Luis Reyes is a freelance visual artist specializing in analog glitch art. Having Adobe Photoshop at a young age, he grew up very curious about visual design and learned as much as he could from a variety of styles and techniques — eventually discovering what he really likes most.
Use Photoshop to create a custom glitch effect for your photo, with the smart filters and effects that Reyes provided.
Need help getting started? Check out these tips from Reyes on how to customize his glitch effects.
Make smart edits.
This technique works best on low-key (darker) images, since the glitch affects only the highlights and midtones. Double-click the portrait thumbnail in the Layers panel to open the smart object. Photoshop opens a separate window where you can edit the practice photo or add your own.
Hide the background.
To use your own photo, select the Add Your Work layer and drag a photo into the open document. Use the corner handles to resize the photo and press Enter or Return to place it.
Choose the Object Selection tool, drag across the portrait to select it, and click the layer mask icon to hide the background. Click the eye icon on the sample portrait layer to hide it if you’re using your own image. Then save your changes and close the smart object window.
Depending on your photo, you may want to try a different method for hiding the background. There are several tools and techniques you can use. (For more on those, see How to be a selection wiz.)
Find your glitch.
Reyes used a camera to capture different glitch effects from actual CRTs — old TV screens — and provided them for you to use to enhance your photos. Expand the Glitch Options subfolder and toggle the eye icon on a layer to see how it looks. Mix and match glitch styles to try different combinations.
Blend modes change how layers interact with one another. Open the drop-down menu and mouse over each blend mode to preview the result before selecting the one you like.
Expand the Stretcher subfolder and toggle the line noise and smart filters on and off to see the effects they make. Double-click a smart filter to change its settings.
Forge your own trail.
Add dimension by creating a subtle shadow. Click the mask icon on the Brush In/Out Glitch layer. Choose the Brush tool and set it to a soft tip with a low flow. Brush with white to reveal a path of the dark background between the subject and the glitch.
For some final touches, open the Noise & Pattern folder in the Layers panel and try out the different textures that Reyes provided. You can also double-click the layer icons in the Color Correct & Fade folder to adjust those settings.
Explore new frequencies.
Try different filters and effects to give your images a glitchy aesthetic.
Pay the inspiration forward. Share your creations using #adobecreate.
