Transparent Reflection Blending in Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop allows you to both create and edit a multitude of different types of images. Its powerful tools menu can be used to make just about any sort of effect imaginable in an image. If you want to blend a transparent reflection into an image--as for adding a reflection in a pair of glasses or on a mirror--you will need to add a new layer to your image and then use the gradient tool.

Instructions

1. Open the Adobe Photoshop software by double-clicking on the icon on your desktop, or by going through the "Start" menu and finding it in the list of available programs.

2. Find the image with which you want to blend in a transparent reflection and open it. Select the gradient tool from the "Tools" menu on the left side of the screen.

3. 

   Choose the option to make the gradient transparent by right clicking anywhere on the image and then selecting the box with the alternating gray and white blocks which indicates transparency.

4. 

   Change to the lasso tool on the "Tools" menu, then select the area of the image where you want to blend in the transparent reflection.

5. 

   Add a second layer by clicking on the "Layer" menu and choosing the "New" option.

6. Click on the gradient tool again, then click the area where you want the reflection to begin. Drag the mouse across to the reflection's ending point, then release the mouse button to blend the transparent reflection into the image.

Tips & Warnings

• Pick a color for the reflection that makes sense in the image, such as white for a shaft of light, green for a plant, and so on.

• Make sure you have the new layer selected when you add in in the gradient, or the image won't change at all.

• If you don't use the lasso tool to first designate an area, the gradient tool will add the transparent reflection to the entire image.

Resources

• Official Adobe Photoshop Website