Photoshop Tutorials

Step 11 – Add a reflection in the sunglasses

Select the layer with the bullet hole and duplicate the layer.

Choose Edit > Transform > Scale and resize the layer by clicking and dragging on the corners of the transform box. Make the layer a lot smaller like shown in the image below. Press enter on your keyboard to apply the changes.

Step 12 – Rasterize the layer with the reflection

We’ll be using the levels tool next but before we can access that tool, the layer needs to be rasterized. If you are using Photoshop CS2 or older, your layer is already rasterized and you can skip this step. If you are using Photoshop CS3 or newer, your layer is currently a smart layer. The levels tool doesn’t work on smart layers so we need to rasterize it. Right click on the layer (not the layer thumbnail) then choose Rasterize Layer. You can also do this by choosing Layer > Rasterize > Smart Object.

Your layer should be rasterize and you can tell it’s rasterized because it does not have the icon in the thumbnail.

Step 12 – Blend the reflection into the sunglasses

Now that your layer is rasterized, you can access the levels tool by pressing Ctrl+L or choosing Image > Adjustments > Levels. Use the levels tool to make the glass blend into the frames behind it. To do this, drag the black input slider towards the center until only the cracks are visible.

Select the eraser tool from the toolbar. Right click anywhere in the document window to bring up the brush settings for the eraser tool. Set the hardness to 0%. This will give you a soft edge as you erase.

Erase around the bullet hole so that only the cracks from the bullet hole are showing.

To complete the reflection, reduce the opacity to about 30%.