Description

In this quick tutorial, I'll show you how to retouch an underwater composite image in photoshop.

Visit our website: http://www.graphicsgeeks.net
Watch our photoshop tutorials playlist: https://goo.gl/DpfR9Z

We start off with some jellyfish, which I modelled in Cinema 4D and rendered in Keyshot.

I'm happy with my jellyfish, but the water isn't exactly convincing yet. Real seawater has a lot of microscopic debris floating around. So the first thing I'm going to do is go to File...Place and add a floating particles image.

So you can follow along, I've included some download links to these as well as the rest of the project files in the description below.

DOWNLOAD FREE PROJECT FILES - https://gumroad.com/l/underwater-effects-photoshop-tutorial

DOWNLOAD FREE FLOATING PARTICLES OVERLAYS -
https://gumroad.com/l/floating-dust-particle-overlays

Next we set the blending mode to Overlay and lower the opacity to about ninety percent, so they blend in nicely with the rest of the scene.

This looks great, but if you look closely you'll notice some in-focus particles in front of our foreground jellyfish - which is out of focus. That doesn't seem to make much sense so we add a mask and paint onto it with a soft black brush to hide them.

Next it's time to work on our background gradient. This gradient is already very important to our water effect. But it would be nice to add some turbulence to make it a bit more natural looking. To do this we create a new layer, hold down the Alt or Option key and go to Filter...Render...Clouds. You can see that by holding down the Alt or Option key its created some higher contrast clouds.

Next we change the blending mode to Multiply, and lower the opacity to about twenty percent. However, we don't want this showing everywhere, so we add an inverted mask to it by holding down the Alt or Option key and then clicking the mask button. Then we paint it back in using a white soft brush.

The next thing we're going to do is create the impression of a water surface at the top of our canvas. Create a new layer and go to Filter...Render...Clouds and then go to Filter...Render...Difference Clouds. Change the blending mode to Multiply and lower the opacity to about twenty percent. Then go to Edit...Transform...Distort to stretch it into position at the top of your canvas.

This looks great already but there's a harsh transition at the bottom. We can easily soften this though by adding a mask and then painting along the bottom with a soft black brush.

To add some color we create a Color Balance adjustment layer. We clip it to our water surface layer by holding down the Alt or Option key, while hovering over the boundary between the two, and then, when the icon changes, clicking. Then we use the adjustment layer to ramp up the Cyan in the midtones.

Now lets add some light streaks, coming down from the water surface. We create a new layer and then go to Filter...Render...Clouds while holding down the Alt or Option key. Then we go to Filter...Blur...Radial Blur. Select Zoom as our blur method, quality to Best and turn the amount up to one hundred. We also drag the blur center to the top right third of the viewfinder.

After hitting OK we go to Image...Auto Contrast. Then we change the blending mode to Luminosity and lower the opacity to twenty percent. Next we add a mask and use a black soft brush to hide any light streaks lower down in the water and in front of our jellyfish.

Finally, we create a new layer and then find the default gradient called Spectrum. We set it to Radial and then drag it from the source of our light rays all the way out to the bottom left hand corner. Then we change the blending mode to Overlay and set the opacity to about five percent. This layer just adds a small amount of refractive color variation throughout the water.

I'm really pleased with how this has worked out. We've made our underwater scene look a lot more realistic, with just a few simple tweaks in Photoshop.

That's it for this tutorial. If you enjoyed it, please subscribe and hit the like button - and I'll see you next time!

Metadata

Video ID 307
Youtube URL Underwater Effects | Photoshop Tutorial
Captions Available Yes
Captions Downloadable Yes
Playlists
Duration 00:03:32
Definition hd
Keywords
License youtube
Embeddable Yes
Views 6325
Likes 110
Dislikes 1
Favourites 0
Comments 12
Created 2017-05-04 1:00:44 PM
Updated 2017-05-04 1:13:49 PM

Captions

ASR: en

0:00:00.000,0:00:05.069
in this quick tutorial I'll show you how

0:00:02.669,0:00:07.379
to retouch an underwater composite image

0:00:05.069,0:00:09.780
in Photoshop we start off with some

0:00:07.379,0:00:12.660
jellyfish which I modeled in cinema 4d

0:00:09.780,0:00:14.519
and then rendered in key shot I'm happy

0:00:12.660,0:00:17.190
with my jellyfish but the water isn't

0:00:14.519,0:00:19.260
exactly convincing yet real sea water

0:00:17.190,0:00:21.539
has a lot of microscopic debris floating

0:00:19.260,0:00:24.029
around so the first thing I'm going to

0:00:21.539,0:00:26.699
do is go to file place and add a

0:00:24.029,0:00:28.619
floating particles image so you can

0:00:26.699,0:00:30.390
follow along I've included some download

0:00:28.619,0:00:32.130
links to these as well as the rest of

0:00:30.390,0:00:34.380
the project files in the description

0:00:32.130,0:00:36.809
below next we set the blending mode to

0:00:34.380,0:00:38.730
overlay and lower the opacity to about

0:00:36.809,0:00:40.739
ninety percent so they blend in nicely

0:00:38.730,0:00:42.600
with the rest of the scene this looks

0:00:40.739,0:00:44.879
great but if you look closely you'll

0:00:42.600,0:00:46.890
notice some in focus particles in front

0:00:44.879,0:00:48.899
of our foreground jellyfish which is out

0:00:46.890,0:00:51.539
of focus that doesn't seem to make much

0:00:48.899,0:00:53.489
sense so we add a mask and paint onto it

0:00:51.539,0:00:55.289
with a soft black brush to hide them

0:00:53.489,0:00:57.449
next it's time to work on our background

0:00:55.289,0:00:59.460
gradient this gradient is already very

0:00:57.449,0:01:01.410
important to our water effects but it

0:00:59.460,0:01:03.390
would be nice to add some turbulence to

0:01:01.410,0:01:05.610
make it a bit more natural looking to do

0:01:03.390,0:01:08.130
this we create a new layer hold down the

0:01:05.610,0:01:10.470
alt or option key and go to filter

0:01:08.130,0:01:12.479
render clouds you can see that by

0:01:10.470,0:01:15.119
holding down the alt or option key its

0:01:12.479,0:01:16.380
created some higher contrast clouds next

0:01:15.119,0:01:18.960
we change the blending mode to multiply

0:01:16.380,0:01:21.090
and lower the opacity to about twenty

0:01:18.960,0:01:23.280
percent however we don't want this

0:01:21.090,0:01:25.470
showing everywhere so we add an inverted

0:01:23.280,0:01:27.299
mask to it by holding down the alt or

0:01:25.470,0:01:29.880
option key and then clicking the mask

0:01:27.299,0:01:32.460
button then we paint it back in using a

0:01:29.880,0:01:34.170
white soft brush the next thing we're

0:01:32.460,0:01:36.570
going to do is create the impression of

0:01:34.170,0:01:38.790
a water surface at the top of our canvas

0:01:36.570,0:01:41.729
create a new layer and go to filter

0:01:38.790,0:01:44.040
render clouds and then go to filter

0:01:41.729,0:01:46.020
render difference clouds change the

0:01:44.040,0:01:48.509
blending mode to multiply and lower the

0:01:46.020,0:01:51.570
opacity to about twenty percent then go

0:01:48.509,0:01:53.549
to edit transform distort to stretch it

0:01:51.570,0:01:55.710
into position at the top of your canvas

0:01:53.549,0:01:57.659
this looks great already but there's a

0:01:55.710,0:01:59.640
harsh transition at the bottom we can

0:01:57.659,0:02:01.409
easily soften this though by adding a

0:01:59.640,0:02:04.049
mask and then painting along the bottom

0:02:01.409,0:02:05.820
with a soft black brush to add some

0:02:04.049,0:02:07.770
color we create a color balance

0:02:05.820,0:02:10.140
adjustment layer we clip it to our water

0:02:07.770,0:02:11.970
surface layer by holding down the alt or

0:02:10.140,0:02:13.350
option key while hovering over the

0:02:11.970,0:02:15.870
boundary between the two

0:02:13.350,0:02:17.700
then when the icon changes clicking then

0:02:15.870,0:02:20.280
we use the adjustment layer to ramp up

0:02:17.700,0:02:22.350
the cyan in the mid-tones now let's add

0:02:20.280,0:02:24.510
some light streaks coming down from the

0:02:22.350,0:02:27.120
water surface we create a new layer and

0:02:24.510,0:02:29.550
then go to filter render clouds while

0:02:27.120,0:02:32.790
holding down the alt or option key then

0:02:29.550,0:02:35.220
we go to filter blur radial blur select

0:02:32.790,0:02:38.190
zoom as our blower method quality to

0:02:35.220,0:02:40.260
best and turn the amount up to 100 we

0:02:38.190,0:02:42.450
also drag the blur Center to the top

0:02:40.260,0:02:45.090
right third of the viewfinder after

0:02:42.450,0:02:46.980
hitting ok we go to image Auto contrast

0:02:45.090,0:02:49.290
then we change the blending mode to

0:02:46.980,0:02:51.720
luminosity and lower the opacity to

0:02:49.290,0:02:54.330
twenty percent next we add a mask and

0:02:51.720,0:02:56.340
use a black soft brush to hide any light

0:02:54.330,0:02:58.590
streaks lower down in the water and in

0:02:56.340,0:03:00.330
front of our jellyfish finally we create

0:02:58.590,0:03:02.850
a new layer and then find the default

0:03:00.330,0:03:05.160
gradient called spectrum we set it to

0:03:02.850,0:03:07.200
radial and then drag it from the source

0:03:05.160,0:03:09.270
of our light rays all the way out to the

0:03:07.200,0:03:11.100
bottom left-hand corner then we change

0:03:09.270,0:03:14.040
the blending mode to overlay and set the

0:03:11.100,0:03:15.690
opacity to about 5% this layer just adds

0:03:14.040,0:03:17.370
a small amount of refractive color

0:03:15.690,0:03:19.260
variation throughout the water I'm

0:03:17.370,0:03:21.720
really pleased with how this has worked

0:03:19.260,0:03:23.850
out we've made our underwater scene look

0:03:21.720,0:03:26.550
a lot more realistic with just a few

0:03:23.850,0:03:28.140
simple tweeks in Photoshop that's it for

0:03:26.550,0:03:30.570
this tutorial if you enjoyed it please

0:03:28.140,0:03:33.770
subscribe and hit the like button and

0:03:30.570,0:03:33.770
I'll see you next time

standard: en

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