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General => Off-Topic => Topic started by: [MAF]falky on June 21, 2008, 05:57:31 am

Title: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: [MAF]falky on June 21, 2008, 05:57:31 am

My level of boredom went to an all time high (lol), so I made a tutorial on how to make realistic thunder and an example of applying it.

NOTES:
- This tutorial is targeted on beginner-amateur users of photoshop. (This means that you can follow through this tutorial even with 0% knowledge of photoshop, as long as you have the program)
- This tutorial was made on Adobe Photoshop CS3, but I'm sure the tools I used in this tutorial are available on previous versions. (Particularly version 6 and up)

Here is an application of the effect....

Before:

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/1210_14_23---Manhattan-Skyline-New-.jpg)


After:

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/step15.jpg)


We will only focus on making the thunder and an example of applying it, the rest will rely on your imagination.

Now let's get started!

                                                                                                                                                                   

1. Open Photoshop, click File > New and apply these settings:

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/step1.jpg)


2. Once everything is set click "OK".

3. On your keyboard press "D" to reset the fore/back colors then on your canvas follow these intructions:

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/step2.jpg)


4. After applying the gradient, choose Filter > Render > Difference Clouds.

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/step3.jpg)


5. So far your image should look like this:

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/step4.jpg)


6. Now press "Ctrl+I" on your keyboard to invert the colors and your image should look like this:

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/step5.jpg)


7. After that, press "Ctrl+L" on your keyboard then follow these intructions:

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/step6.jpg)


8. Once you drag the arrow to the farthest right, click "OK". So far your image should look like this:

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/step7.jpg)


Congratulations! Now you have finished your basic thunder! Now I'm gonna teach you an example on how to use it....


9. Find (eg: google) a picture of a city with buildings, like this one here that I used:

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/1210_14_23---Manhattan-Skyline-New-.jpg)


10. Once you have found a nice image to put your thunder on, open the image in photoshop together with the thunder you just made.

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/step8.jpg)


11. After placing your thunder on the image, change the blending mode of the thunder layer to "Screen".

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/step9.jpg)


Changing the blending mode of the thunder layer to "Screen" eliminates all the black colors of that layer, so only the thunder is seen like so:

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/step10.jpg)


12. After that, use free transform to rotate/crop the thunder to make it look like it struck behind the buildings from the sky.

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/step11.jpg)


Use free transform to rotate/crop the thunder to make it look like this:

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/step12.jpg)


13. Once your happy with the position of the thunder, select the eraser tool and erase the bottom of the thunder to make it look like this:

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/step13.jpg)


14. Now lets add color to the thunder to make it look more alive, press "Ctrl+U" on your keyboard and follow these instructions:

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/step14.jpg)


15. Once your happy with the color of the thunder, click "OK".


.... And your done! Next step is to use your imagination and add some more stuff to make the thunder look more realistic, like I did here:

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/step15.jpg)


I greyscaled the city image, made a reflection of the thunder on the water, and added some glow on the buildings near the thunder.... but this part relies on your imagination and experience ;)

                                                                                                                                             

I hope this tutorial was useful and informative especially for those who are eager to learn photoshop and also to those looking for a good effect to use on images :)

To see what you guys have learned from this tutorial, I'm challenging you guys to make me an image with this thunder effect applied to it. (good start would be a hand with the fingertips charging out thunder) :P

Tutorial by R3t4Rd 8)

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: [MAF]PyroFox on June 21, 2008, 06:49:12 am

(http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee226/Chris-2me/GTASAlighteningeffectPS.jpg)

I gave it a try and mine turned out like this. Easy tutorial to follow, thanks for the info. :)

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: [MAF]falky on June 21, 2008, 06:55:20 am

good job :D

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: [MAF]Rac3r on June 21, 2008, 07:10:51 am

Nice Tut!

Nice pics guys! Woop I gotta try it!

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: [MAF]falky on June 21, 2008, 07:52:11 am

omg i didnt expect this to be stickied but cheers :D

here is another application on a bmw wallpaper i found

BEFORE

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/NittoWebAd_BMWM3_1600x1200.jpg)


AFTER

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/bmwlightning.jpg)


If you like that I can give you a high resolution one so u can use it as a wallpaper ;D

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: [MAF]Rac3r on June 21, 2008, 08:00:01 am

Ahh this is cool, gives us something to do while not playing AdrenalineX.  8)

I didn't sticky other topic because it has been done over and over and over and over again, who cares what we're listening to, that's what MSN is for.  8)

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: Adj on June 23, 2008, 09:13:34 pm

Nice tutorial R3t4Rd!
This is my result:

(http://www.annedejong.com/img/gta/thunderattack.jpg)

Thanks to Ivan for helping with the screenshot.

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: [MAF]mooman on June 23, 2008, 09:16:47 pm

haha thats cool adj

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: [MAF]PyroFox on June 24, 2008, 03:36:48 am

Thats awesome Adj, good job  :)

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: [MAF]falky on June 24, 2008, 09:13:53 am

lol got owned by a electric minigun xD

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: [MAF]Cthulhu on February 24, 2009, 08:58:06 pm

woo this is nice ;_;

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: [FSR]Ush on February 25, 2009, 12:55:21 pm

cool Adj  ;D

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: [MAF]Snoopy on September 30, 2010, 03:42:31 am

Quote from: [MAF]PyroFox on June 21, 2008, 06:49:12 am

(http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee226/Chris-2me/GTASAlighteningeffectPS.jpg)

I gave it a try and mine turned out like this. Easy tutorial to follow, thanks for the info. :)

nice :D

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: [MAF]Cthulhu on September 30, 2010, 04:22:00 pm

hah, bump  :D

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: [MAF]falky on October 01, 2010, 02:21:32 pm

:L

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: [FSR]Ush on October 01, 2010, 02:23:45 pm

Quote from: falky on June 21, 2008, 05:57:31 am

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/1210_14_23---Manhattan-Skyline-New-.jpg)


After:

(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/R3t4Rd313/thunder/step15.jpg)

omg you cut the lowest part of the picture off :(

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: Tommmmmmm on June 22, 2011, 10:07:50 pm

lol bump, but on a serious note, I wanted to try photoshop and create stuff I but I just can't be bothered

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: [MAF]Jur1z on June 24, 2011, 01:59:02 pm

my photoshop skills, i made this in 2009 some friend asked me that to romove that guy from here
(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20689087/folder/039.jpg)
(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20689087/folder/44.jpg)
(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20689087/folder/446.jpg)
these i made for fun
(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20689087/folder/eminem.jpg)
(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20689087/folder/obama.jpg)

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: [MAF]Snoopy on June 24, 2011, 02:02:11 pm

:L :L :L

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: [MAF]Aj_Lajk_Bir on June 24, 2011, 02:30:18 pm

lol

Title: Re: [TUTORIAL] Realistic Thunder in Photoshop!
Post by: [MAF]mourad on June 24, 2011, 02:38:28 pm

haha that's nice