Abstract Eye

This tutorial with guide you through how to make a a lightning abstract effect using Photoshop default Filters. The results are different every time you do it so your result will not be the same as mine:

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1. Open Photoshop and create a new document. I'm using 800x800

2. Make the Background Black

3. Create a new layer

4. Create a small black circle the size you want the main area to be.

5. Create a new layer and create a smaller circle by 2px with a feather of 5px using a dark grey

6. Create another circle smaller than the last with no feather and fill this with a gradient or solid colour of your choice

7. Make another circle on a new layer this time smaller than the last circle again, but fill it with a gradient from top to bottom with white to transparent.

8. Apply a gaussian blur to this circle of 2px

9. Move this circle so it just touches the top of the previous circle.

10. Create a new layer and fill with white

11. Then go to Filter >> Render >> Fibers:

Variance: 8px

Strength: 54px

12. Ctrl + Click the coloured circle then go to Select >> Inverse and press Delete

13. Change the layer style to Luminosity and the opacity20% to

14. At this point you should have something that looks like this:

15. Select all the layers excluding the background layer and merge together. You should now have 2 layers, the layer with the circle and the background.

16. Now select the Smudge Tool (R):

Brush Width: 15px-20px

Hardness: 100%

Mode: normal

Strength: 90%

17. Now smudge the circle to your desired effect.

18. Once you are complete with smudging duplicate the layer

19. Then go to Edit >> Transform >> Flip Horizontally

20. Set the blending mode of the duplicated layer to pin light, then press Ctrl + Alt + U

21. Check the colorize box and select the colour you want.

22. Do the same for the original layer

23. Ctrl + Click the duplicated layer and create a new layer above the duplicated layer

24. Using the gradient tool create a gradient from bottom to top of white to transparent.

25. Apply a gaussian blur or 3px

26. Create a new layer and fill this with white

27. Go to Filter >> Render >> Fibers and use the same settings as before

28. Duplicate the layer and set the opacity of the duplicated layer to 50% and flip on the horizontal axis

29. Merge these two layers and change the blending mode to Multiply and the opacity to 40%

30. Go to Filter >> Sketch >> Chrome and use the settings of 10 and 10

31. Create a new layer and fill with white, go to Filter >> Render >> fibers with the same settings as before then Filter >> Render >> Difference Clouds 5 or so times

32. Ctrl + Click the layer that has the pin light blending mode and set a feather of 20px

33. Go to Select >> Inverse and delete.

34. Change the blending mode to Screen and the opacity20% to

35. Get an image of an eye and put it on and select the blending mode luminosity and the opacity to 75%

36. Ctrl + Click the eye and set a feather of 20px

37. Delete this from the layer we made previously.

38. Create a new layer and go to Filter >> Render >> Clouds followed by Filter >> Render >> Difference Clouds around 15 times

39. Change the blending mode to lighten and the opacity50% to

40. Press Ctrl + Alt + U and colourize it to a similar colour which you used before

41. Play about with different settings and see what you can come up with.