Creating Ad For Water Brand | Marketing Photo manipulation in Photoshop

Creating high-end advertising visuals requires photo manipulation, lighting effects, and creative compositions. In this tutorial, we will go through the entire process of designing a Nestlé Water advertisement using Photoshop. The goal of this ad is to make a person appear as if they are made of water, ensuring transparency while maintaining form and three-dimensionality.

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll learn: ✔ How to turn a human figure into a transparent water effect. ✔ Techniques to extract highlights and shadows for a realistic look. ✔ Adding bubbles, splashes, and reflections to enhance the water effect. ✔ Advanced blending techniques to integrate elements seamlessly. ✔ Final color grading and lighting adjustments for a polished ad.

Let’s get started! 🚀

Step 1: Understanding the Concept

The core idea of this Nestlé Water advertisement is based on the fact that 60% of the human body is water. The goal is to visually represent this concept by making the subject look like they are composed of water while maintaining their form and structure.

Key Challenges in Execution:

1. The figure must be transparent, allowing the background to be visible.
2. The subject should still have 3D form with realistic highlights and shadows.
3. The final look should resemble liquid water, achieved through bubbles, splashes, and reflections.
4. The advertisement should remain visually engaging, using proper color grading and lighting.

Now that we have our creative direction, let’s move into Photoshop to bring this vision to life.

Step 2: Preparing the Image

1. Setting Up the Background

1. Create a New Photoshop Document (3000×4000 pixels, 300 DPI).
2. Fill the background with a blue gradient (darker at the edges, lighter at the center).
3. Add a soft vignette to draw attention toward the center.

2. Isolating the Subject

1. Import the image of the person.
2. Use the Select Subject tool (Select > Subject) to remove the background.
3. Refine the selection using Layer Mask and a soft brush for smooth edges.

Now that our subject is prepared, let’s start the water transformation process.

Step 3: Turning the Subject into Water

1. Extracting Highlights and Shadows

1. Duplicate the subject layer (Ctrl + J).
2. Convert the duplicate layer to Black & White (Ctrl + Shift + U).
3. Apply Filter > Stylize > Oil Paint (to smooth out details and simplify textures).
4. Use Image > Adjustments > Posterize and set levels to 6 (to create a stylized shadow and highlight separation).
5. Convert this layer into a Smart Object for non-destructive editing.

2. Separating Highlights & Shadows

1. Duplicate the posterized subject layer twice.
2. Rename one layer “Shadows” and the other “Highlights.”
3. Double-click on the Shadows layer, go to Blending Options, and remove the highlights.
4. Do the opposite for the Highlights layer, removing shadows instead.

Now, we have the base separation, but the subject still looks flat. Let’s add textures!

Step 4: Creating the Water Texture

1. Adding a Glassy Water Effect

1. Select the Shadows layer and apply Filter > Filter Gallery > Distort > Glass.
2. Adjust the settings to create jagged, ripple-like distortions.
3. Repeat this process for the Highlights layer.

2. Adjusting Colors for a Water-Like Look

1. Convert both the Shadows and Highlights layers into Smart Objects.
2. Apply Hue/Saturation (Ctrl + U).
3. Check Colorize and set:
   • Hue: 210 (bluish tone)
   • Saturation: 60
   • Lightness: Adjust for realistic highlights and shadows.

Now, the subject should resemble water, but we need to make it even more convincing with bubbles and splashes.

Step 5: Adding Water Bubbles & Splashes

1. Creating a Bubble Layer

1. Import a PNG image of water bubbles.
2. Set Blending Mode to Screen (to remove black backgrounds if any).
3. Use Warp Tool (Edit > Transform > Warp) to shape bubbles around the subject’s body.
4. Apply Layer Mask to erase unnecessary areas.

2. Adding Water Splashes

1. Import water splash PNGs.
2. Position them along the subject’s arms, shoulders, and torso.
3. Use the Liquify tool (Filter > Liquify) to warp splashes naturally.

💡 Pro Tip: Use Gaussian Blur (1-2px) on some splash layers to create depth.

Step 6: Enhancing the Water Effect

1. Creating Depth with Layer Masking

1. Group the Shadows, Highlights, Bubbles, and Splashes layers.
2. Add a Group Mask and paint with a soft brush to control the intensity of effects.

2. Refining the Transparency

1. Lower the Opacity of the subject’s original layer to 40-50%.
2. Use Layer Masks to reveal the background subtly through transparent areas.

3. Adding Glow and Light Effects

1. Create a new layer, set it to Overlay Mode.
2. Use a soft round brush to paint glow around highlighted edges.
3. Apply Gaussian Blur to smooth the glow.

Step 7: Final Touches & Color Grading

1. Adding Background Elements

• Import additional water splashes or bubbles for an immersive feel.
• Use Gradient Maps to enhance color contrast.

2. Color Grading with Camera Raw Filter

1. Select all visible layers, press Ctrl + Shift + Alt + E to create a merged layer.
2. Go to Filter > Camera Raw Filter.
3. Adjust the following:
   • Contrast: +15
   • Highlights: -20
   • Shadows: +10
   • Blues & Teals: Enhanced for a water-like aesthetic.

3. Adding Final Text & Branding

1. Use Bebas Neue or Futura for the tagline.
2. Position “60% of Your Body is Water – Choose the Best” near the subject.
3. Add Nestlé Water logo in the bottom corner.

Conclusion: Transforming a Subject into Water with Photoshop

In this tutorial, we achieved a stunning water transformation effect using a combination of: ✔ Layer blending techniques to create transparency. ✔ Turbulent displacement & glass effects for texture. ✔ Water bubbles & splashes to add realism. ✔ Glow, reflections, and color grading for the final polished look.

Watch Complete Tutorial Here