gradient tool

Learn how to create a rainbow in Photoshop and blend it into a photograph to give the impression the rainbow was there when the image was captured. This technique uses the gradient tool to add the actual rainbow, and then demonstrates use of the eraser and masks to conceal the rainbow from the foreground elements, before blending the effect into the photograph with some basic, yet always reliable blend modes.

You may have seen this effect used throughout the web, a standard text block with a foreground shadow. In this tutorial I'll show you how to create it using the text tool, the transform mode, and the gradient tool.

In this tutorial we'll look at creating a realistic lightning effect using the gradient tool and the difference clouds filter, and then blend the results into a stormy photograph taken within the beautiful scenery of Utah. The result will be a Photoshop-generated lightning strike in a real-world landscape.