Create a Magic Crystal Ball

In this tutorial we will learn how to create some cool effects, really easy and simple to do it. We will create an Magic Crystal Ball on the hands.
Let’s create a new file (File>New) of 1280×1024 px and 72 dpi, applying there the Paint Bucket Tool (G) to give it black color.

Next we’ll download a set of brushes for Adobe Photoshop, named: Brushset_VI_by_mystcART and Vector_Flower_Brushes_by_Yasny_chan. Create a new layer and use here the brushes that we have to represent an ornament. The color chosen in this case is #89C5DF


Click several times more to repeat the same ornament:

Select then the Brush Tool (B) (Opacity 50%) to dark out the picture’s borders, applying black color.


Find in Internet a picture having represented on it the human hands. For this tutorial, I used this picture from SXC. I would like to thank the author of this picture.

Cut them out and insert the element on our picture:

Make a mouse click on the bottom part of the layers’ panel on the selection Create new fill or adjustment layer>Hue/Saturation



Press Alt button and make a mouse click between the effect’s layers Hue/Saturation and the hands’ layer (on the layers’ panel).


Create a new layer and use there a standard brush with the Opacity of 20% to represent a kind of luminescence. Apply the brush above the fingers and between them. The brush’s color is #37698C


The layer’s parameters: Blending mode-Color Dodge

Press Alt button while clicking between the luminescence layers and the previous layer on the layers’ panel:


Next we’ll choose the Ellipse Tool (U) to represent a circle which must be placed under the hands’ layer:

Set the next shown parameters by making a mouse click on the layer we work with, on the layers’ panel: Fill 0%, Blending Options>Outer Glow


Blending Options>Inner Glow

Blending Options>Gradient Overlay

Gradient’s parameters:

Blending Options>Pattern Overlay (select the pattern out of the set, entitled Texture Fill 2)