In this tutorial we will create a picture of “Alice through the looking-glass” in Photoshop. This lesson was inspired by the popular Disney film. I will try to recreate one of the official movie posters. By adding a new element, such as a mirror, I gave the picture a touch of individuality. Hope you enjoy this tutorial.
So let’s get started!
The final result:
Step 1
Create a new working document in Photoshop in PSD format. Create a new layer, name this layer. Rear background (Background). Apply a layer style to the created layer. Gradient overlay (Gradient Overlay). Set the gradient colors: # d1d4d4 (position (location) 55%), # c9f4f5 (position (location) 73%) and # 8be1f7 (position (location) 100%). All colors have level Opacity (opacity) 100%.
Step 2
Open the original texture of the water surface. Move this texture to our working paper. Scale up the texture by about 300% to get large waves and create a soft blur effect. Name the layer with this texture. Water surface (Water Surface).
Step 3
Next, go Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur (Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur). Install Radius (radius) by about 3.5 px.
Step 4
To layer Water surface (Water Surface), add a layer mask.
Step 5
Choose a tool Gradient 
(Gradient Tool), gradient color black and white, Opacity (opacity) 100%. First, click on the thumbnail of the layer mask to make sure that it is active. Hover over the image to determine the starting point of the gradient, and then drag the gradient to the end point. To avoid gradient shifting by 45 °, hold down the ‘Shift’ key while creating a gradient.
Step 6
Reduce layer opacity Water surface (Water Surface) to about 80% and then add a layer style Gradient overlay (Gradient Overlay). Gradient colors: # 5eaaab and #fefefe.
Step 7
Next, to the layer Water surface (Water Surface), add adjustment layer Gradient map (Gradient Map). Right-click on this adjustment layer and in the appeared window select the option Create clipping mask (Create Clipping Mask). Change the blending mode for the adjustment layer. Gradient map (Gradient Map) on Chromaticity (Color) Opacity (opacity) layer 50%. Gradient Colors: # 025c57 and # a8e5fe
Step 8
Select layer Water surface (Water Surface) as well as a correction layer Gradient map (Gradient Map), (hold down the ‘SHIFT’ key while selecting layers). Now right-click on the selected layers and in the appeared window select the option Duplicate layers (Duplicate Layers). Next, just slip the duplicate layer. Water surface (Water Surface) a few pixels to the right and down. Also reduce Opacity (opacity) of this duplicate layer to 45% or lower.
Step 9
On the original film poster, you can see a lot of watch dials, which are buried throughout the water surface. Therefore, we need to choose a type of watch that would look like old and vintage, and at the same time had a bizarre shape. Open the original image with the watch dial 1, copy / paste this image onto our working paper. Using tool Oval area 
(Elliptical Marquee Tool), select only the dial. Press the keys (CTRL + J) to copy to the new layer. Name this layer Clock (Clock 1).
Step 10
Next, go Filter – Distortion – Wave (Filter> Distort> Wave). Apply the settings shown in the screenshot below. The Wave filter recreates a wavy texture on a layer or selection.
Step 11
Let’s go Editing – Transformation – Distortion (Edit> Transform> Distort). Change the perspective of the watch face so that it is tilted.
Step 12
To the layer with the clock 1, add a layer mask. Choose a tool Brush 
(Brush Tool). Set the foreground color to # 474747. With the help of a rigid round brush, just paint over the clock, creating a wavy shape. Fill the area below the wave line with the same color. Make sure you are working on a layer mask (to do this, click on the layer mask thumbnail to activate it).
Step 13
Choose a tool Dimmer
(Burn Tool), install a soft brush. Shade the underwater part. Use the tool also on the layer mask.
Step 14
Create a new layer and with a white brush with varying degrees of opacity, paint the sea foam where the waves touch the object.
Step 15
Using the same technique, I added other images of the clock and clockwork: clock 2, clock 3, clock 4, clock 5 and clockwork.
Step 16
Open the original image with a vintage mirror. Remove the white background in this image. Move the selected image to our working paper. Using tool Eraser 
(Eraser Tool) hide the underwater part of the handle of the mirror.
Step 17
Add the following layer styles to the mirror layer: Inner shadow (Inner Shadow), color # 4f2d0b, Stamping (Bevel and Emboss), colors: # ffdd65 and # 161616, Gradient overlay (Gradient Overlay), colors: # 24170a and # f8e7bb. Install Opacity (opacity) of this layer with a mirror of 80%.
Step 18
Next, to the layer with the mirror, add an adjustment layer. Curves (Curves). Right-click on this adjustment layer and in the appeared window select the option Create clipping mask (Create Clipping Mask). To add an adjustment layer, go Layer – New Adjustment Layer – Curves (Layer – New Adjustment Layer – Curves).
Step 19
Next, to the layer with the mirror, add an adjustment layer. Levels (Levels). Right-click on this adjustment layer and in the appeared window select the option Create clipping mask (Create Clipping Mask). To add an adjustment layer, go Layer – New Adjustment Layer – Levels (Layer – New Adjustment Layer – Levels).
Step 20
Choose a tool Magic wand 
(Magic Wand Tool) to create an active selection, click inside the mirror. Do not forget to put a tick in the box Adjacent pixels (Contiguous) in the control panel of this tool. When you select an option Adjacent pixels (Contiguous), Photoshop selects only those pixels that match the tone and color range, which is determined by the option Tolerance (Tolerance), and then combines them in the same area that you clicked.
Step 21
Go to the layer that is located below the layer with the mirror. Press the keys (SHIFT + CTRL + N) to create a new layer. Name this layer Mirror glass (Mirror Glass). Fill the selected area with any color shade at your discretion. Press the keys (CTRL + D) to cancel the active selection. Add the following layer styles to the new layer you just created: Inner shadow (Inner Shadow), color # 1f3943, Color overlay (Color Overlay), color # fff7ef, and Gradient overlay (Gradient Overlay), gradient colors # 326161 and #fbfbfb.
Step 22
Select the layer with the mirror, as well as all adjustment layers related to it. Duplicate the selected layers, and then flatten duplicate layers. To flatten, click on the duplicates of the selected layers, and in the window that appears, select the option Merge layers (merge layers). Next, right-click on the merged layer and in the appeared window select the option Cancel Clipping Mask (Release clipping mask). Name the new merged layer Reflection on water (Water Reflection). Flip Vertically (Flip Vertical) layer Water reflection (Water Reflection), and also reduce Opacity (opacity) of this layer to 65%. Next, using a soft eraser with an opacity of 50%, hide part of the image to create a reflection. Following the link, you can see the lessons on how to create reflection effects on water in Photoshop.
Step 23
Open the original texture with an optical flare. Move this texture to our working paper. Place the highlight on the mirror frame. Change the blending mode for the layer with the optical flare texture to Lightening (Screen).
Step 24
It’s time to add the final and most important element of our photo manipulation. The official movie poster for the film “Alice Through the Looking Glass” has two versions: one version – with the heroine Alice, and the second version – with the Mad Hatter. I combined both of these characters, creating a female version of the Mad Hatter. So, open the original image with the Mad Hatter. Separate it from the background, and then add the highlighted image of the Hatter to our working paper.
Step 25
Duplicate layer three times Mad Hatter (Mad Hatter). Name duplicate layers: Hatter Reflection on Water (Hatter Water Reflection), The Hatter’s Mirror Reflection (Hatter Mirror Reflection) and Shadow of the Hatter on the Mirror (Hatter Mirror Shadow). Place all three layers below the layer. Mad Hatter (Mad Hatter).
Step 26
To create the Hatter’s reflection on the water, you need to repeat the same actions that you used when creating the reflection mirror on the water.
Step 27
To create a reflection on a mirror, you need to shift the layer The Hatter’s Mirror Reflection (Hatter Mirror Reflection), as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 28
Now hold down the ‘CTRL’ key and click on the layer thumbnail Mirror glass (Mirror Glass) to load the active selection. Next, click Add layer mask (Add layer mask) at the bottom of the layers palette.
Step 29
So, we come to the most interesting part of the lesson. The reflection that we see in the mirror is the back of the head of our character. Therefore, I use the second image with the Hatter to cut a piece of hair, and then add it to our image to get a realistic look. You may need tools Clarifier 
(Dodge Tool) (in the control panel of this tool. Put a tick in the box Protect tones (protect colors)), Finger 
(Smudge tool) as well Brush (Brush Tool) for image correction.
Step 30
Do the same with a hat, jacket, etc. All you need is to use a small brush and be extremely attentive to details.
Step 31
To create a shadow on a mirror, you need to shift the layer Shadow of the Hatter on the Mirror (Hatter Mirror Shadow), as shown in the screenshot below. Now hold down the ‘CTRL’ key and click on the layer thumbnail Mirror (Mirror) to load the active selection. Next, click Add layer mask (Add layer mask) at the bottom of the layers palette.
Step 32
Reduce value Fillings (Fill) for a layer Shadow of the Hatter on the Mirror (Hatter Mirror Shadow) to 0% and then add a layer style Inner shadow (Inner Shadow), color black. The size of the shadow will depend on your original image or the size of your working document, so your shadow settings may differ from my settings.
You can see the final result in the screenshot below after conducting a small color correction. I hope you enjoyed the “Alice Through the Looking Glass” lesson!
The final result:
