Learn how to create this cinematic scene in quick and easy steps! This Photoshop tutorial will show you how to blend images to create an apocalyptic scene and add flying meteors with premade Photoshop brushes. You’ll also learn several different ways to add lighting effects and create a strong atmosphere.

Preview of Final Results

image002

Tutorial Resources

Step 1 – Creating Background

Create new document in Photoshop. Download photo of the sky listed in the beginning of the tutorial and drag it into your new Photoshop document. Name this new layer SKY. It’s a great habit to name all your layers because once you create something more complicated it saves you lot of time finding some layer you want to adjust.

Grab the Marquee Tool (M) and select down part of the sky without the rooftops. Press Ctrl+C to copy the selection and then Ctrl+V to paste it.

image003

Place this new layer under SKY and name it BACKGROUND. Go to Edit > Free Transform or press Ctrl+T on your keyboard to activate the Free Transform Tool. Drag the bottom part of BACKGROUND to the bottom part of the image. On the photo below you can see what I mean.

image004

It’s just a base over which you put the skyscrapers so you don’t need to worry that it looks weird. Add new empty layer  on the top of all layers and name it RETOUCH. Grab the Stamp Tool (S) and clone out the rooftops. After this step your image should look similar like the one below.

image005

Step 2 – Adding City

In this step I’ll show you little trick how to add photo of a city to this photo manipulation very easily and seamlessly without some complicated and time consuming masking.  Download picture of the city listed in the beginning of the tutorial and drag it into your photo manipulation. Place it on the top of all layers and name it CITY 1.  Right click on this layer and select option Duplicate layer. Name this new layer CITY 2 and place it on the top of all layers. Now let’s move on blending. You created two layers of the city because each one of them you’ll blend bit differently to achieve the best effect.  Make CITY 2 invisible to be able to see only CITY 1 (click on the eye icon left to the layer name).

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33 responses to “How to Create an Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Photo Manipulation in Photoshop”

  1. hamadah elgaml Avatar
    hamadah elgaml

    Love it

  2.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    it sux no images

  3. ok cuh Avatar
    ok cuh

    hi bro

  4. satyajit N Avatar
    satyajit N

    thank you , I am teaclother you have explained the tutorial thanks a lot.

  5. satyajit N Avatar
    satyajit N

    thank you , I am teaclother you have explained the tutorial thanks a

  6. Rj raju Avatar
    Rj raju

    It is very helpful tutorial and great idea for this tutorial….thanks a lot

  7. Elie Brisaert Avatar
    Elie Brisaert

    Interesting tutos and very well explained ! Congratulations!
    But how can I get your stock (resources) pictures in Pelleron-Art?

  8. praveen parihar Avatar
    praveen parihar

    Very Nice

  9. Anne Wipf Avatar
    Anne Wipf

    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.

  10. Ayaan Avatar
    Ayaan

    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

  11. clippingpatharea Avatar
    clippingpatharea

    Absolutely beautiful works.. This is what called “Creativity”.

  12. Maidul Islam Avatar
    Maidul Islam

    Great, thanks for all the helpful info!

  13. Marcy Avatar
    Marcy

    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.

    1. christmas background Avatar
      christmas background

      Maybe you should try to find some specific youtube-workshops about this themes

  14. USUCK Avatar
    USUCK

    WOW this tutorial suck , couldn’t understand a thing

  15. adibkarim Avatar
    adibkarim

    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!

  16. Tutorial-Trial Avatar
    Tutorial-Trial

    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.

  17. Kevin Avatar
    Kevin

    Thoughtful tutorial. Hats off

  18. malissimo43 Avatar
    malissimo43

    Excelente

  19. john Avatar
    john

    thanks for the tutorial!!

  20. Wonho Avatar
    Wonho

    Thank you very much, it’s really helpful!

  21. relax Avatar
    relax

    holy shit ! you are so great !

  22. LANdroid7 Avatar
    LANdroid7

    Extremely Awesome Tutorial \m/ I love it

  23. Nicolas Gautier Avatar
    Nicolas Gautier

    Humm… We can see a reflection on the city..

  24. adityajain Avatar
    adityajain

    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…..

  25.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    Thank you for the great tutorial,keep it up

  26. panos_m Avatar
    panos_m

    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!

    1. Photoshop Tutorials Editor Avatar
      Photoshop Tutorials Editor

      I believe the author used an image dimension of 600×900 pixels.

  27. Stevo Avatar
    Stevo

    very nice!!!!

  28. Greg Avatar
    Greg

    Great tutorial!

  29. David Arocha Avatar
    David Arocha

    Thanks !!!!

  30. Elphie Avatar
    Elphie

    Thank you very much for the tutorial, very well explained :) I have not had any problems in understanding it, Thanks

  31. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Good but I would change the meteors up so they aren’t the same copy.

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