Photoshop clouds tutorial:

Make quick, easy clouds with texture.
(Less than 15 minutes, no talent required.)

  1. Create a blank RGB space image with a transparent background.
  2. Press "d" to get the default colours: black foreground, white background.
  3. Fill the initial layer solid (command-delete).
  4. menu: Layer -> Layer Style -> Gradient Overlay
    1. Make the top of the gradient a vivid light blue.
    2. Make the bottom a slightly grey, unsaturated light blue.
  5. Create a new layer for cloud creation. (Layer 2)
  6. menu: Filter -> Render -> Clouds (You may have to repeat Clouds a few times until they look suitably random.)
  7. menu: Image -> Adjustments -> Levels...
    1. Adjust "Input Levels" to approximately: 114, 1.00, 181
  8. Select all.
  9. Copy.
  10. Click the eye icon to the left of your cloud creation layer (Layer 2) to hide it.
  11. Create a new layer. (Layer 3)
  12. Enter quickmask mode by pressing the "q" key.
  13. Paste
  14. Exit quickmask mode by pressing the "q" key.
  15. Fill the selection with the background color (white). (command-delete)
  16. Deselect the selection. (command-d)
  17. menu: Layer -> Layer Style -> Bevel & Emboss
    1. Set "Size" to approximately 50 px
    2. Set Contour to the Gaussian curve.
  18. Create a new layer for cloud texture creation. (Layer 4)
  19. menu: Filter -> Render -> Clouds
  20. menu: Filter -> Render -> Difference Clouds.
  21. Repeat Difference Clouds 10 to 20 times until you have a complex pattern.
  22. Enter quickmask mode by pressing the "q" key.
  23. Paste. (The clipboard should still contain the clouds layer contents (Layer 2).)
  24. Exit quickmask mode by pressing the "q" key.
  25. Copy.
  26. Deselect the selection. (command-d)
  27. Click the eye icon to the left of your cloud texture creation layer (Layer 4) to hide it.
  28. Create a new layer. (Layer 5)
  29. Paste.
  30. menu: Filter -> Stylize -> Emboss
    1. Set the "Height" to around 50 pixels.
  31. menu: Image -> Adjustments -> Levels
    1. Set "Output Levels" to approximately: 218, 255
  32. Go back to your clouds layer (Layer 3) and "Create Layers" from the Bevel & Emboss effect: menu: -> Layer -> Layer Style -> Create Layers
  33. Delete the screen layer (white streaks), leaving the multiply layer.
  34. Select the multiply layer (black streaks) and:
    1. menu: Filter -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur
    2. Set "Radius" to around 16 pixels.
  35. Adjust the multiply layer's "Fill" to around 50%
  36. End of instructions.

© 2006-2008: Michael Skora