How to Create a Graffiti Effect in Adobe Photoshop

Learn how to create art from your photos in Adobe Photoshop, using filters and adjustments.

Tutorial Assets

The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial:

1. How to Create the Brick Wall Background

Create an 850 x 630 px New Document. You can, of course, use another size for your PSD file, but you have to proportionally adjust all the sizes used in this tutorial.

Add the Brick Wall in a New Layer. Resize the image if needed according to your canvas size.

Brick Wall Texture

2. How to Add the Graffiti Art

Step 1

In a New Layer, add the Graffiti Wall texture. Resize the image if needed according to your canvas size.

Graffiti Wall Texture

Step 2

Click the second icon at the bottom of the Layers panel to add a Layer Mask to the Graffiti Wall layer.

Add Layer Mask in Photoshop

Set the Foreground Color to #000000 and pick the Brush Tool. Use the Grunge Brush to paint inside the mask to hide some of the graffiti and to reveal the brick wall.

Paint Inside the Layer Mask in Photoshop

3. How to Create the Graffiti Portrait Effect

Step 1

Add the Man Portrait in a New Layer. Use the Magic Wand Tool to select the background of this image. Set the Tolerance to 10 and check Contiguous. Keep the Shift key pressed to make multiple selections. Press Delete to remove the selected background.

Remove Background in Photoshop

Press Control-D to deselect.

Step 2

Press Control-J to Duplicate the Man Portrait layer twice, and call the new layers Man Portrait 1 and Man Portrait 2. Hide the two newly created layers. Clicking the eye icon next to any layer on the Layers panel will hide/show the layer.

Duplicate Layers in Photoshop

Step 3

Return to the Man Portrait layer and add a Stroke layer style of 4 px, Position center, Color #000000.

Add Stroke Layer Style

Step 4

Go to Filter > Artistic > Cutout and choose the Number of Levels 8, Edge Simplicity 0 and Edge Fidelity 3.

Filter Artistic Cutout Photoshop Filter

Cutout Filter in Photoshop

Step 5

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Posterize and set the Levels to 5. Click on the third button from the left to add this adjustment as a Clipping Mask for the layer below.

Posterize Adjustment in Photoshop

Step 6

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast and set the Brightness to 117 and the Contrast to -50. Click on the third button from the left to add this adjustment as a Clipping Mask for the layer below.

Brightness and Contrast Adjustment in Photoshop

Step 7

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation and set the Hue to 129 and the Saturation to 100. Click on the third button from the left to add this adjustment as a Clipping Mask for the layer below.

Hue and Saturation Adjustment in Photoshop

Pick the Brush Tool and use the Grunge Brush to paint inside the Hue/Saturation Mask using the color #000000 to reveal the original color below.

Paint Inside the Layer Mask

Step 8

Create a New Layer. Copy and paste the Graffiti Wall image in this layer. Right-click on the layer and choose Create Clipping Mask.

Create Clipping Mask in Photoshop

Change the Blend Mode of the Graffiti Effect layer to Lighter Color.

Blend Mode Lighter Color in Photoshop

Click the second icon at the bottom of the Layers panel to add a Layer Mask to the Graffiti Effect layer. Pick the Brush Tool and use the Grunge Brush to paint inside the Layer Mask using color #000000 to hide some details.

Paint Inside the Layer Mask in Photoshop

Step 9

Click the eye icon next to Man Portrait 1 layer to show the layer. Set the Foreground Color to #000000 and the Background Color to #ffffff.

Show Layer in Photoshop

Step 10

Go to Filter > Sketch > Photocopy and set the Detail to 3 and the Darkness to 50.

Photocopy Filter in Photoshop

Step 11

Go to Filter > Artistic > Cutout and set the Number of Levels to 3, Edge Simplicity to 3 and Edge Fidelity to 3.

Cutout Filter in Photoshop

Step 12

Go to Image > Adjustments > Levels and set the Input Levels.

Levels Adjustment in Photoshop

Step 13

Set the Blend Mode of the Man Portrait 1 to Multiply.

Multiply Blend Mode in Photoshop

If you want, you can repeat the same process but with different settings for the Man Portrait 2 layer, but this step is optional.

4. How to Create the Brick Effect

Step 1

Press Shift-Control-N to create a New Layer above all the other layers.

Press Shift-Control-Alt-E to Merge all the visible layers. Call this layer Brick Effect.

Merge All Visible Layers in Photoshop

Step 2

Add a Layer Mask to the Brick Effect layer.

Add Layer Mask in Photoshop

Step 3

Go to Image > Trim and trim the canvas based on transparent pixels.

Trim Canvas in Photoshop

Step 4

Go to Brick Wall layer and make a selection using the Rectangular Marquee Tool. Press Control-C to make a Copy of the selection.

Copy Selection in Photoshop

Step 5

Go back to the Brick Effect layer and on the Channels tab click on the eye icon next to the Brick Effect Mask to make it visible. Press Control-V to Paste the selection in this mask.

Work with Channels in Photoshop

Step 6

Return to the Layers tab and press Control-D to Deselect. Also click on the Brick Effect Layer Thumbnail.

Use Image as Layer Mask in Photoshop

Step 7

Open the Layer Style Window of the Brick Effect layer and add a Bevel and Emboss.

Bevel and Emboss in Photoshop

Congratulations! You’re Done!

In this tutorial, you’ve learned how to create a graffiti effect in Photoshop from scratch using brushes and textures. I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial.

For faster results, feel free to download this action Graffiti Effect with Pop Up Photoshop Action from my portfolio on Envato Market.

And check out the final result below!

Graffiti Wall Photo Effect Photoshop Tutorial

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