Dispersion Effect: Photoshop Tutorial

Dispersion Effect: Photoshop Tutorial

Stock download links are in the description.
Duplicate the background layer. CTRL + J.
Hide the top layer.
Select the Background layer.
Select the Lasso Tool. (L)
Select around the model, like so.
Once you're done. Right-click - Fill.
Contents: Content-Aware. Then hit OK.
CTRL + D to de-select.
Make our top layer visible again.
Select the top layer as well.
Select the Quick Selection Tool. (W)
Select the entire model, like so.
Head up and click on Select and Mask.
Select Refine Edge, if you're using a different version of Photoshop.
Refine Edge Brush Tool
Start off by only selecting the model's hair.
Output to: Layer Mask.
Then hit OK.
The model is now on a separate background.
Duplicate the top layer. CTRL + J.
Right-click on the mask - Apply Layer Mask.
Hide the middle layer. (Layer 1)
I am going to rename this layer to "Dispersion Effect"
Duplicate it once more. CTRL + J.
I am going to rename this new layer to "Man"
Select the Dispersion layer.
Head up to Filter - Liquify.
Make sure the Forward Warp Tool is selected.
Warp the model like so.
This is going to determine the size of the dispersion effect.
Take your time! I will speed this part up, to save you some time!
When you're done. Hit OK.
Hold ALT While clicking on the mask. (Fill mask with black)
Select the "Man" layer.
Then select mask at the bottom.
Make sure your foreground color is set to black.
Select the Brush Tool. (B)
Select a dispersion brush.
I will select this one for now. You can choose anyone you'd like to use.
Open up the Brush Panel.
Start adding the effect, like so.
Rotate your brush frequently.
Increase Brush ] | Decrease Brush [
I am going to select another brush. So it doesn't look like a pattern.
Start adding the effect once again.
I will speed this part up since it's time-consuming.
Once you're happy with the effect. Select the Dispersion mask.
Make sure your foreground color is set to white.
Let's start adding the second step to the dispersion effect.
Be sure to take your time!
Rotate your brush frequently.
Shortcuts: Increase Brush ] | Decrease Brush [
CTRL + Z to undo.
I will speed this part up once again.
Start adding larger particles.
Starting to look great!
I am going to do some clean-up.
Select the top mask. Man.
Make sure your foreground color is set to white.
Select a small brush with soft edges.
Zoom in using your Zoom Tool. (Z)
Start masking out unnecessary parts.
Once again, take your time.
CTRL + 0 to zoom back out.
That's starting to look good!
I am going to add a broken glass texture.
Select your Move Tool. (V) Then drag and drop onto our project.
Let's change the Blending Mode to Screen.
I am going to rename this layer to "Cracks"
CTRL + T to select the cracked texture.
Hold ALT + SHIFT while dragging a corner inwards.
Position the cracked texture in the center of the man's glass lens.
Continue positioning and centering as needed.
Select your Zoom Tool and zoom in. (Z)
Head down and select Mask.
Make sure you're using a small brush.
Your foreground color should be set to black.
Start masking out unnecessary parts or the glass.
CTRL + 0 to zoom back out.
Create a new adjustment layer - Select the Gradient Map.
Select the Gradient Presets.
Select a nice gradient for this part.
Download my free gradient pack. Link in the description.
Hit OK when you're done.
Then hit close.
Bring down the opacity level to about 20%.
As you can see, gradients look great!
Some of the dispersion effects look a little dull. I will sharpen it up.
CTRL + SHIFT + ALT + E - This will merge all visible layers.
Let us rename this layer to "Sharpen"
Right-click - Convert to Smart Object.
Head up to Filter - Sharpen -Unsharp Mask.
I am going to set the Amount to 60%.
Then hit OK.
And that is it! I really hope you liked this tutorial! :)