Step 20

Give another new fill layer. Use the color of #070816.

Set this layer to exclusion blending at 100% opacity.

Step 21

Now go to layer > new adjustment layers > brightness/contrasts to give the whole scene brightness/contrasts layer.

Mask this adjustment layer on areas highlighted in red.

Step 22

Give another adjustment layer: selective color. Set this layer to normal blending at about 70% opacity.

Step 23

Finally, give the scene a new adjustment layer again: gradient map.

Set this gradient layer to normal at about 35% opacity. Mask area around the middle of the scene as shown in the red highlight.

Step 24

We are almost done! We will add some bubbles around the model as an indication of the model’s movement in the water. We will create a bubble custom brush first. Create a new document (Ctrl+N) with a size of about 500 pixels high and 500 pixels wide. Take the ellipse tool (U) and create a black spherical shape. Don’t forget to hide the background layer by clicking the eye icon next to this layer.

Mask the shape as indicated in red highlight. Right-click on the shape layer in the layer panel to show the layer option and choose Rasterize Layer.

Finally go to edit > define brush preset. Name this brush, say, bubble.

Step 25

Next, we will add some bubbles to the scene. Create another new layer below the brightness/contrast layer in the main document (step 21). Load the bubble brush previously created. Open the brush preset (F5) and set the brush stroke.

On this new layer, paint the bubble using the color of #76b2be. Try to vary the brush size to create various sizes of bubbles.

And finally, select the topmost layer and hit Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E to merge all the visible layers into a single layer. Name this layer, say, final. Go to filter > sharpen > unsharp mask to sharpen the final result a bit.

Final Results

Download the PSD

Underwater.zip| 53.1 MB

Tutorial by Dek Wid

Thank you for following this tutorial. I hope you find it useful and happy photoshopping.

- Dek Wid