By Design Bundles

Tear Drop in Photoshop

Learn how to create tear drop in Photoshop and add emotion to your photo.

For this tutorial you will need a Portrait or the Close Up of an Eye to add the Tear to.

1 - In Photoshop, open the image you chose.

2 - Create a “New Layer” by clicking on the small button at the bottom of the “Layers Panel” and name it “Tear”.

3 - Select the “Pen Tool” (P), make sure that “Path” is chosen in the Top Menu and draw the shape of a “Tear” coming out of your subject’s eye.

4 - Use the “Direct Selection Tool” (A) to fix the shape and make it more realistic.

5 - Right-click on top of the shape and choose “Make Selection…”, use a “Feather Radius” of 0 Pixels and then fill the selection with White or “Background” Color (Command/Control + Delete).

6 - Double-click on top of its Thumbnail and apply the following “Layer Styles”:

Blending Options:

Bevel & Emboss:

Inner Shadow:

Drop Shadow:

7 - Go to Edit > Transform > Warp… and move the different mesh points to fix the shape further. Once you are happy hit enter or click the “Check Mark” in the Top Menu. You may repeat the “Warp” another time if you want.

8 - To add more detail, use the “Brush Tool” (B) with Small and Hard brush (30 px and 100% “Hardness”) with White as fill color. You can also use the “Eraser Tool” (E) if you want to.

9 - Create a “New Layer” on top of everything and name it “Highlights”. Use the “Pen Tool” (P), but this time choose “Shape” and White as “Fill” color and create a small crescent moon shape on the bottom of the “Tear” to simulate “Highlights”.

10 - Choose “Combine Shapes” in the Top Menu to add other shapes where the “Highlights” should be and use the “Direct Selection Tool” (A) to fix them and make them more realistic.