Abstract Eye

Posted on Sat, 2005-12-10 12:22

This tutorial with guide you through how to make a a lightning abstract effect using Photoshops default Filters. The results are different everytime you do it so your result will not be the same as mine:

(Click for larger versions)

1. Open Photoshop and create a new document. I'm using 800x800
2. Make the Background Black
3. Create a new layer
4. Create a small black circle the size you want the main area to be.
5. Create a new layer and create a smaller circle by 2px with a feather of 5px using a dark grey
6. Create another circle smaller than the last with no feather and fill this with a gradient or solid colour of your choice
7. Make another circle on a new layer this time smaller than the last circle again, but fill it with a gradient from top to bottom with white to transparent.
8. Apply a gauissian blur to this circle of 2px
9. Move this circle so it just touches the top of the previous circle.
10. Create a new layer and fill with white
11.

Then go to Filter » Render » Fibers:

Variance: 8px

Strength: 54px
12.

Ctrl + Click the coloured circle then go to Select » Inverse and press Delete
13.

Change the layer style to Luminosity and the opacity to 20%
14.

At this point you should have something that looks like this:
15. Select all the layers excluding the background layer and merge together. You should now have 2 layers, the layer with the circle and the background.
16.

Now select the Smudge Tool (R):

Brush Width: 15px-20px

Hardness: 100%

Mode: normal

Strength: 90%

17.

Now smudge the circle to your desired effect.
18.

Once you are complete with smuding duplicate the layer
19.

Then go to Edit » Transform » Flip Horizontally

20.

Set the blending mode of the duplicated layer to pin light, then press Ctrl + Alt + U

21.

Check the colorize box and select the colour you want.
22.

Do the same for the original layer
23.

Ctrl + Click the duplicated layer and create a new layer above the duplicated layer
24.

Using the gradient tool create a gradient from bottom to top of white to transparent.
25.

Apply a gauissian blur or 3px
26.

Create a new layer and fill this with white
27.

Go to Filter » Render » Fibers and use the same settings as before
28.

Duplicate the layer and set the opacity of the duplicated layer to 50% and flip on the horizontal axis

29.

Merge these two layers and change the blending mode to Multiply and the opacity to 40%
30.

Go to Filter » Sketch » Chrome and use the settings of 10 and 10
31.

Create a new layer and fill with white, go to Filter » Render » fibers with the same settings as before then Filter » Render » Difference Clouds 5 or so times
32.

Ctrl + Click the layer that has the pin light blending mode and set a feather of 20px
33.

Go to Select » Inverse and delete.
34.

Change the blending mode to Screen and the opacity to 20%

35.

Get an image of an eye and put it on and select the blending mode luminosity and the opacity to 75%
36.

Ctrl + Click the eye and set a feather of 20px
37.

Delete this from the layer we made previously.
38.

Create a new layer and go to Filter » Render » Clouds followed by Filter » Render » Difference Clouds around 15 times
39.

Change the blending mode to lighten and the opacity to 50%
40.

Press Ctl + Alt + U and colourize it to a similar colour which you used before
41.

Play about with different settings and see what you can come up with.