This content originally appeared on Envato Tuts+ Tutorials and was authored by Monika Zagrobelna
If you want to learn how to create a frosted glass effect in Photoshop, in this tutorial you'll learn a quick way to do it—as well as how to create a realistic reflective glass effect. Because a frosted glass effect may mean two different things, I'm going to show you the techniques to achieve both of them: a foggy glass overlay useful for UI elements, and a realistic glass texture.
What You'll Learn in This Glass Effect Photoshop Tutorial
- How to add a glass effect in Photoshop
- How to create a frosted glass effect in Photoshop
- How to create three types of glass overlay in Photoshop
- How to add a glass texture in Photoshop
- How to create a reflective glass effect in Photoshop
1. How to Create a Frosted Glass Effect in Photoshop
Step 1
Let's start with the most basic Photoshop glass effect. Open your image in Photoshop, right-click it, and select Convert to Smart Object. This way, you'll be able to easily replace the photo later, while keeping the glass effect intact!
Step 2
Duplicate the Smart Object (Control-J) and put it into a group (Control-G).
Step 3
Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M), or any other selection tool, to select the area that you want to apply your frosted glass effect to. Then add a Layer Mask to the group.
Step 4
Select the layer inside the group and go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Adjust the Radius to the effect you want to achieve.
Step 5
Our Photoshop frosted glass effect is almost done, but remember that a matte glass effect doesn't only blur the image—it also brightens it! So let's brighten the image by using a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer. Increase the Lightness to about 30.
Step 6
To make it more convincing, change the Blend Mode to Lighter Color, and adjust the Opacity to about 50%.
And that's it: your Photoshop frosted glass effect is done!
2. How to Create a Textured Frosted Glass Effect in Photoshop
Step 1
If you want to create a more detailed glass texture in Photoshop, you can start in the same way: turn your image into a Smart Object (right-click > Convert to Smart Object).
Step 2
Duplicate the Smart Object (Control-J) and put it into a group (Control-G).
Step 3
Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M), or any other selection tool, to select the area that you want to apply your textured glass effect to. Then add a Layer Mask to the group.
Step 4
This is where the process changes. Select the layer inside the group, and go to Filter > Filter Gallery. Open the Distort tab and select Glass. Use the Frosted texture. Adjust the settings to create the effect you need—the exact values will depend on the size of the photo (mine is 2000 px wide), as well as your own vision. Here are mine:
- Distortion: 19
- Smoothness: 3
- Scaling: 139%
Step 5
The textured frosted glass effect is clearly visible now, but it looks a bit rough. Let's make a couple of adjustments. Duplicate this layer (Control-J) and double-click its Filter Gallery filter. Change the values to make the frosting smaller, almost like noise. Here are my values:
- Distortion: 19
- Smoothness: 2
- Scaling: 95%
Step 6
Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Add a little bit of blur to this noise.
Step 7
Change the Blend Mode to Lighten—this will mix the effects of these two layers together. Then drag this second layer up a bit and to the right—this will make the distortion even more convincing.
Step 8
Let's add some finishing touches. Right-click the group and select Blending Options. Check Color Overlay and set it to blue (#769eda), Blend Mode to Color, and Opacity to about 13%. This will give the glass a nice wintry look. Feel free to use a different color to complement the color scheme of your photo.
Step 9
Let's add an Inner Glow. This is optional—the glass effect will look good even without it. Here are the settings that I used to make the glass brighter from the inside:
- Blend Mode: Overlay
- Opacity: 14%
- Noise: 59%
- Color: White
- Technique: Softer
- Source: Center
- Choke: 40%
- Size: 213%
- Range: 100%
- Jitter: 0%
The exact values will depend on the size of your photo.
And the textured glass effect is done!
3. How to Create a Reflective Glass Effect in Photoshop
Step 1
If you want to create a reflective glass effect in Photoshop, you can start the same as before: turn your image into a Smart Object (right-click > Convert to Smart Object).
Step 2
Duplicate the Smart Object (Control-J) and put it into a group (Control-G).
Step 3
Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M), or any other selection tool, to select the area that you want to apply your textured glass effect to. Then add a Layer Mask to the group.
Step 4
Change the Blend Mode of the layer in the group to Screen. Then go to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal.
Step 5
The reflection is already there, but let's make it even better now. Press Control-T to resize and drag the reflection around. This will allow you to remove any obvious reflections from the main area (anything that would take attention away from the actual subject of the photo).
Step 6
Right-click the group and select Blending Options. Check Inner Glow and adjust these settings:
- Blend Mode: Screen
- Opacity: 15%
- Noise: 0%
- Color: white
- Technique: Softer
- Source: Edge
- Choke: 0%
- Size: 57%
- Range: 50%
- Jitter: 0%
Again, the exact values will depend on the size of your photo.
Step 7
Add a Gradient Overlay. Use these settings:
- Blend Mode: Screen
- Opacity: 30%
- Gradient: black and white (or white and black, Reversed)
- Style: Reflected
- Angle: 148
- Scale: 100%
Step 8
Finally, add a Color Overlay. This will lower the contrast in the reflection. Use Color as the Blend Mode, with a low Opacity (about 13%). Here I used green (#24a268).
And your reflective glass effect is finished!
Good Job!
Now you know how to add a glass effect in Photoshop, in frosted, textured, and reflective versions. If you're interested in glass effects in Photoshop in general, keep reading to find a nice collection of Photoshop glass overlays, ready to download.
Glass Overlay Photoshop Assets—Ready to Use!
If you want to save time, you can achieve amazing Photoshop glass effects with these read-made assets from Envato Elements.
Broken Glass Mirror Photo Effect [ATN, PAT]
This Photoshop action will allow you to quickly shatter your photo into sharp bits, creating an effect of a broken mirror. It's more than a simple overlay—it also moves the reflection into various positions to create a more realistic effect.
Textured Glass Effect [PSD]
If you need a quick textured glass effect that's similar to a realistic frosted glass effect, this overlay will be perfect for you. Just replace the image in the smart object, and you're all set!
Clarity Glass Overlay Effect [ATN]
This set contains four types of Photoshop glass textures, straight and wavy, that you can easily apply to your photos. The final effect is highly realistic.
Wet Glass Photo Effect [PSD]
This file will allow you to cover your photo with drops of rain. It's a smart object, so all you need to do is to put your own photo inside.
Glass Reflection Photo Effect [PSD]
Do you want to achieve a quick glass reflection photo effect? This file is exactly what you need—just add your photo and see the glass effect being applied to it automatically.
Recommended Tutorials
Now that you know how to create a frosted glass effect in Photoshop, you may want to learn other useful effects as well. Here are my suggestions:
This content originally appeared on Envato Tuts+ Tutorials and was authored by Monika Zagrobelna
Monika Zagrobelna | Sciencx (2023-02-01T15:11:10+00:00) How to Create a Glass Effect in Photoshop. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2023/02/01/how-to-create-a-glass-effect-in-photoshop/
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