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Find out how to add visible results to an album cowl in Photoshop

1. Including a solar flare Photoshop spotlight

Let’s add a number of extra visible results, beginning with a solar flare spotlight on the rocks.

Step 1

Go to the highest of the layer stack and add a Stable Colour Adjustment Layer based mostly on a vibrant a part of the sky. Invert it, choose the comb instrument, and make the comb good and large.

Scale back the Opacity to 10% and simply add a little bit of lighting to 1 aspect of the rocks to create the impact of the solar peeking across the aspect.  You can too use this system so as to add a glow or a flare to your composition.

Sun flare PhotoshopSun flare Photoshop

Step 2

You may refine this much more by creating an publicity adjustment layer on the tall rocks, making them darker. Return the Opacity to 100% and brush the right-hand aspect of the rocks.

That is the place the sunshine is primarily coming from, so simply brush in highlights to create a dramatic mild impact anyplace that might be affected by the lighting.

brush in highlightsbrush in highlightsbrush in highlights

Step 3

Subsequent, let’s make the underwater space a bit darker. Go to the highest of all the layers and add a Stable Colour Adjustment Layer utilizing blue. Mess around with the mixing choices till you get a glance that appeals to you.

Photoshop techniquesPhotoshop techniquesPhotoshop techniques

Step 4

Strive a mixing mode like Overlay on prime, and bear in mind to take away the consequences from the sky in order that they’re solely affecting the water. You might also wish to add a Ranges Adjustment Layer to the wave floor to carry a few of the shadows down and intensify the dividing line.

Photoshop techniquesPhotoshop techniquesPhotoshop techniques

Step 5

The tall rocks are simply mixing straight by means of to the water, and it seems to be a bit two-dimensional. In actuality, the rocks would go into the water after which present beneath, so we have to brush alongside the water line to create that impact.

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Step 6

You can too modify a few of the shadows on the tall and small rocks underwater to extend the distinction.

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Do not forget to call your layers to maintain issues tidy and organised. 

3. Utilizing Photoshop LUTs

Now you are going to add Photoshop LUTs to your composition. A LUT (Lookup Desk) is sort of a colour profile that’ll give your picture a stylised impact.

So as to add a LUT, merely click on on the adjustment icon within the Layers panel and add a Colour Lookup. Then you possibly can click on by means of the choices and see how they have an effect on your composition. For this picture, I settled on 2Strip.Lookup.  You may scale back the Opacity to about 30% to get the very best look.

Luts for PhotoshopLuts for PhotoshopLuts for Photoshop

Uncover extra Photoshop assets and tutorials

On this tutorial, you learnt the way to add visible results to your music album cowl design.

Within the subsequent tutorial, you will discover ways to mix textual content in your album cowl. Remember to take a look at different upcoming articles on Envato Tuts+ and the Envato weblog to find extra Photoshop tutorials. And for the digital subscription that may cowl all of your artistic Photoshop property and wishes, go to Envato!

Listed below are some nice assets to get you began: