How to Create a Magical Underwater Scene with Photoshop

Step 9

Duplicate the Background layer. You can do this by selecting the Background layer then pressing Ctrl+J (Cmd+J on a Mac). Drag this layer to the top then change the blending mode to Overlay.

Step 10

Create a new layer and position it as the top layer. Name this layer “Glow”.

Step 11

Use the Lasso selection tool to create a selection of the cave like shown in the image below.

Step 12

Fill the selected area with white (Edit > Fill). Then, press Ctrl+D or Cmd+D to deselect the selection.

Step 13

Go to Filter > Blur > Radial Blur. Use the settings shown below.

Your blur should look like this. If it doesn’t, undo and try the Radial Blur filter again using a different Blur Center setting.

Step 14

Next, open the image of the silhouette.

Step 15

We’re going to make a selection of it. Select the Magic Wand tool to make a selection like shown in the image below. Your Magic Wand tool should have a Tolerance setting of 32 – you can adjust this in the option bar located at the top of your Photoshop interface.

Step 16

Go to Edit > Copy. Close the image then switch back to the original Photoshop document we were working on. Go to Edit > Paste and Photoshop will paste the silhouette as a new layer.

Step 17

Use the Eraser tool to erase the excess area around the man.

Step 18

Go to Edit > Free Transform. Shrink and position the man like this:

Step 19

Go to Image > Adjustments > Shadows/Highlights. Set the Amount to 100%. This will reveal some details in the silhouette.

Step 20

Add another Hue/Saturation layer by going to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation. Change the blending mode to Soft Light.

In the Adjustments panel, adjust the settings like this. Remember to checkmark the Colorize option first.

Here’s what it looks like with the color adjustment.

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