Optik Tutorials |

Outcome:

Start off by filling your background with a very dark gray or black. Now start adding c4d renders (click here to find some) on Lighting, Screen, Color Dodge or Linear Dodge. Be sure to make one Focal Point with the c4d. You do not want it to be completely random, try to get some flow to it, sort of like a “V”.

Now add the following adjustment layers:

Channels; Normal, 100% opacity.

Curves; Normal, 100% opacity.

Now take out about a 45px brush. Brush in the middle where you want your main focal point. Now hold Ctrl and Click on the layer preview. This should make a selection around it. Now turn this layer off (the eye next to the layer) and hit Ctrl + Shift + C, then hit Ctrl + V. This should make a section of applied image. Now duplicate it two times. Set the first ones Blending mode to Multiply on 100% opacity, the second to Linear Dodge on 100% opacity, and the third to Color Dodge on 50% opacity.

Now add the following adjustment layers:

Curves; Normal, 100% opacity.

Gradient Map; Soft Light, 50% opacity.

Now make an applied image. To do this go and create a new layer, then go to Edit > Apply Image. Now go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian blur. Choose around 2px for the settings. Erase around the focal point and set it to lighten. Now nudge it a bit to the left and down.

Repeat step 5 but this time don’t move it to the left and down.

Make yet another applied image, and go to Filter > Stylize > Extrude. Choose small cubes. Now hit ok, and go and erase the bulk of this layer with a soft round brush. Set this layer to Lighten and leave the opacity at 100%. It shouldn’t have a huge effect, but it should look like a bit more c4d was added.

Repeat step 7, but instead use Filter > Distort > Glass. Same blending mode and opacity.

Repeat step 7 again, but this time use Filter > Brush Strokes > Spatter. Erase some of the layer, leaving only about half of the original image. Set to lighten on 40% opacity.

Now make an applied image like above. This time though, don’t apply any filters to the layer, just erase around where the c4d is leaving this layer only to overlap where the blank background is. Now set this layer to soft light and lower the opacity to about 50%. This should make the background darker and focus the signature more on the c4d renders.