Photoshop Tutorial: Create a Chaotic Disintegration Effect on a Face

This tutorial will show you a quick and easy way in creating a stunning disintegration effect in photoshop.
I created this work on Photoshop CS5 but earlier versions will work as well.

The sources:
1. The face
2. Shatter glass brushes
3. Bird brushes
4. The branch

You can see the hi-res of this work here

Let's just get started!

End result:

Author:

Views: 55075

Score: 9.27 / 10

Author earned: $40

Practice tutorial

Step 1

First of all, go to file and then hit new to create a new canvas (Ctrl+N) . This new canvas will be the background layer in the layers palette

Step 2

Now duplicate the background layer (Ctrl+J). With the duplication layer (background copy) selected, go to Filter > Render > Lightning effect. See the picture for the details of lightning effect setting.

Step 3

Next , set the blending of the background copy layer to normal at 58% opacity after that duplicate it (Ctrl+J). Now we have background copy 2 layer. Set the blending of the background copy 2 layer to color dodge at 100% opacity.

Step 4

Continue to create a new layer (Shift+Ctrl+N) and name the new layer shape 1. Then, go to Brush tool (B) in tools palette. Choose shatter glass brush and paint a shape like mine. ( See the picture below ).

Step 5

Arrange the position of the shape 1 as shown in picture below:

Step 6

Next step is to duplicate the shape 1 layer three times and then place the three duplicated layers below it in the layers palette. Rearrange the position of each where needed. Set the shape1 copy layer to normal blending at 100% opacity, while the shape 1 copy 2 and the shape 1 copy 3 layer are set to multiply blending at 78% opacity. See the image below..

Step 7

Now open the face image. We will cut out the face. To achieve this, select Pen tool (P) in tool palette. Continue to trace the face by clicking new anchor points as you go, these show as small squares on your screen. Proceed with tracing the face and work your way to meet the first anchor and close the path. After that, right click on the closed path. When the pop up window for the path execution comes up, choose make selection. Finally inverse the selection (Shift+Ctrl+I) and hit Del to clear the background.

Step 8

Add the face to the canvas. It will be a new layer and name it Face in layers palette.

Step 9

Now it’s time to crate the disintegration effect to the face. We will use Clipping Mask to achieve this. To create a Clipping Mask, first make sure the shape 1 layer is directly under the face layer that we want to be clipped in the Layers palette . Hold down Alt and click the line between the two layers in the Layers palette. The cursor changes to a symbol. Click the mouse. You will see a small arrow pointing downward next to the face layer. This small arrow is the indication of a layer clipped mask.

Step 10

In this step we will add Gradient map. Go to Layer > new adjustment layer > gradient map.

Step 11

Now set the blending of the gradient map layer to overlay at 90 % opacity.

Step 12

I wanted to give some light to the eye of the face. To create the light, create a new layer (Shift+Ctrl+N) and name the new layer Light. Now select rectangular marquee tool to make a selection around the eye. Fill the selection (Shift+F5) with black color. Then, go to Filter > render > lens flare. Finally set the blending of the light layer to color dodge at 100% opacity. Remember to mask some area round the face to hide unnecessary light. Try to make the light just focus on the eye.

Step 13

To give more dramatic effect, I added the branch image. I duplicated it into some layers and arranged the duplicated layers in the positions where needed. Remember to re-size them and set the blending to multiply at around 50-100% opacity.

Step 14

In this last step, I added photo filter (Layer > new adjustment layer > Photo filter). Set the photo filter layer to normal at 30% opacity.

Step 15

here is the result. Thank you for visiting this tutorial. Happy photoshoping...

41 Comments:

niks1351 says:

it is very interesting.... loved it

(326 days ago)

kushpatel says:

again 5star tut man.you are wonderful.very nice work
good luck dekwid

(326 days ago)

arca says:

Great tut ... very interesting.

(324 days ago)

nishagandhi says:

nice effect! and nicely explained

(315 days ago)

Hayato says:

5 stars for the love of God. XD

I mean... OMG, that's a cute way of 'grunging' someone. The new way of grunge your character, not just the backgrounds should I say.

(315 days ago)

DanielaOwergoor says:

Very nice!!

(315 days ago)

George55 says:

Good tutorial, well explained, Good luck!

(315 days ago)

CorneliaMladenova says:

Oooooo, very cool outcome and well explained

(315 days ago)

erikuri says:

Amazingly cool!... Great effects! Thumbs up...

(315 days ago)

greymval says:

Awesome stuff! You inspired me to write a tutorial as well There are lots of things we can share, and that's why I love this site.
I had no idea that you can do clipping just with Alt Click - I was wasting time right clicking & selecting all the time.

(315 days ago)

minnie says:

It's a very good tutorial, you explain things that are difficult to find "how to do"!!
Really a good work!!

(315 days ago)

hereisanoop says:

Good result and a an easy tutorial to follow.. it will be a an easy job if you add the links (of stock photo, bushes.. etc) here... good luck

(313 days ago)

Guest says:

Really nice tutorial, brilliantly explained with useful tips. Thanks for sharing!

(285 days ago)

Guest says:

great tut thank u

(283 days ago)

sushil says:

Nice one, i like it , with neat explanation, looking forward for more....

(282 days ago)

ahmad says:

it is very interesting....

(281 days ago)

DayDay says:

I just did this thank you came out amazing

(269 days ago)

Guest Cristi says:

Thanx man i need this

(268 days ago)

Guest says:

you are a genious on your field

(256 days ago)

Guest says:

its cooollllll i tried it and worked

(250 days ago)

rionaldi says:

luar biasa efekx

(247 days ago)

mohammed says:

can u make it vedio cause i can't understand how to do that

(241 days ago)

Cedric says:

I don't have the glass brush

(237 days ago)

Guest says:

I don't have the glass brush too

(233 days ago)

nana says:

nice ^^

(216 days ago)

Guest says:

it is really cool

(205 days ago)

Guest says:

it is really cool to see that people can create art so beautiful.

(205 days ago)

william L. Malone says:

sweet

(205 days ago)

dong says:

where the website can take a resource of highly quality?

(201 days ago)

kariedaway says:

5 stars! Short & sweet, well explained, and end result is really beautiful! Can't wait to try this on a few stock photos I have.

(194 days ago)

bailey says:

there is a skipped step between 10 and 11, somehow the lipstick is intensified and the eyes darker and the face is whiter???

(192 days ago)

Guest says:

@bailey, that is caused by the gradient map applied and set to overlay 90% !!!

(192 days ago)

dekwid says:

no skipped step.......! lipstick is intensified and the eyes darker and the face is whiter....that's caused by the effect of the gradient map set to overlay at 90% !!!

(191 days ago)

cgblur says:

goooooooooooooooooooooooooooood

(187 days ago)

Guest says:

Gracias dekwid, esta Buenisimo....!!!

(162 days ago)

Blanco111 says:

The Bird Brushes and the Branch url links don't work. Where can I get those resources?

(154 days ago)

Bala says:

Really wonderful job. keep it up

(149 days ago)

Ahmed says:

nice

(139 days ago)

Tim says:

This is quite possibly the best photoshop tutorial I have ever tried. You freaking rock!

(70 days ago)

saleh9989 says:

gooooooooooooooooooooood

(66 days ago)

jaydeb says:

this is nice, very cool

(60 days ago)

Leave a Comment

Name:

Comment:

submit