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As promised, in this tutorial, I'll learn you how to make a effect of some kind of ice, or better frozen effect. Some of you probably, in this time of year, have been bored of the sun heat and would like to splash yourselves with frozen water. But, again, we're going to splash you digitally. We're going to make an effect of frozen crystals which are dispersing them on the frozen surface. Of course, their structure is too complex to edit it detaily, so we'll do one easier version which will show you very nice what am I talking about. At the end, everything should look like someone brushed the ice with some various objects, so the typical "scars" will be seen on the surface. So, get prepared your cap, gloves, and other things to finish this, yet another, creative attraction.

Make a new document with square dimensions (I used 500x500 px). Before you click Ok in dialog New, make sure that you select Transparent in the frame Contents. Then click Ok. It'll open a new window with transparent layer. Make sure that the Foreground color is black. You can do that quickly just pressing "D" on the keyboard, which will make default colors for Foreground/Bakcground Color, black/white. In the menu Edit click on command Fill, then choose Use Foreground Color and click Ok. Layer 1 should be filled with black color. Rename the Layer 1 to something like "Background". On the Layers palette click on the small button Create new layer (hotkey - Shift+Ctrl+N) and this will make a new layer. Open the Color Picker dialog, by clicking on the Foreground Color icon, and choose pure red color (R:255, G:0, B:0). Okey, we're getting to some 'smarter' part of the tutorial.

Secret of this tutorial is called Gradient Tool. This tool will help us to make big part of the whole process of making ice. Let's see how this tool works. Select this tool on the toolbar or simple just press "G" on the keyboard. Gradient Tool on the Options trackbar sets few parameters. We'll first select Reflected Gradient, as our type of gradiation, and then we'll change the whole gradiation by clicking its sample on the Options trackbar. It'll open Gradient Editor, so now we must select the Foreground to Transparent preset. Make sure that all options like on the next picture.



Now position the mouse somewhere in the middle of the work area and make one small gradiation (under some angle). Direction and length Photoshop will make with two points. To have big sloppy gradient, try to make distance from first to second point about 1 - 2 cm (smaller than 1") on our resolution 500x500. If the resoulution is bigger, the distance from point to point should be bigger. Make two gradiations with red color; both of them should be placed on various places and various angles. Then again, open the Color Picker dialog and make sure the the HSB-model of colors is selected (by clicking H, S or B radio buttons). The HSB are Hue, Saturation and Brightness. Make sure it's set to H:0, S:100, B:100, what is totally same like RGB 255,0,0. And in the future I'll write my color numbers like example this RGB 255, 0, 0, to make it easier. We only need Hue value for the process, and now change it from 0 to 50. So, the value of HSB should be 50, 100, 100 now. Now make again two various gradients with this color. Then, again in the Color Picker change Hue value from 50 to 100, and make two more various gradients. Repeat this step every time making the Hue value bigger for 50, and you should get the last color of 350. So, at the and you should have seven colors, with fourteen various gradiations, by two colors.



For now, everything looks chaotic and motley. Don't worry, it'll be much worse. Rename your 'happy' layer to "Lines 1", an then make one more layer, but change its Blending mode from Normal to Difference. Doing this, the new layer will work with colors on different method. Now little re-doing. You must again follow the whole process of making the gradients - from Hue 0 to 350. So, again the hard work.

Don't worry, if you're lost in the "process of maltreatment colors". It's important to change every Hue value right and to make for every color two gradients. You can call this layer "Lines 2".

It's time to get some order in the game. In the manu Layer choose command Merge Visible (hotkey Ctrl+Shift+E), which will 'melt' all layers into one. With Ctrl+J hotkey make a copy of the merged layer and go under menu Edit/Transform and click command Rotate 90 CW. Doing this, we've rotated whole picture for 90 degrees clockwise. Rotated layer copy once more on the same way (Ctrl+J) and rotate it once more fore 90 degrees in same direction. Once more, last copying of layer (Ctrl+J) and rotate this layer for 90 degrees CW (clockwise). At the end again you command Merge Visible (hotkey Ctrl+Shift+E).

Okey, now open the Hue/Saturation dialog from the menu Image/Adjustments (hotkey Ctrl+U), check on Colorize radio button and enter these values: Hue = 183 and Saturation = 35. We've got again the soft blue color.



Now, we'll use filter Plastic Wrape located in the menu Filter/Artistic. Value Highlight Strength should be 15, Detail 9 and Smothness 10. Using this filter we'll get some sharp and reflective details.

Of course, we cannot leave the picture how it looks now, so we need more intervention on it. One of them is in the filter Poster Edges, which is located under menu Filter/Artist, just like the last one.



Set the Edge Thickness to 2, Edge Intensity to 1 and Posterization to 2. Now we've got the typical 'frozen' pattern, but our color we've used isn't so realistic. Action of the fridge will play the tool Replace Color from the menu Image/Adjustments. She's working on the principle of HSL-sliders (Hue, Saturation, Lightness). With eyedropper we'll select blue color and in the frame Selection set the Fuziness to maximum of 200. Doing this, we've sure that the color of blue will not escape from the picture. Now set the Lightness slider to 75. We've got the real color of an ice, just as we wanted. If you don't like the color, feel free to change it.



Hope you've like the tutorial, enjoy your stay on the blog and bye 'till next time.