Photoshop Photo Effects Tutorials
Everyone loves Photoshop effects. Not only are photo effects fun to create, but they’re a great way to learn Photoshop since they often introduce us to tools, commands or other features we might otherwise never know about! All of our Photoshop effects tutorials are written with beginners in mind, with easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions. See our complete list below, or download our tutorials as print-ready PDFs!
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Learn how to easily blend two images together like a Hollywood movie poster with Photoshop!
Learn how to easily turn a single image into a square photo collage in Photoshop! Step by step for Photoshop CC and CS6.
Learn how to turn your photos into fun, colorful twirl art effects in Photoshop using Smart Filters and layer blend modes!
Learn how to easily blend text into clouds with Photoshop, as if your text is floating in the sky! We’ll create the effect using Photoshop’s Blending Options, and when we’re done, you’ll know how to blend text into any image or background you like!
Learn how to easily place text behind an object with Photoshop! Create the same classic effect that’s used everywhere you look, from magazine covers to movie posters!
In this Photo Effects tutorial, learn how to easily turn any photo into a pattern of solid-colored dots with Photoshop!
Learn how to easily create a realistic pointillism effect in Photoshop by turning your images into paintings of colored dots using the Pointillize filter, Smart Filters and layer blend modes.
Learn how to add a realistic water reflection to an image in Photoshop complete with water ripples! Our step-by-step guide!
Need to add text to an image but there’s no good place to put it? Try adding it as transparent text! Learn how to easily create a transparent text area in Photoshop and turn your type into a frame for your subject!
Love the rain but not the thought of getting your camera wet? Learn how to easily add rain to your photos with Photoshop!
Don’t let Mother Nature leave you out in the cold with your winter photography. Learn how to add your own falling snow to your photos with Photoshop!
Learn how to easily turn a photo into a watercolor painting, and how to keep the effect fully editable, using Smart Filters and blend modes in Photoshop.
Learn how to turn a new photo into an old fashioned, vintage photo with Adobe Lightroom! Once you know the steps, you can easily create the exact same vintage photo effect with Camera Raw in Photoshop!
Return to the golden age of 3D movies by learning how to easily add a classic red and blue 3D effect from the 1950’s to any image with Photoshop!
No time for making selections? This tutorial shows you how to create a quick and easy Color Splash effect in Photoshop with just a Gradient Map adjustment layer, a layer mask and a brush!
Learn how to easily enhance a sunset photo and restore those warm golden hues with a Gradient Map adjustment and a layer blend mode in Photoshop!
Why choose a single eye color when you can choose every color at once! Learn step-by-step how to easily give someone rainbow colored eyes with Photoshop! Video + Text.
Learn how to create fun and interesting designs and patterns from a single image in Photoshop simply by flipping, rotating and mirroring it, and experimenting with different layer blend modes!
Learn how to easily fill a shape with an image using clipping masks in Photoshop! Step by step, perfect for beginners!
Learn how to easily add an old, antique or vintage photo effect to an image using nothing but the Camera Raw Filter in Photoshop CC (Creative Cloud)!
Now with video! Learn how to easily create a mirror image effect with any photo, turning one side of the image into a mirror reflection of the other! Now fully updated for Photoshop CS6 and CC!
**Now with video!** Learn how to easily turn any photo into a black and white pencil sketch, then learn how to colorize it, first using the photo’s original colors, then with a single color, and then with a gradient!
Learn how to easily create a custom sparkle brush from scratch in Photoshop, then how to use the brush to add a magical sparkle trail to your photo! Now updated and expanded for Photoshop CC and CS6.
Learn step-by-step how to create the illusion of sunlight shining through trees with Photoshop! Now for Photoshop CC and CS6.
In this Photoshop effects tutorial, learn how to easily turn any photo into its own decorative background or border! Now for Photoshop CC and CS6!
Learn step-by-step how to easily brighten the skies in your photos by adding a rainbow! Now for Photoshop CS6 and CC!
The Oil Paint filter is back! Learn step-by-step how its Brush and Lighting options make it easy to turn any photo into an oil painted masterpiece.
Learn how to turn any photo into a sketch with lots of fine detail, great for landscapes, architecture photos, still lifes, and more! And, learn how to complete the entire effect from start to finish in 60 seconds!
Learn how to add lens flare to your photos without harming the original image using Photoshop’s Lens Flare filter and the non-destructive power of layers and blend modes!
In this photo effects tutorial, learn how to divide a single photo into multiple sections and display it as a cluster of shapes! Now fully updated for Photoshop CC!
Add more interest and creativity to your images by learning how to easily blend textures with your photos using layer blend modes in Photoshop!
Learn how to take the normally sharp, straight edges of a photo and make them look worn, torn and faded. Now fully updated for Photoshop CS6 and CC!
In this photo effects tutorial, learn how to easily add rays of light to an image and make a beautiful sunset photo even more magical!
Learn how to easily add a selective color, or splash of color, effect to an image in Photoshop with no selection tools needed! Convert your photo to black and white, and then bring back the color in your main subject!
Learn how to surround an image with an easy to create snowflakes border, a fun finishing touch for photos of family and friends during the holidays or for any wintry scene! Now for Photoshop CS6 and CC!
In this Photo Effects tutorial, learn how to display a photo in a grid of randomly colored squares! Now fully updated for Photoshop CS6 and CC (Creative Cloud)!
Learn how to add a simple yet stylish drop shadow and border to an image, as well as a handy trick that makes adjusting the shadow as easy as dragging your mouse!
In this second tutorial in our series on creating photo borders and frames, learn how to add a matted picture frame around an image using Photoshop’s layer styles!
In this first in a series of tutorials on creating photo borders and frames with Photoshop, learn how to easily add a simple solid color photo border to an image.
Give someone’s eyes an almost otherworldly look, with bright, colorful blur streaks that zoom out from their centers. Now fully updated for Photoshop CS6 and CC (Creative Cloud)!
Learn how to make simple image composites using Photoshop’s Paste Into command which lets us easily place a photo into a selection! Now fully updated for CS6 and CC (Creative Cloud)!
In this Photo Effects tutorial, learn how to display a single image as a series of vertical panels! Now fully re-written and updated for Photoshop CS6!
Learn how to easily add folds and creases to a photo as if it had been folded and unfolded like a map! Now fully updated for Photoshop CS6!
Planning to email an image or upload it to the web? Learn how to protect your work by adding your copyright information as a watermark pattern!
In this Photo Effects tutorial, learn how to turn any image into a polaroid collage! Now fully updated for both Photoshop CS6 and CC (Creative Cloud)!
Learn how to turn any portrait image into either a black and white or color pencil sketch using Photoshop CS6. Now fully updated!
In this photo effects tutorial, learn how to easily create a diptych from two separate images, even images of different sizes and orientations, using a few simple tools in Photoshop CS6!
In this photo effects tutorial, learn how to bring more action and excitement to an image with an easy to create radial blur effect! Now fully updated for Photoshop CS6 and CC (Creative Cloud)!
In this photo effects tutorial, learn how to add a sea of stars to your night time photos! Now fully updated for Photoshop CS6 and compatible with Photoshop CC (Creative Cloud)!
Whether you’re a fan or horror movies or looking for a fun effect for Halloween, learn how to give your photo a more ghostly, supernatural look with this fully re-written and updated tutorial for Photoshop CS6! Also compatible with Photoshop CC (Creative Cloud)!