Final Image

Here is a preview of the image that we are going to be creating:

Step 1
Create a new document (600X650px).

Fill your background with a deep, dark purple. You want to try to avoid 100% blacks as they tend to
make your images feel flat. I went with: 0d0a11.

Step 2
Now create a new layer called clouds.

Go to filter>render>clouds. Then reduce this layers opacity to 40%. Finally go to layer>layer

mask>reveal all and drag out a white to black radial gradient from the center of your canvas. This will
mask off the edges of your cloud area.

Step 3
Now paste in the first texture from yesterdays Texture Thursday: Silver pack. You can find this in the
resources section for this tutorial.
Change this layers blend mode to overlay and reduce its opacity to 30%.

Step 4
Now we want to start building up the tones of our background. Create a new layer called highlight
purple. Then drag out a series of purple to transparent radial gradients (ranging from 8f0186 to
transparent).
Then change this layers blend mode to overlay.

Step 5
Now create a new layer called highlight pink. Repeat the technique used in Step 4, this time ranging
your radial gradients from ff81f7 to transparent.

Step 6
Now create a new layer called clouds 2.
Render some clouds and reduce this layers opacity to 40%, changing its blend mode to overlay.
This should add an extra level of texture/depth to your background.

Step 7
Create a new layer called star trailers. Now download the star trails brush set from the resources
section.
Apply some of the brushes over your background, using a white brush.

Then go to layer>layer mask>reveal all, and use a soft black paintbrush to brush over parts of your
star trailers, fading them smoothly into the background.

Step 8
Now apply an outer glow blending option to your star trailers layer.
Outer Glow Settings:
Blend Mode: Normal
Opacity: 100%
Color: f600ff

Spread: 0%
Size: 4px
Then reduce your star trailers layers opacity to 30%.

Step 9
Now create a new layer called blue highlights.
Apply several radial gradients ranging from light blue to transparent. Then change this layers blend
mode to overlay.

Step 10
Now duplicate your blue highlights layer, calling this duplicate layer blue highlights 2.
Change this layers blend mode back to normal and then reduce its opacity to 15%.

Step 11
Now create a new layer called big circle gradient. Use your elliptical marquee tool and linear
gradient tool to create a fading ellipse effect. Range your linear gradient fill from 457fa1 to
transparent:
Then change this layers blend mode to overlay and reduce its opacity to 50%.

Step 12
Repeat the previous step, this time creating a pink to transparent gradient (7c3285 to transparent).
Leave this layers opacity at 100%, but change its blend mode to overlay.

Step 13
Grab the sneaker photo from the resources section and cut it out using your preferred method.
Then paste it into the center of your document, resizing/rotating it as necessary.

Step 14
Now apply an outer glow and inner glow blending option to your sneaker layer:
Out Glow Settings:
Blend Mode: Overlay
Opacity: 100%
Color: White

Spread: 0%
Size: 10px
Inner Glow Settings:
Blend Mode: Overlay
Opacity: 50%
Color: 00d8ff
Choke: 0%
Size: 3px

Step 15
Now apply some adjustment layers to make your sneaker blend in better with the composition.
Make sure to apply a clipping mask to each adjustment layer, so that they only effect your sneaker
image, not the entire canvas:
Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer Settings:

Hue: 0
Saturation: -95
Lightness: 0
Color Balance Adjustment Layer Settings:
Shadows: -8, -4, -4
Midtones: -15, -12, +1
Highlights: -2, -5, -6
Levels Adjustmenet Layer Settings:
57 / 0.87 / 204

Step 16
Now paste in a smaller sized version of your silver texture, pasting it above your large silver texture
layer, but beneath all of your coloring and highlight layers.
Then duplicate this texture several times, and go to edit>transform>distort. Distort each texture to
form an abstract pane jutting out from behind your sneaker.

Then apply layer masks to each pane, fading them smoothly into your background. Finally, reduce
each texture layers opacity to 50%.

Step 17
Now create a new layer called circle gradient overlay.
Use your elliptical marquee tool and linear gradient tool to create an elliptical fade effect (ranging
from pink to transparent). Then change this layers opacity to 40%.

Step 18
Now repeat this technique, but creating an elliptical fade ranging from blue to transparent.
Reduce this layers opacity to 20%.

Step 19
Create a new layer called light lines pink. Use your light lines brush to paint over some cool effects.
Then apply a pink outer glow effect:
Outer Glow Settings:

Blend Mode: Normal

Opacity: 100%
Color: ae00ff
Spread: 0%
Size: 8px

Step 20
Now go to layer>layer mask>reveal all, and use a soft, black paintbrush to mask off areas of your
light lines, making the effect far more subtle:

Step 21
Now create two more layers, one called light lines blue and the other light lines purple.
Repeat the previous technique, of applying a colored outer glow effect to your brush marks, and then
masking off these layers, to make the effect far more subtle. The images below show these layers
without and then with the layer masks applied. You can see how the masking process makes the
lighting effect far fainter:

Step 22
Repeat this exact same technique, but use your fine wisps brush set. Just try to build up layers of
brush effects gradually, always being sure to mask them off correctly so that the effect isnt too
intense.

Step 23
Now create a new layer called twisted bars.
Apply your twisted bars brush set using a white brush. Then reduce this layers opacity to 40% and
mask off areas of your bars to make the effect more subtle:

Step 24
Now a new layer called white highlights. Create a series of white to transparent radial gradients
over your canvas, and then change this layers blend mode to overlay.

Step 25
Now create a new layer called white highlights 2. Create a series of smaller white radial gradient
highlights over your canvas.
This time keep this layers blend mode at normal, but reduce its opacity to 20%.

Step 26
Now create a new layer called trace lines.
Use a small, soft white paintbrush to paint over the seams of your sneakers.
Then apply a blue outer glow blending option:

Outer Glow Settings:

Blend Mode: Screen
Opacity: 100%
Color: 00e4ff
Spread: 0%
Size: 5px

Step 27
Now reduce this layers fill opacity to 50%, and the main layer opacity to 30%. Change the layers
blend mode to overlay.
This should give a subtle, but awesome lighting effect over the seams of your sneaker.

Step 28
Now download the fractal brush set from the resources section.
Apply several of the brushes over your sneaker. Then use a layer mask to mask off parts of these
fractal lines, making the effect less obvious.

Step 29
Now create a new layer called dodge/burn.
Go to edit>fill and fill this layer with 50% gray. Then change this layers blend mode to overlay.
This will allow you to paint over black for your shadows, and white for your highlights, letting you
dodge/burn your image in a non-destructive way.

Finally, reduce this layers opacity to 60%.

The images below show the dodge/burn layer at normal blend mode (100% opacity) and then at
overlay blend mode (60% opacity):

Step 30
Now apply a series of final adjustment layers just to give your image a more polished feel.
Gradient Overlay Adjustment Layer Settings:
Gradient Ranging From: e10019 to 00601b.
Layer Opacity: 8%
Layer Blend Mode: Overlay

Second Gradient Overlay Adjustment Layer Settings:

Gradient Ranging From: 0b01b8 to fdfa03 to 0b01b8.
Layer Opacity: 8%
Layer Blend Mode: Overlay
Curves Adjustment Layer Settings:
(see diagram below)
Levels Adjustment Layer Settings:
3 / 1.00 / 241

Step 31
Now go to layer>flatten image. Select your entire canvas and hit copy.
Now undo your flatten image step, bringing back all your layers, but paste your copied image onto a
new top layer. This means that you now have your final image on a single layer.

Then go to filter>sharpen>unsharp mask. Apply the settings below, and it should bring out the detail
of your piece nicely.
UnSharp Mask Settings:
Amount: 80%
Radius: 1.0px
Threshold: 0 levels