This wikiHow teaches you how to create a transparent "smudge" effect on photos with Photoshop. You can do this with both the Windows version and the Mac version of the program.
Steps
Step 1. Open Photoshop
The icon of this app contains the letters "Ps" in blue on a black background.
Step 2. Open an image in Photoshop
Choose the photo on which you want to apply the gradient effect. To do it:
- Click on File;
- Click on You open…;
- Choose a photo;
- Click on You open.
Step 3. Click on the "Quick Select" tool
The icon for this key is a paintbrush with a dashed line next to it. You will find it in the toolbar on the far left.
Just press W to activate the tool
Step 4. Select the whole photo
Click it once with the "Quick Selection" tool active, then press Ctrl + A (Windows) or ⌘ Command + A (Mac) to select the entire image. This way you can be sure that no section will be excluded from the blending operation.
Step 5. Click on the Levels tab at the top
A drop-down menu will appear.
Step 6. Select New
This is the first menu item Levels.
Step 7. Click Create Cut Layer in the menu that appears
You should see the "Levels" window appear in the lower right corner of the screen.
Step 8. Select the main layer of the image
Click on the item Level 1 in the "Levels" window.
If you see a layer named "Background" or "Background" below the main layer, select it first and hit the Delete key
Step 9. Click on the "Opacity" menu
It is located in the upper right part of the "Levels" window. A selector should appear.
Step 10. Reduce the opacity of the photo
Click and drag the selector to the left to reduce the opacity of the image, creating a gradient effect.
If the photo becomes too transparent, you can drag the selector to the right and adjust the gradient
Step 11. Add another photo if you wish
If you want to blend the first photo onto another, follow these steps:
- Drag another photo into the main Photoshop window, then drop it;
- Click on the photo, then click on insert when asked;
- Click and drag the layer of the first photo as the first item in the "Layers" menu;
- Adjust the opacity of the first photo as you like.
Step 12. Save your photo
Click on File, click on Save, enter a name, a save path, a file format, click on OK, then on OK again in the Photoshop window. The gradient photo (or series of photos) will be saved in the path you indicated.
