How to Make Rain in Photoshop
Create a new layer., Add Image Effects to your Styles panel., Click the rain icon., Change the blend mode to Overlay., Adjust rain appearance., Change the rain angle with Free Transform., Add blurry foreground rain (optional).
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Create a new layer.
Click the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel, or use the File → New → Layer command in the top menu.
Click Edit → Fill if a menu has not already popped up, and set the "Use" drop-down to "50% gray." Name this layer "Rain" and click OK.
This method works best for Photoshop versions CS6, CC, or CC14.
It may or may not work on earlier versions, and the options may be in slightly different places, such as the Action panel instead of Style. -
Step 2: Add Image Effects to your Styles panel.
If the Styles panel is not already open, select Windows → Styles from the top menu to open it.
Click the small arrow in the top right of the Styles panel, then select Image Effects from the drop-down menu.
Click Append in the dialog box that opens.
This will add a new collection of icons to your Styles panel. , This is a grey, streaky icon that appeared when you added Image Effects.
If you’re not sure which it is, hover the mouse over an icon and wait until the tooltip appears.
The correct icon has the tooltip "Rain."
In the Layers panel, with the Rain layer selected, change the Blend Mode dropdown menu from "Normal" to "Overlay." This will keep your rain high-contrast and distinct when placed over your original photo., After the last step, the words "Pattern Overlay" should have appeared beneath the Rain layer.
Click these words and a menu will open.
Reduce the opacity and change scale of the layer to achieve the desired effect, with the original photo becoming visible again.
Press OK. , By default, the rain falls at a 45º, but you can change this by rotating the layer.
Use CtrlT (Mac: ⌘ CmdT) to activate Free Transform.
Hover just outside one of the corners that appear, not on the corner handle itself, until the cursor becomes a bent arrow.
Click and drag to rotate the layer to any angle.
The rotated image won't cover the entire photo anymore, so correct this by holding down ⇧ ShiftAlt (Mac: ⇧ Shift⌥ Option and dragging a corner outward to resize the image.
Press ↵ Enter (Mac: ⏎ Return when you are done to exit free transform mode.
If you can’t locate the corners, press Ctrl0 (Mac: ⌘ Cmd0). , Your photo's rain effect should already be looking pretty good, but you can make the rain look more realistic and achieve a different aesthetic by adding a second layer of "out of focus" rain in the foreground.
Duplicate the existing rain layer with the shortcut CtrlJ (Mac: {{keypress|cmd}J and use the Pattern Overlay menu described earlier to decrease the opacity and increase the scale, making blurrier, larger rain that looks like it's in the foreground of the photo.
This looks best if the two rain layers are at similar angles. -
Step 3: Click the rain icon.
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Step 4: Change the blend mode to Overlay.
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Step 5: Adjust rain appearance.
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Step 6: Change the rain angle with Free Transform.
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Step 7: Add blurry foreground rain (optional).
Detailed Guide
Click the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel, or use the File → New → Layer command in the top menu.
Click Edit → Fill if a menu has not already popped up, and set the "Use" drop-down to "50% gray." Name this layer "Rain" and click OK.
This method works best for Photoshop versions CS6, CC, or CC14.
It may or may not work on earlier versions, and the options may be in slightly different places, such as the Action panel instead of Style.
If the Styles panel is not already open, select Windows → Styles from the top menu to open it.
Click the small arrow in the top right of the Styles panel, then select Image Effects from the drop-down menu.
Click Append in the dialog box that opens.
This will add a new collection of icons to your Styles panel. , This is a grey, streaky icon that appeared when you added Image Effects.
If you’re not sure which it is, hover the mouse over an icon and wait until the tooltip appears.
The correct icon has the tooltip "Rain."
In the Layers panel, with the Rain layer selected, change the Blend Mode dropdown menu from "Normal" to "Overlay." This will keep your rain high-contrast and distinct when placed over your original photo., After the last step, the words "Pattern Overlay" should have appeared beneath the Rain layer.
Click these words and a menu will open.
Reduce the opacity and change scale of the layer to achieve the desired effect, with the original photo becoming visible again.
Press OK. , By default, the rain falls at a 45º, but you can change this by rotating the layer.
Use CtrlT (Mac: ⌘ CmdT) to activate Free Transform.
Hover just outside one of the corners that appear, not on the corner handle itself, until the cursor becomes a bent arrow.
Click and drag to rotate the layer to any angle.
The rotated image won't cover the entire photo anymore, so correct this by holding down ⇧ ShiftAlt (Mac: ⇧ Shift⌥ Option and dragging a corner outward to resize the image.
Press ↵ Enter (Mac: ⏎ Return when you are done to exit free transform mode.
If you can’t locate the corners, press Ctrl0 (Mac: ⌘ Cmd0). , Your photo's rain effect should already be looking pretty good, but you can make the rain look more realistic and achieve a different aesthetic by adding a second layer of "out of focus" rain in the foreground.
Duplicate the existing rain layer with the shortcut CtrlJ (Mac: {{keypress|cmd}J and use the Pattern Overlay menu described earlier to decrease the opacity and increase the scale, making blurrier, larger rain that looks like it's in the foreground of the photo.
This looks best if the two rain layers are at similar angles.
About the Author
Charlotte Reyes
Specializes in breaking down complex crafts topics into simple steps.
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