50 best Photoshop tutorials from 2015

November 25th, 2015
Tutorials

Our annual tradition continues we have rounded up all the best photoshop design tutorials created throughout some point within 2015. The roundup includes some truly jaw dropping end results, for design tutorials where you can really refine skills; wether your a vetran photoshop user or just getting your feet wet with photoshop.

Theres some great tutorials included within the roundup. I hope you enjoy, and would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. Would love for you to share any tutorials created in 2015, which maybe are missing from the list.

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1. Windows 10 Wallpaper in Photoshop

Recreating the beautiful Windows 10 wallpaper created by GMUNK.

2. Create Stunning “Iron Man” Fan Art From Scratch in Photoshop

In this tutorial you will explain how to create stunning “Iron Man” fan art in Photoshop using digital painting techniques. This tutorial will begin as a sketch and then show how to slowly build up your artwork to create realistic metallic objects. We will then incorporate some photographic elements such as smoke and sparks to enhance the overall realism of the piece.

3. How To Create a Text Portrait Effect in Photoshop

In the Photoshop tutorial we’re going to create a cool portrait effect using a long passage of text that bends and deforms around the contours of the face. Known as a Calligram, this effect is particularly powerful when used to present famous quotes or speeches by depicting the author/speaker with the actual words. Photoshop’s Displace filter is the key ingredient in this recipe which allows us to accurately wrap the text around the subject.

4. Create dynamic, lightning-filled background for character art

In this tutorial, Ricardo Ajcivinac shows how to recreate this brilliant image, and how to give your character art extra punch by using lighting and layer styles.

5. Create a Shiny, White and Gold, 3D Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop’s 3D environment has multiple tools and settings to create great 3D effects. This tutorial will show you how to use those tools and play around with the settings to create a shiny, elegant, white and gold, 3D text effect.

6. Create a One-Layer Retro Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

The latest Photoshop update comes with a couple of pretty awesome new layer style features, such as multiple layer style instances and stroke overprint. This tutorial will show you how to use those features to create a one-layer-only, retro text effect.

7. How To Create a 3D Chrome Badge in Photoshop

I’ve been getting really into Photoshop’s 3D tools recently. They’re fantastic for creating simple 3D models with ultra realistic lighting and materials like metals, plastic and wood. Chrome is one effect that is often mimicked in Photoshop with various gradients and layer styles, but the 3D feature in versions CS6 and CC allow you to achieve results that surpass the traditional techniques. In today’s tutorial we’ll use Adobe Illustrator to design a cool badge or emblem design, then we’ll take it into Photoshop to turn it into 3D with a rad shiny and chrome finish.

8. Create halftone and screenprint poster styles in Photoshop

The rise of truly independent record labels and a DIY music scene has provided a great number of emerging creatives to flex their artistic muscles. The aesthetic that best captures the movement seems to draw from several influences – punk, doodles and eclectica are the most obvious.

9. Make a Trendy Double Exposure Effect in Adobe Photoshop

In photography and cinematography, multiple exposure is a combination of two or more exposures to create a single image. Initially, this is a technique in which the camera shutter is opened more than once to expose the film multiple times, usually to different images. However, with our modern software, we can easily recreate a similar effect in Adobe Photoshop.

10. Stencil poster effects in Photoshop

The stencil has a rich place in design history. Basically a template that is used to draw or paint identical symbols and shapes, its use as a technique in art is referred to as pochoir. Stencil usage can be found in silk-screen printing, as well as mimeography. Yet the advent of cheap printing and DTP saw a fall-off in popularity in the stencil, as its main draw – the uniform application of shapes – could be done more effectively digitally.

11. How to Create a Colorful, Summery 3D Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

Summer is here! So it’s time for a colorful, fresh, and fun text effect tutorial. This tutorial will show you how to create a colorful 3D text effect, and then add in a couple of brushes and stock images to create an interesting, summery text effect.

12. Create a Beautiful Abstract Portrait in Photoshop

In this tutorial you will combine several stock images to create an artistic, abstract portrait of a woman.

13. How to Create a Realistic Autumn Leaves Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

Autumn is such a beautiful season, with its crisp weather and bright colors. This tutorial will show you how to use a couple of leaf images, textures, adjustment layers, and a lighting effect to create a bright autumn leaves text effect.

14. Create a Taylor Swift “Style” Inspired Double Exposure Effect in Photoshop

If you haven’t seen Taylor Swift’s video for her hit song, Style, then do yourself a favor and check it out! Not surprisingly it’s a “stylistic” video, and it contains some wonderfully inspiring effects using silhouettes and double exposures.

15. Create Stylized Hay Bale Typography in Photoshop

As we push further into autumn (in some parts of the world) many designers might be thinking about how to create autumn-inspired artwork for the projects they are working on. In this tutorial, we will show you how to create text made of hay using Photoshop’s 3D features as an aid.

16. How to Create a Colorful Pendant Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

Looking for a nice little gift? This tutorial will show you how to use a bunch of layer style, textures, and shapes, to create a bright, colorful pendant text effect.

17. How To Create an Animated Neon Sign Effect

Last month I posted a showcase of incredibly realistic neon signs that were made using 3D software. I’m much more of a 2D guy so I wanted to have a go at producing a similar neon effect using Illustrator and Photoshop, but with the addition of movement via an animated GIF. Follow this tutorial to see my process of how I created a fun neon sign for Pizza Planet, using Illustrator’s vector tools to create the initial sign layout, then Photoshop to bring it to life with vibrant layer styles and framing for the animation.

18. Create an Abstract Portrait Photo Manipulation With Adobe Photoshop

In this tutorial it will show you how to create an abstract artwork by combining several stock images with abstract elements in Adobe Photoshop. Besides standard blending techniques with adjustment layers, masking and brushes, you’ll also learn how to make an abstract object using Adobe Illustrator, apply texture, enhance the depth of field and more.

19. How to Create a Dark Batman Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop

In this tutorial I’ll show you how to create a Batman-inspired artwork using a variety of photo-manipulation techniques in Adobe Photoshop. We’ll use sky and wall images to create the base scene at the start, and then blend them together using adjustment layers, masking and brushes.

20. Create an Aquatic Photo Manipulation of a Giant Tortoise

In this tutorial, I’ll show how you can combine different stock images to create this cohesive and unified scene of an aquatic Giant tortoise. You’ll also learn how to manipulate trees, stones, waterfalls and textures to create an island on the tortoise. Finally, we’ll add lighting effects and adjust the colour of our entire scene.

21. How to Create a Fantasy Flaming Deer With Adobe Photoshop

In this tutorial I’ll show you how to create a fantasy deer with a fire effect. You’ll work with blending and adjustment layers to combine different stock images into a cohesive scene. You’ll also learn how to work with fire, create a lighting effect and enhance the depth of field.

22. Create a Football Sport Event Poster in Photoshop

Learn how to create a soccer sports event poster in Photoshop using some basic blending techniques. The great thing about this tutorial is that you can easily personalize the poster by simply changing the abstract wallpaper image and the football player and the stadium stock images. That way you can create sport poster templates for any event you want like tennis, box, athletisme, etc.

23. 80s Artwork in Photoshop

This tutorial I will show you how to create an 80s style composition with the classic glowing grid. We will use Photoshop for most of the tutorial and a little bit of Illustrator for the vector part.

24. How to Create a Surreal Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop

In this tutorial you’ll learn how to create a surreal scene combining photos of the sky. You’ll also learn how to easily blend different photos of light effects using Blending Modes and how to create realistic looking lens flare to create the light portal.

25. Create a Retro Star Wars Inspired Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

In this tutorial it will show you how to use a couple of layer styles, with a nice space texture and a flare brush tip, to create a Star Wars inspired text effect.

26. Design a Floral Pattern for Fabric in Adobe Photoshop

Sometimes you walk into a store and you think to yourself, “Aw man, all these clothes are ugly. I wish I could sew my own things, with my own floral designs on them.” And you absolutely can. Let me guide you through the process of designing your own floral fashion print, which you can later use for awesome and unique DIY projects!

27. How To Create a Sin City Style Film Noir Effect in Photoshop

The Sin City movies are modern masterpieces that reimagine the film noir genre from the 40s and 50s. They use black and white imagery with low key lighting to creating striking pictures with high contrast between light and shadow. In today’s tutorial I’ll show you some techniques to transform your static photographs into a Sin City inspired scene with a dark atmosphere and harsh tones.

28. Create an old-school Photoshop artwork

The Sin City movies are modern masterpieces that reimagine the film noir genre from the 40s and 50s. A central element of this tutorial is the use of the Multiply blending mode in Photoshop. Part of the Darken family of blending modes, at its most basic it compares the blend layer’s pixels with the base layer on a channel-by-channel basis, but rather than simply choosing the darker of the two, it multiplies the base colour by the blend colour. A multiple of black will always be black, and anything multiplied by white is unchanged. Otherwise, the net result is always a darker underlying image.

29. Use layer masks for seamless compositing of photos in Photoshop

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create an astonishing image where the character appears to be gently breaking apart, using simple but effective techniques in Photoshop.

30. Realistic 3D Casino Style Bulb Sign Photoshop Tutorial

In today’s tutorial we’re going to play around in Photoshop to create an illuminated bulb sign similar to those used on Las Vegas casinos and Broadway theaters. The sign will be created as a standalone piece of text, using Photoshop’s powerful 3D tools to simulate a hyper realistic setting within a warehouse. We’ll then add lots of subtle lighting effects to add a series of bright bulbs. If you’ve ever wanted to see your name in lights, this is your opportunity!

31. How to Create a Realistic Neon Light Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

Layering glow and gloss effects can help create nice, shiny objects. This tutorial will show you how to modify a brick texture for the background, and then use layer styles with the Pen Tool to add some bright, glowing neon text and a simple cable over it.

32. How to Create a Realistic Neon Light Text Effect in Adobe Photoshopthunder-effect

Learn how to create this intense photo manipulation of a guy shooting lightning from his hands. In this tutorial you will learn various blending and lightning techniques.

33. Create a Space Flate Text Effect in Photoshop

In this tutorial you will be creating a space flare glowing text in Photoshop. You will learn how to create space flare text and apply text effects to them. You will also learn how to use layer styles and blending modes in order to bring your glowing text to the next level.Lets get started applying cool glow on your text.

34. How To Create Anaglyph 3D Images That Really Work!

I originally planned to write this tutorial on how to create a retro 3D effect that mimicked the offset red/blue images that were seen in old 3D movies, comics and posters. But then I thought, rather than just recreate the effect, why not try and produce an anaglyph 3D image that actually works?! So I boggled my mind with the science behind stereoscopy and figured out how to create some really cool 3D images that pop out from your screen. Grab yourself some old school 3D specs and follow this guide to learn how to produce your own anaglyph 3D images in Photoshop.

35. Create an Abstract Sci-Fi Scene with Photoshop

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create an abstract sci-fi scene. You’ll learn how to combine different stock photos, create abstract elements, work with group and adjust lighting effect.

36. Design a screenprint

Learn how to create scorching posters or T-shirts with hands-on tips from screenprinting experts Waste.

37. How to Create a Quick Sketch Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

This tutorial will show you how to use smart objects, layer styles, and some filters to create a simple sketch text effect. I’ll also give you a cool tip for changing the coloring of the final result pretty easily using a Photo Filter adjustment layer.

38. How To Create Abstract Geometric Photo Collage Art

Since posting this showcase of inspiring artwork combining geometry & photography back in 2014 I’ve wanted to give this trendy style of art a try myself. I finally sat down with Illustrator & Photoshop and devised a method of transforming a photograph into an abstract collage of geometric shapes. We’ll begin with Illustrator to build up a series of geometric lines, then cut up an image in Photoshop to create an interesting composition. A series of textures and curves adjustments will then help give the design a trendy retro style with plenty of processed colours and grain.

39. Create an Ice Cream Text Effect in Photoshop

Today I will show you how to create an awesome ice cream text effect! The process is simple enough for any level Photoshop lover. We will use the basic tools and effects along to achieve the final outcome in short time.

40. How to Create a Gothic Photo Manipulation of a Brave Warrior in Photoshop

Learn how to make this gothic photo manipulation. You will know, how to play with colors on every image, how to draw lights and shadows here and how to manage glows in this work. I will show, how to make dynamic effect with some stock images and how to turn model into ghostly-like character! :). You will learn basics of matte painting and will be making better works in the future.

41. Create a 3D Retro Text Effect Using Layer Styles in Adobe Photoshop

This tutorial will show you how to use layer styles, smart objects, and some other basic elements in Adobe Photoshop to create a simple, retro looking, 3D text effect.

42. How to Composite Your Own Space Scene from Scratch

In this tutorial, I will tell you in detail on how to use the functions of Photoshop in creating stars, planets, nebula and combine them into a unified and harmonious composition, color adjustments and more. You will learn a lot of useful and interesting techniques in space-art and Photoshop.

42. How to Create a Beautiful and Emotional Angel Photo Manipulation in Photoshop

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a beautiful scene for the angel by manipulating different stock images. You will create an angel by working on the blend mode, shadows & lighting, colour matching techniques and push your manipulations skills to a new level in Photoshop.

43. How to Create a Stencil Banner Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

Warping objects is a fantastic way of achieving some great, realistic effects. This tutorial will show you how to use shape properties, smart objects, textures, layer styles, and brushes to create a simple, stencil banner text effect. Then, you’ll get to use the Warp command to make the final result look more realistic and give it some more depth.

44. How to Turn Your Simple Portrait into a Sci-Fi Character in Photoshop

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create an amazing futuristic photo manipulation and you will learn how to turn a simple portrait into an amazing images of a futuristic stranger and unusual atmosphere. You will create something new in this genre and learn many useful techniques.