Create a Library Aquarium Photomanipulation

“I am like the fish in the aquarium, thinking in a different language, adapting to a life that’s not my natural habitat. I am the people in the other cars, each with his or her own story, but passing too quickly to be noticed or understood.” In This Photoshop tutorial, we will learn how to create a surreal scene of a jellyfish Aquarium. First, we added a Library then insert a water roof and add some fishes. Then add bubbles and Jellys, also added some light and glow. For the last effect, we added a Camera Raw filter.

Preview of Final Image

Tutorial Resources

Step 1

Now, let’s start by creating a new image file, go to the Menu bar and click File > New, and then input the following values on their respective fields

Preset: Custom
Width: 3080px
Height: 3080px
Resolution: 72px
Color Mode: RGB Color 8 bit
Background Contents: Transparent

Step 2

Now, place Library Go to File > Place and select Library. Then place it to our work canvas. Then position the image with the transform tool (Ctrl / Cmd + T). Hold Alt + Shift and rasterize like the image below. In Photoshop CC only hold Alt to rasterize all sides together.

Then use a Pen Tool(P) and start select roof. When we finish the selection press right click on mouse and “Make Selection” then create layer mask..The simplest path you can draw with the standard Pen tool is a straight line, made by clicking the Pen tool to create two anchor points. By continuing to click, you create a path made of straight line segments connected by corner points.

Select the Pen tool.
Position the Pen tool where you want the straight segment to begin, and click to define the first anchor point (do not drag).
Click again where you want the segment to end
Continue clicking to set anchor points for additional straight segments.
The last anchor point you add always appears as a solid square, indicating that it is selected. Previously defined anchor points become hollow, and deselected, as you add more anchor points
Complete the path by doing one of the following:
To close the path, position the Pen tool over the first (hollow) anchor point. A small circle appears next to the Pen tool pointer when it is positioned correctly. Click or drag to close the path.
To leave the path open, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) anywhere away from all objects. To leave the path open, you can also select a different tool.

Step 3

Add Adjustment Layer Levels

Step 4

Add Adjustment Layer Selective Color

Step 5

Add Adjustment Layer Curves and use Round brush tool with foreground color black then paint the upper and middle part of the library.

Step 6

Now repeat the same process, Add Adjustment layer Color Fill and set black color. Then use brush tool(B) Soft Round with foreground color black and Flow of Brush 10% and painting he upper and middle part of the library.

Step 7

Add Adjustment Layer Curves and press Ctrl/Cmd + I to invert and use Brush Tool(B) Soft Round with foreground color white and paint the Highlights parts.

Step 8

Add Adjustment Layer Curves and press Ctrl/Cmd + I to invert and use Brush Tool(B) Soft Round with foreground color white and paint the Dark parts.

Step 9

Now add some lights to lamp. Create a new layer and use Soft Round brush with foreground color code #558bc0 and paint on lamp. Blend mode change to Linear Dodge(Add).

Next, select all layers (Click on fist layer and hold Shift and select last layer and put all to group) Ctrl/Cmd + G. Blend mode of group set to Normal.

Step 10

Now go to open Water. File > Open and select Water. Use Rectangular Marquee Tool(M). With the Rectangular Marquee tool, drag over the area you want to select. Hold down Shift as you drag to constrain the marquee to(release the mouse button before you release Shift to keep the selection shape constrained).

After the selection area has been created, simply copy (Ctrl / Cmd + C) and Paste (Ctrl / Cmd + V) it to our work canvas(under Library layer). Then position the image with the transform tool (Ctrl / Cmd + T). Hold Alt + Shift and resterize like image below and left click > Perspective. In Photoshop CC only hold Alt to resterize al sides together.

Step 11

Add Adjustment Layer Curves and press Ctrl/Cmd + I to invert and use Brush Tool(B) Soft Round with foreground color white and paint the edges of the roof.

Step 12

Add Adjustment Layer Exposure and press Ctrl/Cmd + I to invert and use Brush Tool(B) Soft Round with foreground color white and paint the edges of the roof.

Step 13

Add Adjustment Layer "Levels"

Step 14

Create a new layer and use Soft Round brush with foreground color code #5a8398 and paint the edges of the roof. Blend mode change from Normal to Color Dodge.

Step 15

Now lets add some fishes. Go to File > Open and select Fish 1. After you open the image, use Quick Selection Tool(W) and select fish. After the selection area has been created, simply copy (Ctrl / Cmd + C) and Paste (Ctrl / Cmd + V) it to our work canvas. Then position the image with the transform tool (Ctrl / Cmd + T). Hold Alt + Shift and resterize like image below. In Photoshop CC only hold Alt to resterize al sides together.

Step 16

Next, Go to File > Open and select Fish 2. After you open the image, use Quick Selection Tool(W) and select fish. After the selection area has been created, simply copy (Ctrl / Cmd + C) and Paste (Ctrl / Cmd + V) it to our work canvas. Then position the image with the transform tool (Ctrl / Cmd + T). Hold Alt + Shift and resterize like image below. In Photoshop CC only hold Alt to resterize al sides together.

Step 17

Next, Go to File > Open and select Fish 3. After you open the image, use Quick Selection Tool(W) and select fish. After the selection area has been created, simply copy (Ctrl / Cmd + C) and Paste (Ctrl / Cmd + V) it to our work canvas. Then position the image with the transform tool (Ctrl / Cmd + T). Hold Alt + Shift and resterize like image below. In Photoshop CC only hold Alt to resterize al sides together.

Add Adjustment Layer "Hue/Saturation" and set Opacity to 40%.

Step 18

Next, go to open another two fishes. File > Open and select Fishes. After you open the image, use Lasso Tool(L) and start selecting fish. After the selection area has been created, simply copy (Ctrl / Cmd + C) and Paste (Ctrl / Cmd + V) it to our work canvas. Then position the image with the transform tool (Ctrl / Cmd + T). Hold Alt + Shift and resterize like image below. In Photoshop CC only hold Alt to resterize al sides together

Add Adjustment Layer "Hue/Saturation"

Step 19

Next, go to open last fish. File > Open and select Fishes. After you open the image, use Lasso Tool(L) and start selecting fish. After the selection area has been created, simply copy (Ctrl / Cmd + C) and Paste (Ctrl / Cmd + V) it to our work canvas. Then position the image with the transform tool (Ctrl / Cmd + T). Hold Alt + Shift and resterize like image below. In Photoshop CC only hold Alt to resterize al sides together.

Add Adjustment Layer "Hue/Saturation"

Step 20

Add Adjustment Layer "Curves" and press Ctrl/Cmd + I to invert and use Brush Tool(B) Soft Round with foreground color white and paint dark part of fish, bottom.

Step 21

Add Adjustment Layer "Curves" and press Ctrl/Cmd + I to invert and use Brush Tool(B) Soft Round with foreground color white and paint Highlights part of fish, top.

Step 22

Add Adjustment Layer "Hue/Saturation"

Now do the same process as Library, add fishes to Group (Ctrl/Cmd +G) and change Blend mode to Normal.

Step 23

Go to File > Place and select Bubbles. Then place it to our work canvas. Then position the image with the transform tool (Ctrl / Cmd + T). Hold Alt + Shift and rasterize like the image below. In Photoshop CC only hold Alt to rasterize all sides together.

Then go to Image > Adjustment > Black & White... then press OK. Next create layer mask and use soft round brush with foreground color black and delete some parts of bubbles. Blend mode change to Screen.

Add Adjustment Layer "Curves"

Step 24

Create a new layer and change blend mode to Linear Dodge (Add) with Opacity 15%. Then use Soft Round Brush with foreground color code #335e88 and paint.

Step 25

Next go to File > Place and select Jelly. Then place it to our work canvas. Then position the image with the transform tool (Ctrl / Cmd + T). Hold Alt + Shift and rasterize like the image below. In Photoshop CC only hold Alt to rasterize all sides together. Blend mode change to Screen.

Add Adjustment Layer "Black & White"

Add Adjustment Layer "Levels"

Next go back to jelly layer and create layer mask. Then use Brush Tool(B) Soft Round with foreground color black and paint edges.

Step 26

Now add some glow to Jellys. Lets create a new layer and use Soft Round brush with foreground color code #517396. Next set flow of Brush to 10% and paint on head to Jellys. Blend mode change to Linear Dodge (Add).

Create another layer and repeat the same process, only change the color to #2d5881 and Blend mode to Linear Dodge (Add) with Opacity 75%.

Step 27

Create new layer and use Brush Tool(B) Soft Round with foreground color blue #71a2c2. Flow to Brush set 10% and start painting. Blend mode change to Soft Light with Opacity 24%. Look at picture below.

Step 28

Add Adjustment Layer "Curves" and press Ctrl/Cmd + I to invert and use Brush Tool(B) Soft Round with big size and foreground color white. Then paint on roof and jellys. Opacity set to 32%.

Step 29

Create another layer and use Soft round brush with foreground color white and paint to center. Blend mode change to Overlay with Opacity 25%.

Step 30

Now add some texture, go to File > Open and select water texture. Use Rectangular Marquee Tool(M). With the Rectangular Marquee tool, drag over the area you want to select. Hold down Shift as you drag to constrain the marquee to(release the mouse button before you release Shift to keep the selection shape constrained).

After the selection area has been created, simply copy (Ctrl / Cmd + C) and Paste (Ctrl / Cmd + V) it to our work canvas. Then position the image with the transform tool (Ctrl / Cmd + T). Hold Alt + Shift and resterize like image below. In Photoshop CC only hold Alt to resterize al sides together.

Blend mode change to Soft Light with Opacity to 30%.

Step 31

Add Adjustment Layer "Gradient Map" and Blend mode change to Soft Light with Opacity 15%.

Next, add another Adjustment Layer "Gradinet Map" with blend mode Hue and Opacity 40%.

And last Adjustment is Gradient Map, default Black & White. Blend mode change to Soft Light with Opacity 20%.

Step 32

When we finished all this, now merge all layers to one. Slecet the last layer and hold CTRL/CMD + SHIFT + ALT + E. Now we have a final layer, right click on mouse and select Convert to Smart Object. Then go to Filter > Camera RAW Filter. At its most basic, the Photoshop Camera Raw filter allows you to use the functions of the ACR interface at any time within Photoshop. This allows you to make any adjustments within ACR at any time during your workflow instead of just limiting its usage to the raw processing stage.While it would be possible to import your working file into Lightroom to make the same sets of adjustments, doing this in Photoshop saves you from that cumbersome step. It allows you the use of these tools without any extra effort.