Unique World: 11 May 2012

In this tutorial we’ll show you how to make a realistic rainy window effect using basic Photoshop tools, filters, brush and layer styles.

This is what we ‘ll be creating:

Model

Step 1

Open your model picture. You can use your own image. I crop this picture to make a better effect (for this tutorial purpose). Hit C to active this tool and grab a square around the part you want to take then hit one button to complete this action.

Step 2

Press W to active Magic Wand Tool with settings below. Use Magic Wand Tool to click inside white background of this picture :

Hit Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+I to inverse this selection and we have selection for model

Right click this selection, choose Layer via Copy and we have a new layer with extracted model. Name this layer as “model”:

Step 3

Duplicate model layer we have “model copy”. Go to Filter-Blur-Gassian Blur and set radius as 1,5 px (it depends on the sharpness of your photo):

Add layer mask and use soft black brush with opacity and flow about 50% to make some parts of model more visible:

Step 4

I want to change color of model so I use a Curves layer. Choose Layer-New adjustment layer-Curves:

Step 5

I use a Hue/Saturation layer to reduce red and magenta tone of model:

Step 6

Hit Cmd/Ctr/Shift+N to make a new layer. Choose Edit-Fill with color #605a4b:

Lower opacity of this layer to 30%:

Make a new layer fill again but with color #043157 and opacity 40%:

It’s only my favorite color choice and you’re free to make color you like.

Step 7

In this step we will make a glass window effect. Create a new layer with method used above. Set foreground and background color to white ( #ffffff) and #3a4755.

Go to Filter-Render-Clouds:

We have :

Choose Filter-Distort-Glass:

Change the mode to Soft light 80%:

Add layer mask and use soft black brush with opacity and flow 40% to blur glass effect on model face, hands:

Step 8

In some next steps I’ll show you how to make realistic rain drops. Make a new layer on the top and set foreground color to white. Hit B to active Brush tool, choose size with 3 px then press F5 to make settings of this brush as shown below:

Use brush to paint over the picture:

Name it “small drops”. Right click this layer, choose Blending Options:

Lower opacity of this layer to 50%:

Step 9

Create a new layer and use white brush with same settings but increase brush size to 9px. Paint on the pic as shown below:

Apply layer style like in step 8 but add more Drop Shadow effect:

Change opacity to 30%:

Step 10

To make rain traces on window, I use white brush with changed settings:

Make some random traces on window:

Apply same layer style done in previous step ( Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, Bevel and Emboss) but set opacity to 20%:

Step 11

The model hands pulsing the window so them need to be clearer, darker, more visible. Come back to model layer, make selection for model hands as shown below (don’t need to be so precise with these selections):

Copy them into a new layer (right click, choose Layer via Copy like we did in step 2) and place this layer on the top. Call it “hands”:

Lower opacity to 10% and use layer mask to hide the edges of them:

Step 12

Click Filter-Distort-Ripple:

Then Filter-Stylize-Diffuse:

Step 13

Choose a Hue/Saturation layer above hands layer with Clipping Mask options:

Down the lightness to -100

Step 14

To darken the hands more, I use a new layer (non-Clipping Mask) and brush with color #3a4755. Paint on right hand with brush 100% opacity and 30% for the left (as it’s darker than the right already). Put the mode as Soft light 50%:

Step 15

To change the light of picture, I use Gradient layer. Make a layer and hit G to choose Gradient Tool (with default color : black and white) with settings below: