Photoshop Tutorials: Add Realistic Water Drops To A Photo

Step 12: Add A "Inner Shadow" Layer Style

Click directly on the words Inner Shadow on the left of the Layer Style dialog box:

The options for the "Inner Shadow" layer style appear in the middle column. All we want to do here is change the Blend Mode from "Multiply" to Overlay by clicking on the down-pointing arrow to the right of the word "Multiply" and selecting "Overlay" from the list:

Again, don't click OK just yet. We have one more layer style to add.

Step 13: Add A "Bevel and Emboss" Layer Style

Finally, click directly on the words Bevel and Emboss on the left of the Layer Style dialog box:

This brings up the "Bevel and Emboss" options in the middle column of the Layer Styles dialog box. Starting from the top and working our way down, change the Technique to Chisel Hard and then raise the Depth to around 600% (if you find that's too high, finish making the rest of the changes here and then go back and adjust the Depth amount, keeping an eye on your image as you drag the slider). Increase the Soften amount to around 12 pixels to give the water a nice smooth look. Then, down near the bottom of the options, increase the Opacity of the Highlight Mode to a full 100%. Change the Shadow Mode to Color Dodge, and finally, change the color of the Shadow Mode from black to white by clicking on the color swatch and selecting white in Photoshop's Color Picker:

When you're done making the changes to the Bevel and Emboss options, click OK to exit out of the Layer Style dialog box. Your image will now look something like this, with the water drops clearly visible:

Step 14: Erase Any Water Drops You Don't Want

Now that I've created my water drops, I noticed that some of them are blocking the view of the main subject of my image (the guy on the surfboard). I want to remove those water drops, and I can do that easily by erasing them with the Eraser Tool. Grab your Eraser Tool from the Tools palette, or press E to quickly select it:

Then, with the Eraser Tool selected, simply click and drag your mouse over any water drops you want to erase. I'm going to erase the ones in front of the surfer: