Showcase and discover digital art at yex

Follow Design Stacks

Subscribe to our free newsletter to get all our latest tutorials and articles delivered directly to your inbox!

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Photoshop

In this tutorial I will show you how to create a mystery photo manipulation using Photoshop brushes, different blend modes, and more. Let’s get started!

Final Image Preview

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
For the beginning create a new file (File>New) having 1920x1200px/72ppi. Then take the Paint Bucket Tool (G) and fill the new background layer with the next demonstrated color.

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Select the Brush Tool (B) set the Opacity to 20% in Options Bar

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Let’s put some brushstrokes on a new layer, the same way demonstrated below:

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
… and more on a new layer again…

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Set for this layer Blend Mode to Color Dodge:

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
That’s the result you should get:

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Find a stock photo with a model represented on it, I used this photo from deviantart. I would like to thank the author of this photo:

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Remove the background using your favorite tools like Pen Tool (P), Magic Wand Tool (W), Magnetic Lasso (L) or even a simple Filter>Extract.

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Create a new layer and insert here several dots with the brush, changing their sizes with the button [ or ]. The color’s code in this case is #BA93B3

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
… and more of white color:

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Take now the Ellipse Tool (U) and make a circle:

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Set Fill to 0% for this layer:

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Next select the Layer Style. Make a double click on the left mouse’s button on this layer on the layers’ panel and set the Gradient Overlay as shown:

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
We’ve got a kind of half – transparent circle:

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Copy them out (Ctrl+J) and put them arbitrary on the layer, using the Move Tool (V)

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Create a new layer and represent on it a kind of luminescence around the girl. The brush’s settings are demonstrated below. Opacity 10%.

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Next insert the adjustment layer Create new fill or adjustment layer > Curves:

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Set it:

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
This way, our work became more contrasting and saturated.

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Make one more circle using Ellipse Tool (U):

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Set the Fill to 0% and Opacity to 70% for its layer:

How to Create a Mystery Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop CS3

Page: 1 2

Comments