Photoshop Tutorials: Create an Aquarium Inside a Light Bulb with Photoshop

Create an Aquarium Inside a Light Bulb with Photoshop

Posted: 16 May 2011 03:23 PM PDT

Learn how to combine stock photos to create a saltwater aquarium inside a light bulb. This Photoshop tutorial will show you how to combine and warp images and apply easy color correction. Preview of Final Results Create an Aquarium Inside a Light Bulb Photoshop Tutorial Resources Light Bulb (http://amystikaldesigns.deviantart.com/art/Lightbulb-Stock-Image-140321950?q=boost%3Apopular%20in%3Aresources%20bulb&qo=181) - Light Bulb Water Texture (http://knightfall-stock.deviantart.com/art/water-background-116710452?q=boost:popular+in:resources+water+background&qo=36) - Water Texture 1 Water Background (http://elithastock.deviantart.com/art/water-textures-57424327?q=gallery:ElithaStock+sort:time+in:resources/textures/water&qo=1) - Water Texture 2 Desert (http://b-squaredstock.deviantart.com/art/Desert-3-118390457?q=boost%3Apopular%20in%3Aresources%20sand&qo=31) - Sand Texture 1 Sand (http://jantiff-stocks.deviantart.com/art/Sand-147240780?q=boost%3Apopular%20in%3Aresources%20sand&qo=112) - Sand Texture 2 Nemo (http://syglavi.deviantart.com/art/fish10-168829685?q=boost%3Apopular%20in%3Aresources%20nemo&qo=93) - Fish 1 Little Nemo (http://firenze-design.deviantart.com/art/Finding-Nemo-181310847?q=boost%3Apopular%20in%3Aresources%20nemo&qo=2) - Fish 2 Castle (http://jud0ca.deviantart.com/art/Castle-10735975?q=boost%3Apopular%20in%3Aresources%20sand%20castle&qo=19) - Sand Castle Shell (http://alekdust-stock.deviantart.com/art/shell-1-96992517?q=boost%3Apopular%20in%3Aresources%20shell&qo=128) - Shell Beach (http://taeliac-stock.deviantart.com/art/Beach-03-80091865?q=boost%3Apopular%20in%3Aresources%20small%20fish&qo=85) - Starfish Step 1 - Modified the light bulb. Open the photo with light bulb.Make a copy of the Background layer, press Shift + T and then Flip Horizontal. Go to: Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast and set the Brightness at +25. Step 2 - Clear the light bulb. Pick the Brush tool (B) and with this color #f1f1f1 put the color in the area shown in the picture. Step 3 - Create the water inside the light bulb Open water texture 1 and paste in the document. Go to Edit > Transform or press Ctrl+T for transform the water texture (Flip vertical and make smaller) and position the water texture to the position as seen in the image below. Hide the layer with water texture 1 and make a path with Pen Tools (P) like in the photo. Right-click and select Make selection and set Father selection to 0.5px. Go to Select > Inverse or press Shift+Ctrl+I to inverse the selection and hit Delete button. Set Blending Mode to Color Burn and opacity at 41% Step 4 - Adding second water texture. Let's adding the second water texture so open the water texture 2 and move in the our document. Go to Edit > Transform or press Ctrl+T and transform texture like me . Press Ctrl+Click on the thumbnail of the previous layer and go to Select > Inverse or press Shift+Ctrl+I to inverse the selection and hit the Delete button. Change Blending Mode on Multiply an Opacity 45%. Step 5 Make a new elliptical selection with Elliptical Marquee Tool on the layer with water texture 2 like in the photo and press Ctrl+C to copy and Ctrl+V to paste and move this up like in the photo . Step 6 - Adding the sand Open the sand texture 2 picture and press Ctrl+A and then Ctrl+C . Open the document with light bulb and press Ctrl+V to paste the texture. Go to Edit > Free Transform or press Ctrl+T to transform the texture and make it small like in the photo. Press Ctrl+Click on the thumbnail of the "aqua background" layer and press Shift+Ctrl+I or go to Select > Inverse to inverse the selection and then go to Edit > Clear Step 7 - Adding shadow on sand Pick the Burn tool and set size of brush at 83px , exposure on Shadows . Use the settings show in the photo , and burn the bottom margin of the sand like me . Step 8 - Make the sand more look 3D Open the sand texture 1 picture and select Pen Tool (P) and make a new path like me . Right-click and select Make Selection with father 0,5 . Copy the sand dune pressing Ctrl+C and paste it in our project pressing Ctrl+V . Go to Edit > Free Transform or press Ctrl+T and transform the sand dune like me. Step 9 Select Elliptical Marque Tool and make an elliptical selection with father 0 . Go to Select > Inverse or press Ctrl+Shift+I and press Delete button . Step 10 Go to Edit > Free Transform or press Ctrl+T for transform , go to Edit > Transform > Warp . Transform the sand dune like me and pull the point exactly in this order. Step 11 Select the light bulb pressing Ctrl+click on the "aqua background" layer thumbnail . Press Ctrl+Shift+I or go to Select > Inverse and press Delete button . Press Ctrl+click on the thumbnail of the sand dune layer an then pick the Rectangular Marquee Tool an set like me and make a new selection like me and go to Select > Inverse and press the Delete button. And now light bulb should look like this Not like this Step 12 Open the sand texture 1 picture and make a new selection with Rectangular Marquee Tool like in the picture .Press Ctrl+C to copy the texture p>Press Ctrl+V to paste the texture and the go to Edit > Free Transform or press Ctrl+T and transform the texture like me. Step 13 Pick Pen Tool and make new path like me , press Right-Click and select make selection and set father 0,5. Press Ctrl+Shift+I to inverse selection and then press Delete button. Go to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast and use the settings shown below . Step 14 Pick Pen Tool an make new path like me , press Right-Click and select make selection and set father 0,5. Press Ctrl+C to copy the sand castle. Step 15 Press Ctrl+V to paste the sand castle . Go to Edit > Free transform or press Ctrl+T and make the castle smaller like me. Step 16 Go to Image > Auto Color or press Shift+Ctrl+B . An now the sand castle should look like this : Step 17 Press Ctrl+Click on the thumbnail of the layer castle. Click on the aqua reflexion layer and press Ctrl+C and take a piece of the texture and set Blending Mode of the layer on Screen and Opacity to 28% Step 18 Open the photo with the shell . Select Pen tool and make new path like me . Right-click and select Make Selection and set father 0,5 and press Ctrl+C to cop the shell . Step 19 Press Ctrl+V to paste the shell . Go to Edit > Free Transform or press Ctrl+T and make the shell smaller and put it where you want . Step 20 Press Ctrl+Click on the thumbnail of the shell layer and move selection with 1px down . Step 21 Make a new layer behind this sheel layer and press Shift+F5 or go to Edit > Fill and select from menu Black and press OK . Set layer opacity to 49% That was it, I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and you will manage to do your own magic world. Final Results Download the PSD Fish in the bulb.zip (file:///D:/Documents/Websites/Photoshop Tutorials/Tutorials/Upcoming/Chitea Viorel - Magic World/Fish in the bulb.zip) | 6 MB Authors Comment Thank you for following my tutorial. My name is Chitea Viorel Costin, I am 18 years old and live in Slatina, Romania. I like graphic design and web design and I've been working with Photoshop since 2007. Chitea Viorel Costin