|
This tutorial demonstrates how to add atmosphere and drama to your photographs. You will find the start images Here. Unzip the file and open it onto Photoshop’s workspace.
Undo and Navigation Steps
Two ways of undoing steps are from the top menu, Edit then Step Backwards. Alternatively, click a previous snapshot in the History Palette.
Navigate (zoom in and pan) your image using the Navigator Palette,
or the Zoom Tool. 
Activate The Hand Tool by tapping the Spacebar, keeping the Spacebar pressed, pan your image in the usual way. 
1/
Open your images onto Photoshop’s workspace.
2/
Then activate the vicarage image and minimise the sky and lightning. Double-left-click the vicarage’s layer to unlock it.
3/
Activate the Magic Wand Tool.
And left-click to isolate the sky with a selection marquee - repeatedly left-click if necessary.
4/
Now, from the top menu, choose Select then choose Modify then choose Expand. Expand the selection by 1 Pixel, then click OK.
5/
Now, press your keyboard’s Delete key, then press Ctrl then D to remove the marquee.
6/
Now that the sky has been removed, activate the stormy sky image, then activate the Move Tool. Now, left-click and drag the stormy sky image onto the vicarage.
Then drag the vicarage’s layer, above the sky layer.
7/
Smooth any transition lines between the sky and vicarage with a low Strength of the Blur Tool.
  Blur Strength is 27%.
8/
Then from the top menu, choose Layer then choose Merge Visible.
9/
Now, from the top menu, choose Image then choose Adjustments then choose Hue/Saturation. In the subsequent dialogue box, drag the Saturation slider to the left, this desaturates vivid colours.
10/
Now, from the top menu, choose Image then choose Adjustments then choose Variations. In the subsequent Variations dialogue box, click the More Blue thumbnail, then click OK. Click (More Blue) twice for more colour. You are looking to apply a light blue tint, over your image. Variations Screen Capture!
Optional
At this point, to add more atmosphere, from the top menu, choose Image then choose Adjustments then choose Channel Mixer. In the subsequent dialogue box, click a tick into the Monochrome tick box, and alter the settings to produce a high contrast black and white. Note; This option provides a higher (black and white contrast) than the Desaturate filter.
Now the sky and vicarage are the same tone, you are ready for the next step.
11/
Click the following Create a new layer icon - this creates a new layer above the vicarage image.
12/
Then press your keyboard’s D key. Now, press Alt then Backspace; this fills the new layer with solid black.
13/
From the top menu, choose Filter then choose Noise then choose Add Noise. In the subsequent Add Noise dialogue box, drag the Amount slider all the way to the right - the setting should then read 400%. Additionally, ensure Monochromatic and Gaussian are both marked. Then click OK.
14/
Now, whilst Layer 1 is active, drag its layer over the Create a new layer icon.
15/
Working on Layer 1 copy, from the top menu, choose Filter then choose Blur then choose Motion Blur. In the subsequent dialogue box, set an Angle of 40 and a Distance of 52, then click OK.
16/
Toggle the visibility of the Layer 1 copy, by clicking its eye icon. This temporarily hides the layer.
17/
Now, activate Layer 1, (the original Gaussian Blur filled layer).
Then apply a Motion Blur to it. This time, change the Angle to 37 and the Distance to 23, then click OK.
18/
Activate the top layer (Layer 1 copy), and click back the eye icon. Now, change its Blending Mode from Normal to Linear Burn.
19/
Now, Ctrl click, to highlight both Layer 1 copy and Layer one. Then right-click over the highlighted layers, and choose Merge Layers from the drop-down list.
20/
Ensure the top (rain) layer is active; then change its Blending Mode from Normal to Screen. Screen renders black pixels, transparent, and as a consequence, just the rain will display.
Tip
To intensify the rain effect, right-click the rain layer, and choose Duplicate Layer from the drop-down list. If later in this lesson, you find the rain is too intense, delete the duplicated (rain) layer.
21/
To add more atmosphere, activate the stormy sky image, and with the Move Tool, drag it onto the vicarage image.
Then centralise the cloud image so it completely covers the vicarage image. Then drag it’s layer below the black (rain) layers. The rain will then appear over the clouds.
22/
Now, activate the clouds layer, and change its Blending Mode from Normal to
Multiply.
Note
If you feel the rain is too intense, delete one of the rain layers.
23/
Now, create your own lightning bolts, as described in my lightning lesson. Alternatively, drag the Lightning image onto the vicarage image, and ensure it (the lightning), is positioned at the top of the layers stack. Then change its Blending Mode to Screen.
24/
Now, activate the Move Tool, and drag the lightning to a favourable position. Then with the Eraser Tool.
Remove part of the lightning - so it appears to fall behind the vicarage.
25/
If you feel the clouds (over the vicarage) are too intense, reduce its layer Opacity - to around 63%.
26/
When you are completely happy with the result so far, (for example, the position of the lightning, and the rain’s intensity), from the top menu, choose Layer then choose Flatten Image.
27/
From the top menu, choose Image then choose Adjustments, then choose
Photo Filter. In the subsequent dialogue box, click through different coloured Filters and find a colour that adds to the atmosphere. Additionally, play with the Density slider.
28/ Optional
Then again, from the top menu, choose Filter then choose Render then choose Lighting Effects. Experiment with different effects and settings, to create an Alfred Hitchcock type effect.
Congratulations, you have created your stormy vicarage image, and it is ready to save.
Wendi E M Scarth. Top of Page - Home.
|
|
