If you are a fan of cool Photoshop effects that may turn an ordinary photo into something really fantastic, this post is for you. I have compiled the list of the qualitative Photoshop effects tutorials that may come in handy one day.
Top 27 Photoshop Effects Tutorials
You will find simple effects for beginners and advanced photo manipulations for experienced retouchers. Choose the Photoshop tutorial you like most of all and follow its tips to create your own masterpiece.
1. Cloud Photoshop Effect
Beautiful clouds covering the sky are a noticeable element that will enhance any image, especially when it comes to wedding photography. Having applied cloud Photoshop effects to the frame, you will add depth and influence the atmosphere of the whole composition. If you are not lucky to capture clouds in the shot, you may add them in several mouse clicks.
2. Glitch Photo Effect
This Photoshop photo effect probably deserves the most attention among all tendencies of the current year. It is a movement towards promoting overall imperfection, slight carelessness in art. Glitch effects imitate a distortion type that occurred when we tried to play old VHS tapes on video recorders and TV-sets several years ago.
- Read more about How to Use Photoshop Actions.
3. Make Up
For today, we can’t imagine beauty and fashion photography without make up image editing tools. For instance, if you advertise cosmetics or sell a feeling, qualitative and appropriate makeup is necessary to highlight particular areas in the image. Although there are a great number of decent tutorials on makeup Photoshop effects, I recommend starting with this one.
4. Cracked Skin
This tutorial is devoted to one more Photoshop photo effect that might interest both amateurish and professional users. Of course, a cracked skin effect is created not for everyday classic portrait. But it may come in handy for creative photography or may be used just for fun. So, this Photoshop effect tutorial will teach you how to turn a flat portrait into a cracked one and then make the final result look realistic.
- Learn how to apply Frequency Separation to your portrait.
5. Watercolor Photoshop Effect
Watercolor is a special painting technique when watercolors are painted over wet paper, creating a blurring stroke effect and making the composition light and weightless. Using these photo effects Photoshop, you may turn any photo into an impressive watercolor picture by taking several simple steps.
6. Tilt-Shift in Photoshop
Tilt-shift effects are designed to manipulate the depth of field and focus in the frame. They are applied to photos that feature a selective focus. You may achieve this effect using special lenses or create it by means of Ps tools. Tilt-shift Photoshop photo effect is usually applied to pics taken from above with an angle on the subject that is in focus.
7. Sequence Photo Effect
This Photoshop effect tutorial will explain how to create an action sequence ‒ you will learn how to join several images together showing the movement of the subject. This technique is frequently applied to sports photography when you need to show the movement of a person. Or you may use it for fun in pictures where you talk to yourself, for example.
8. HDR Real Estate
HDR means High Dynamic Range. It allows you to capture details inside the building and those being visible through a window opening. It is possible to achieve such an effect using HDR real estate tools in Photoshop. It may seem rather complicated at first sight, but the Photoshop effect tutorial below will help you figure everything out no matter how much experience you have.
- Read the detailed HDR Effect Photoshop Tutorial.
9. Movie Style
Movie style is becoming more and more popular nowadays. Such effects are used not only in movies but also in photography. Shooters and visual artists all over the world add movie touches to their shots, applying color grading. This Photoshop effect tutorial tells how to give your images an impressive cinematic look. Moreover, there is a useful Ps action that is used to automatically tone the pics.
- Read about how Models and Celebrities Photos Are Photoshopped.
10. Retro Photo Effect
I think everyone will agree that retro and vintage effects are always trendy. For retro fans, Photoshop is a perfect program to experiment with ‒ it offers plenty of tones and design styles to create vintage art. Retro Photoshop effects will help you enhance your pics in various ways. For example, you may add several cracks to the modern photo or apply a beautiful sepia effect. Plunge into various incredible styles to add the appeal of the old world to your shots.
11. Add Depth of Field
Among various cool effects in Photoshop, you may find those allowing you to apply different levels of blur to multiple points in the photo. For instance, you may imitate a shallow depth of field by placing points of increasing blur. It is a perfect way to create a realistic look because you get a complete control. The same cannot be said about cases when you try to apply blur to the whole image.
12. Lens Flare
Shooters who tried taking photos in the direction of the sun know that, as a rule, a lens flare appears. Sometimes, it may look natural and up to the point. However, it never appears when you need it. Fortunately, there are photo effects that will successfully help you with that. If you want to achieve a natural effect, you should choose the right photo. Of course, an original image should include a visible light source. It may be artificial or natural lighting ‒ any light source is suitable for such purposes.
- Use these Free Photoshop Plugins for Photographers.
13. Turn Day into Dusk
Turn-day-into-dusk is one of Photoshop effects that means turning day into night in the frame (as it is called in the VFX/Film industry). This technique was developed to post-process movies when the shooting took place during the day, but according to the plot, it should be an evening. In such cases, various tricks are applied to achieve the desired results. Watch this Photoshop effect tutorial and learn how to turn a daytime image into a nighttime one.
14. Gold Effect
This Photoshop effect tutorial describes the method to cover almost any object in Ps with gold. If you apply a gold color to the image, the effect won’t look realistic since the gold color will not preserve the structure of gold. The golden object should look like a cast one, in other words ‒ solid gold but shouldn’t have just a golden color.
15. Beams of Light from Nothing
To create an enigmatic effect of the appearing light beam striking the person, you need an appropriate night image. You have to take several simple steps in Photoshop, and you will get a masterpiece. Watch this Photoshop effect tutorial not to miss important details.
16. Caricature
If you like experimenting with your images creating caricatures of yourself, your family or friends, this Photoshop effects tutorial is a must-watch for you. Although there are many ways of creating caricatures in Ps, this video guide will show helpful tricks and techniques that might come in handy. Use them to create your own unique characters!
17. Plant Face Portrait
Although this lesson doesn’t belong to easy Photoshop effects tutorials, if you master it, you will create an interesting plant effect where plants grow instead of a person’s face. To achieve such an effect, you need a portrait in profile with the plain background. Or you have to transfer it to such a background. It is recommended to use this effect when working with studio images of a high quality.
18. Pop Out Effect
Still don’t know how to make a subject pop out of the photo? Watch this Photoshop effect tutorial and you will find out how to create such an effect by taking several simple steps. The frames where the photo bursts out of it usually catch the eye. To my mind, viewers like such visual punches when something is oozing from the frame because it looks really extraordinary. This video tutorial will show how to easily create pop out effects in Photoshop.
19. Invisible Clothes
The Photoshop effect tutorial below will show you how to create invisible clothes using line art. It’s better to apply this Ps effect when a person is wearing a heavy piece of clothes with many wrinkles and details. In such a way, the effect will be more visible. Use a dark background and the composition will be more dramatic (the lines will be more visible). Don’t be in a hurry while drawing details to achieve better results.
20. Blend Two Images
Thanks to its ability to do amazing things with images, Photoshop is an absolute leader on the market of image editing services. One of such amazing Photoshop effects is the ability to blend two photographs together. Watch the tutorial below and you will learn to creatively join two photos together. I took two images and blended them into one. Interested how I coped with such a task? Check out this video and you will know all the details!
21. Fake Glass
Photographs featuring fake glass are very popular among social media influencers. Some shooters achieve this cool effect by applying specific photography techniques. Watch this Photoshop effect tutorial and you will know whether it is possible to create this effect manipulating two images.
22. Cyberpank Look
A well-known style from the 80s, cyberpunk, is used to describe densely populated, futuristic cities illuminated by bright neon lights and signs. The author will show you image editing techniques that will help you achieve this effect. Watch the video and your images will acquire a desired cyberpunk look.
23. Tiny Planet
If you use it, your landscape will acquire a circular form and will look like a tiny planet. Depending on the background you use, it may float in space, water or sky. If you want to apply this effect, your photo should have a foreground, a horizon and a sky. Moreover, if buildings or images go to the top of the image, the technique might not work.
24. Shape the Light
If you have a favorite image but feel like it lacks something, perhaps, it needs some light. Add a light source and your image will become an eye-catching one. You may easily add beautiful light to your photo using Ps techniques. Master this great Photoshop photo effect with the tutorial below.
25. Underwater Scene
In this Photoshop effect tutorial, you will learn how to create an underwater scene with a sinking person. To take such a photograph in real life is quite a challenging task since you need special equipment. Watch this video and you will easily create such a scene in Photoshop. All you need is to prepare a shot and several other images.
26. Neon Glow
Neon glow is one of the most popular Photoshop effects for today. Combining various light effects and playing with them, you will create a highlight in the frame. No matter whether you want to add neon lighting or just create an interesting pop-culture atmosphere in your photo, this effect is definitely a cool option.
27. Broken Mirror Effect
In this Photoshop tutorial photo effects, you will discover how to create a broken mirror or glass effect. It is quite an easy task and all you need is a basic understanding of masking. Watch this video and you will learn to add glass texture to your images and correct lighting to get a realistic look.
Ann Young
Hi there, I'm Ann Young - a professional blogger, read more
