How To Make Photo Background Dark

A night photo effect can add a really dramatic look to your images. And you tin can learn how to create and customize an amazing nighttime fantasy issue in Photoshop hither!

In this tutorial you volition learn how to create an amazing dark fantasy outcome from your ain photos. I will try to explain everything in so much detail that everyone can create information technology, even those who take only opened Photoshop for the get-go time.

The event shown on the left is the one I will bear witness you how to create hither in this tutorial.

If you would like to create the consequence shown on the right rapidly and easily, then check out my Dark Fantasy Photoshop Action:

What You'll Need

To recreate the design to a higher place, you volition need the post-obit photo:

Retro style, portrait stock image - no longer available

1. Let's Go Started

First, open the photo that you lot want to piece of work with. To open your photo, go to File > Open, choose your photo, and click Open up. Now, before nosotros get started, simply bank check a couple of things:

Your photograph should be in RGB Color mode, 8 Bits/Aqueduct. To check this become to Epitome > Mode.
For best results, your photo size should be between 1500-4000px broad/high. To check this, go to Paradigm > Image Size.

two. Select the Subject

Step 1

Now we need to make a selection effectually our subject field. You can do that using some of the following tools:

Using thePen Tool (P)
Using theLasso Tool (L)
Using theQuick Option Tool (W)
Using theMagic Wand Tool (W)

There are a lot more means for creating a option, but in this instance I am going to use theMagic Wand Tool (W). If you decide to employ the same tool, only adjust the Tolerance and beginning creating the pick of your subject. Use theShift-Altbuttons on your keyboard to add together or subtract some areas from the choice. Feel free to change the tolerance often.

Sometimes it is easier to brand a selection of the background (like in this instance), so and then create a selection of the groundwork and get to Select > Inverse to invert the option, and yous will get a choice around the subject.

Step 2

Now go to Layer > New > Layer Via Copy to create a new layer from your photograph, using the choice you lot have made. At present you have your subject on a separate layer. Double-click on the layer name and type Main Photo.

3. Create the Background

Step 1

Select theBackground layer and get to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color to create a new solid color fill layer. Proper noun information technology Background Colour and cull OK. Later on that, you volition see another popup window asking yous to choose the color. Choose black (#000000) and click OK.

Footstep 2

Echo this step to create some other layer with the aforementioned settings. This time use the proper name Middle Light. At present we are going to add some style to theMiddle Low-cal layer. Right-click on the layer in the Layers panel and choose Blending Options. Check the Gradient Overlay and choose the settings below:

Stride 3

Drib the Opacity of this layer to 25%.

4. Create the Light Source

Step 1

Now, to create the light source, become to Layer > New Fill Layer > Gradientto create a new gradient make full layer. Name it Light Source and cull OK. Afterward that, yous will become another popup window with gradient fill up settings. Choose the settings below and hitOK.

Step 2

Now we need to make sure the lighting doesn't go to the bottom of the photo. To practice that, we are going to utilise a layer mask. Select the layer mask of the current layer, press D and and so X on your keyboard to fix the foreground colour to black, and get to Edit > Fill. Apply the settings beneath and choose OK.

Pace three

While this layer mask is selected, pick theLasso Tool (Fifty), right click anywhere within the canvas, and choose Gratuitous Transform. Set the Reference Point Location and Vertical Scale as shown below, and striking Enter.

Step iv

While this layer mask is selected, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and gear up the radius as below.

Stride five

Modify the blending mode of this layer to Screen and drib the Opacity to 85%.

5. Blend the Subject

Step 1

Select thePrimary Photograph layer and right click on it in the Layers panel. Choose Blending Options and check Slope Overlay with the settings below:

Step ii

Control-Clickon the electric current layer thumbnail to make a choice of that layer and get to Select > Modify > Contract. Set upContract Past to 30px and cull OK.

Creating and contracting subject selection

Step 3

Go toLayer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection.

Step 4

Go to Filter > Gaussian Blur and prepare the radius as beneath:

half-dozen. Highlight the Fundamental Parts

Step 1

Now we need to highlight the key parts of our subject, considering the low-cal source direction. Select your Primary Photo layer and become to Layer > New > Layer Via Copy. Then double-click on this new layer proper name to rename it, and type Original Photograph.

Pace 2

At present we have to remove the layer mask and clear the layer style of this layer. So go to Layer > Layer Mask > Delete to remove the layer mask, and go to Layer > Layer Way > Clear Layer Style to remove the layer style.

Footstep 3

Our whole subject will be highlighted now, and nosotros don't want that, so we need to create a new layer mask for this layer. Become to Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All and then have theBrush Tool (B), pick a soft brush, press D on your keyboard to fix the foreground color to white, and just brush over key parts of your discipline according to the light management.

Creaing the layer mask and brushing into it

Pace 4

At present let's add together a flake of contrast to our highlighted subject parts. To practice that, select theOriginal Photo layer thumbnail, press D on your keyboard to reset the swatches, and go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map to create a new gradient adjustment layer. Name information technology Original Photo Dissimilarity and choose OK.

Dissimilarity will exist applied to the whole photo, only nosotros want it to be applied only to highlighted subject area parts, so go to Layer > Create Clipping Mask.

Creating new gradient map adjustment layer

Step 5

Change this layer blending mode to Overlay and drib the Opacity to 11%.

7. Add together Particles

Step 1

At present we are going to add some small particles. Go to Layer > New > Layer to create a new layer. You tin apply the default layer name as this layer will be removed in the next few steps. Press D on your keyboard to set the foreground color to blackness and go to Edit > Fill > Foreground Colour.

Creating new layer and filling it with black color

Step 2

Now go to Filter > Pixelate > Mezzotint and ready the type to Coarse Dots. Now get to Select > Color Range and, using the Eyedropper Tool, select the white color by clicking on some of the white particles in your photo, and set the Fuzziness to 200.

Adding coarse dots and selecting using color range

Step 3

Now go to Select > Refine Edge and choose the settings below. And so go to Layer > New > Layer to create a new layer and name it Particles_1.

Step 4

Press D and X on your keyboard to set your foreground color to white, become to Edit > Fill, and utilize the settings below. Go to Select > Deselect, select Layer 1, and go to Layer > Delete > Layer.

Step 5

Change the blending style of this layer to Overlay and now, depending on how many particles you want, you can repeat this pace to create more. I take repeated it twice more, so I got three particle layers.

Changing the blending mode and adding more particles

Step 6

Now select the top particle layer (in my example Particles_1), hold Shift on your keyboard and select the terminal particle layer (in my example Particles_3). Then go to Layer > New > Group from Layers. Name the group Particles.

Step 7

Create a selection of your subject by property Control-Click on the thumbnail of the layer Chief Photo. Press D on your keyboard to set the foreground color to black and go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Option. While this layer mask is selected, go to Prototype > Adjustments > Invert to invert the layer mask.

Creating layer mask using subject selection

Stride 8

Now, while this layer mask is withal selected, go to Window > Properties. Inside the Backdrop panel, set the Plumage to 160 px, and driblet the Opacity to 54%.

8. Create the Color Expect

Pace ane

Now we are going to create a nice color look. Get to Layer > New Adjustments Layer > Color Remainder to create a color remainder aligning layer and proper noun it Color Look.

Creating new color balance adjustment layer

Stride 2

Double click on this layer thumbnail and choose the settings beneath:

Changing color balance adjustment layer settings

9. Brand Adjustments

Footstep ane

Now we are going to make some final adjustments to our photo, using several adjustment layers. Commencement we are going to add saturation. Become to Layer > New Aligning Layer > Hue/Saturation to create a new hue/saturation adjustment layer and name information technology Overall Saturation.

Creating new huesaturation adjustment layer

Step 2

Double click on this layer thumbnail and select the settings below:

Changing huesaturation adjustment layer settings

Step 3

Now nosotros are going to add some dissimilarity. Reset the swatches by pressing D on your keyboard, and get to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map to create a new gradient adjustment layer. Proper noun it Overall Contrast.

Step four

Change the blending mode of this layer to Overlay and drop the Opacity to 31%.

Changing blending mode and dropping opacity

Step 5

At present we are going to adapt the brightness. So go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels to create a new levels adjustment layer and name it Overall Brightness.

Step half-dozen

Double click on this layer thumbnail and select the settings beneath:

Changing levels adjustment layer settings

Step 7

Finally, let's add some sharpening to our photograph. Press Command-Alt-Shift-E on your keyboard to brand a snapshot. Get to Filter > Other > High Pass and fix the radius to 2 px.

Stride viii

Double click on this layer name to rename it and blazon Overall Sharpening. Modify the blending mode to Hard Light and drop the Opacity to about 64%.

Changing layer name blending mode and opacity

10. You Fabricated It!

Congratulations, you have succeeded! Here is our final result:

11. Customize Your Results

You tin can now customize the final event; I volition give you a few tips.

Select theLight Source layer, double-click on its thumbnail, and modify the Angle and/or Scale.
Select the layer mask of the layer Original Photo, option theBrush Tool (B), choice a soft brush, and brush white/blackness into the mask to make a different expanse to be highlighted.
Select theBackground Color layer, double-click on its thumbnail, and change the color.
Select theColor Look layer, double-click on its thumbnail, and within theProperties panel modify the settings for a unlike color wait.

Here is what I got:

Awesome Work!

If you would like to create an fifty-fifty more avant-garde dark fantasy effect as shown beneath, using a unmarried click in just a few minutes, and so check out my Nighttime Fantasy Photoshop Activity.

The action works so that you lot just brush over your subject, play the activeness, and the activity will do everything for you lot, giving you fully layered and customizable results. The action will also create 25 preset colour looks for you lot. It comes with a detailed video tutorial that demonstrates how to use and customize the look of your activity to get the nearly out of the event.