How to work with color and textures in Photoshop

In our previous tutorial, you learnt how to retouch underwater elements to make things appear more realistic. In this lesson, you will learn how to work with color and textures to enhance your composition.

If you prefer video tutorials, watch the complete Advanced Photoshop Techniques course from the Tuts+ YouTube channel. Additionally, you can check out the Advanced Photoshop course page.

Download the items used to create an album cover in Photoshop from this collection on Envato:

Download course files from Envato

Watch how to color balance and blend textures in Photoshop

How to color balance in Photoshop 

Step 1

Now, let’s start balancing the colors. Add a Solid Color Adjustment Layer to the sky, picking a bright blue color similar to the sea.

Color balance or hue Color balance or hue Color balance or hue

Change the Blending Mode to Color, clip it to the sky, invert it, and then brush along the ocean surface. Your aim is to match the color of the sea in the background to the color in the foreground to blend the two halves together more seamlessly.

Color balance PhotoshopColor balance PhotoshopColor balance Photoshop

Step 2

Next, let’s use a Color Balance Adjustment Layer to make the tall rocks pick up some of the pink from the sky.

Color Balance Adjustment LayerColor Balance Adjustment LayerColor Balance Adjustment Layer

Step 3

I want the top of the guitar to stand out above the rocks, so let’s trim the top of the rock on the right using a simple Layer Mask. Use a large brush to remove the bulk of the rock area above the line shown below, and then go back over the edge with a smaller brush to create a harder edge. 

How to blend textures in Photoshop

Step 1

Now, let’s find out how to add textures in Photoshop. Turn on the bark texture for the guitar that you added in an earlier lesson to make the layer visible. 

How to add texture in PhotoshopHow to add texture in PhotoshopHow to add texture in Photoshop

Step 2

Right-click and go to Blending options. Grab the left slider from the Underlying layer, hold Alt/Option to separate the two halves of the slider, and click and drag it to the right to blend the texture into the guitar.

blend textures Photoshopblend textures Photoshopblend textures Photoshop

Step 3

You could also play around with the blending modes and opacity until you get something that you’re happy with.

How to add texture over PhotoshopHow to add texture over PhotoshopHow to add texture over Photoshop

Step 4

Take a moment now to look over everything you’ve done in the composition and clean up any areas that need it before we move on to the next lesson.

Discover more Photoshop resources and tutorials

In this tutorial, you learnt how to work with color and textures to enhance your composition for your music album cover design.

In the next tutorial, you’ll learn how to blend text in an album cover in Photoshop. Be sure to check out other upcoming articles on Envato Tuts+ and the Envato blog to discover more Photoshop tutorials. And for the digital subscription that will cover all your creative Photoshop assets and needs, visit Envato!

Here are some great resources to get you started:


This content originally appeared on Envato Tuts+ Tutorials and was authored by Daniel White

In our previous tutorial, you learnt how to retouch underwater elements to make things appear more realistic. In this lesson, you will learn how to work with color and textures to enhance your composition.

If you prefer video tutorials, watch the complete Advanced Photoshop Techniques course from the Tuts+ YouTube channel. Additionally, you can check out the Advanced Photoshop course page.

Download the items used to create an album cover in Photoshop from this collection on Envato:

Download course files from Envato

Watch how to color balance and blend textures in Photoshop

How to color balance in Photoshop 

Step 1

Now, let's start balancing the colors. Add a Solid Color Adjustment Layer to the sky, picking a bright blue color similar to the sea.

Color balance or hue Color balance or hue Color balance or hue

Change the Blending Mode to Color, clip it to the sky, invert it, and then brush along the ocean surface. Your aim is to match the color of the sea in the background to the color in the foreground to blend the two halves together more seamlessly.

Color balance PhotoshopColor balance PhotoshopColor balance Photoshop

Step 2

Next, let's use a Color Balance Adjustment Layer to make the tall rocks pick up some of the pink from the sky.

Color Balance Adjustment LayerColor Balance Adjustment LayerColor Balance Adjustment Layer

Step 3

I want the top of the guitar to stand out above the rocks, so let's trim the top of the rock on the right using a simple Layer Mask. Use a large brush to remove the bulk of the rock area above the line shown below, and then go back over the edge with a smaller brush to create a harder edge. 

How to blend textures in Photoshop

Step 1

Now, let's find out how to add textures in Photoshop. Turn on the bark texture for the guitar that you added in an earlier lesson to make the layer visible. 

How to add texture in PhotoshopHow to add texture in PhotoshopHow to add texture in Photoshop

Step 2

Right-click and go to Blending options. Grab the left slider from the Underlying layer, hold Alt/Option to separate the two halves of the slider, and click and drag it to the right to blend the texture into the guitar.

blend textures Photoshopblend textures Photoshopblend textures Photoshop

Step 3

You could also play around with the blending modes and opacity until you get something that you're happy with.

How to add texture over PhotoshopHow to add texture over PhotoshopHow to add texture over Photoshop

Step 4

Take a moment now to look over everything you've done in the composition and clean up any areas that need it before we move on to the next lesson.

Discover more Photoshop resources and tutorials

In this tutorial, you learnt how to work with color and textures to enhance your composition for your music album cover design.

In the next tutorial, you'll learn how to blend text in an album cover in Photoshop. Be sure to check out other upcoming articles on Envato Tuts+ and the Envato blog to discover more Photoshop tutorials. And for the digital subscription that will cover all your creative Photoshop assets and needs, visit Envato!

Here are some great resources to get you started:


This content originally appeared on Envato Tuts+ Tutorials and was authored by Daniel White


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