (Edit ? Transform ? Flip Vertical). Name the layer "Refection".

To the girl's layer, add the Inner Shadow and Gradient Overlay styles (#0a0505 - #ffffff).

Apply a Gradient Overlay style to the “Reflection” layer:

Reduce the opacity of the reflection layer to 68%.

Apply the Ripple filter to the reflection (Filter ? Distort ? Ripple).

Create a new layer "Shadow" and fill it with white. Reduce the Fill to 0% and add a Gradient Overlay style:

Add some sunshine to our document. Set the blending mode to Screen and reduce the opacity to 65%. Then add rays of light and set the Blend Mode to Screen.

If you don’t like to “work with your hands,” then an excellent one has been developed especially for you. Lesson on reflecting icons and simple objects. In today's tutorial you will learn how to create a believable water reflection effect for any photo. Briefly, the essence of the lesson is to take an image, increase the size of the canvas vertically, duplicate the layer, and flip it vertically. Using filters, create a water texture on a separate document, which we then paste using the “Glass” filter onto the reflected layer of the original document. So let's get started. Result:

1. First you need to create the texture of the water. Create a new document with settings 1000 x 2000 pixels, 72 dpi, background color - white, RGB mode.
2. Select Filter -> Noise -> Add Noise with settings of 400%, Gaussian, check the box next to “Monochrome”. if you have English-language Photoshop, then your actions: Filter > Noise > Add noise (400%, Gaussian, Monochromatic).
3. Command Filter -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur 2.0 px. Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur- 2.0 pixels
   
   
4. In the layers panel, open the “channels” tab, make the red channel active and apply a filter to it Filter > Stylize > Emboss…— 180 degrees, 1 pixel, 500%, in Russian Photoshop this corresponds to the command Filter -> Stylize -> Emboss (angle 180°, height 1 pixel, effect 500% .
   
   
5. Apply the same Emboss filter to the green channel with the settings: angle 90º, height 1 pixel and effect 500%. Filter > Stylize > Emboss…— 90 degrees, 1 pixel, 500%
   
   
6. We leave the blue channel unchanged. Turn on all channels.
7. Return to the Layers panel LAYERS.
8. Transfer from the back layer to a regular layer (right-click on the layer and select the appropriate item).
9. Select Edit -> Transform -> Perspective. Drag the bottom-right corner of the frame to the right (or bottom-left to the left) until the image width is 600%. See screenshot below. Edit > Transform > Perspective Pull.
   
   
10. Select the entire image. Select -> All (hotkeys CTRL + A), or Select > All
11. Repeat steps 9 and 10 again.
12. Commands Transform -> Scale, set the height value to 50%. Edit > Transform > Scale (height 50%)
    
13. Without removing the selection, crop the image using the commands Image -> Crop, or Image > Trim
14. Open the CHANNELS tab again, select the red channel and press the Q key to add a quick mask.
15. Take a white to black gradient and draw it vertically from top to bottom so that it runs across the entire image.
16. Press the Q key again to turn off the quick mask.
17. Fill the resulting selection with 50% gray.
18. Deselect (CTRL + D) and select the green channel. Add a quick mask (Q key),
19. Take a white to black gradient and sweep from top to bottom for 15-20% of the image height:
    
    
20. Press Q again to turn off Quick Mask.
21. Fill the selection with 50% gray. (This is color #808080).
22. Enable all channels (select RGB).
23. Go back to the layers panel and apply a Gaussian blur with a radius of 1.5.
    You should get an image like this
    
24. Save the image in PSD format with maximum compatibility enabled.

The next step is to apply our texture to the image in which we want to achieve the effect of reflection in the water.

1. Open the original image in Photoshop, crop it if necessary,
   
   
2. Duplicate the layer (hot keys CTRL + J),
3. Image -> Canvas Size (Image>Canvas Size), convert the units of measurement to percentages and increase the height by 2 times (200%). Remember to place the image at the top of the canvas. See screenshot below.
   
   
4. Flip the duplicate layer vertically (Edit -> Transform -> Flip Vertical) and move the reflection below the image:
   
   
5. Set the background layer to normal. Take the magic wand tool and select the white background on the bottom layer, press Delete on your keyboard. This way we get transparency.
   
   
6. Change the order of the layers: the top layer is the original image, the reflection is on the bottom layer.
7. Add a new layer and place it below all layers. Fill the bottom half of the layer with blue.
   
8. Deselect and add a layer mask to the "Reflection" layer. Link the “Reflection” layers to the underlying “water” layer. Select the “Gradient” tool from white to black and drag it from top to bottom from the central part of the image downwards (the “Reflection” layer mask is active):
   
   
9. Click on the “Reflection” layer mask icon while holding down the CTRL key - the selection will load:

   

10. Now make the “Reflection” layer icon active (just click on it) and apply the filter Blur -> Motion Blur (Filter>Blur>Motion Blur,) with settings of 90º and an offset of 10 px.

    

11. Deselect it. Click on the “Reflection” layer icon while holding down the CTRL key to select the bottom half of the image. Commands Filter -> Distortion -> Glass (Filter - Distort - Glass). Here you need to click on the icon, as shown in the screenshot, and through the “load texture” button, select the saved “water” file that we did in the first step. Set the filter values: distortion - 16, offset - 2.

    

12. The final touch adds realism to the Water Reflection effect. Create a new layer on top of all of them, make a narrow selection strip in the middle of the image and fill it with a mirror gradient from black to transparent (swipe up from the center of the selection):
13. Deselect it and apply a Gaussian Blur filter with a radius of 1.9 px. Apply the blending mode to the top layer Soft Light (Soft Light) and reduce the layer opacity to 80%
14. We can add transparency to the water. In this case. Duplicate layer 0 (with the main image), flip it vertically and move it to the reflection area (to the lower part of the picture). Move this layer under all layers. Make the blue fill layer semi-transparent (opacity 40-50%). Result:
    
    

Water is a complex structure. It itself is transparent, and despite the fact that it is quite clean, we can still somehow see it. And even in its normal state - liquid, water has many different forms, which differ quite greatly from each other. Although water looks quite simple, and it is simple in its "design" - you can't just go and learn how to draw it once and for all. This is because what you're really painting is not the water, but the effect it has on the world as seen through it.

In this tutorial you will learn how to create an image of liquid water in its many forms: drops, lakes, puddles, rain and waterfalls. I'll show you how to use many of Photoshop's tools to speed up your drawing process. I will also try to explain certain rules, once you have mastered them, you will be able to modify the examples given in this lesson to suit your needs. The most important lesson from this entire tutorial is how to use filters correctly to create the textures you need in just a few seconds.

This lesson is a continuation of the lesson Drawing realistic snow effects in Photoshop

Many of the techniques from that lesson will apply to this one too. You can find other lessons on creating realistic effects that imitate natural elements (fire, earth, air, snow) on our website.

1. Draw a drop of water

Before starting the lesson, let's see what effect we would like to get:

1. Light source: its direction is critical
2. Highlight: it creates a distinct shiny point on the front of the drop.
3. Specular Shadow: You can see the highlight because it is reflected instead of staying inside. That's why a shadow forms under it
4. Secondary reflection: residual light that was transmitted inside the drop is reflected outside
5. Cast shadow: Since the light inside is reflected, it is not cast at that location, hence there is a shadow.

Because a drop of water is also a lens, it can focus bright light and transmit it into a cast shadow.

The natural state of a group of water particles is a sphere. However, due to gravity, we tend to see them not as a sphere, but as a flattened dome. This also means that the drop changes in perspective: from an oval shape (1) to a dome shape (2).

Step 1

We will be drawing water drops using a method that will allow you to reuse them later to create as many drops as you wish. Feel free to modify my method to create the effect you like best.

To begin, prepare a background (for example, you can take a leaf texture from the source materials; create a document no wider than 600 pixels), and draw an oval using a hard brush on a new layer (You can create a new layer by pressing the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+shift+N) .

Step 2

Step 3

Then activate Embossing(Bevel & Emboss). This will create shadow on the front side of the drop and light on the back side.

• Play with the meaning Depths(Depth(1)) and Size(Size (2)) so that both the light and the shadow inside the drop are not too sharp
• Install Corner(Angle) in accordance with the direction of the Shadow (3)
• Change Gloss contour(Gloss Contour) on according to Gauss(Gaussian (4))
• Install Backlight mode(Highlight Mode) Overlap(Overlay) to make the light have a brighter background (5)
• Play with Opacity(Opacity) Shadow Mode(Shadow Mode) to achieve a more realistic effect(6)

Step 4

Now we have to apply Stroke(Stroke) - this will add a transparent border between what is inside the drop and what is outside.

• The stroke should be almost invisible - play with the size to make it so (1)
• Change Fill type(Fill Type) on Gradient(Gradient (3))
• Set up Corner(Angle) according to the light source (4)
• Also experiment with scale(Scale) to achieve a soft transition effect (5)
• Lower Opacity(Opacity) if the stroke appears too sharp.(2)

Step 5

• Set up Corner(Angle) according to illumination (1)
• Experiment with the settings so that the shadow appears only at the edges, leaving the central area of ​​the droplet clear (2)
• Change Circuit(Contour) on Rounded steps(Rounded Steps (3))
• Add some Noise(Noise (4))

Step 6

Now let's apply Color overlay(Color Overlay) - this is not necessary, but it will make our drop more pronounced.

• Install Blend Mode(Blend Mode) Overlap(Overlay) for greater Brightness and Transparency (1)
• Set the color to greenish-blue (for example, like this #006372) (2)
• Lower Opacity(Opacity) to such a level that the color is barely noticeable (3), unless, of course, you want to have a colored liquid.

Step 7

Applicable Gradient overlay(Gradient Overlay) - this will give a highlighted area on the back side of the drop.

• Install Blend Mode(Blend Mode) Screen(Screen) for brightness (1)
• Change Corner(Angle) to indicate the place that we are going to highlight (3)
• Play with the settings Scale(Scale) to place the gradient correctly (4)
• Lower Opacity(Opacity) to make the light visible, but not just white (2)

Step 8

• Install Blend Mode(Blend Mode) Screen(Screen) for brightness (1)
• Install Color(Color) white (4)
• Make the glow small, diffused and barely noticeable using the settings Opacity(Opacity (2)), Noise(Noise (3)), and Size(Size(5)).

Step 9

Now let's apply Shadow(Drop Shadow) - this will create a cast shadow behind our drop.

• Install Corner(Angle) according to lighting (2)
• Experiment with the settings Distance(Distance), Scope(Spread) and Size(Size) to achieve the feeling that the shadow is really behind the drop, but not under it (3).
• Lower opacity(Opacity) to make the shadow look more realistic (1)

Step 10

In order to give even more volume to our drop, apply Inner glow(Inner Glow)

• Install Blend Mode(Blend Mode) Multiplication(Multiply) for dimming (1)
• Install color(Color) dark blue (for example, this #1e1e5a) (3)
• Source(Source) install Centered(Center) (4)
• Play with the settings contraction(Choke) and Size(Size) so that the shadow is located in the center, and only where it already ends Inner shadow(Inner Shadow) (5)
• If the effect is too harsh, reduce Opacity(Opacity) (2)

Step 11

Now, all we have to do is add a highlight to the front side of our drop. Create a new layer and paint the highlight with a hard brush using pure white.

Step 12

To better highlight our highlight, just add External glow(Outer Glow). To do this, double-click on the layer with the left mouse button to open the dialog box Layer Style(Layer style).

Step 13

So that both styles can be reused for further work, open the window Styles(Styles) and click on the icon Create a new style(Create New Style) while standing on the layer whose style you want to save.

Step 14

Now, every time you want to draw a drop, just:

1. Paint the drop shapes using a hard brush, each on a new layer.
2. Apply the drop style by selecting the desired layer and clicking on the created style.
3. Add a new layer above the previous one and paint a white dot with a hard brush.
4. Apply the Glow style to the drawn point.

Step 15

If you want to create a larger droplet, you need to remember two things:

• The drops can't be too big, otherwise gravity will take over and simply destroy its shape. This means that the picture should look like it was taken in macro mode - i.e. with an observer who is himself quite small in size, or he must be very close to the object.
• The effect of magnifying the drop-lens should be clearly visible from this angle, and accordingly you should clearly emphasize it in your picture

And of course, the layer style we created for the small droplets needs to be modified to adapt it to the larger look.

To create the magnifying effect, you need to do the following:

• Duplicate the background (Control-J)
• Copy the drop
• Place the duplicated background layer between the two drop layers
• Create a Clipping Mask (Control-Alt-G)
• In addition to everything, you can still cut off everything unnecessary outside the drop in the following way: holding down the CTRL key, click on the drop, thus loading the selection, then invert it Control-Shift-I, and now you can press (Control-X), which will allow cut off all unnecessary parts outside the outline of the drop.

Step 16

2. Draw a Lake or River

Step 1

We'll start with the same scenery as in the previous part, where we set the water level and created a reflection. Accordingly, we must have a ready-made background, a clipping mask and a reflection associated with it.

Step 2

Create a new layer and set it to clipping mask mode (Control-Alt-G) relative to the previous one. Fill (G) it with dark brown or gray.

Step 3

Duplicate (Control-J) the background and drag a copy above the clipping layers. Set this copy to clipping mask mode (Control-Alt-G).

Step 4

We need to get rid of overly harsh reflections underwater. Double click on the layer and go to the section Mix if(Blend If). Hold down the Alt key and drag the white arrow to the left to make the brightest areas transparent.

Do you see? There are no mirror reflections!

Step 5

Create a new layer and fill it with the color of the mountains (dark blue). We use this layer to give the water a bluish tint.

Step 6

Change Blend Mode(Blending Mode) layer on Multiplication(Multiply) and lower Opacity(Opacity). The less clear the water (the deeper the lake), the less transparent it should be in our picture.

Step 7

Let's get back to reflection - this is the most important aspect of water. Let's duplicate it. Next, position it above all the layers in clipping mask mode and take it out of this mode for a while (Control-Alt-G). Lower it a little opacity(Opacity), just enough so that you can see what's behind it, fix it as shown below. Use the tool Rectangular area(Rectangular Marquee Tool (M)) to select an area and copy it by dragging while holding down the Alt key. Your task is to create the illusion that there is only water behind these columns. It doesn't have to be perfect - it's just to fool the system, not your eyes.

Step 8

Set the layer back to clipping mask mode (Control-Alt-G). Next, double click on it. In option Mix if(Blend if) drag the entire black marker to the right, and then, holding down the Alt key, drag half of the marker to the right, but all the way to the end. This will make the dark areas transparent.

Step 9

This effect weakens with distance, so we need to partially hide it. Go back to the original reflection and drag it to the very top of the layers palette (still in clipping mask mode). Add layer mask(Layer Mask), and then add a black and white gradient - the black part should be in the foreground.

Step 10

We got perfectly still water, which because of this does not look very natural. What if we want to add subtle ripples to the water surface?

Click on the bottom layer with the reflection and then go to Filter - Gallery of filters. Select filter Airbrush(Sprayed Stroke) from the package Strokes(Brush Strokes), change Stroke direction(Stroke Direction) on Horizontal(Horizontal) and play with the sliders to achieve the desired effect (you may need to change the image size first as there is a limit to these settings).

Step 11

It was a faint ripple. We can make it stronger by adding a pattern that will make it look more like a river.

Create a new file, make it large enough. Fill it with any color, then double click on it and add Gloss(Satin) from a set of patterns (in the dialog box, select the item Pattern overlay(Pattern Overlay)). Then press (Control-A) to select everything and copy it using the keyboard shortcut (Control-Shift-C).

Step 12

We paste our pattern into the main document. Using the tool Free transformation(Free Transform Tool (Control-T)) to adjust it according to the perspective - the pattern should be as dense as possible in the background (in the distance) and as large as possible in the foreground. To move anchor points separately, do this while holding down the Ctrl key.

Step 13

The pattern looks too regular. To fix this, use the tool Patch(Patch Tool (J)) - Simply select an area using the tool and drag it to the location you want to copy it to.

Step 14

Use the same pattern again to make the background even more dense.

Step 15

To properly blend the pattern with the rest of the background, use Layer mask(Layer Mask) and a soft brush.

Step 16

Merge both layers with ripples into one and trim them.

Step 17

We want only the white areas to be visible on this ripple layer, the black areas should be transparent. Do you remember how to achieve this effect? (Hint: double click on the layer... use the option Mix if(Blend if)...).

Step 18

We change Blend Mode(Blending Mode) on Overlap(Overlay) and enjoy the effect.

Bright ripples in the shadows can appear as if the reflections are at the bottom - if you want this effect, erase the ripples from the bases of the columns.

Step 19

Water is very reflective - it literally works like a mirror. This means that it also reflects strong light around it. Our scenery is not the best example to show this effect (the light source is not reflected in our painting), but I will still try to show you how to achieve the illusion of light reflected by ripples.

Create a new layer and use the tool Rectangle(Rectangle Tool (U)) draw a rectangular shape. Put a pattern on it Gloss(Satin).

Step 20

Next, right click on the layer and select Rasterize Layer Style(Rasterize Layer Style). Change Blend Mode(Blending Mode) on Overlap(Overlay) and then use the tool Free transformation(Free Transform Tool (Control-T)) to properly adjust the perspective for the rectangle. You can also use the mode Deformation(Warp) to “break” the correctness of the pattern.

When you do this, with help again Layer masks(Layer Mask) correctly fit the rectangle into the wall of the column.

Step 21

If the effect turns out too weak, simply duplicate the layer (Control-J).

Step 22

Apply the same method to the other column.

Step 23

We can also add a "thickness" effect to the water using a filter. Glass(Glass). Go to (Filter > Filter Gallery > Distort > Glass).

Step 24

If you want to draw a deep lake, with the bottom located far away from the observer, the bottom will be invisible. Then use dark blue, green or brown as the water color and no visible background below.

Strong ripples like we used earlier may not work very well here. Let's try another method. Create a new water layer (clipping mask CTRL+ALT+G) and fill it with black. Next, let's go to Filter - Noise - Add Noise(Filter > Noise > Add Noise). Now apply (Filter > Blur > Motion Blur) with a zero angle.

Go to (Filter > Filter Gallery > Artistic > Plastic Wrap), this will create small ripples. Next, we set up the perspective using the tool Free transformation(Free Transform Tool).

And finally, we translate Blend Mode(Blending Mode) in Overlap(Overlay) and lower Opacity(Opacity).

3. Draw a puddle

Step 1

Again, we will need a background and a reflection. Create a New Layer and use the tool Lasso(Lasso Tool (L)) to create sketches of puddles.

Step 2

Fill the puddle shapes with brown, and then lower Opacity(Opacity) so that the bottom is slightly visible.

Step 3

Place the reflection above the layers, then click on the puddle shapes while holding down the Ctrl key - this will create a selection based on the shape of the puddles. Next, invert the selection by pressing (Control-Shift-I), then press Delete to remove everything unnecessary from the outside. (We don't use a clipping mask because the puddles are half transparent and there would be a reflection there)

Step 4

Just like we did with the lake reflection, now we need to make the dark areas of the reflection transparent.

Step 5

Again, we'll need to apply the Fresnel effect to our reflection. To do this use Layer mask(Layer Mask).

Step 6

Let's make a little disturbance on the surface of the water. To do this we go to Filter - Filter Gallery - Distortion - Glass(Filter > Filter Gallery > Distort > Glass).

Step 7

Duplicate (Control-J) the puddle shape layer and place the copy above all layers. Change level fills(Fill) to 0, then double click on it and play with the settings Inner shadow(Inner shadow) and Shadows(Drop shadow). Actual values ​​will depend on the size of your painting, but always keep in mind that the main goal is to create a slight shadow within...

And the light edge on the outside.

4. Draw light rain

Step 1

Create a new layer. Fill it with black, then go to Filter - Noise - Add Noise(Filter > Noise > Add Noise). Using a tool Free transformation(Free Transform Tool (Control-T)) expand the boundaries of your rectangle.

Step 2

Next, go to (Filter > Pixelate > Crystallize). Use the tool again Free transformation(Free Transform Tool) to move the noise away from the background.

Step 3

Let's go to Filter - Blur - Motion Blur(Filter > Blur > Motion Blur) to create real blobs out of all this chaos. Change Blend Mode(Blending Mode) on Screen(Screen) to remove the black background.

Step 4

Using layer mask(Layer Mask), clear any drips from the columns.

Step 5

Create a noise layer again.

If the resulting points seem too weak, try correcting them using the editor Levels(Levels (Control-L)), and drag the right handle as far to the left as possible.

Apply Motion blur(Motion Blur) again to create the effect of falling drops.

Now, let's create a rippling effect on the surface of the puddles using light drops. Make sure that the entire background (ground, columns, sky and puddles) blends together. Then activate Soft round brush(Soft Round brush), go to quick mask mode(Quick Mask Mode (Q)) and draw an oval on the surface of the puddle.

Step 6

Press Q again to exit Quick Mask mode, then invert the selection by pressing the keyboard shortcut (Control-Shift-I). Next, let's go to Filter - Distort - Twist(Filter > Distort > Twirl). Experiment with the angle to achieve the desired effect.

Step 7

Repeat the same for other areas. To do this faster you can create New operation(New Action). Draw an oval in quick mask mode(Quick Mask Mode), then press Record(Record) and follow these steps:

• Press Q
• Press Control-Shift-I
• Press Control-F (apply last applied filter)
• Press Control-D
• Press Q

Apply this Operation(Action) when you draw an oval, and then just continue drawing.

5. Draw a rainstorm

Surprising fact: we don’t know for sure what rain looks like. Seriously. In our minds, we usually think of it as tons of drops falling around, but that's not exactly what we actually see. If you don't believe me, just create a "rain brush" and go over the entire painting. It just doesn't work that way! Raindrops move too fast and there are too many of them for your eyes to catch them all at once - even cameras have some trouble with this.

Consequently, no matter what we draw, it will be just some kind of approximation - an image of an impression, rather than an actually observed phenomenon. We need to focus on what rain does instead of just drawing raindrops because we don't actually see those raindrops.

Step 1

The sky looks too clear for our heavy rain. So let's add more clouds using a stock photo. Embed an image of clouds into your background using Layer mask(Layer Mask).

Step 2

Next we go to Window - Correction(Window > Adjustments). In the dialog box that opens, click on the first icon. Move this layer above all the others and adjust it so that the whole picture becomes dark and gloomy.

Step 3

Take advantage Round soft brush(Soft Round) to draw heavy rain in the background.

Step 4

Using a soft round brush with low opacity(Opacity) make the other column more cloudy.

Step 5

Step 6

During heavy rain, there will be too many droplets to reflect the ripples and streaks from each individually on the surface of the water, so we simply use a filter instead. Let's go to Filter - Filter Gallery(Filter > Filter Gallery), and then you will need to experiment with two filters Distortion - Glass(Distort > Glass) and Imitation - Cellophane packaging(Artistic > Plastic Wrap).

Step 7

Merge all the layers together (Control-E), then duplicate the resulting layer. Use Layer mask(Layer Mask) to select the first column. (If you want to see what exactly you painted in this mode, click "Backslash - \").

Step 8

Let's go to Filter - Filter Gallery - Imitation - Cellophane packaging(Filer > Filter Gallery > Artistic > Plastic Wrap). Use this filter to simulate water running down walls.

Step 9

Use Layer mask(Layer Mask) to make the water more transparent on the dark side.

Step 10

Do the same for the other column.

Step 11

Next, we have to make the ground wet and shiny. Create a new layer and fill it with any color. Next, double-click on it to apply. layer style(Layer Style), select the item in the dialog box Pattern overlay(Pattern Overlay), select a pattern Gloss(Satin) from the list of patterns.

Step 12

Now right-click on the layer and select Rasterize Layer Style(Rasterize Layer Style). Then, just like we did with the lake, we adjust our pattern according to the perspective we need using the tool Free transformation(Free Transform Tool (Control-T)).

Step 13

We change Blend Mode(Blending Mode) on Soft light(Soft Light). Next, double click on the layer and set the necessary settings in the options dialog box Mix if(Blend If) to make the black areas transparent.

Step 14

To clean overlapping areas, use Layer mask(Layer Mask).

Step 15

Create a new layer. Take soft round brush(Soft Round brush) and paint heavy fog in the background.

Step 16

Change level opacity(Opacity) up to 50%. Take advantage Layer mask(Layer Mask) and remove the columns from your fog.

Step 17

Next, merge all the layers together, except for the fog layer. Right-click on its mask and select Apply layer mask(Apply Layer Mask). Then, while holding down the Ctrl key, click on the layer to load the selection and go to Filter - Blur - Motion Blur(Filter > Blur > Motion Blur). Set the angle to the same angle as your rainfall (for this, your main layer must be selected). Now our background looks blurry because of all those raindrops, even though we didn't draw anything.

Step 18

Create a new layer and paint the surface of the far column with a hard brush.

Step 19

Ctrl-click on the white column, then turn off the layer and select your main layer. Now apply again Motion blur(Motion Blur), but this time with a slightly lower value distances(Distance).

Step 20

Create a new layer and fill it with black. Next we go to Filter - Noise - Add Noise(Filter > Noise > Add Noise ) .

Step 21

Use the tool Free transformation(Free Transform Tool) to slightly stretch our rectangle.

Step 22

Let's go to Filter - Filter Gallery - Simulation - Dry Brush(Filter > Filter Gallery > Artistic > Dry Brush). This will create many points of interest out of the noise. To see them, change Blend Mode(Blending Mode) on Screen(Screen).

Step 23

To create rain from the resulting points, use a filter Motion blur(Motion Blur). You can use the same method, but with different effects, so that the result meets your expectations. Again, rain is not an observable object, it is a highly variable phenomenon, and there are many ways to depict it plausibly. Don't be afraid to use larger droplets, a stronger blur, or anything else you like!

Step 24

When heavy rain hits the water surface of a puddle, a splash of interesting shape appears. They are not very noticeable in our painting, but I will show you how to create such a detailed splash in case you want to use it for some macro scenes.

Create a new file, fill the background with black and add a new layer. Draw an oval.

Draw another larger oval above it and connect them.

Add touches of splashes.

Add lots of dots and small lines to imitate splashes.

Lower opacity(Opacity) of this layer, and then create another one and paint some areas with white. Then completely remove the first layer, after which merge all visible layers(Merge Visible) and invert the colors by pressing (Control-I). Next we go to Editing - Define Brush(Edit > Define Brush Preset) to save it.

Step 25

Let's return to our main document. Create a new layer and paint the splashes with your new brush. Don't forget to adjust your brush size according to your perspective.

Step 26

To make splashes more naturalistic, lower opacity(Opacity) and\or install Blend Mode(Blending Mode) Overlap(Overlay). Duplicate the layer to enhance the effect.

Step 27

You can add splashes to the wall where the rain is pouring down on it. To set the correct angle without changing the brush settings, simply use the option To turn(Rotate(R)).

6. Draw a waterfall

Just like with rain, a waterfall can be depicted in many ways. Since waterfalls are considered beautiful and are photographed all the time, there is a good chance that your painting will be comparable to the photograph. The problem is that photographed, fast-moving water will look different depending on the shutter speed of the camera. The easiest way to depict a waterfall is to photograph it with a camera with a slow shutter speed, which is why this method was used in video games not so long ago - but this is also why they look so bad.

But hey, even in the most modern AAA prints we can't find perfect pictures of waterfalls, so why is that? Water is an extremely complex object. Each drop acts like a lens, and accordingly, the computer needs to expend a huge amount of system resources to visualize the effect of the lens. Just imagine what will happen when you put together thousands, millions of lenses! That's why a complex waterfall must be broken down into specific sets of "rules" that will allow the computer to do its job.

It's the same with drawing. There are three ways for you:

• You can paint a waterfall from a pattern as if you wanted to depict something else - using spots and drops of color
• You can create a waterfall from many drops by focusing on each of them
• You can try to find some rules for creating a waterfall so it looks like it is, and then find a way to recreate it in Photoshop.

Obviously, we will try to implement the third method! I slightly modified the scenery for this purpose. This will not be a very typical base for a waterfall, but it will be suitable for our purposes.

Step 1

Let's start by determining the direction of flowing water. The greater the pressure, the larger the arch of our waterfall. You also need to pay attention to the future!

Step 2

Make sure that all the layers that form the background are merged together. Activate quick mask mode(Quick Mask Mode (Q)) and draw the inside of the sketch.

Press Q again to exit Quick Mask mode and invert the created selection using the keyboard shortcut Control-Shift-I. Then we go to Filter - Filter Gallery - Distortion - Glass(Filter > Filter Gallery > Distort > Glass). In this way, we will be able to distort what is under water in the same way that water would optically do in reality.

Step 3

Create a new layer (Ctrl+Shift+N) and draw a rectangular shape using the tool Rectangle(Rectangle Tool (U)). Next, let's go to Filter - Noise - Add Noise(Filter > Noise > Add Noise) to fill our shape with a noise texture.

Now let's go to Filter - Design - Crystallization(Filter > Pixelate > Crystallize) to connect small dots into larger clusters.

After which we go to Filter - Filter Gallery - Imitation - Watercolor(Filter > Filter Gallery > Artistic > Watercolor) - this will smooth out the edges a little. Duplicate the LAYER (Control-J) and hide the copy for now, we will need it later, but a little later.

And finally, we go to Filter - Filter Gallery - Strokes - Airbrush(Filter > Filter Gallery > Brush Strokes > Sprayed Strokes). For stroke directions(Stroke Direction) set vertical(Vertical). After this, the picture should look slightly like water flowing down.

Step 4

Now let's use the tool Free transformation(Free Transform Tool (Control-T)) to bring our rectangle into the correct perspective. To move anchor points separately, hold down the Ctrl key.

Step 5

Double click on the layer and change the mode settings Mix if(Blend If) so that the black areas become partially transparent.

You can also add some blue using the editor Color balance(Color Balance) by pressing the keyboard shortcut (Control-B).

Step 6

Duplicate (Control-J) the “water wall” and set it to a higher level of naturalism. To achieve this, you need to use the mode Deformation(Warp) tool Free Transformation(Free Transform Tool).

Step 7

My waterfall is partially in the shade, so I used Layer mask(Layer Mask) to make the water less shiny in this area.

Step 8

Make visible a copy of the noise-modified rectangle (the one we made in step 3). Next we go to Filter - Filter Gallery - Simulation - Sponge(Filter > Filter Gallery > Artistic > Sponge). With this we will create foam from the falling water.

Step 9

Use the tool Free transformation(Free Transform Tool (Control-T)) in mode Deformation(Warp Mode) to warp our rectangle.

Step 10

Experiment with mode settings Mix if(Blend If) to make dark areas transparent.

Step 11

Take advantage again Layer mask(Layer Mask) to adjust the shading.

Step 12

Go back to the background layer and select the water in quick mask mode(Quick Mask Mode (Q)) just before the waterfall.

Apply to this selection Filter - Filter Gallery - Distortion - Glass(Filter > Filter Gallery > Distort > Glass). Obviously, the surface of a river cannot be smooth when such a flow of water falls on it!

Step 13

Using textures is simple and quick, but at the same time they are quite boring and give a feeling of some unnaturalness. So we need to add a little chaos. That's why we'll draw some more foam, but this time by hand.

Create a new file and fill the background with black. Draw something chaotic, like this. It doesn't have to look exactly the same as in the screenshot - most chaotic patterns will work well here.

Change the brush settings as shown below by calling up the dialog via (F5).

Step 14

Use the adjusted brush to paint more foam. Now, how you use the brush is completely up to you. The more curvature the waterfall has, the more foam there will be, and the less clear water we will see. Start by adding a large amount of foam to the top of the waterfall - the place where the water leaving the surface is still "trying" to flow horizontally, but gravity is pulling it down.

Also, the water splashes a lot below, so add a whole cloud of foam here. Constantly change the size of the strokes - large, almost transparent strokes will look very good on the borders of the waterfall.

Foam also falls down the waterfall.

If the water pressure is not very strong, some drops of water will fall under the main curve of our waterfall.

You can also use the Bubble Brush from the previous part to add air bubbles.

Step 15

Now, let's make the wall under the waterfall wet. Select it in quick mask mode(Quick Mask Mode (Q)).

Now add one of those filters we used before, for example, Glass(Glass).

Step 16

You can finish the painting by adding any details you wish. I added a filter Cellophane packaging(Plastic Wrap) for the column directly next to the waterfall to make it look wet. I also added larger ripples for the river, in the same way we did when we painted the lake.

Step 17

Now, there's still a chance that you didn't like the resulting effect. It just might be that what you get doesn't match your own idea of ​​a waterfall. Then let's change the camera shutter speed and see if this version of our picture is better.

Basically, a low speed shutter won't add anything other than motion blur(motion blur). The problem is that Filter - Blur - Motion Blur(Filter > Blur > Motion Blur) only works in one direction, and the waterfall is shaped like a curve. Therefore, we need to select it gradually, in parts, deselecting it as the curve increases. For this operation you will again need quick mask mode(Use the Quick Mask (Q)).

When you get to the foam level below, you can combine them using a Gaussian blur: Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur(Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur), and also add manually using Soft round brush(Soft Round brush).

Better? I think so!

In these lessons we went over almost every possible form of water. I hope this helps you in your future projects, whatever they may be. But that’s not all - there are still elements that are waiting to be conquered, if you want more, then there is a similar lesson in which we will already conquer another element, namely, the element of earth.

Creating a realistic water surface in Photoshop is quite a difficult task, because it is the distorted reflection of the environment that makes the water look liquid. The Displace filter is a great tool for adding this distortion.

The Displace filter moves pixels in an image according to the brightness value of the displacement map. You can use any PSD file as a displacement map (as long as it was saved with “Maximize compatibility”). Use the first and second channels of this PSD file for horizontal and vertical offset respectively. Each channel is a black and white image. Dark values ​​will change the image in a positive direction (in Adobe coordinates). Bright values ​​will change in a negative direction. The offset amount can be controlled separately. On a scale of 100, the displacement measured in pixels is equal to 128 minus the brightness of the displacement map. For example, a white pixel will change the image 128−255 = -127 pixels in the corresponding pixel.

This tutorial shows how to create a relatively simple displacement map and water surface using it. This method gives good results if the water is calm and the surface is not intersected by other elements.

Translator's note: You create a displacement map once, save it, and each time you create a water surface, use a ready-made displacement map.

Part one: creating a displacement map.

We start by creating an image in which the brightness represents the height of the surface. The dimensions of this image control the size and shape of the waves. Start with a larger image to create smaller waves.

• Create a New Document (Ctrl + N) V RGB mode 1000 pixels wide and 2000 pixels high.
• Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise Amount: 400%; Distribution: Gaussian; check the box Monochromatic. Click OK.
• Then select Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Set the radius to 2.0 px and click OK.

We use the result of the previous steps as a bump map to create an image of the slope of the surface. To do this, we will use separately channel 1 (red) and channel 2 (green). Channel 3 (blue) can be ignored since it does not affect the offset filter.

• Go to palette Channels and select Red channel.
• Apply to it Filter > Stylize > Emboss. Enter the following parameters: Angle: 180°; Height: 1 px; Effect (Amount): 500%. Click OK.
• Select Green channel.
• Apply filter Emboss again, but this time use the value Angle 90° instead of 180°.
• In the palette Channels click on RGB to turn the image into color.

Now let's change the perspective. Stretching the base lowers the horizon. We would have to extend the angles to infinity to extend the water surface all the way to the horizon, but we won't do that. A stretch of about 3000% will be sufficient. Perspective stretching only works between 0 and 700%, so we'll stretch to 600% twice. The result will be 3600%.

• Go to palette Layers and unlock the background layer (double-click on it and in the dialog box that appears, click OK).
• Select a tool Scale (Z) and while holding down the key (Alt), click a few times on the image to make it smaller like the image below. Select a team Editing > Transform > Perspective (Edit > Transform > Perspective).
• Drag one of the bottom corners to the side at 600% width (you can see the width value in the tool options bar) and click Enter.
• Click Ctrl + Shift + T to apply the transformation again.
• Crop the area outside the canvas. To do this, select the canvas (Ctrl + A) and then use the command Image > Crop. Deselect (Ctrl + D).
• Reduce the height of the image to make it a square (Alt + Ctrl + I)(uncheck Maintain proportions and enter the required values). In our example, 1000 by 1000 pixels.

In reality, waves cause rotations in reflection, not shears. As a result, horizontal distortion decreases towards the horizon, and vertical distortion is absent. We must now adjust the green channel because the perspective change has caused smoothing near the horizon. We'll use image blur later to correct this.

Let's set it up first Red channel:

• In the palette Channels select Red channel.
• Click Q to switch to mode.
• Select a tool Gradient (G) and draw a black and white linear gradient from bottom to top of the image to create a gradient mask.
• Click Q to return to standard mode. We have a gradient selection.
• Fill in (Alt + Backspace) medium gray ( #dadada) color and deselect (Ctrl + D).

Now set up Green channel like this:

• In the palette Channels select Green channel.
• Click Q to switch to mode Quick Mask Mode.
• Select a tool Gradient (G) and, this time, draw a black and white linear gradient from bottom to top of the image, stopping a little higher than in the previous step to select the narrow part near the horizon.
• Click Q to turn the mask into a selection.
• Fill in (Alt + Backspace) medium gray ( #dadada) color and deselect (Ctrl + D).

This is what the finished displacement map should look like with the hidden Blue channel. Notice that in the green channel, bright areas shift the reflection upward, which represents the angle of the reflection in relation to you. The dark areas create an angle away from you. This may seem a little confusing because the brain interprets changes in brightness in exactly the opposite way.

Save the displacement map (don't forget that Blue channel must be disabled) in the format PSD With "Maximize Compatibility".

To ensure that your PSD files are always saved with “Maximize Compatibility”, select the command Editing > Preferences > File Handling and in the drop down menu Maximize PSD File Compatibility select Always.

Translator's note: remember the place where you saved the displacement map. Having a ready-made map, you can quickly create a water surface effect, starting from the second part of this lesson.

Part two: creating a water surface.

We will create a lake in this valley.

First, we need to make a “flat” reflection, which we will distort later with the Displace filter. In this example, we will consider the landscape as the only background object.

• Select a tool Rectangular area (M), determine where the horizon should be and, starting from the selected horizon line, use the tool to create a selected area of ​​the image above this line. Right-click and select command Feather. Enter a value of 1 px and click OK. Copy to new layer (Ctrl + J). This will be the reflection layer.
• Expand the canvas down (Alt + Ctrl + C)(in the dialog box that appears, specify the height value and be sure to click on the middle upper square with the arrow so that the canvas only increases downward) to make room for the reflection.
• Select a tool Free Transform (Ctrl + T), right-click on the image and select the command Flip Vertical. Then move the image to align it with the top of the image. Click OK.

Near the horizon, almost 100% of the light is reflected from the surface of the water. At a higher angle, the reflection component becomes smaller and thus we can see the color of the water itself. The color of the water will be dark blue or turquoise if the water is clear. Of course, you can make any color of water.

• Create a new layer (Shift + Ctrl + N) under the reflection layer.
• While holding down the key Ctrl, click on the icon of the layer with reflection in the palette Layers to get the selected area. On the created layer, fill the area behind the reflection with the desired color. (You can change the color later using the command Hue / Saturation). Deselect (Ctrl+D).
• Add Layer mask to the reflection layer (at the bottom of the palette Layers gray square with a white circle inside). Select a tool Gradient (G) and extend a black and white linear gradient from bottom to top, just short of the horizon line, to show the bottom of the color-filled layer.

Now let's add some wind. Before applying the displacement map, we simulate the effect of waves at a distance. The blur distance depends on the size of the image and the wind effect you want to achieve.

• Select the reflection layer and hold down Ctrl, click on the layer mask to get a gradient selection.
• Lock transparent pixels by clicking on the checkerboard icon in the palette Layers.
• Apply to Reflection Filter> Blur> Motion Blur (Filter> Blur> Motion Blur). Angle 90°. Set value Offsets (Distance) yourself (depending on your image and the desired effect) and press the button OK.
• Apply blur again (Ctrl + F).
• Unlock transparent pixels and deselect (Ctrl + D).

Now we are ready to apply the displacement map. The displacement map will stretch or shrink according to the selection. To get the correct perspective, the horizon of the displacement map must be approximately the same as the horizon of the scene. Here we can simply select the contents of the reflection layer to get the alignment correct. A slight displacement is enough to make the water appear liquid. The correct amount of offset depends on the size of the image and the height of the waves.

• While holding down the key Ctrl, click on the reflection layer icon to get a selected area.
• Go to Filter > Distort > Displace. Enter the offset amount. The horizontal scale value should be 50% less than the vertical scale value (about 60 horizontal and 120 vertical. The values ​​​​depend on your image). Also select Stretch To Fit And Repeat Edge Pixels. Click OK.
• In the dialog box that appears, find the displacement map saved on your computer and click the button Open to apply it.
• Deselect (Ctrl + D).

Now it really looks like water. Note that the layer mask is also distorted because it is linked to the layer. This causes the reflection to change with the angle of the surface.

We'll make some final adjustments later.

• Activate the layer mask by clicking on its icon in the palette Layers, then select a command Levels (Ctrl + L) and change the white level value to 240 to make the surface a little transparent near the horizon.

• As mentioned above, using the command Hue / Saturation, You can adjust the hue, saturation and brightness of the water color layer.
• If the horizon line is too clear, blur it slightly with the tool Blur (R).
• Finally, crop the edges of the image if the duplicate pixels around the edges are too noticeable.

Final result:

Translation: Vladimir Nesterov

In this tutorial we will learn how to create a water effect. The lesson is quite simple, but despite the fact that there are no difficulties associated with its implementation, the result looks very cool! We'll be using different filters, working with blending modes, and using the brush quite a bit.

Step 1

Open Photoshop and create a document measuring 2880x1800 px. Fill the background with black.

Step 2

We'll need a good photo of the water and waves. The example uses the photograph An image of a beautiful water background, but you can take any other similar one. Paste the photo into the document and reduce the layer opacity to 60%.

Step 3

Go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Hue and Saturation / Layer> New Adjustment Layer> Hue and Saturation. Specify for parameter Hue / Color tone value in 0 , For Saturation / Saturation value in -71 , and for Lightness / Light meaning 0 .

Step 4

Go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Levels / Layer> New Adjustment Layer> Levels. Specify values 0, 0.5 and 255.

Step 5

From the menu, select Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Brightness and Contrast / Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Brightness and Contrast. Specify Specify 0 For Brightness And -35 For Contrast / Contrast.

Step 6

Create a new layer on top of the others. Fill the layer with black and change the Blend Mode to Multiply. Tool Brush Tool / Brush (B) Using a heavily shaded and soft white brush, paint in the center of the image. Our goal is to make a vignette. Save the document as a copy, naming it Displace.psd.

Step 7

Insert your logo into the document, or whatever you want to apply the effect to.

Step 8

With the new layer still selected, select FIlter>Distort>Displace / Filter>Distort>Displace. Specify the parameters as in the picture below. Then use the Displace.psd file that you saved in step six.

Step 9

This is what you should get. Parameter values ​​may vary depending on the images you are using. So experiment with the settings to get the best results.

Step 10

Select from menu Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur / Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Specify the radius in 3px. After this you can also use Tilt-Shift blur, to blur the edges...

Step 11

Add a mask to the logo layer. Tool Brush Tool / Brush (B) Using a strongly shaded and soft black brush, paint along the edges of the logo at the top and bottom. We need to make these parts darker since they are underwater.

Completion

The last thing we need to do is duplicate the original water layer and place the copy on top of all other layers. For this layer, change Blend Mode on Overlay / Overlap. That's all!

Translation – Duty room