Create a Gigantic Fortress with a Mysterious Glow in Photoshop ~ Photoshop for you !

Learn how to create this mysterious image of a gigantic castle in a stormy background. In addition to combining stock photos together, you’ll learn how to create a stormy background and lighting effects.

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Castle Ruins.zip | 139.84 MB

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Gigantic Fortress with a Mysterious Glow Photoshop Tutorial

Tutorial Resources

Background 26 – Albastock
Stock_Field – digital-amphetamine
into the desert – night fate stock
Petrified Forest National Park 2 – dynamix
Battlements – OeilDeNuit

Step 1: Create a Photoshop Image File

Let’s start by creating a new image file, go to the Menu bar and click File > New, and then input the following values on their respective fields:

Width: 3000px
Height: 3000px
Resolution: 300pixels/inch
Color Mode: RGB Color; 8 bit
Background Contents: Transparent

Step 2: Create the Sky

In this step, we will be creating the sky of our image. To start, open “Background 26” by Albastock. Once open, activate the Rectangular Marquee tool (by pressing M on your keyboard) and create a selection area around the sky. See images below:

Now that you’ve made a selection area around the sky of the stock image, activate the Move tool (V) then left-click on the image and drag it all the way to our canvas.

Position it as shown below:

Next, double-click on the words “Layer 1” and rename this layer to “Sky 1”.

Now, we will resize the image to make it a part of the sky in our image; to do that, activate the Transform tool (Ctrl/Cmd + T).

The result of that should be similar to this:

We’ve made the first part of the sky, now we will make it more dramatic. To do that, we will add the sky from the stock image: “Stock_Field” by digital-amphetamine. Open the said stock image and once it is open, create a selection area around its sky using the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M). See image below:

After that, activate the Move tool (V) and drag that selected sky to our canvas. Make sure to put it above the “sky 1” layer; to do that, just left-click and drag this new layer on top of the “sky 1”.

Rename this new layer now to “sky 2”. Next, position “sky 2” as shown on the image below:

Now, activate the Transform tool (Ctrl/Cmd + T) and resize “sky 2” as shown below:

The result:

In order to make these two skies blend, we’ll need to duplicate “sky 2” by pressing Ctrl/Cmd + J and then change “sky 2”‘s blending mode to “Multiply”. To do that, simply do the following as shown on the images below:

Click on “Multiply”, once the contextual menu opens:

Now, the result of that change blending mode would be like this:

Step 3: Create the Ground

In this step, we will be creating the ground to which the castle is built upon. First, let’s open the stock image: “into the desert” by night fate stock. Activate the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) and create a selection area over the ground shown on the image below:

Next, activate the Move tool (V) and drag that to our canvas. Put it above the “sky 1” and “sky 2” layers. Position it as shown below:

Rename this layer now to “ground 1”. Next, we will need to resize this. Activate the Transform tool (Ctrl/Cmd + T) and resize it as shown below:

The result of that should be similar to this:

For this ground to have the same lighting as the sky, we’d need to reduce its Brightness/Contrast. To do that, make sure that “ground 1” is selected and then go to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast and input the following:

Brightness: -70
Contrast: 0
Use Legacy: Unchecked

The result should be similar to this:

Next, we will need to darken some parts of this ground before we put the castle walls on top of it to make things easier.

To do that, make sure that the “ground 1” layer is selected and then create a new layer (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N). This process makes sure that the new layer will be created above the active layer. Now when then new layer box is open, input “darken” on the name box. See image below:

Next, right click on the “darken” layer and click on “Create Clipping Mask” so that the paint we will be applying will only be applied to the “ground 1” layer.

Next, activate the Brush tool (B) but before we start, make sure that the active Brushes are the default brushes. The default Photoshop brushes are shown on the image below, if that’s not what you see, then follow the instructions below:

Right click the canvas while a layer is selected and while the Brush tool (B) is activated and then click on the button highlighted below:

Then click on “Reset Brushes” from the contextual menu.

Now, that that is done input the following settings for our Brush tool (B):

Brush size: 1100px
Hardness: 0%
Opacity: 15%
Flow: 100%
#: 000000

Take note that the #: 000000 is the brush’s color. To change to that, simply do the following:

Once it opens input 000000 on the # space.

Now, let’s darken the areas that need to be darkened:

The result should be similar to this:

Next, we will brighten the horizon of the sky; to do that, let’s create a new layer again (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) and in the name box, input “horizon”. Make sure though, that this layer is above the “darken” layer.

Once the layer is created, activate the Brush tool (B) and input the following settings:

Brush size: 800px
Hardness: 0%
Opacity: 15%
Flow: 100%
#: ffffff

Now, we can paint in the horizon.

The result of that should give a brighter horizon such as shown on the image below:

Next, it’s time we added the second stock image which will feature the rocks in this deserted wasteland. To start, open the stock image: “Petrified Forest National Park 2” by dynamix.

Once the stock image is open, activate the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) because we will use this to create a selection area over the rocky region of the image.

Let’s do it!

Once the selection area has been made, activate the Move tool (V) and drag it to our canvas. Make sure to put it above all the layers that we’ve created.

Position it as shown below:

Rename this layer now to “ground 2”. Next, activate the Transform tool (Ctrl/Cmd + T) and resize it as shown on the images below:

The result of that transformation should be similar to this:

Now, let’s reduce the Brightness/Contrast of these rocks to make it blend with “ground 1”. Go to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast and input the following:

Brightness: -70
Contrast: 0
Use Legacy: Unchecked

The result of that should be similar to this:

To make “ground 2” blend more seamlessly, we’ll need to erase some parts of it and to that, we’ll need an Eraser. Activate the Eraser tool (E) and input the following:

Brush size: 150 px
Hardness: 0%
Opacity: 100%
Flow: 100%

Once you’re ready, erase the region highlighted on the images below:

The result of that should be similar to this:

Again, the un-erased part looks like this:

Now, let’s darken the general ground to make both “ground 1” and “ground 2” blend more seamlessly with the rest of the images; so, create a new layer (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) and name it “darken ground”. Make sure that this layer is above all the previous layers we’ve created.

Activate the Brush tool (B) and input the following:

Brush size: 1300px
Hardness: 0%
Opacity: 15%
Flow: 100%
#: 000000

And, let’s paint!

The result of that should bring about something similar to this:

The background is now complete, so select all the layers that we’ve created and then press Ctrl/Cmd + G to group all these layers. Once you’re done, rename the group to “BG”.

Note: Renaming a group is similar to renaming a layer.

Step 4: Create the Wall

Now, we will be adding the huge castle wall where a mysterious light will come out. To start, let’s open the stock image: “Battlements” by OeilDeNuit.

Once opened, activate the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) and create a selection area around the castle walls. See image below:

Next, activate the Move tool (V) and drag the selected area to our canvas. Put this layer above all the “BG” group that we’ve created.

Position the castle wall as shown on the image below:

Rename it now to “castle wall”. After that, activate the Transform tool (Ctrl/Cmd + T) and resize it as shown on the images below:

The result of that should be something like this:

Next, we will make the castle wall blend-in with “ground 1”. To do that, we will need the Eraser tool (E). Activate this tool and then input the following:

Brush size: 100px
Hardness: 0%
Opacity: 100%
Flow: 100%

Now, we will erase.

The result of that should be similar to this:

In detail:

Now, we will enhance the lighting on the “castle wall”, let’s make it a little darker. Create a new layer (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) and name this new layer “darken wall”. Make sure that this layer is above the “castle wall” layer. Right click on this layer and choose Create Clipping Mask from the contextual menu that pops up.

Activate the Brush tool (B) and input the following:

Brush size: 1100px
Hardness: 0%
Opacity: 15%
Flow: 100%
#: 000000

The result of that should be similar to this:

Step 5: Create the Mysterious Light

Now, let’s add the mysterious light that came out from the mouth of the gate. Let’s start by creating a new layer (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) and name this layer to “Light”. Make sure that you create this layer above the “darken wall” layer. Activate the Brush tool (B) and input the following:

Brush size: 1400px
Hardness: 0%
Opacity: 25%
Flow: 100%
#: ffffff

Now that it is set, let us create the light:

The result:

Next, let’s create the light from the mouth of the gate. Start by creating a new layer (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) above the “light” layer; name this new layer to “light from within 1”.

Activate the Brush tool (B) and input the following:
Brush size: 50px
Hardness: 0%
Opacity: 100%
Flow: 100%
#: fffed8

Now, let us begin painting:

The result of that should be similar to this:

Next, create another layer (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) and name it “light from within 2”. Put this above the “light from within 1” layer. Activate the Brush tool (B) and input the following:

Brush size: 175px
Hardness: 0%
Opacity: 50%
Flow: 100%
#: fffed8

Now, let’s paint:

The result of that should be similar to this:

Next, create another layer once again (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) and name it “light from within 3”. Activate the Brush tool (B) once again and input the following:

Brush size: 80px
Hardness: 0%
Opacity: 25%
Flow: 100%
#: fffed8

The result:

Next, we will create another “light from within”. Create a new layer (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) and name it “light from within 4”. Activate the Brush tool (B) and input the following:

Brush size: 80px
Hardness: 0%
Opacity: 25%
Flow: 100%
#: fffed8

Now, let’s paint:

The result of that should be similar to this:

Finally, let’s create the last one. Create a new layer again (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + ) and name it “light from within 5”. Activate the Brush tool (B) and input the following:

Brush size: 80px
Hardness: 0%
Opacity: 25%
Flow: 100%
#: ffffff

Let’s paint:

The result:

Now, let’s darken the whole castle wall and ground. To do that, let’s create a layer (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) above all the layers and groups and name it “Darken image”. Once the layer is created, activate the Brush tool (B) and input the following:

Brush size: 1600px
Hardness: 0%
Opacity: 15%
Flow: 100%
#: 000000

Let’s paint now as shown on the image below:

The result:

Now that we’re done with the mysterious light, select all the layers from Step 4 – Step 5 and group these (Ctrl/Cmd + G). Name it to “WALL”.

Step 6: Create the Vignette

In this step, we will learn how to create a vignette which will help enhance the focus on our subject. To start, go to the Menu bar and click on File > New and use the same settings we used to create our canvas. (Refer to Step 1). Take note, the background contents should be white. Once it has been created, go to Filter > Distort > Lens Correction. Find the tab Vignette and use these settings:

Vignette amount: -100
Midpoint: +50

Now that that’s done drag the vignette to our canvas using the Move tool (V) and put it on top of all the layers that we’ve created, and then set the following:

Blending mode: Multiply
Opacity to 40%

To set the blending mode, simply click on the drop-down menu beside the word “Normal” on the top part of the Layer window. The Opacity is located just beside that drop-down menu as well. See image below:

The unblended Vignette will look like this:

Once the blending mode is set to “Multiply” it would look like this:

Step 7: Enhance the Image’s Color and Contrast

Now, we will be enhancing the image’s overall color, contrast and lightness. To start, let’s create a Solid Color adjustment layer to enhance the color of the image. From the Layer window, click on the “Create New Fill/Adjustment layer button”.

Once the contextual menu opens, click on Solid Color:

Now, clicking on the Solid Color option will open the Color Picker box. Now, input the following on the #: space.

#: 000218

Now, your screen will be filled with this dark blue tinge. To change that, we’ll need to blend it in. Change the Blending mode and Opacity of this layer to the following:

Blending mode: Exclusion
Opacity: 40%

Next, create another Solid Color adjustment layer through the “Create New Fill/Adjustment layer button”. This time, input the following:

#: edbb36

Once you’re done, change the Blending mode, Opacity and Fill to the following:

Blending mode: Soft Light
Opacity: 20%
Fill: 40%

Now, let’s create a Gradient Map adjustment layer through the “Create New Fill/Adjustment layer button”.

Now, when the Gradient Map box opens, do the following as shown on the images below:

You’ll notice that your image is now Black and White, so let’s change the Blending mode and Opacity to the following:

Blending mode: Luminosity
Opacity: 60%

Next, let’s enhance the Hue/Saturation of the whole image.

Once it opens, input the following:

Edit: Master
Hue: 0
Saturation: 15
Lightness: 0

Finally, let’s enhance the Brightness/Contrast of the whole image, so let’s create a Brightness/Contrast adjustment through the “Create New Fill/Adjustment layer button”.

Photoshop for you !

Saturday, October 27, 2012