Hi. This is Marty from Blue Lightning TV.
I'm going to show you how to create a rainstorm with lightning from a sunny day.
I provided a PSD document, so you can follow along.
Its link is below in my video's description or project files.
It includes this photo of a sunny landscape and an image of dark, storm clouds.
The first step is to make a selection around the land, so we can ultimately replace the
existing sky with the storm clouds.
Open your Quick Selection Tool and make its Radius 10 pixels.
Drag your tool inside the land to select it.
To check it, press "Q" to see it as a quick mask.
If it looks good to you, press "Q" again to revert it back into a selection.
Next, we'll refine the selection.
If you're using version CC or later, click the "Select and Mask" button or go to "Select"
and "Select and Mask".
If you're using an earlier version, click "Refine Edge".
I did in-depth tutorials on both "Refine Edge" and "Select and Mask", so if you'd like to
watch them, I provided their links, as well.
If you're using CC or later and would prefer to use Refine Edge, press the Shift key as
you click "Select and Mask".
The Refine Edge window will open.
Check, "Smart Radius" and drag the Radius to approximately 6 pixels.
To adjust the size of your brush, press the right or left bracket keys on your keyboard.
Brush over the edge of the trees to refine their edges.
Output it to a Layer Mask and click OK.
Think of layer masks as stencils - white reveals and the black masks out.
In this example, the white area of the layer mask is revealing the land next to it,
while the black area of the layer mask is masking out the sky.
Because the sky is masked out, the layer under it is revealed.
Next, we'll adjust the land's color and overall brightness.
Keep in mind, if you’re using a different photo, you may need to adjust these settings
because every photo has its own characteristics.
Click the Adjustment layer icon and click "Hue / Saturation".
Adjustment layers affect all the layers below them in the Layer panel, however, since we want
it to restrict it to just the one layer below it,
we need to make the adjustment layer into a clipping mask.
Click the Clipping Mask icon or press Ctrl + Alt + G on Windows or Cmd + Option + G on a Mac.
Another way, is to click "Layer" at the top of your screen and click, "Create Clipping Mask".
Check, "Colorize" and make the "Hue": 205, the "Saturation": 50 and the "Lightness": minus 30.
Reduce the Adjustment layer's opacity to 32%.
Next, we'll adjust the brightness of the land's midtones.
Click the Adjustment layer icon again and this time, click "curves".
Clip it to the land layer.
The diagonal line represents the full tonality of out image from dark to light.
For this photo, we'll darken the midtones a bit, so click the middle of the diagonal
line and drag it down approximately this much.
Next, we'll create the rain.
Click the New Layer icon to make a new layer.
Name it "Rain 1".
We'll fill it with black, but first, if your foreground and background colors aren't black
and white respectively, press "D" on your keyboard.
Since black is your foreground color, press Alt + Delete on Windows or Option + Delete on a Mac.
Go to Filter, Noise and "Add Noise".
The Amount is 100%, Gaussian and Monochromatic.
Then, click OK or press Enter or Return.
Go back to Filter, Blur and "Motion Blur".
Make the Angle: minus 60 degrees and the Distance: 30 pixels.
Go back to Filter and this time, click Blur and "Gaussian Blur".
Blur it point 5 pixels.
Change its Blend Mode to "Soft Light".
We'll add one more layer of rain to intensify the storm.
Make a new layer and name it, "Rain 2".
The reason we're not just copying the first rain layer is because we want "Rain 2"
to be slightly different than “Rain 1”.
Fill the empty layer with black.
Go to Filter, Noise and "Add Noise".
Whenever we add noise, the texture is always slightly different, so when we go back to
Filter, Blur and Motion Blur, these striated lines are slightly different, as well.
Go to Filter, Blur and Gaussian Blur.
This time, blur it 1 pixel.
Open "Levels" by pressing Ctrl or Cmd + L. In the Input black level, type in 80 and for
the midtones, type in point 92.
Change its Blend Mode to “Screen”.
Next, we'll add lightning.
Make a new layer and name it, “Lightning”.
Open your Gradient Tool and make sure the "Linear" gradient icon is active.
If the gradient bar isn't black to white, click it to open the Gradient Editor and click
the "Black, White" thumbnail.
Go to the upper left corner of your image and drag the gradient tool to the lower, right corner.
Go to Filter, Render and "Difference Clouds".
Invert it by pressing Ctrl or Cmd + I.
Open Levels by pressing Ctrl or Cmd + L. Make the Input white: 200 and the Input Midtones: point 24.
Find an area of the image that you want to use for the lightning and we'll brush out the rest.
To do it, open your Brush Tool and Brush Picker.
Make the size approximately 40 pixels, the Hardness 0% and the Opacity and Flow both 100%.
Brush over all the unwanted areas.
Change its Blend Mode to "Screen".
Open your Move Tool and drag it to a location on the sky that looks good to you.
I'd like to flip the lightning, so I'll go to Edit, Transform and "Flip Horizontal".
To resize and/or angle your lightning, open your Transform Tool by pressing Ctrl or Cmd + T.
Go to a corner and when you see a diagonal, double-arrow, press and hold Alt or Option
+ Shift as you drag it out or in.
To re-position it, go inside the Transform and drag it.
Than, press Enter or Return.
Next, we'll add a slight blue color cast to the lightning.
Click the Adjustment Layer icon and click, "Hue/Saturation".
Clip it to the Lightning.
Check, "Colorize" and in the Hue field, type in 225 and the Saturation: 14.
The Lightness is 0.
Lastly, we'll add some illumination in the clouds.
Scroll to the bottom and make the Stormy sky layer active.
Invert the foreground and background colors by pressing "x" on your keyboard.
Now, white is your foreground color.
Open your Dodge Tool and make its size approximately 200 pixels and the Hardness: 0%.
Make the the Range: "Highlights" and the "Exposure": 50%.
Brush over the top of the lightning and between contrasting clouds.
This is Marty from Blue Lightning TV.
Thanks for watching!