Creating a Magical Abstract Look

First, we will begin with our picture.
I like to use gray scale images for this type of style, so we’re going to be gray scaling it. I’ve already done this for you, so no worries, skip right on ahead and download the photo, or pick your own photo. Credit to this photo goes to Angie Stock at DA.

Now begins the hard work!
Our picture is going to be made up primarily of….enhanced blobs, if you will. Make a new raster layer and name it ‘Blue Blob’. Naming your layers is useful, because you’re going to have a lot of them. Please remember to name your layers whenever we add a new brush! Now, with that said, go to your brush tool and select the first circular default brush you see. Make sure the size is 60 and the hardness is 100%. Afterwards, go ahead and make a few strokes on your image with the color #22d0fb. Do not freak out if it looks weird. This does not have to be perfect!

Once you’re done, go to Filter > Liquify.
Make sure “Show Backdrop” is unselected and the only things checked are “Show Image” and “Show Mask”. You just want to be able to see the current blue streaks you just made. Using the default brush given, edit and twirl, warp and push your streak to your liking. I usually use the warp and twirl tool to accomplish this. I click and drag through the blob and try to make nice shapes as best I can. You really need to play around and practice with the liquify tool, so don’t fret if you don’t get the style you want the first time.

Selecting your newly created ‘Blue Blob’ layer, set the layer to SCREEN and then press CTRL J to duplicate it, hide the newer layer and use the copy. Always have a copy of your layers just incase! Now, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Set it to 5.3.

Go to Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask. Set your settings to
Amount: 500
Radius: 18.1
Threshold: 0

Duplicate this layer once more. You should now have Blue Bob Copy 2. Go back to Blue Bob Copy 1 and lower the opacity to 15%. Go back to Copy 2 now, which is right on top. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.
Set it to 14.8 pixels and press okay. Set the layer to 65%. You should now have something like this:

Duplicate Copy 2 once again, and you’ll end up with Copy 3 at 65% aswell. For reference, take a look at what your layer palette should now look like:

Now we’re going to add more blobs. Do the same thing we just did, but with a pink color (#fb2279). Make a new raster layer and name it ‘Pink Blob’. This time I used a default circle brush with a roundness 89% and a size of 45. Go ahead and make the same strokes across your image.

Now go to Filter > Liquify and do the same as we did before.

This time instead of sharpening the blog, we’re going to duplicate the pink blob layer (CTRL J), hide the base layer (Hide the pink blob layer!), and then continue to use the Pink Blob copy. Set this layer to Screen aswell (100% opacity). Now selecting the pink blob copy layer, go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur (you seeing a pattern here??)
Set the Angle to 74 and Distance at 45

Duplicate this layer once more and set it to 65% Opacity. Your palette should now look like this (notice: Ignore layer ‘7’. I accidentally made a raster layer! It’s empty)

Last but not least, we will do this once more! (New raster layer for these!) I selected the color #f1d90b and I used a brush size 100 with a hardness of 100. You know the drill!

Filter > Liquify (I used a big brush with the warp tool and just smudged away…)

Filter > blur > Motion Blur
Angle: 74
Distance: 29

Set this layer to screen.

Now we’re going to work on some little details. This time we’re going to be using smaller brush sizes. Make a new raster layer and call it ‘lines’. Use your default circle brush and set it to the size 2px with a hardness of 100. Now this time go to your smudge tool (size 35, 0% hardness) and smudge the lines slightly so they blend into the picture a bit. Then lower the opacity of this lines layer to 72 and set it to Screen. You can add some more lines on separate layers, but we’ll do just one for this tutorial.

We’re going to add better lines that are more noticeable this time. Make a new raster layer and name it ‘pink lines’. (use the same pink color as before) Set this layer to screen before you begin (I have a habit of doing this, heh) So go back to your brush tool, using a brush size of 1px and a hardness of 100% scribble a couple of lines on the image. Now go to Filter > Liquify and play with those lines aswell.

Now duplicate your PINK LINES layer, and then with your newly duplicated layer go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur
Angle: 74
Distance: 24

Press okay and then change the opacity of your original pink lines layer to 26%. You might want to duplicate your duplicated layer a few more times so it shows more (the one you applied motion blur too)

Redo this same thing, instead using a blue color.

Now that we’ve done most of what we could with our lines, it’s time to add little brushes. Take this brush set and select the circular dot brush, and apply it to the image in the light blue color.

Taking ANY floral or watercolor brush (you can use these if you want) as an ERASER, go over the circular brushes and stamp it onto the circular pattern, leaving the floral pattern behind. Do this until you come up with something you like. Set this layer to screen aswell once you’re done.

Do this one more time but with a white color. Remember to spread the brush over the entire image and not just one part.

Now here is where we begin to add textures and colors to enhance our image. Paste this stock on your image, and set it to Screen at 71%. Make sure to move it to the left a bit and position it well!

Afterwards head on over to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance
Match your settings to mine:

Then Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Channel Mixer
Match your settings to mine:

Set this layer to Overlay at 35%.

Now for the final layers.
Make a new raster layer, fill it with the color #c99300 and set it to Multiply at 26%.
Make a new raster layer, fill it with the color #c90089 and set it to Color at 36%.
Make a new raster layer, fill it with the color #a8e307 and set it to Color at 16%.

Now get your text tool and write something out in white, then double click the effects layer and go to Outer Glow. Match your settings to mine.

And Voila! You’ve finished the tutorial, and I hope you’ve learned something….from all the blurring, heh. I told you my process is weird!
View the final image

Voila! You should be all done :)

Posted 09/18/2009 - Photoshop Tutorials | 21 comments