How To Create Night Vision Goggles Effect

to a night vision navy battle scene complete with embellishments like explosions, muzzle flashes and missile smoke trails!

Part A : Adding the night vision goggles effect

1. Open the image:

1. Duplicate a copy of background lay

   
   r as “warships” (Ctrl+j). Remove those celebratory ornaments on the warships with the clone stamp tool.

1. Duplicate “warships” as “night” and tune down the brightness. Image > Adjustments > Curves. Drag the po

   nts similar to example below:

1. Invert “night” (Ctrl+I).

1. Set it

   
   blend mode to “Difference” and opacity to 75%.

1. Create 2 new layers (Shift+Ctrl+n) and fill it with green (#005b00).

1. Ensure foreground co

   or is green (#005b00) and background color is black before proceeding.

2. For the first layer of green, rename it as “noise”. Go to Filter

   > Filter Gallery > Grain
   nd apply settings as shown:

1. Change blend mode to “Colo

   Dodge”.

1. For the other one, rename it as “scan-lines”. Go to Filter

   Filter Gallery > Texturizer and apply settings as shown:

1. Change blend mode to “Color Dodge” and opacity to 25%.

1. Arrange the layers so that  “scan-lines” are on top of  “noise” layer.

1. Add in an adjustment la

   er on at the top. Layer > New adjust
   ent layer > Photo filter. Select a similar shade of green and apply the settings as shown:

Part B : Muzzle flash of a

tillery guns.

1. Create a new layer as “flash”. Drag a squa

   e box using the rectangular marquee tool.

1. Filter > Render > Clouds.

1. C

   ange its contrast by altering its levels (Ctrl+L).

1. Choose a patch of clouds that resembles a muzzle flash and roughly erase its surrounding.

1. Set its b

   end mode to “Screen”.

1. Re-position “flash”.

1. Move the “flash” layer below “noise” to convert its color to green, and re-size

   
   t to bigger (Ctrl+T).

1. Cha

   
   ge its contrast to increase the intensity of the flas
   
   . Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast.

Part C : Create a Missile.

1. Duplicate “flash”

   
   nd rename it as “missile”.

1. Elon

   
   ate the object so tha
   
   it resembles a rocket by transforming it.

1. Zoom in to the tip of “missile”.

1. Erase the tip to a rounde

   
   shape similar to below:

1. Using a small white brush, draw a line with 50% opacity. This will be our mis

   
   ile.

Part D : Smoke trail of the Missile.

1. Create a new layer on top of “

   
   issile” as “trails”. Drag a rectangular box.

1. Filter > Render > Clouds

   

1. Then, apply Filter > Render > D

   
   fference clouds.

1. Re-apply this filter (Ctrl+F) a f

   
   w times.

1. Transform its shape so that end of the smoke looks loose.

1. Select a soft

   
   rase and erase the sharp edges.

1. Increase intensity of the trail by adjusting the levels.

1. Lower the opacity to

   
   0%.

1. Merge “missile” and “

   
   rails” together. Set its blend mode to “Screen”

1. 
   e-size it.

1. Apply Filter > Distort > Shear.

   
   Dragging a box around the object aids in applying the Shea
   
   filter.

1. We will get something like this:

1. Dup

   
   icate, transform, and arrange those missiles in whichever
   
   way you like.

1. Copy anothe

   
   instance of “flash” and re-size it.

1. Erase the bottom part and make s

   
   re it the bo
   
   tom is flat, in-sync with the ship’s silo deck.

1. Use the smudge tool to drag a trail further up, alm

   
   st touching the missile that we c
   
   eated just now. We are now done with missiles.

Part E : Recreating flames.

1. C

   
   eate a new layer under missiles layer. Drag a rec
   
   angular box, and render clouds.

1. When done, apply Difference clouds a few times (perhaps in th

   
   region of 10 times).

1. Next, render clouds again. This time, apply Edit > Fade and fade it at 50%. We will have a nice blend of Diffe

   
   ence clouds and clouds that forms our smoke.

1. Use a soft eraser to erase the sharp edges.

1. Using same method, c

   eate more smoke and this time transform it to form bigger patch of smoke.

1. Set this

   igger patch to 50% opacity.

1. Create a third patch of smoke and set its blend mode to “Color Dodge” and opacity at 50%. This creates an intense fire on the s

   ip.

1. Erase areas that are deem too excessive

   I would focus on areas like the conning tower or the deck.

Part F : Overall look.

1. We shall cre

   te some lighting here. Go to “night” l
   yer. Create a Curves Adjustment (rename it as “lighting”) layer and clip it to “night”. Slowly drag the curves to a similar output a
   below:

1. With the “lighting” layer selected, click on the masking icon. For areas that we want to be

   brightened, brush it with soft black brush.

1. I focused on areas which are supposedly well lit from muzzle flashes, flames, flare, etc. Result:

1. We are going to alter the overall contrast and hue for this image. So,

   
   reate 2 new adjustment layers (Curves, Hue/Saturation) and bring them both to the top. Apply settings as shown below:

1. And we’re done!

   
   ’ve added in some extras in my final image!