Photoshop Disperion Effect Tutorial
Make objects disperse and splatter.
Step 1
Grab an image of a character.
Step 2
Use the quick selection tool to select only the character.
Step 3
Select > Refine Edge and tweak the settings to create a smooth edge for the selection. Set smooth to about 20.
Where is Select > Refine Edge?
Where is Select > Refine Edge?
Step 4
Copy the selected character onto a new layer.
Step 5
Duplicated the character layer. You should now have 2 layers with your cut out character.
Checkpoint 1
Step 6
Resize the top character layer so that you have a normal and big character.
Checkpoint 2
Step 7
Move the big character layer underneath the original character.
Checkpoint 3
Step 8
On the second layer, Filter > Liquify with brush size of about 175.
Drag the brush left to right.
Where is Filter > Liquify?
Drag the brush left to right.
Where is Filter > Liquify?
Well done! This creates a big area for us to use as a base for the dispersion. You should end up with something like this:
Checkpoint 4
Step 9
Duplicate the liquefied layer
Step 10
Add a vector mask to both layers
Step 11
Fill one of the vector masks black, and the other white. Make sure the layer with the black vector mask is on top.
Checkpoint 5
Step 12
Import the particle_brushes.abr file.
Step 13
Select your favorite particle brush. You may use more than one particle brush.
Step 14
Paint with the brush only on the layer masks. It is best to paint by clicking instead of dragging.
To make pixels appear: paint with a white brush on the black layer mask.
To make pixels disappear: paint with a black brush on the white layer mask.
To make pixels appear: paint with a white brush on the black layer mask.
To make pixels disappear: paint with a black brush on the white layer mask.
Tip
It is best to paint by clicking instead of dragging. Play around with the type, size and opacity of the brush.
Result
You may end up with something like this:
Finished Product
