How to Create a Fog Effect Photoshop Action

What You’ll Be Creating

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create an action in Photoshop. We are going to create a fog effect Photoshop action to add amazing fog photo effects to your photos. I will explain everything in so much detail that everyone can create it, even those who have just opened Photoshop for the first time.

What You’ll Need

To recreate the design above, you will need the following resources:

• Stock Image 

1. How to Start Creating an Action

Step 1

First, open the photo that you want to work with. To open your photo, go to File > Open, choose your photo, and click Open. Now, before we get started, just check a couple of things:

1. Your photo should be in RGB Color mode, 8 Bits/Channel. To check this, go to Image > Mode.
2. For best results, your photo size should be 2000–4000 px wide/high. To check this, go to Image > Image Size.
3. Your photo should be the Background layer. If it is not, go to Layer > New > Background from Layer.

Step 2

Now go to Window > Actions, and in the Actions panel, click on the menu icon in the top right-hand corner. Choose New Set to create a new set, and name it Fog. Then, click on the same menu icon again, choose New Action to create a new action, and name it Fog as shown below:

2. How to Create the Base

Step 1

In this section, we are going to create the base that determines the subject in our photo. Go to Layer > New > Layer to create a new layer and name it Base.

Step 2

Now choose the Brush Tool (B), pick a soft brush, and brush over your subject. It doesn’t matter what color you use.

3. How to Create the Focus

Step 1

In this section we are going to create the focus. Control-click on the Base layer thumbnail to make a selection of this layer and hide the Base layer. Then, select the Background layer and press Control-J on your keyboard to create a new layer using the selection.

Step 2

Now name this layer Subject.

Step 3

Press Control-J on your keyboard to duplicate this layer. Then, press Control-Shift-U to desaturate this new layer, go to Filter > Other > High Pass, and set the Radius to 2 px.

Step 4

Now change the Blending Mode of this layer to Vivid Light. Then, name this layer Subject Sharpening.

Step 5

Select the Background layer and press Control-J on your keyboard to duplicate this layer. Then, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to 15 px.

Step 6

Now name this layer Background Blur.

4. How to Create the Lighting and Fog

Step 1

In this section we are going to create the lighting. Select the Subject Sharpening layer, go to Layer > New > Layer to create a new layer and name it Light Source.

Step 2

Now set the foreground color to #f1ebbc and choose the Brush Tool (B). Then, pick a soft brush, adjust the Size and Hardness of the brush as you like, and brush where you want to create a light source.

Step 3

Change the Blending Mode of this layer to Screen and set the Opacity to 87%.

Step 4

Now select the Subject Sharpening layer, go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color to create a new solid color fill layer, name it Shadow, and choose the color #000000.

Step 5

Set the foreground color to #000000 and select the layer mask of this layer. Then, Control-click on the Light Source layer thumbnail to make a selection of this layer. After that, go to Edit > Fill, and set Contents to Foreground Color, Blending to Normal, and Opacity to 100% as shown below:

Step 6

Now press Control-D on your keyboard to deselect the selection. Then, change the Opacity of this layer to 20%.

Step 7

Now select the Subject Sharpening layer, go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color to create a new solid color fill layer, name it Fog, and choose the color #ffffff:

Step 8

Change the Opacity of this layer to 31%.

Step 9

Now Alt-click and drag the layer mask of the Shadow layer over the layer mask of the Fog layer to replace it.

5. How to Make the Final Adjustments

Step 1

In this section we are going to make final adjustments to the design. Select the Light Source layer, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves to create a new curves adjustment layer, and name it Color Look.

Step 2

Now Double-click on this layer thumbnail and, in the Properties panel, enter the settings below:

Step 3

Press D on your keyboard to reset the swatches. Then, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map to create a new gradient map adjustment layer and name it Overall Contrast.

Step 4

Now change the Blending Mode of this layer to Soft Light and set the Opacity to 14%.

You Made It!

Congratulations, you have succeeded! You’ve learned how to create a fog and fade effect Photoshop action to add amazing photo effects to your photos. Here is our final result: