This tutorial was originally posted on loreleiweb.com and was inspired by occultissimo.com, but it was moved to pswish.com due to technical reasons. The tutorial remains a copyright property of Lorelei (me!)

The requests for Fantasy Art tutorials are enormous; I still get emails and PMS from people asking to do more Fantasy Art tuts, so here is one more called “Plasma” (Star, not the TV!), which I hope you’d enjoy.

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

1. Make a new canvas. We used 600*480 px here, but the size is optional.

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

2. Select the Gradient Tool, using two shades of blue (see below), and fill your canvas so the darker color will be on top.

https://loreleiwebdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/HLIC/eda9bf1fac802b517e57524bf45c3022.jpg
Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

3. Take a photo of a girl. Traditionally, I have used Becca’s photo from her Deviant Art account, but you can replace her with any semi-sitting figure you choose. Crop the figure and paste it onto your canvas. If needed, resize her so that she will fit in.

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

4. To get rid of the visible crappy cropping, and to give the girl more emphasis, add blueish glow to her by going to Layer>> Layer Styles >> Outer Glow and applying the following settings:

https://loreleiwebdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/HLIC/b135eb0e83de1c64e0ac69c6f84a3a6f.jpg

This is what you would get:

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

5. Make a new Layer. Make sure your primarily and secondary colours are black and white. Go to Filter >> Render >> Clouds

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https://loreleiwebdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/HLIC/d484e43dafea5cd402d994600312c5cb.jpg

And if needed, apply the cloud effect several times to achieve the desired randomly “clouded” effect.

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

6. Reduce the opacity of the Layer to semi-visible.

https://loreleiwebdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/HLIC/d5de0439e09da49491ecffc8890eb01d.jpg

7. Press Ctrl+T for free transform, then right mouse click and “Scew.” Drag the left corner of the clouds layer, as shown on the illustration below:

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

Press “Enter” when done, then Ctrl + D to deselect the Layer.

8. Duplicate the cloud layer. Select the upper Layer and Edit >> Transform >> Flip Horizontal.

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

9. Select the girl’s Layer from the layers panel and drag it to the top to be your upper Layer.

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

Remember to remove the parts where layers turn to be on top of one another.

10. Take a photo of a lake with water circles. We used this one from Digital Free Photo, but this is optional.

Paste the Layer into your composition so that the circles in the water will be “around” the girls or your main figure.

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Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

11. Using the Eraser Tool, remove the lower part of the girl’s Layer, creating the illusion that she is really sitting inside the water and the water circles are “from” her.

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

12. Set the lake’s Layer blending options to Luminosity.

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

13. Drag the Layers of the clouds on top of the water later and, using an eraser tool with a soft edge (100px), remove the sharp parts so that only the “steaming” clouds will remain, with no edges.

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

14. Now to the hard bit – creating the plasma cycles.
Please make a new layer (this is important) and place it on top of all the others.

15. Using the Elliptical Marquee tool, draw an ellipse. While the ellipse on the new Layer is selected, Right-mouse-click and choose “stroke.” Apply the settings below for the stroke effect:

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

16. Press Ctrl + T to free transform, and then right-mouse-click >> Prospective. Try to distort the round Layer you have. It would look like the line is surrounding or flowing around the girl.

https://loreleiwebdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/HLIC/94c651aa8cbab5cafc511c65f08b9b89.jpg

17. Using the Eraser tool with a significant soft edge, remove the “farther” part of the round, behind her head, like this:

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

18. While this Layer is selected, go to Layer>> Layer styles >> Outter glow and apply the following glow settings:

https://loreleiwebdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/HLIC/5ccb93943e152d64bae67a3ac413be53.jpg

19. Duplicate the Layer several times, and, each time, transform the round using the prospective settings so that the circles chaotically surround the main figure’s body.

https://loreleiwebdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/HLIC/4f1719304fa2facec5b724154f5f26d9.jpg

20. Remember to leave the “front” part of the circle visible and erase the “back” part. This is more or less what you should have by now:

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https://loreleiwebdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/HLIC/6f7804b7e1f3030de5aa8b2ac7e508fa.jpg

21. Flatten the Layer.
22. Go to Image >> Adjustments >> Levels and apply the following settings to give the image an overall bluish hue:

https://loreleiwebdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/HLIC/ce7dca14b19a189341d7bccc221e9a73.jpg
https://loreleiwebdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/HLIC/9eab6f697ab4ee216b3432bb7d09a926.jpg

23. Duplicate the Layer.
24. While the upper Layer is selected (and your background colour in the palette is set to white), go to Filter >> Distort >> Diffuse Glow and apply these glow settings.

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

25. Reduce the opacity of the “glowing layer” to 20% (or less, depending on your image).
26. Flatten the Layer again to merge both layers into one.

27. Using some star brushes (download free on the Deviant Art resources page), apply the stars chaotically around and all over the glowing cycles.

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

28. Select the background layer (the artwork, not the stars) and apply the spotlight effect twice to Renters >> Lightening effect.

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

29. Return to the Stars layer, go to Layer>> Layer Styles >> Outer Glow, and add the following glow using white #ffffff color.

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

30. Duplicate the star’s Layer.
31. Go to Filter >> Blur >> Radial Blur and apply these settings.

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

You may create this Layer’s opacity if you feel the rounded blurred effect is too strong. That’s it, your artwork is ready:

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

Download my poorly cropped Render:

Fantasy Art Photopshop Tutorial - Plasma in the Lake - PS Tutorials Lorelei Web Design

Text Version:

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Fantasy Art Photoshop Tutorial: Creating Plasma in the Lake

Overview

In this tutorial, we’ll dive into creating a stunning fantasy art scene featuring a mystical plasma orb floating above a serene lake. We’ll cover techniques such as blending modes, layer masks, and custom brush creation to achieve a magical atmosphere.

Requirements

  • Adobe Photoshop (any recent version should suffice)
  • Basic understanding of Photoshop’s interface and tools
  • A high-resolution image of a lake or serene water body

Step 1: Preparing the Background

  1. Open your lake image in Photoshop. This will serve as the background for our fantasy scene.
  2. Adjust the image to your liking using Image > Adjustments. Consider enhancing the brightness/contrast or applying a slight color balance adjustment to set the mood of your scene.

Step 2: Creating the Plasma Orb

  1. Create a new layer (Shift+Ctrl+N) and name it “Plasma Orb.”
  2. Select the Elliptical Marquee Tool (M) and hold Shift to draw a perfect circle. Place this where you want the orb to be in your scene.
  3. Fill the selection with a bright, vibrant color that suits your plasma effect using the Paint Bucket Tool (G). A neon blue or green works well for plasma.
  4. Deselect the selection by pressing Ctrl+D.

Step 3: Adding Glow to the Orb

  1. Double-click the “Plasma Orb” layer to open the Layer Style dialog box.
  2. Apply an Outer Glow with a blend mode of Screen, choosing a color that matches your orb. Adjust the size and spread to create a soft, ethereal glow.
  3. Add an Inner Glow to enhance the orb’s core brightness. Use a lighter version of the orb’s color, set the blend mode to Lighten, and adjust the size for a subtle inner shine.

Step 4: Enhancing the Orb with Brushes

  1. Create a new layer above the Plasma Orb layer and name it “Orb Details.”
  2. Select the Brush Tool (B). Open the Brush panel (Window > Brush) and create a custom brush with scattered strokes, size jitter, and angle jitter to simulate energy flowing around the orb.
  3. Using a bright color, paint around the orb with the custom brush to add dynamic, swirling energy effects.

Step 5: Refining the Scene

  1. To integrate the orb with the scene, create a reflection in the lake. Duplicate the “Plasma Orb” and “Orb Details” layers, merge them (Ctrl+E), and flip vertically (Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical). Position this layer below the original orb, aligning it as if the light is reflecting in the water.
  2. Reduce the opacity of the reflection layer to blend it naturally with the water, and apply a Gaussian Blur (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur) to simulate the water’s surface distortion.

Step 6: Final Adjustments

  1. Adjust the overall scene’s color and contrast for coherence. Create an adjustment layer for Color Balance or Curves (Layer > New Adjustment Layer) and tweak the settings to unify the orb’s magical light with the rest of the scene.
  2. Add a slight vignette effect by creating a new layer, filling it with black, and applying a radial gradient set to transparent in the center. Adjust the layer’s opacity for a subtle darkening at the edges.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve created a mesmerizing fantasy scene featuring a plasma orb above a tranquil lake. Experiment with different orb colors, glow intensities, and scene settings to craft unique variations of this magical landscape.

This tutorial demonstrates the power of blending modes, layer styles, and custom brushes in creating fantasy art in Photoshop. By adjusting the steps and exploring Photoshop’s vast toolkit, you can expand this project into more complex and personalized artwork.