How to create an energy ball effect as Dragon ball Z with Photoshop

This Photoshop tutorial is perfect for all Dragon ball Z fans, In fact with this Photoshop tutorial you’ll learn how to create a shining energy ball. It’s easy, you just use the transparent and lighting effects… But before to start with the details, I let you discover the final result:


To do this tutorial you have to use a specific picture, I downloaded it from the Fotolia website. I invite you to subscribe and to download this picture. Here are the link to go to the website, and the direct link to go to the direct page.
So, now you are ready to start this tutorial:

STEP 1

Open Photoshop then create a new document, it measures 600×900 pixels. Now change the foreground colour by this colour #1a3e70 and go to the menu Edition> Fill. The background is now switched to the blue.

STEP 2

The first important part of this Photoshop tutorial will be to create the full background picture. To start it, create a new group and rename it “Background” (to create a group go to the menu Layer> New> Group). Then create a new layer on this group, and name this layer “Background” too. To finish this step hitting D to restore the default colours and go to the menu Filter> Render> Clouds.

STEP 3

Now go back to the menu Filter> Pixelate> Mezzotint, select in the type menu Short stroke and press Ok.

STEP 4

No it’s not finished with the filters Go once again to the menu Filter> Blur> Radial Blur and change the configuration as: Amount: 100px, Blue method: Zoom, and Quality : Best.

And to finish this step hitting Ctrl/Cmd + F to do the same filter one more time.

STEP 5

Now duplicate the layer “Background“, to do it, select it and hitting Ctrl/Cmd + J to duplicate automatically the selected layer ! Select the copy and go to the menu Filter> Sketch> Chrome and configure the options as: Detail: 10 and Smoothness: 10, and press OK.

STEP 6

To add some colour to your background, you’re going to use a layer with Colour blending mode! nd here how to do? Then, create a new layer (go to the menu Layer> New> Layer or hitting Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N), name it “Coulours”. Select the Brush tool (B) and select a very large Soft round brush preset.
Change the Foreground Color by #498ecc and use the Brush tool on the center of your picture. Little by little use the Brush tool to join the borders (sometimes change the Brush tool colour like that, center #498ecc, middle #30628e and near the borders #183248).

STEP 7

Set this layers blending mode to Color, the Blending mode menu is on the left top of the layers windows.

And to finish this step, reduce the opacity of the Background copy layer to 50%.

STEP 8

The part regarding the background creation is finished, you must now start the character creation, and to do it you have to download this picture from the Fotolia website, here is the direct url : http://www.fotolia.com/id/9182962. Go back to Photoshop and go to the menu Files> Place and select the picture file.
Then hitting Ctrl/Cmd + T to activate the Free transform and reduce the character size. Don’t forget to hit Shit to keep the picture proportion.
And to finish this step, delete the background to keep just the guy. To do it, create a shape around the guy with the Pen tool (P).
Create a selection around the guy (Ctrl/Cmd + click on the layer “Shape 1” thumbnail (in the layer panel)… Then select the layer “Fotolia” and go to the menu Select> Inverse and hitting Delete to remove the background (to finish, hide the Shape 1 layer).

STEP 09

Great, the twice important parts are now finished (background and character) you must now start the creation of the shining energy balls! Hitting several times Ctrl/Cmd + to zoom on the guy left hand and hitting Ctrl/Cmd + D to deselect and create a new group, name it First ball. Then select the Ellipse tool (U), switch the foreground color by the white and draw a perfect ellipse under the hand (don’t forget to hit Shift).

STEP 10

I have a really good trick to transform a simple white ellipse to a 3D transparent ball. To do it, right click on the layer “Shape 2” and select Rasterize layer. Then go to the menu Layer> Layer mask> Reveal all (you can see the layer mask added on the right of the Shape 2 thumbnail). Now select the Brush tool, select the soft round 35px brush preset (on the brush preset picker), lower the opacity to 20% and change the foreground color to the black.
On the Layer mask, use the Brush tool, doing rotation movements, start by outlines and finish by the centre, especially insist on the centre.

STEP 11

Duplicate the layer Shape 2 (right click on the layer and select duplicate this layer). Then select the layer copy and go to the menu Filter> Blur> Gaussian blur, enter 10 pixels and press Ok. To finish, use again the layer mask to hide the light under the ellipse.

STEP 12

Now, to add some colours on the ball, create a new layer and name it Colours. Select the Brush tool (B) (check the last configuration is available yet) and pick a blue foreground color, and use the Brush tool under the ball.

Set this layer blending mode to Color, the Blending mode menu is on the left top of the layers windows.

STEP 13

The last part to finish the energy ball effect is the creation of the energyshine around the ball. To do it, begin to hide the background group, and the character layer.

Then create a new layer into the First ball group, name it “Shines” and put it under the Colours layer. Then select the Brush Tool (B) and select Hard round 10px brush preset; change the foreground color to the white, extend the opacity to 100%. Use the brush to draw a doodle energy shines around the ball (don’t hesitate to use different brush sizes to do them).

STEP 14

Select the Rectangular marquee tool and create a cubic selection around the ball (behind, you have to create a large margin between the border ball and the border selection).

STEP 15
And now, go to the menu Filter> Blur> Radial Blur use the same configuration like the one used by step 4. Hitting Ctrl/Cmd + F to use the same filter, again and again.

STEP 16

Display all layers to view the result.

STEP 17

Now, to create the second ball, you have two options, the first one is really long and consists to do again all steps to draw the ball (steps 10 to 17) and the second one is shorter, it consists to duplicate the ball group and to drop it to the right border of the picture.
As I am a bit lazy, I’m going to choice the second solution. So, right click on the First ball group and select duplicate this group, rename this copy: Second ball. Then, select Move tool (V) and slide the group under the hand on the right border of the picture. Now go to the menu Edition> Transform> Flip horizontal.
To finish, select the layer Shines copy and hitting Ctrl/Cmd + T to activate the Free transform. Apply a rotation onto the shines on the right.

STEP 18

So we are still on the next to last step : ) Everything is finished, the background, the character and the energy balls. But you’re going to hide a bit the background. Select the Background group and go to the menu Layer> Layer Mask> Hide all.
Change the foreground color to the white, and select the Brush tool (B) with a large soft round 300 pixels brush preset, lower the opacity to 20%. Use the brush tool on the centre of the layer mask to let appear the background.

STEP 19

And now the final step of this tutorial, download this picture, available on http://dbz-bt3.allmyblog.com/images/dbz-bt3/dbz-bt3_20070619_225528.jpg and import it into your canvas (name the layer “Logo”). Use the Pen tool trick to delete the background to keep only and only the logotype. To finish, select the layer “Logo” and go to Layer> Layer style and select Outer glow, change the blending mode to Soft light, the opacity to 50%, the color to white, the size to 20px, press OK to add your layer style.
Well the tutorial is finished, look at the result:


And the result :

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