Photoshop Rainbow Photo Effect Tutorial

Add A Realistic Rainbow To A Photo In Photoshop

Learn Photoshop with Photo Effects Tutorials at Photoshop Essentials.com

Step 16: Drag Out Another Rainbow Gradient

With the colors in the gradient now reversed, we're ready to create our second rainbow. First, I'm going to hide my original rainbow from view temporarily by clicking on the layer group's visibility icon (the eyeball) in the Layers panel:

The layer group's visibility icon in the Layers panel. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com
Clicking on the visibility icon turns layers or layer groups on or off in the document.

Then I'll drag out a rainbow gradient just as I did back in Step 4: First, I need to re-select the Radial Gradient option in the Options Bar so the gradient will appear as an arc:

Selecting the Radial Gradient option in the Options Bar. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com
Select the Radial Gradient option again.

Then I'll click and drag out my second rainbow in the same location as the first one:

Dragging out a radial rainbow gradient in Photoshop. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com
Dragging out a second rainbow gradient in the same spot.

When I release my mouse button, Photoshop draws the gradient, looking very much like the first one except that this time, the order of the colors is reversed:

A reverse color rainbow gradient has ben added to the photo. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com
The second rainbow gradient with its colors reversed.

Step 17: Change The Blend Mode To Screen

Just as we did with the first rainbow, change the blend mode of the new rainbow from Normal to Screen:

The Screen layer blend mode. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com
Set the blend mode to Screen.

The colors of the rainbow now blend in better with the image:

The second rainbow now blends in with the image. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com
The second rainbow set to the Screen blend mode.

Step 18: Apply The Gaussian Blur Filter

Since the Gaussian Blur filter was the last filter we applied, we can quickly re-apply it with the same settings by pressing Ctrl+F (Win) / Command+F (Mac). Just as before, the color transitions now appear softer and more natural:

The second rainbow after blurring it. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com
The rainbow once again appears more realistic after blurring the colors.

Step 19: Copy The Layer Mask Onto The Second Rainbow Layer

We need to add a layer mask at this point and draw a black to white linear gradient on the mask to hide the the rainbow below the point where it should be touching the ground and have it appear to increase in brightness as it reaches further into the sky, just as we did back in Steps 7-10 with the original rainbow. But why go through all that hassle again when we can just copy one of the layer masks we've already created onto the second rainbow's layer! To do that, I'll first need to open my layer group by clicking on the small triangle to the left of the group's name:

Twirling open the layer group. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com
Click on the triangle to twirl open the layer group.

With the layer group open and the two layers that make up the original rainbow now visible, hold down your Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) key, click on the layer mask thumbnail for the "Rainbow copy" layer and drag it up to the second rainbow's layer:

Dragging the layer mask onto another layer. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com
Hold down Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) and drag the layer mask thumbnail onto the top layer.

When you see a highlight bar appear around the second rainbow's layer (shown in the previous thumbnail), release your mouse button. Photoshop copies the layer mask onto the second rainbow's layer:

The layer mask has been copied to the other layer. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com
The layer mask has been copied from one layer to another.

If we look at the image in the document window, we see that the bottom of the rainbow now fades out just above the trees, just like the original rainbow:

The layer mask has been applied to the second rainbow. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com
The image after copying the layer mask to the second rainbow's layer.

Step 20: Move The Second Rainbow Into Position

All that's left to do now is to move the second rainbow into position. Select Photoshop's Move Tool from the Tools panel, or press the letter V on your keyboard to quickly select it with the shortcut:

Photoshop Move Tool. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com
Select the Move Tool.

Before I move anything, I'll turn the original rainbow back on in the document by clicking once again on the layer group's visibility icon in the Layers panel:

Clicking on the layer group's visibility icon in the Layers panel. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com
When a layer or group is hidden, the eyeball in the visibility icon is also hidden.

Then, with the Move Tool selected and both rainbows now visible in the document, click inside the document window and, with your mouse button still held down, drag the second rainbow into place. I'm going to drag mine up and to the left so only a small part of it appears in the top left corner of the photo:

Dragging the second rainbow into place in the document. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com
Use the Move Tool to drag the second rainbow into place in the image.

Step 21: Lower The Opacity Of The Second Rainbow

Finally, since I don't want my second rainbow to appear as bright as the original, I'll lower its opacity down to around 70% at the top of the Layers panel:

Lowering the opacity of the second rainbow. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com
Lowering the opacity of the second rainbow.

And with that, we're done! Here, after lowering the opacity, is my final Photoshop double rainbow effect:

The final Photoshop double rainbow photo effect. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com
The final rainbow effect.

And there we have it!

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