To increase contrast of your photo manipulation add new adjustment layer Curves and set the curve as on the following image.
Step 16 – Adding Light on the Skyscrapers
To make the image even more interesting and also realistic you need to add more light on those parts of the skyscrapers which are facing to the sun (=lens flare you’ve added in step 14). Add new empty layer on the top of all layers and name it LIGHT ON SKYSCRAPERS. Grab the Paint Bucket Tool (G) and fill the layer with mid grey color (#808080). To blend it properly with the rest of the image change its Blending Mode from Normal to Overlay.
Grab the Brush Tool (B). Select some soft round brush and lower its Opacity on about 20%. Pick white color and start painting over the areas where sun hits. On the following image you can see where you should paint. I highlighted it with red color. Take you time and build lighting slowly to get the most realistic result.
After this step your photo manipulation should look similar to the following picture.
Step 17 – More Contrast
From now on you’ll focus on color adjustments to create much stronger and sci-fi like atmosphere. Let’s start with increasing contrast of your photo manipulation even little bit more. Add new adjustment layer Curves and set the curve as on the following picture.
As you may notice it’s the same shape as when you increased contrast for the first time. This “S curve” is always used for increasing contrast. By moving the upper square you make light lighter and the down square makes dark tones darker. Depending on how far you move these two squares you increase contrast more or less. If you make reverse “S curve” you decrease contrast.
Step 18 – Bluer Tones I
In this and following step you’ll make colors of the photo manipulation bluer. Add new adjustment layer Gradient Map on the top of all layers and set the gradient as on the following picture.
To blend it well with the rest of the image change Blending Mode of this layer from Normal to Color and lower its Opacity on 45%.
On the following image you can compare how the photo manipulation looks before and after this adjustment.
33 responses to “How to Create an Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Photo Manipulation in Photoshop”
-
Love it
-
it sux no images
-
hi bro
-
thank you , I am teaclother you have explained the tutorial thanks a lot.
-
thank you , I am teaclother you have explained the tutorial thanks a
-
It is very helpful tutorial and great idea for this tutorial….thanks a lot
-
Interesting tutos and very well explained ! Congratulations!
But how can I get your stock (resources) pictures in Pelleron-Art? -
Very Nice
-
I did your tutorial in the past, here: http://annewipf.deviantart.com/art/TMM-A3P2-Apocalyptic-Sci-Fi-Photomanipulation-408652475
But it seem we cannot see the tutorials published on photoshop-tutorials anymore. :(
I tried to contact photoshop-tutorial, but it doesn’t work. :(
Could you tell me if there is something to pay now, or what we can do? Thank you. -
Please re uploaded PSD file because when i click on download showing 404 error, this is best work for me i want check how did you do this
-
Absolutely beautiful works.. This is what called “Creativity”.
-
Great, thanks for all the helpful info!
-
It’s an okay tutorial… Except I couldn’t follow it after Step 2. (including Step 2).
The instructions are so vague, and major steps are being skipped. I just can’t follow it.
You should really try to improve on that. I’d rather have too many details and too proper grammar than too little.-
Maybe you should try to find some specific youtube-workshops about this themes
-
-
WOW this tutorial suck , couldn’t understand a thing
-
Fantastic website. Lots of helpful information here.
I’m sending it to some buddies ans also sharing in delicious. And certainly, thank you for your sweat! -
This tutorial is okay, but it’s obviously lacking a LOT of information that’s required to even get close to the desired look that the author is showing.
The tutorial is best at showing some ideas of what you can do and how to do it, but it’s not showing an obvious step-by-step method to get the exact look (if you’re trying for that) of the picture the author created.
-
Thoughtful tutorial. Hats off
-
Excelente
-
thanks for the tutorial!!
-
Thank you very much, it’s really helpful!
-
holy shit ! you are so great !
-
Extremely Awesome Tutorial \m/ I love it
-
Humm… We can see a reflection on the city..
-
its totally amazin!!!!!
i have learnt a lot of effects through this and its awesome…… u have got a lot of ability and please teach me some….. -
Thank you for the great tutorial,keep it up
-
hay.. in the begginig you say to create a new document.. can you please tell me the exact dimentions of the document coz i face difficulties with the begginig.. thnx a lot!
-
I believe the author used an image dimension of 600×900 pixels.
-
-
very nice!!!!
-
Great tutorial!
-
Thanks !!!!
-
Thank you very much for the tutorial, very well explained :) I have not had any problems in understanding it, Thanks
-
Good but I would change the meteors up so they aren’t the same copy.
Leave a Reply