Photoshop Tutorial: How to Create Water Reflections from Scratch

ASR: en

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hi this is Marty from Blue Lightning TV

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I'm going to show you how to create the

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look of realistic reflections in water

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this method takes into account the way

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water looks as it's seen from various

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distances open a photo that you'd like

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to reflect in water I downloaded this

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one from shutterstock to ensure that

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your results will look similar to mine

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check its resolution by going to image

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and image size make its resolution 150

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pixels per inch then click OK or press

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Enter or return if the photo extends

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beyond your canvas press ctrl or command

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0 next we'll convert the photo into a

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smart object so we can modify the

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filters and effects that we'll be adding

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to it at any time click the icon at the

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upper right of the layers panel and

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click convert to smart object

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go to image and canvas size

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click the top middle arrow and change

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its measurements to percent make its

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height two hundred percent then click OK

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to fit your image back onto your canvas

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press ctrl or command 0

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make a copy of it by pressing ctrl or

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command J

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go to view and make sure Snap is checked

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if it isn't just click on it open your

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transform tool by pressing ctrl or

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command T go to the top middle of the

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transform and when you see a vertical

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double-arrow drag it down until your

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photo snaps to the bottom of your

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document then press Enter or return

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drag the top layer below the bottom

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layer and name it reflection

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go to filter blur and motion blur

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make the angle 90 degrees and the

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distance 30 pixels then click OK or

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press Enter or return go back to filter

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distort and wave

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make the number of generators 100 the

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wavelength one and 17 the amplitude 1

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and 20 and the scale a hundred percent

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and one percent the type is sign and

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repeat edge pixels then click OK or

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press Enter or return

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click the adjustment layer icon

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and click color balance

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under mid tones in the yellow blue field

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type in 60

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let's place the reflection layer and

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it's adjustment layer into a folder to

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do this shift-click on the reflection

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layer to make it active as well and

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press ctrl or command G

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trol click or command click on the new

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layer icon to make a new layer below the

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active layer will fill the empty layer

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with black but first if your foreground

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and background colors aren't black and

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white respectively press D on your

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keyboard since black is your foreground

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color press alt or option + delete

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make the folder active and make a copy

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of it

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named the top folder reflection top

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and the bottom folder reflection bottom

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open the top folder and make the

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adjustment layer active to restrict the

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adjustment layer to effect only the one

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layer below it either click the clipping

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mask icon or press ctrl alt G on Windows

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or command option G on a Mac

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scroll to the bottom of your layers

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panel and double-click wave to open it

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make the number of generators one the

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wavelength 28

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29 the amplitude one and two

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keep the scale at a hundred percent and

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one percent then click OK

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this reflection is much milder than the

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first reflection we created because

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ripples look smoother the further away

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the water is to our vantage point we're

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going to transition the top of the

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milder reflection with the first

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reflection click the layer mask icon to

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make a layer mask next to the active

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layer open your gradient tool and make

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sure the linear gradient icon is active

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click the gradient bar to open the

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gradient editor click the black white

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gradient and click OK

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go to the top

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flexion and drag your gradient tool

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approximately one third of the way down

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then release presently the ripples at

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the top and bottom of the reflection are

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inverted to reverse them will invert the

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layer mask by pressing ctrl or command I

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next we'll add a soft dark gradient

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along the top of the reflection scroll

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to the reflection top folder and close

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it

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open the reflection bottom folder and

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make the reflection layer active click

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the layer mask icon to make a layer mask

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next to it as before go to the top of

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the reflection and drag your gradient

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tool approximately one third of the way

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down then release presently the

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shoreline is a bit too dark so we'll

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correct it by first closing the bottom

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folder and shift clicking on the top

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folder to make it active as well open

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your transform tool and if you see this

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message it's just telling us that the

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smart filters will be temporarily turned

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off as we use the transform tool just

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click OK

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go to the top middle of the transform

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and when you see a vertical double-arrow

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drag it up just a bit and press Enter or

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return this is Marty from Blue Lightning

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TV thanks for watching