Hi. This is Marty from Blue Lightning TV.
I'm going to show you how to create the ethereal look of fog and mist over calm water to your photos.
This is an update of tutorials I did many years ago on much earlier versions of Photoshop.
This update is more realistic and nuanced.
I'll be using this photo, which you can download if you like.
Its link is in the video's description or project files.
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The first step is to convert it into a Smart Object, so we can modify it non-destructively.
To do this, click the icon at the upper, right of the Layers panel and click, "Convert to Smart Object".
Make a copy of it by pressing Ctrl or Cmd + J. Go to Filter and "Camera Raw Filter".
Open "Basic".
On earlier versions of Photoshop, Click the "Basic" icon.
To start, all of the setting amounts are zero.
Make the Contrast: minus 100, the Highlights: 10 and the Shadows: 20.
The Clarity is 40 and the Dehaze is minus100.
Close the "Basic" settings and open "Effects".
Make the "Grain": 70.
Then, click OK.
Go to back to Filter and "Camera Raw Filter".
Open "Basic" again and this time, make the Clarity: minus 20 and the Dehaze: minus 60.
Next, we'll selectively feather out the bottom and top portions of the mist by clicking the
Layer Mask icon to make a layer mask next to the active layer.
Open your Gradient Tool and Gradient Picker.
Click the black to transparent thumbnail and make sure the Linear Gradient icon is active.
Place your cursor a bit below the document approximately here and press and hold the
Shift key as you drag the tool to the bottom of the shack.
Then, release.
Notice the bottom of the layer mask gradually goes from black to white.
It's important to understand that black inside a layer mask conceals that corresponding portion
of the image next to it, thereby revealing the layer under it.
We'll use the gradient tool for the top, as well, but we'll make that transition more subtle.
To do this, reduce the gradient's opacity to 40%.
Place your cursor just above the top of your document and as before, press and hold Shift
as you drag the tool down this time to the middle of the shack's roof.
Next, we'll add a hovering surface mist over the water.
Click the New Layer icon to make a new layer.
Go to Filter, Render and Clouds.
Convert it into a Smart Object, so we can modify it non-destructively and change its
Blend Mode to "Screen" and reduce its opacity to 20%.
Next, we'll stretch out the surface mist and blend it in more.
Open your Transform Tool by pressing Ctrl or Cmd + T.
Go to the top and make sure the chain-link icon is not active.
This will allow us to resize the width or the height independently of the other.
In the Width field, type in 500% and press Enter or Return.
Click the Layer mask icon to make a layer mask next to the clouds layer.
With your Gradient Tool active, increase the gradient's opacity to 100%.
Place your cursor approximately here and press and hold the Shift key as you drag it up to approximately here.
Then, release.
For the top, place your cursor here, press and hold Shift and drag your tool down to here.
Make the clouds layer active and go to Filter, Blur and Gaussian Blur.
Blur it 10 pixels.
Make a copy of the clouds layer and change its Blend Mode to Soft Light
and increase its opacity to 70%.
Press "v" to open your Move Tool and slide the surface mist down to approximately here.
This is Marty from Blue Lightning TV. Thanks for watching!