First, you want to start with your object on it’s own layer. If you need help getting your object on it’s own layer check out this quick tutorial on masking.

Add a background layer by holding [Ctrl] + [Alt] and clicking on the New Layer button at the bottom of the Layers Palette [F7]. Press [D] to select the default colors and press [Ctrl + Backspace] to fill with white.

Double-click on your object’s layer in the area to the right of the name. This will bring up the Layer Style dialog box. Click on [Stroke] at the bottom of the list.

Set the Stroke size to something thick for your object, in this case I’m using 6-pixels. Click on the Color box and change the Stroke Color to white.

Click on the [Outer Glow] Style in the Layer Styles list. Change the Blend Mode to [Normal]. Change the color to black.

Adjust the Size and Spread until you get a nice, soft outline. In this case, I’m using a Size of [9-px] and Spread of [35%].

Move on to the [Drop Shadow] Style in the Layer Styles list. Adjust the Angle to [90°] and increase the Distance slightly [6-px].

Press [Ctrl + T] to bring up your Transform bounding box. Before you do ANYTHING, right-click in the box and choose [Warp].

Now click-and-drag the box from the lower-right corner up slightly.

Press the [Return] (number-pad Enter) to apply the transformation.

Create a New Layer [Ctrl + Shift + N] above your object’s layer. Then press [Ctrl + Alt + G] to create a create a new Clipping Mask.

Set the Layer Mode to [Screen] and the Layer Opacity to around [50%].

Choose the Gradient Tool [G] and click on the Gradient in the Option Bar (up top) to bring up the Gradient Editor. Edit your Gradient to look something like this:

Click-and-drag your Gradient in a very small area where you thing the “bend” of your sticker should be.

It may take a few tries to get it right.

Right-click on the “f” icon in the right-side of your object Layer in the Layers Palette. When the menu appears, choose [Create Layers].

You will now have a bunch of various Layers underneath your object Layer. Find the one labeled “Drop Shadow.”

Press [Ctrl + T] to bring up th Transform Bouncing box again. Right-click and choose [Warp] again.

Click-and-drag the right corner towards the right to bring the shadow “back out.”

Reduce the “Fill” on the “Drop Shadow” layer to make it a little less harsh.

And… that’s it! Feel free to change the stroke and background colors as you wish. Play around with it. Have some fun.

Master Download
You can download my original Master .PSD for this tutorial here.

I first noticed this effect with the (animated) launch of the new Iconfactory website. I was later browsing through my normal list of bookmarked sites and noticed that SimpleBits has been doing the same thing for a while now. It’s a pretty neat effect that can be recreated with a few filters and adjustment layers.

Create a new document, whatever size you want, by pressing [Ctrl + N].

Select the Square Marquee tool [M] and draw your square through half of the document.

Press [D] to set your default colors, and then press [Alt + Backspace] to fill with black. Deselect with [Ctrl + D].

Next, run the Wave Filter by going [Filter > Distort > Wave]. Play around with the settings, but you’ll probably want something a little less extreme. I used the following settings:

- Generators : 2
- Wavelength: 10,48
- Amplitude: 5,6
- Sine

Back to the Filter menu, run the Ocean Ripple filter [Filter > Distort > Ocean Ripple]. This distortion will give you an idea of how far your pixel edges will go.

- Size: 5
- Magnitude: 12

Next step is to pixelate our image. Run [Filter > Pixelate > Mosaic]. Choose a [Cell Size] around 5-6 pixels.

Create a new Curves Adjustment layer by going [Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves...] or by using the button at the bottom of the Layers palette.

Adjust your curves to something crazy… like a rollercoaster. You’ll start to see the edges separate a little bit. Just play around with them and watch your image until you see something that might work for you. You can always adjust it again later, thanks to the magic of Adjustment layers.

Create a new Levels Adjustment layer by going [Layer >New Adjustment Layer > Levels...] or, again, by using the shortcut button on the Layers palette. Play with the sliders, moving them closer together until you get the effect you want. This is a personal preference, so do what you think looks good.

Here’s mine:

We’re going to use this as our mask so we can apply some colors.

Go to [Select > Color Range] and click on the black side. Set the Fuzziness to 200.

With your selection, create a new Solid Color Fill layer by going [Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color...]. Choose any color you like.

Create another Solid Color Fill layer and drag it below the Color layer you just made in the Layers Palette [F7]. Fill it with any color you like. I chose something a little complementary.

Keeping with the Iconfactory fashion, I’ll create a new Solid Color Fill layer and fill it with white.

Then add a little shadow by going [Layer > Layer Style > Outer Glow] and adjusting the color to black and the Mode to Normal.

And here’s my finished product:

This effect has a lot of variables so it will almost never come out the same. Play around with it and have fun!

EDIT: Doh! I forgot the Master File Download
Download the Pixelated Mosaic Edges Master PSD (10kb zip). Enjoy!

Target Image:

Original Image:

1. MoonGlow

1.1. Open the image in Twisting Pixels
1.2. Find your menu select [Filter] find [Pixel Creation] and then add your [Moon Glow].

1.3. Adjust your MoonGlow settings by using the sliders; move your MoonGlow by dragging it.
- Use tab labeled [Halo and Eclipse] to adjust your moon’s halo and glow.

2. Moon Ring

2.1. Find your menu select [Filter] find [Pixel Creation] and then add [MoonRing]
2.2. Make sure your MoonRing is behind your MoonGlow by dragging your MoonRing layer below your MoonGlow layer in your layer menu.

2.3. Get rid of your ring, but not the glow.
-Move the [Ring Softness], [Ring Width], and [Ring Opacity] sliders to zero to make your ring disappear.
2.4. Size the glow to fit precisely behind your MoonGlow, making the glow small.

3. Altocumulus

3.1. Altocumulus gives a foggier look. Go to your menu find [Filter] find [PixelCreation] then add [Altocumulus].

-Place as many layers of Altocumulus clouds around your moon as desired.

3.2. To keep your layers organized but your Altocumulus clouds in a group folder.

-At the bottom right hang corner click on the group folder icon to put your Altocumulus clouds in the same group.

-You can label your folder by clicking on [Group].

4. CumulusNimbus

4.1. I threw in a CumulusNimbus cloud to add a little more variation. You can do this by going to your menu find [Filter] find [PixelCreation] and adding [CumulusNimbus]
-add as many as desired
-If you want your CumulusNimbus clouds in a group folder just follow directions in 3.2.

5. Darkening your image

5.1. Your image should resemble this before making darker.

5.2. Use Monotone to darken your image. Go to your menu find [Filter] find
[PixelSampler] and add [Monotone].
5.3. Change your Monotone color by clicking on the black box next to your color slider. That should bring up your color selection.

-Choose any color, I choose a dark blue to go with this image.

5.4. Change the darkness of the picture by adjusting the [Color] slider.
5.5. To make the picture more clear adjust the [Softness] and [Softness Blend] to little or none.

6. Intensify your moon

6.1. On your menu find [Filter] find [PixelCreation] and add [Tonal Intensity].
6.2. Use the Ellipse tool located at the top left corner to have Tonal Intensity on and around the moon.

-Adjust the ellipse on and around the moon for an intense glow.

6.3. Your end product should resemble this:

Tutorial written and sponsored by Twisting Pixels

Target Image:

Original Image:

-Load image into Twisting Pixels from Photoshop.
-Go to your menu find [Filter] find [Twisting Pixels] click on [Twisting Pixels]. If you are not running this under Photoshop then launch the Twisting Pixels application and choose “Open” under the file menu.

1. Folding your image

1.1. On your menu find [Filter] find [PixelPaper] and add [Fold].

1.2. Change [Fold Amount] for a more dramatic crease.
1.3. Change horizontal and vertical folds to 2 folds each, with the sliders.

1.4. Shrink image slightly with the [Shrink Image] slider. This gives the folds room for the shadows and the perspective.
1.5. Make the shadow darker. Find the tab labeled [Lights] select [Shadow Color] and adjust slider to fit your preference. Higher settings give darker shadow colors

2. Adding texture

2.1. Find the tab labeled [Surface]
- Hit the button labeled [Bumpmap...]
- This should bring up a standard open dialog where you can load different textures..
2.2. To view these textures change the images from [List] to [Thumbnails]. If you are on Mac OSX then when you click on each JPG file you can see a preview in the right column.

-Choose a desirable texture. I chose Asphalt_3. Asphalt_3.
-Adjust your surface by changing the bumpmap strength and scale.

2.3. Your end product should resemble this:

This tutorial written and sponsored by Twisting Pixels.

Diagonal Line Patterns

There are a lot of websites out there that use some sort of variation of a diagonal pattern. One of them being this website (look up) and a few other sites. The hardest part of this is creating the actual pattern.

The first thing you’ll want to do is create a new document by going to [File > New] or pressing [Ctrl + N]. When the New Document dialog opens, set the Background Contents to [Transparent]. The dimensions settings will depend on the size of the line you want to create and the amount of space between the lines. For this first example I’ll just be using 1-pixel wide lines spaced 1-pixel apart, so my dimensions will only have to be 3px x 3px.

Since my document is so tiny I’m going to zoom in as close as possible, 1600%, by pressing [Ctrl + =]. Using the Pencil Tool with a Brush Size of 1, I’ll draw three dots in a diagonal.

Select All by pressing [Ctrl + A] and go to [Edit > Define Pattern...]. You can then name your pattern in the Pattern Name dialog box.

Your new pattern is now ready to use. Create a new Pattern Fill Layer by going [Layer > New Fill Layer > Pattern] or by using the button on the bottom of the Layers palette.

You can click on the down arrow next to the current pattern, if your new one isn’t selected, to find your pattern. Click on the small right-facing arrow and choose “Small List” to see the names of your patterns.

Press OK to finish the new Pattern Fill layer. You’ll now have your diagonal pattern.

It’s pretty ugly right now, so I’m going to drop the Opacity of the new layer to around [15%].

To create a thicker line pattern we’ll have to determine our size and spacing then create a new layer. I’m going for 4-pixels wide spaced 4-pixels apart, so I’ll create a new document [Ctrl + N] 12px x 12px. Select the Line Tool and set the options in the Options bar to [Fill pixels], Weight [4px], and [Anti-alias] unchecked.

Draw your line diagonally holding the [Shift] key to make sure it’s completely diagonal. Then zoom in really close again.

Select the Square Marquee tool [M] and draw a 7px x 7px square and drag the corner to the line like shown:

Press [Ctrl + J] to duplicate the selection onto its own new layer. Drag that new layer to the corner. Then make another square selection starting in the corner like shown:

That selection is going to be the new pattern, so, go to [Edit > Define Pattern] and follow the steps from before.

Rounded Corners

Rounded corners are nothing new in web design. It became trendy then died down a little bit, I think, because it’s hard to program for (I’m a web developer), but with some new solutions popping up, they’re becoming easier to deal with.

This method will show you how to create smooth rounded corners that can be fine-tuned. A little more flexible and technical than just going [Select > Modify > Smooth] or using the Rounded Rectangle Shape tool.

Starting with a square or rectangle selection, create a new Solid Color (or Gradient) Fill Layer, making sure your selection is smaller than your canvas.

Now we’ll add a small Gaussian Blur by going [Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur]. Setting the blur higher will make a more rounded corner; lower setting for a smaller corner. A good average is usually [3.0 pixels].

Now we can use two methods to finish our corners, Curves or Levels, so I’ll show you both. Personally, I like using Curves, so I’ll show you that method first.

Bring up the Curves dialog box by pressing [Ctrl + M].

Click on the Curves line to create an adjustment point. Add a point to the upper end of the line and drag it towards the middle. Do the same with the lower end of the line. Adjust the points until you see your blur start to sharpen and your rounded corners appear. Use the image below for reference.

You now have rounded corners.

To use the Levels method, bring up the Levels dialog box by pressing [Ctrl + L].

Drag the two side sliders towards the middle and you’ll see the blur disappearing and the rounded corners starting to show.

With a little experimenting and a combination of these techniques, you can make your website design a little more modern and (maybe) a little more trendy.

Note: If you want to make an angry “Web 2.0″-related comment, please read this first.

Thanks and enjoy!

MASTER FILE DOWNLOAD
I’ve decided to make my master .PSD file for these tutorials available for download.
Download the Web 2.0 Design Kit Master PSD file (82.5kb ZIP).

Gradients

The reflective or glass effect was first popularized by Apple. There have been many tutorials about creating Apple’s “Aqua Buttons” and this is a similar effect.

After making your selection, create a new Gradient Fill Layer [Layer > New Fill Layer > Gradient...] or use the Fill Layer button at the bottom of your Layers palette.

Click on the Gradient to bring up the Gradient Editor. Select the “Foreground to Background” preset from the list of presets. Click on the first Stop on the left and set the Location to 50%. Then set the color to something a little darker than your base color. I’m going to use greys because it leaves me some flexibility for changing the color later.

Create another Stop to the left of the gradient and set the Location to 49%. Set the color to something slighter darker than the 50% Stop. Create another Stop at Location 0% and make it slightly darker than the Stop at 49%.

Press OK and you now have your gradient.

To add some color, create a new Solid Color Fill Layer [Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color...] or, again, use the button at the bottom of the Layers palette and select a color for the gradient. Press [Ctrl + Alt + G] or [Layer > Create Clipping Mask] to create a clipping mask of your new layer. Scroll through the Layer Modes [Shift + -] until you find one that you like.

Reflections

Reflections have become a huge trend for website design lately. We’ll first start by selectin the Type Tool [T] and entering the type we want to reflect.

Duplicate that text layer by pressing [Ctrl + J]. Drag the duplicated layer below your original in the Layers Palette. Right click on the duplicate layer in the palette and choose [Rasterize Type].

With the duplicate layer chosen in the Layers Palette, press [Ctrl + T] to bring up the Free Transform. Right click in the transform binding box and choose [Flip Vertical]. Drag your flipped layer so that the bottoms match.

Add a Layer Mask by click on the button at the bottom of the Layers Palette or by going [Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All].

Press [D] to reset your colors and then press [G] to select the Gradient Tool. With the layer mask selected in the Layers Palette, which it should be already, drag from top-to-bottom with the Gradient Tool until you get the fade you desire.

You now have your type reflection. You can use the same method for any object also.

Soft Shadows

Another popular effect is the soft shadow. It’s actually more of a glow than a shadow, so we will approach creating the effect this way.

Select the layer of the object you want to add the shadow to, in my case it’s the gradient layer I created before, and click on the Add New Layer Style button (at the bottom of the Layers Palette) and choose [Outer Glow].

Set the Blend Mode to [Normal];
Color to [Black] or [000000];
Size to something like [8], and
Opacity to [35-40%].

You will now have a soft shadow that should look similar to this:

Star Shapes (Violators)

Another trend popping up is the star shapes or violator (thanks comment-er) for getting attention.

Click and hold on the Shape Tool until the sub-menu opens and choose the Polygon Tool.

Create a new Solid Color Fill Layer and choose whatever color you want your shape to be. Press [D] then [Ctrl + Backspace] to fill the layer mask with black.

Up in the Options Bar, click on the down-facing arrow to bring up your Shape Options. For my shape I checked the [Star] checkbox on and set the Indent Sides By to [20%]. In the Options Bar I checked [Anti-alias] on and set the Sides to [20].

Now I’m ready to draw out my star:

To style it a little more, I used a Gradient Fill Layer instead of a solid color and I added a tight Drop Shadow Layer Style, settings: Opacity [60%], Distance [1px] and Size [2px].

In the next installment of this 2-part series, I will show you how to create diagonal line patterns, rounded corners and some other Web 2.0 effects.

You can now read Web 2.0 Design Kit Part 2.

MASTER FILE DOWNLOAD
I’ve decided to make my master .PSD file for these tutorials available for download.
Download the Web 2.0 Design Kit Master PSD file (82.5kb ZIP).

I’ll show you the image I’m going to use, courtesy of PhotoSpin.com.

Creating Rain Drops
The first step is going to be creating the rain drops. Open a new image [Ctrl + Shift + N] and set it to the dimensions you want your biggest droplet to be. Mine is about 250-pixels, so I created a 250-pixel square.

Create a new Layer [Ctrl + Alt + Shift + N] and fill it with black. Press [D] for default colors, then [Ctrl + Backspace] to fill.

Choose a small brush and draw a single dot towards the left of the image.

Go to [Filter > Stylize > Wind]. Set the Method: Wind and Direction: From the Left.

Press [Ctrl + F] to run the filter again. You may want to run it one more time, for a total of 3.

Next, go to [Filter > Blur > Motion Blur]. Set the Angle: 0 and Distance: 25 or so pixels.

Press [Ctrl + T] to bring up the Free Transform. Right-click in the bounding box and choose “Rotate 90° CCW.” Then press the number pad Enter key to set it.

Press [Ctrl + I] to inverse the image. Then, press [Ctrl + A] to select the entire image.

Go to [Edit > Define Brush Preset...] and name the brush something you will remember.

You now have a rain drop brush.

Rainy Reflections
We’re going to forget about the brush for a little to create the rainy scene.

Go back to the image you want to edit. Create a new Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer, [Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation] or select it from the button at the bottom of the Layers palette, and change the settings to:

Saturation: +15
Lightness: -30

With the Hue/Saturation Layer selected, fill the Layer Mask with black (press [D] then [Ctrl + Backspace]).

Select a normal, soft-edged, round brush and set your Foreground Color to white. Start painting the street to darken it, giving the effect that it’s wet. This is also where the reflection will be.

Now, duplicate the entire image by selecting the Background Layer in the layers palette and pressing [Ctrl + J]. Set the Layer Opacity to something around 60-70%.

Flip the layer vertically by going to [Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical].

Now, hold [Ctrl] and click on the Layer Mask, black and white area, of the Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer you created earlier. This will load that layer mask as a selection on your new, flipped layer.

Click on the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette, or go [Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection]. You should now have a duplicate Layer Mask. Click on the Link icon in between the Layer preview and Layer Mask preview to unlink them.

With the Layer preview selected in the Layers Palette, not the Layer Mask, drag the layer down until the reflection looks good.

Create a whole new layer [Ctrl + Alt + Shift + N]. With this new layer selected in the Layers palette, press [Ctrl + Alt + Shift + E] to merge all the visible layers onto that layer.

Now go to [Filter > Distort > Ocean Ripple]. Play with the Ripple Size and Ripple Magnitude until you get something you like. Mine were pretty small:

Add a small Gaussian Blur [Filter > Blur Gaussian Blur] of around .8-1.5 pixels.

Load the Layer Mask of one of your other layers by holding [Ctrl] and clicking on it, like we did before, and add a new Layer Mask to your rippled image. Then hide or delete your other 2 layers.

You should now have your reflected surface.

Making It Rain
Select the Brush Tool [B] and choose your new brush from the Brush Palette.

Go to the Brush Options Palette [F5] and select Shape Dynamics. Change the settings to:

Size Jitter: 100%
Angle Jitter: 1%

Select Scattering Next. Change the settings to:

Scatter: 1000%
Both Axes: Yes
Count: 1 (or 2 if you want heavier rain)

Next, choose Other Dynamics and change the settings to:

Opacity Jitter: 100%

Now, save this brush as something similar to your first. Go to the Brushes Palette and choose New Brush Preset from the little-arrow menu (technical, I know).

Set your foreground color to white (press [D] then press [X]).

Create a new layer [Ctrl + Alt + Shift + N] and start painting with your new brush.

Set the Layer Mode to Soft Light.

Create a new Layer below the layer you just painted.

Decrease your brush size slightly by pressing the left bracket key [{].

Paint your new Layer and change the Layer Mode to Soft Light.

Create another new Layer below that layer.

Bring up your Brush Options again [F5] and click on Brush Tip Shape.

Change the Angle: -25°. Decrease your brush size a little more again [{] and start painting.

This will create the angled rain.

Add a slight Gaussian Blur [Filter > Blur > Gaussain Blur] of about 1.5 pixels. Reduce the Layer Opacity to around 65%.

I want to add a bit more rain, so I’m going to paint again on the same layer, then press [Ctrl + F] to run the Gaussian Blur again.

If you think the rain drops look too harsh, play with the Opacity of the layers and add a little more Gaussian Blur.

Also, you should have an idea of how to add more or less rain. Play around with it until you get something you like. None of these settings are exact.

Tiny Splashes
Go to your Brushes palette and choose the “Star 42″ brush.

NOTE: If you can’t find the brush, click on the small arrow to bring up the Palette options and choose “Small List.”

Bring up the Brush Options palette [F5] and choose Brush Tip Shape. Change the settings:

Spacing: 30% or so

Next, choose Shape Dynamics. Change the settings:

Size Jitter: 100%

Choose Scattering and change the settings:

Scattering: 1000%

Create a new layer and change the Layer Opacity to around 50-60%.

With your new brush, start painting the areas on the street. This will create a slight splash effect for the rain.

You can, again, add a slight Gaussian Blur to make it look a little softer.

It will probably overlap some areas where there shouldn’t be a splash. Just use the Eraser Tool to erase the rogue drops.

Finishing Touches
Since I have some people outside in the rain, I’m going to make them look a little wet.

Create a new Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer [Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation]. Change the settings:

Saturation: +15
Lightness: -25

Fill the adjustment layer with black. Choose a normal, soft, round brush and set the foreground to white. Paint the people’s clothes so that they appear darker… wetter.

Create a new layer [Ctrl + Alt + Shift + N]. With your foreground color still white, and your soft edged brush, just highlight the areas where rain would be bouncing off of things. People’s heads, cars, lamp posts, etc… This adds that “hazy” effect.

Now, just add another Hue/Saturation adjustment layer, at the top level of your Layers Palette, and adjust the settings:

And that’s about it. The final image:

Compared to the original:

Now, I do have to confess… that when I first went through the trial and error of this, my original image looked better than the tutorial image. But that just shows how the extra tweaking to your preference makes a difference.

So, play around with it. Have fun.

I was looking through a recent print magazine in which they were displaying artwork around the world. I saw a lot of grungy, torn, ripped and generally distressed design trends. I like trendy things, so I figured I’d show a way of recreating these effects in Photoshop.

Start with a blank document and make a square selection with the Marquee tool [M] a little smaller than your document.

Create a Solid Color Adjustment Layer and fill it with whatever color you want. In this case, I used #6D665B.

Now choose the Brush tool [B]. Select the Brush menu at the top, in your Options palette, and select the Chalk 17 pixels brush. NOTE: If you are having trouble finding the brush, when your Brush palette drops down, select the small arrow in the upper right corner, then select Small List. It should make your palette look like mine.

Press [D] to set your colors back to default. Bring up your Brush Options by pressing [F5] or going [Window > Brushes].

Click on “Shape Dynamics” and change the settings similar to mine:

Size Jitter: 100%
Minimum Diameter: 0%
Angle Jitter: 50%
Roundness Jitter: 25%
Minimum Roundness: 25%
Flip X Jitter: Yes
Flip Y Jitter: Yes

NOTE: I use a Wacom Tablet (www.wacom.com ) so my brush tip shape preview probably looks different than yours. Mine is feathered at the edges.

Click on “Scattering” and change the settings similar to mine:

Scatter: 100%
Both Axes: Yes
Count: 1
Count Jitter: 0%

Next, click on “Texture”. Click on the texture preview window, and choose the second texture from the left.

Then, change the settings:

Scale: 100%
Mode: Color Burn
Depth: 50%

Click on “Other Dynamics” and change the settings to:

Opacity Jitter: 50%
Flow Jitter: 0%

And finally, click on “Wet Edges” and make sure “Smoothing” is checked.

Now, just brush along the edges of your color square, and watch how it works.

You’ll probably want to save your brush settings. Click on your Brush Presets menu again, and choose “New Brush Preset…”. Name the brush whatever you like.

Go back to the Brush Preset menu and choose the “Spatter 24 pixels” brush.

Go back to the Brushes window and check the same settings you had earlier. When you click on each box, it should remember your settings from the previous brush. The only difference, is we’re going to set:
Scattering: 1000%

Set your foreground color to a light gray, I used #B6B6B6.

Now, don’t click and drag. Just point and click once, randomly across your image. This should add a little more distress.

Now, we’re going to create another Solid Color Adjustment Layer. Make it slightly darker than the color of your first one. Then press [Ctrl + G] to create a Clipping Mask. CS2 users have to use [Ctrl + Alt + G].

Press [D] to set your colors to default. Press [Ctrl + Backspace] to fill the mask with black. With white as your foreground color, use the same brush and same technique as above.

Now, to finish it off, you can add some Noise to the top layer by going [Filter > Noise > Add Noise]. Adjust the settings to your liking and apply.

The great thing about this technique, is that you can experiment with many of the different brushes and their settings to get different effects. I’ll leave it up to you to get creative.

I started with this photo from BigStockPhoto.com (Couple by Dimitrii). It’s a perfect photo, since the couple is in the foreground and there are no distracting objects.

Start by selecting the people in the foreground. This doesn’t have to be an exact selection… but the closer the better. It’s also better to have a little outside of the lines than in. I made my selection by using the Quick Mask [Q] and, using the Brush Tool [B], painting away the red.

With your selection made, create a new Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer [Layer > New Adjustement Layer > Hue/Saturation]. Drag the Lightness all the way down to -100. (NOTE: You don’t HAVE to go to -100. Leaving it a little higher will allow your objects to show more.)

You should end up with something like this:

Beneath your Hue/Saturation Layer… you’re going to create another Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer [Layer > New Adjustement Layer > Hue/Saturation] with the same setting of Lightness: -100.

Your image will be black. Select the Gradient Tool [G] and press [D] to set your colors to default. Choose the default Black-to-White gradient.

Make sure your layer mask is selected on your new Hue/Saturation Adjustment layer.

Now, drag the gradient from bottom to top. Do this until you get the effect you like.

Below these two layers, create a Solid Color Adjustment layer [Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color]. Set the color to a dark orange color. I used #f78733.

Set the Layer Mode to Color Burn.

If the color is too dark or too light, just open the Solid Color Adjustment Layer and mess with the colors til you get something you like.

Now, to create the glow of the sun. Make a circle selection with the center near the horizon.

Create a new Solid Color Adjustment Layer and select a yellow color. I used #f4bc12.

Run a high Gaussian Blur of around 25-pixels or so. [Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur]. Make it enough of a blur so you can’t see a hard edge in your circle. Set the Layer Mode to Lighten.

Make a trapezoid shaped selection, with the small end being at your horizon.

Create a new Solid Color Adjustment Layer below the orange-color layer. Fill it with the same yellow you used for the sun. Again, I used #f4bc12.

Run a Gaussian Blur [Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur] (or [Ctrl + Alt + F]) of about half the amount you used earlier. I used 15.

Set the Layer Mode to Linear Light and reduce the Layer Opacity to around 50%.

In case you got confused on the Layer order, here’s a shot of my Layers Palette.

So there’s a relatively quick way to turn any photo into a Hallmark sunset photo.

The first one is the Halftone Pattern filter. We’ll start with our image, I used another from PhotoSpin (PhotoSpin #1490009), and extracting the object from the background.

The Halftone Pattern Filter works with the two colors you have chosen as your foreground/background. I sampled two colors from her skin.

Duplicate the layer [Ctrl + J]. Go to [Filter > Sketch > Halftone Pattern]. You can adjust the settings as you wish, my settings were:

Size: 2

Contrast: 5

Pattern Type: dot

Prett exciting, huh? I haven’t found any practical uses for that one yet, but now you know it’s there.

The next one is the Color Halftone filter. Start by duplicating your layer [Ctrl + J]. Select the original layer (not the one you just duplicated) and run a Gaussian Blur [Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur]. Set the amount high, to 30 or 40 pixels.

Now go to [Filter > Pixelate > Color Halftone]. You can adjust the settings as you want, but I just left mine default. Hit OK, and now…

The third way is a little more of the effect I see in magazines. Right-click on your object layer and choose Duplicate Layer. When the dialog pops up, name it whatever you like, but set the destination to New.

In your new document, go to [Image > Mode > Grayscale]. A dialog might pop-up asking to discard the color information. Choose yes.

Now run a big Gaussian Blur [Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur] of around 30 or 40.

Go to [Image > Mode > Bitmap]. Under Method, choose Halftone Screen.

In the next dialog box, set the Frequency to around 8 or 10 and the Shape to Round.

You should now get an effect like this:

Set the Image Mode back to Grayscale [Image > Mode > Grayscale]. Apply a slight Guassian blur of around 1-pixel to smooth out the rough edges.

Now bring up the Levels Dialog [Ctrl + L] and drag the sliders closer to each other to sharpen the pattern a bit.

You can now drag that layer back to your original document.

That’s about it for Photoshop’s halftone effects.

Obviously start with the photo you want to apply the effect to. I used another photo from PhotoSpin (PhotoSpin #1410017).

Start by duplicating your layer [Ctrl + J]. You don’t HAVE to duplicate the layer, but it helps if you make a mistake. Desaturate your duplicated layer by pressing [Ctrl + Shift + U].

Now go to [Filter > Artistic > Cutout]. Use settings similar to the following:

• Number of Levels: 2
• Edge Simplicity: 3 or 4
• Edge Fidelity: 3

You should get an effect similar to this:

Press [Ctrl + L] to bring up the Levels Dialog. Drag your sliders very close to each other, until your image is only black and white.

Your image will probably have some pretty jagged edges.

To fix this, go under [Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur]. Enter a value of around 2.0 pixels, or whatever looks like your edges are smoothed.

Bring up the Curves Dialog by pressing [Ctrl + M]. Adjust your Curves so the edge blurriness is gone, but there is still no jagged-ness. (Is jagged-ness a word?).

And that should be it.

You could get a little more advanced with this by masking your subject out (cutting out) first, then running through the steps.

Open your image. I started with this photo of a banana (PhotoSpin #0250025). I masked out the banana and slightly rotated it.

Behind my banana layer, I added a Gradient Adjustment Layer. Adjust the colors to something yellowish, or whatever color you want, and fading to black.

Set the Gradient Adjustment Layer to Style: Radial. I increased the scale to fit my banana better.

Make a rectangular selection on the lower 1/3 of your image. Add a new Solid Color Adjustment Layer under the banana layer and above the Gradient layer. Fill it with black.

Select your banana layer and press [Ctrl + J] to duplicate it. Select your lower, original banana layer and press [Ctrl + T] to bring up the free-transform. Right-click on your bounding box, and choose “Flip Vertical”.

Drag your new, flipped layer down, so that the bottom of the top layer, matches the top of the bottom layer. Confused? Picture:

Click on the Add Layer Mask button on your Layers Palette or go [Layer > Add Layer Mask > Reveal All]. Select the Gradient Fill Tool [G] and select your default colors [D]. With your Layer Mask selected, drag your Gradient from top to bottom until you get a nice reflective effect.

And that’s pretty much it. I explained it out in this tutorial, but it’s a few quick steps for a nice effect.

First we’ll isolate the house by selecting it and putting it on it’s own layer [Ctrl + J]. Hide the background layer and open your Channels palette [Window > Channels].

Hold the [Ctrl] key and click on the Channel that has the most contrast. Press [Ctrl + Shift + I] to inverse the selection.

Click on the RGB channel to return to normal. Go back to your Layers Palette and create a new Solid Color Adjustment layer. Make the color white.

Go to [Image > Rotate Canvas > 90° CW]. Then go to [Filter > Stylize > Wind].

Run the Wind Filter 1 or 2 more times by pressing [Ctrl + F]. Rotate the canvas back by going [Image > Rotate Canvas > 90° CCW].

Create a new Solid Color Adjustment layer and make the color a burnt orange-red, fire type of color. I used #AB3D07. Set the Layer Mode to Color Burn.

Duplicate the layer you applied the Wind Filter to [Ctrl + J] and hide one of the copied layers. Select the Smudge Tool [R]. Go to the Brushes Palette [Window > Brushes].

Under “Shape Dynamics”, drag the Size Jitter up; Angle Jitter up; Roundness Jitter up. Click on “Scattering” and alter the settings until you get something similar to this:

Now start Smudging the layer. You should get an effect similar to this:

Unhide the layer you hid earlier. Run a slight Gaussian Blur [Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur] of around 2-pixels.

Now go to [Filter > Liquify] or [Ctrl + Shift + X]. Select the Twirl Clockwise Tool and lower Brushe Pressure to around 40%. Now add a little bit of craziness to your image.

You may want to add a slight Motion Blur [Filter > Blur > Motion Blur] or a slight Gaussian Blur [Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur] if you still have some harsh lines.

Now create another Solid Color Adjustment layer below your “fire” layers. Make the color something similar to your fire color or darker. I used #522A04. Use the Brush Tool [B] with a Black foreground to paint away some of the areas of the house, so that certain areas show through. You might want to lower the Layer Opacity too.

That’s pretty much it. I know I might have gotten a little confusing with the Layers, so here’s a shot of my Layers Palette for reference.

Select the Brush tool [B] and under the Brush menu find the Dune Brush and select it.

TIP: You can choose to view your brushes by selecting “Text Only” from your brush menu.

Use the Eyedropper tool [I] and sample the color of your person’s hair. Hold the [Alt] and sample another, slightly different, color of your person’s hair.

Now we’re going to go through the wonderful Brushes Palette. You can open it by going to [Window > Brushes] or by pressing [F5].

This is where all the magic happens. Under “Shape Dynamics” we’re going to: increase the Angle Jitter a bit, decrease the Roundness Jitter a bit, and check both the Flip X Jitter and Flip Y Jitter checkboxes.

Under “Scattering” we can control how dense we want the hair to be. We’re going to start her off with a little 5′o click shadow. So I’ll set the Scatter to around 200% and the Count to 2.

Under “Color Dynamics” I’m just going to increase the Hue Jitter slightly.

Now I’ll just create a new layer [Ctrl + Shift + N] and decrease my brush size to something small… like 5 or 6. Then just start painting in the appropriate areas.

Now let’s say we wanted to make the hair a little thicker. All we have to do is increase the Brushe size slightly (8 or 9 here) and start painting again.

Just keep playing with the “Scattering” settings, Brush size, and color to get different types of hair. You can even play around with the Layer modes and duplicating the layers.

See? So much fun.

UPDATE

Since a few people were having troubles with the brushes, you can download my brushes here: psLAB Brushes. You might see a few extra brushes, but the hair one is at the bottom.

Let’s go ahead and start off with the two photos we’re going to use, the water (PhotoSpin #0010007 ).

First we’ll start with the photo of water. Open up the Channels palette [Window > Channels] and browse through the channels until you find one with the most contrast. Mine was the Green channel.

Right-click on the channel and select “Duplicate Channel.” When the dialog opens, name it whatever you like and select New under the Destination Document.

Save your new document as a .PSD file in a location you can easily find. Select the RGB Channel in the channels palette to return to the full color.

Place your object onto a new layer in your water image. Add a Layer Mask [Layer > Add Layer Mask > Reveal All] and lower the opacity to around 60%. Duplicate the layer [Ctrl + J] and hide the lower layer.

With the Layer Mask selected, start painting away (fill with Black) the bottom area of your object, following the contour of the water. Return the Layer Opacity to 100%.

Now, select the lower layer that you hid. Press [Ctrl + T] to bring up the Free Transform. Right-click in Transform box and select “Flip Vertical.” Drag the layer down until it looks like a reflection of the above layer.

Remember that texture layer we made from the channels? We’re going to use that now. With the bottom object layer still select, go to [Filter > Distort > Displace]. Set your Horizontal and Vertical scales to around 5.

After you click OK, find the texture file you saved earlier and press OK. Your image should now distort a little bit.

Now you can use the Layer Mask to paint away any of the areas that overlap with the original layer. Change the Layer Mode to “Lighten” and lower the opacity a bit. That’s it!

You can do some retouching, if needed, with the Paintbrush and Layer Masks easily.