Adding a Rainbow to a Picture with Photoshop part 2

This is part two of my tutorial on Adding a Rainbow to a Picture. Be sure and check out part one

Step 9

The next step is to drag out a rainbow with the help of the Gradient tool. In order to do this, you must have the “Rainbow” layer selected in the Layers palette, the “Russell’s Rainbow” gradient loaded and the Gradient tool in hand. Simply drag out a gradient to create your initial rainbow. You will want your rainbow’s lower end to appear as touching the earth in your image. Position the mouse almost to the end of the picture (right or left, depending to where you want to start your rainbow) near the down bottom. After setting the initial point, click and drag the mouse to a point on the picture where you want to position your rainbow’s lower end. You want to constrain the gradient horizontally. To accomplish this,, hold your Shift key down as you drag.

Step 10

Do not worry if your result until now does not look like any rainbow you have seen in nature, as you are not done yet. The next step is to change the “Rainbow” layer Blend Mode. Be sure you the “Rainbow” layer is still selected. Go to the Layer Blend Mode options. You will find the setting in the top left of the layers palette. Click on the down pointing arrow next to the “Normal” word. Select the “Screen” option from the list that will appear on the screen.

Step 11

You will see that the rainbow which you have drown earlier over the image starts to resemble more a real one, but you still have some adjustments to do. To give your rainbow an even more realistic aspect, you must next apply a blur on it.

Step 12

Use the Gaussian Blur filter and use it on your rainbow. You will find the Gaussian Blur in the Filter menu at the top of the screen Blur Gaussian Blur.

Step 13

At the bottom of the Gaussian Blur dialog box you will find a slider. Drag it to the right to increase the amount of blur being applied. In the small preview window above you will the effects of your changes on the image. Drag the cursor to increase the amount of blur until your rainbow has a more natural look.

Step 14

You may need to set the Radius option as high as 50 or even 60, depending on the size of your picture. For a smaller image, you will need to use values around 20 or 30.

Step 15

When you have decided that the rainbow you have drown looks as realistic as it can get, click “OK” to apply the changes done in the Gaussian Blur dialog box and exit it.

Step 16

The next step is to add a layer mask to the existing “Rainbow” layer. Make sure you have the “Rainbow” layer selected. You will find the “Add a Layer Mask” icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. By clicking it this option, you will add a layer mask thumbnail to the right of the “Rainbow” layer thumbnail in the Layers palette. You will notice that the layer mask thumbnail is filled with white. The layer mask is selected if the thumbnail has a white highlight box around it.

Continue to Part 3

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