Design an Abstract Splattered Photo Manipulation

Final Image

As always, this is the final image that we'll be creating:

Step 1

Start by creating a document (800X500px).

Create a new layer called 'background'. Fill your canvas with light gray (dcdcdc).

Step 2

Paste in your rust texture onto a new layer and resize it to fit your canvas.

Now change this layer's blend mode to 'multiply' and reduce it's opacity to 80%.

Apply a hue/saturation adjustment layer.

Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer Settings:

Hue: 0
Saturation: -100
Lightness: 0

Step 3

Now create a new layer called 'noise'. Go to edit > fill and fill your canvas with 50% gray.

Then go to filter > noise > add noise. Add 5% amount of noise, distribution: Gaussian, monochromatic.

Step 4

Now create a new layer called 'background highlights'. Drag out several white to transparent radial gradients in the areas shown below. Then change this layer's blend mode to 'overlay':

Now create a new layer called 'background shadows'.

Use a large, soft black paintbrush at around 40% to paint in a vignette type effect, painting shadows around the edges and corners of your canvas:

Step 5

Now paste in your model photo, positioning it in the left of your canvas:

Now use your path tool to select the bottom of your model's neck, cutting away the bottom in a smooth curve shape:

Now apply a hue/saturation and levels adjustment layer. With each adjustment layer apply a clipping mask so that the adjustments only effect the layer directly beneath them (in this case your model photo layer).

Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer Settings:

Hue: 0
Saturation: -100
Lightness: 0

Levels Adjustment Layer Settings:

42 / 0.75 / 250

Now paste in one of the renders from the 3D render set in the resources for this tutorial. Resize the render to fit over your model's face and then apply a clipping mask to this layer, so that it also crops to fit only onto your model's face. Then reduce this layer's opacity to 20%.

Step 6

Now we want to start adding some color to our composition!

Create a couple of circles, filled with radial gradients ranging from fc528c to cc2f67.

Step 7

Now cut out your ribbon photo and paste it into your composition:

Now apply a hue/saturation and levels adjustment layer, applying a clipping mask to each:

Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer Settings:

Hue: -9
Saturation: +35
Lightness: 0

Levels Adjustment Layer Settings:

32 / 1.04 / 240

Step 8

Now extract one of the paint splatters from the set in the resources for this tutorial and paste it into your composition:

Now apply a hue/saturation and levels adjustment layer, with each layer having a clipping mask:

Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer Settings:

Hue: -33
Saturation: +11
Lightness: +8

Levels Adjustment Layer Settings:

23 / 1.12 / 238

Step 9

Now paste in several more paint splatters, changing the blending with each so that they fit with your overall color palette of white, black and pink:

Step 10

Paste in one of your 3D renders, positioning it over your splatters.

Now apply a hue/saturation and levels adjustment layer (with clipping masks):

Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer Settings:

Hue: 0
Saturation: -100
Lightness: 0

Levels Adjustment Layer Settings:

14 / 1.08 / 227

Step 11

Now paste in some more 3D renders:

Step 12

Now cut out your Ace of Diamonds card and paste it into your composition. If necessary go to edit > transform > distort and warp your card to fit into your composition better:

Now paste apply a black ace of diamonds and back of a card as well, positioning/resizing each card to fit nicely into your composition:

Step 13

Now paste in your 3 of hearts card, positioning it in the bottom right of your canvas.

Go to image > adjustments > hue/saturation and change the hue until your red becomes pink:

Also go to filter > blur > gaussian blur and apply a gaussian blur of 3.4px strength. This should give the illusion of depth, making the larger card appear closer to the viewer:

Now use the same technique to add a large 'back of card' to the bottom left of your canvas. Go to edit > transform > warp to warp your card into a more suitable shape for the corner of your canvas also:

Step 14

You'll see that the 3D closest to your model's head isn't blending into her all that well. To fix this create a new layer called 'shadows'. Paint over this area with a soft, black paintbrush at a low opacity, just building up the shadow in this area:

Step 15

Now we want to add some subtle highlights to our composition.

Drag out some pink to transparent radial gradients over your canvas:

Now reduce this layer's opacity to 10%:

Now do the same technique but with some subtle blue highlights:

Step 16

Now create a new layer called 'dodge/burn'. Go to edit > fill and fill your canvas with 50% gray. Then change this layer's blend mode to 'overlay'. This will hide your 50% gray, but will allow you to paint onto your canvas using soft black/white paintbrushes to dodge/burn your image.

Go ahead and use a soft black paintbrush to paint in your shadows and a soft white paintbrush for your highlights.

The images below show this layer at 'normal' blend mode, and then 'overlay' blend mode:

Step 17

Finally, add a levels adjustment layer, and then a gradient map adjustment layer:

Levels Adjustment Layer Settings:

3 / 1.14 / 249

Gradient Overlay Adjustment Layer Settings:

Gradient: Yellow, Violet, Orange, Blue (default gradient)
Layer Opacity: 5%

And We're Done!

You can view the final outcome below. I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial and would love to hear your feedback on the techniques and outcome.