Tutorial Details
- Program: Adobe Photoshop CS5
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Estimated Completion Time: 1 Hour
Download Source Files
Final Product What You'll Be Creating
Photoshop’s wide variety of tools enable you to perform complex photo manipulations with relative ease. Today, we will demonstrate how to combine Photoshop’s tools with photo manipulation techniques to create a medieval fantasy castle gate. Let’s get started!
Resources Used
The following resources were used during the production of this tutorial. Each item is freely available to you on CG Textures; just sign up!
Step 1
First, create a new file with a size of 800 x 800 px and a resolution of 300 ppi.
Step 2
Next, open the files: SoilSand.jpg and Grass.jpg then resize it (Cmd/Ctrl + T) as shown below.
Step 3
Next change the Hue/Saturation (Cmd/Ctrl + U) levels of the SoilSand.jpg with the values below.
Step 4
Next open WoodPlank.jpg then resize it and place it as shown.
Step 5
Using the Pen tool (P), draw the shape shown below. After defining the shape, right-click and select Make Selection from the drop-down menu. Inverse the selection by pressing Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + I, then hit delete.
Step 6
Now press Cmd/Ctrl + L to adjust the Levels of WoodPlank.jpg and change its values as indicated below.
Step 7
Next we’ll make a set of stones to form an arch. To do this, open Concrete.jpg, then rename it "Stone." Then press Cmd/Ctrl + T to resize it as shown. Use the Eraser tool (E) to erase the edges of the "stone". Then, use the Burn tool (O) to burn the indicated areas shown in figure (c). After that, apply a layer style to the “Stone” layer and apply a small Drop Shadow as shown in figure (d). Now, create a new layer and place it below the "Stone" layer and Cmd/Ctrl + click the thumbnail of "Stone" layer to activate its selection as shown in figure (e). Using the Paint Bucket tool (G), fill the entire selection with #000000 as shown in figure (f). Finally, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, and apply a radius of 5.0px.
Step 8
After merging the "Stone" layer and the blurred selection from Step 7, duplicate (Cmd/Ctrl + J) the layer until you’ve reached the other side of the arch.
Step 9
Using the Burn tool (O), burn the areas as indicated below in the "SoilSand" layer and in the "Grass" layer.
Step 10
Next, use the Eraser tool (E) to erase the areas as indicated below in the "SoilSand" layer.
Step 11
Now, let’s create the gap between the doors. To do this, use the Pen tool (P), then create a line as shown in figure (a). Then, right-click and select Stroke Path from the drop-down menu. Make sure to set the Brush tool (B) as indicated in figure (b) prior to using the Pen tool. Lastly, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and enter a 2.5 px radius as shown in figure (c).
Repeat the same process to create the gap below the door as well.
Step 12
Using the Pen tool (P), make a line as shown below. Next, right-click and select Stroke Path from the drop-down menu. Make sure to set the Brush tool (B) to a Master Diameter of 20px and Hardness of 100% prior to using the Pen tool. Next, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set it to 8.0px. After that, decrease its opacity to about 50%.
Step 13
Now, let’s add the door hinges. To do this, open the file "Ornament." Then, using the Magic Wand tool (W), select the background of the image.
Next select the Refine Edge tool (Cmd/Ctrl + Alt + R) and check the box for Smart Radius. Then using the brush for Smart Radius, follow the outline of the hinge. After that, check the box for Decontaminate Colors and hit OK.
After hitting OK, add a Drop Shadow in the Layer Style window by double-clicking the "Ornament" layer.
Duplicate this layer three times and position them as shown below.
Step 14
Using the Pen tool (P), make a shape as shown below. Right-click and select Stroke Path from the drop-down menu. Make sure to set the Brush tool (B) to a Master Diameter of 45px, Hardness of 0% with color #000000 prior to using the Pen tool. Finally, set its Blend mode to Soft Light.
Step 15
Open the file "OrnamentHead.jpg." Using the Magic Wand tool (W), select the background of the image. Next select the Refine Edge tool (Cmd/Ctrl + Alt + R) and check the box for the Smart Radius. Then, using the brush for the Smart Radius, follow the outline of the Ornament Head. After that, check the box for Decontaminate Colors and hit OK.
Add a drop shadow to "OrnamentHead."
Duplicate the "Ornament" layer and place them as shown.
Step 16
Next we’ll add some Sunrays. Using the Pen tool (P) make a line as shown below, after that right-click and select Stroke Path from the drop-down menu. Make sure to set the Brush tool (B) to a Master Diameter of 95px, Hardness of 0% with color #ffffff prior to using the Pen tool.
Add some more using the same technique. After that, merge them and name them "Lights."
Next, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur with a 25 px radius
Finally, decrease its opacity to 50%.
Step 17
Next we’ll add some sparkes. Using the Paint Brush tool (P) set to Hardness 0% and color #000000, apply varying sizes of “dots.”
Next go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply a radius size of 5px. Decrease its Opacity to 40%.
Step 18
Next step is to add highlights for the stones of the arch. To do this, use the Brush tool (B) set to a Master Diameter of 7px and a Hardness of 0%. Add the highlights according to the source of light, like as shown below.
Then go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply a radius of 3px.
Step 19
Next we’ll add a brownish tint for the image. First, add a new layer and fill it, using the Paint Bucket tool (G), with #714200. Next, change its Blend mode to Color Dodge and decrease its Opacity to 60%.
Step 20
For the last step, we’ll add subtle shading to complete the effect. To do this, first add a new layer, then fill it with the #000000 and name it "Shade."
Using the Polygonal Lasso tool (L), make a shape as shown below, then hit delete.
Lastly, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and change its radius to 22px then decrease its Opacity level to 60%.
Final Image
That’s it! The final product is shown below. Hope you had fun working on this project! Thanks for reading.
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By Patrick Lopez
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Awesome!!!!
Nice tutorial. I like the lighting effects in the last few steps – looks really nice and adds an awesome realism to the design.
nice tut , i like this
Interesting .. shame that the stones over the arch are wrong! It would fall down
yea i know no keystone
Fantastic tutorial
Awesome tut
Very atmospheric. Excellent tut.
Great tutorial!
Good outcome from the textures used
The shadow on the lions heads on to the door is off. But I liked how it turned out at the end.
Nice, but perhaps the arched stones could have been shaped to create a more space between them. Keep it up!
Should read “more even space”. sorry
Great tuto
The tutorial is very well done.
My only criticism would be that the arch’s stones should all be keystone shaped.
Easily created with the Transform Tool – probably Perspective or Distort.
The outer edge of each stone in the arch should be reshaped so that the side edges touch, with the outer edge diameter being wider than the inner one. The top of the arch should also have the classic larger keystone – often decorated with a carved face or animal’s head. Architecturally and structurally, these serve to distribute the weight of the stones above the door and redirect it to the door’s frame. As shown, these stones don’t show how that weight would be handled.
I was just about to say the same thing about a keystone. Looks great but you also want to make sure it makes sense structurally..
I’d like to see this created 100% in Photoshop rather than simply importing photos and manipulating them.
the shadow of the lions and of the right sotnes are wrong: the shadows of lions must be from the upper left to the lower right direction and the stones don’t be all exactly alike…
Thank You so much Patrick. I tried it.
great effect. You are really good at what you do.
The perspective of the lawn is off, shadows of the stones are too flat and not so well done.
The rest looks quite all right, the overall atmosphere is nicely done.
Great tutorial… thank you ;)
What a great tutorial really enjoyed this one let me know when you have similar ones please! Thanks!
WOW! proud of you!!!!
Interesting for those who are learning to work with lights.
nice and simple..
Very original tutorial, though the stones are a bit off as others have pointed out already. This would be great for a roleplaying or MMORPG site.
Nice , it’s Like Drawing !!
I think that the shade under the bricks closest to the ground kinda gives it an unwanted floating feeling. But maybe that’s just me…
Hey Patrick
Nice tuts and very well written. final image is good. in step 17, color code “ffffff” will be used instead of “000000″ to add sparkles.
also agreed with Anon, wud be really awesome if its created 100% in PS and without importing pictures to manipulate them.
anyways, thanks for sharing.
Ayaan
Hey…………… dude liked your work i like to do this tut
amazing work in this beautiful tutorial. thanks
Amazing artwork! Like it.
so confusing. couldn’t do it at all
very royal….nice work…
Hi,
bro nice tutorial i try it and i do if same def i use same formula in the design let’s see i learn a lot thx again god bless u
Great one! Thank you!
Nice tut
How to give it a perspective ? LIke seeing it from the side
PSD tuts is great in the world.
I like that
Hello people, Its mere a tutorial for the learners to help them pickup the skills and give space to learn more. The intention of the tutorial is not to showcase the masterpiece and to get the “Expert” comments but to provide the idea of possibilities to the learners. I think we should only appreciate the valuable time and effort by Patrick Lopez for the sake of the learners.
Yes, exactly – it helps the people who are only beginning to learn Photoshop. I agree that the keystones were kinda off, but then again – it’s for beginners learn more.