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Creating Water Drops
Tonya DoughtyEditorial Deck Crewmember
Ahhhh, we're in the Gulf of Mexico, Spring is on its way, the sun is shining and watersport season is around the corner. You're sure to have some great water-themed photos soon (or if you're like me, still some from last year I haven't gotten to.) This tutorial will cover a great way to create realistic water drops. You can scatter them across a layout or isolate them in a smaller area. I will be using Adobe Photoshop CS, but you may be able to use other programs if you're knowledgeable about the layering system.
1. Open your document and create a new layer. Set your Foreground to White and Background to Black and then fill the new layer with White. Choose Filter > Noise > Add Noise and set a large amount (I used 350%), Distribution > Gaussian and check Monochromatic. Click OK.
2. In the Filter menu, choose Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the amount about 3-7 (I used 4), and click OK.
3. Go to the Threshold adjustment (Image > Adjustment > Threshold) and drag the slider a little to the right until the shapes start to enlarge and are approximately how you want the drops to appear.
4. Repeat the same Gaussian Blur you used previously. Go back to the Threshold adjustment and move the slider slightly to the right again, to enlarge the water spots. By repeating the process, you are softening the edges of the drops so they are rounder and have no sharp edges.
5. Using the Magic Wand tool, click once in the white area, choose Select > Similar, press Delete and then inverse your selection. In your foreground color swatch, create the following gray color: R=180, G=180, B=180 and fill your (selected) water drops with this color.
6. Deselect the water drops and choose the Bevel and Emboss Layer Style. Set the options as shown.
7. Choose the Stroke Layer Style. Set the size to 1, position to center, opacity to 20%. Click on the color swatch and choose Black. Hit OK
8. Assuming you have the rest of your image in the document already, either turn on those layers, or move the water drops layer to the TOP of the stack. If not, bring in your photos or other elements as desired and place their layers underneath the water drops layer.
9. Click on the water drops layer to make it active and change the Blend Mode to Hard Light. This makes the centers of the drops transparent but keeps the shadows and highlights. Lower the opacity slightly, to about 95%.
Extra Credit: Use this technique to create a water logged title for your next swim or beach layout!
Have fun and keep scrappin'!
Tonya Doughty
tonyadoughty@ssreflections.com
Editorial Deck Crewmember
S.S. Reflections, Inc.
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***Disclaimers - While individual techniques may vary, always follow product manufacturers' directions and cautions for safety and best results.
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