How to Create a Crystal Ball Effect in Affinity Photo

In this tutorial, we’ll learn how to create a crystal ball effect in Affinity Photo. This is a photography effect known as crystal ball or lens ball/glass ball photography. With the crystal ball, you’re able to create refraction photos which means that the background scene you’re shooting will appear within the ball. This happens when the light inside the crystal ball is refracted, and it inverts the image that you see.

Go to the following links to download the images for the tutorial:

• Landscape

Now let’s create the crystal ball effect.

Step 1

First, go to File > Open and select the landscape picture.

Step 2

Second, make sure you turn on Snapping in the main Toolbar.

Step 3

Next, press CTRL + R to activate the rulers if they aren’t activated. Or go to the View menu and select Show Rulers.

Step 4

Now, drag a guide from the top ruler area and place it in the center of the document. Then, drag a guide from the left ruler area and place it in the center of the document.

Step 5

Grab the Rectangular Marquee Tool from the Tools Panel. Place the tool at the top of the document. Hold CTRL + Shift, then drag the selection down to the bottom. When you see the black four arrows, move the square selection so that it’s centered on the document.

Step 6

In the Layers Panel, select the Background layer, then press CTRL + J. This will pace a copy of the selection onto a new layer. Turn the original background layer off. Press CTRL + D to deselect the selection. Or go to the Select menu and click Deselect. Name the original picture Original in the Layers Panel.

Step 7

Select the duplicated background layer. Go to the Filters menu. Next, click Distort > Spherical. Set the Intensity to 100%. For the Radius, you can set it to your own desired look. I set the Radius to 320 px. Hit Apply.

Step 8

With the duplicated layer still selected, press CTRL + ALT+ F to apply the spherical effect again. Or go to the Filters menu and select Repeat Sphere.

Step 9

Now, grab the Elliptical Marquee Tool from the Tools Panel. Place the tool in the center of the guidelines. Hold CTRL + Shift and drag the tool outward until you’ve selected the sphere.

Step 10

Once you’ve selected the sphere, make sure the Background layer is selected in the Layers Panel. Then, press CTRL + J to place the selection onto a new layer. Label the new layer Crystal Ball. Then, press CTRL + D to deselect the selection. Also, delete the Background layer in the Layers Panel. Turn the Original layer back on.

Step 11

Grab the Move Tool from the Tools Panel. Select the crystal ball. Hold Shift and drag the ball either up or down depending on your preference, Then, press and hold CTRL + ALT to make the crystal ball bigger or smaller depending on your preference. Press CTRL + ; to remove the guidelines.

Step 12

Now, select the Crystal Ball layer. In the Layers Panel, click the fx icon. Select Inner Glow. Set the Blend Mode to Overlay. Set the Opacity to 100 percent, Radius to 30 px, Intensity to 50 percent, and Color to White. Make sure Edge is selected.

Step 13

Press CTRL and click on the thumbnail of the Crystal Ball layer to activate the selection. Then, press the Mask Layer icon in the Layers Panel to add a mask. Press CTRL + D to deselect.

Step 14

Select the mask layer. Then, grab the Paintbrush Tool from the Tools Panel. In the Swatches Panel, make sure Black is selected. Now, go to the Brushes Panel, and select the 64 px Round Soft Brush. In the Context Toolbar, set the Hardness to 0 percent. Leave the Opacity and Flow at 100 percent. Increase the size of the brush by pressing the left bracket key. Press the right bracket key if you need to decrease its size. I set the size of the brush to 680 px. Take the brush and click once in the same are you see on the screen.

Step 15

In the Layers Panel, click on the Adjustment icon and select the Black and White Adjustment. Make sure you place this adjustment inside of the Crystal Ball layer. Set all the colors to -200 percent. Then, set the Opacity of the layer to 30 percent.

Step 16

Now, go to the Adjustments icon again and select the Curves adjustment. Drag this adjustment inside of the Crystal Ball layer. Place a point in the center of the line. Then, drag the point diagonally down to the right to darken the midtone areas of the crystal ball.

Step 17

Next, click the Add Pixel Layer in the Layers Panel to add a new pixel layer.

Step 18

In the Layers Panel, drag the mask layer outside of the Crystal Ball layer. Then, press CTRL and click the thumbnail of the Crystal Ball layer.

Step 19

After that, click the new pixel layer we added. Next, click the Mask Layer icon in the Layers Panel. Label this layer Highlight. Drag the original mask we created back inside the Crystal Ball layer. Then, press CTRL + D to deselect the sphere selection.

Step 20

Select the mask layer that’s inside the Highlight layer along with the highlight layer. Then, grab the Paintbrush Tool from the Tools Panel. In the Swatches Panel, click on the white color. Increase the size of the brush by pressing the left bracket key. Take the brush and click in the same area that you see on the screen.

Step 21

In the Layers Panel, change the Blend Mode of the Highlight layer to Overlay.

Step 22

Once you’ve done that, click on the Add Pixel Layer icon in the Layers Panel to add another pixel layer.

Step 23

Then, remove the mask layer from the Crystal Ball layer again. Press CTRL and click the thumbnail of the Crystal ball layer.

Step 24

Select the new pixel layer and its mask. Grab the Paintbrush Tool from the Tools Panel. In the Swatches Panel make sure the white color is active. Take the brush and click on the same area that’s shown on the screen. In the Layers Panel, set the Blend Mode of the pixel layer to Overlay, and lower the Opacity to 75 percent. Label this layer Highlight 2.

Step 25

Now, click the Add Pixel Layer icon the Layers Panel. Label this layer Shadow.

Step 26

With the shadow layer selected, grab the Paintbrush Tool from the Tools Panel. In the Swatches Panel, select the Black color. Take the brush and draw on the lower right to the bottom part of the crystal ball. In the Layers Panel, set the Blend Mode of the Shadow layer to Soft Light. Then, lower the Opacity of the layer to 60 percent.

Step 27

Next, click the Add Pixel Layer icon in the Layers Panel. Remove the mask layer that’s inside the Crystal Ball layer out of this layer. Then, press CTRL and select the thumbnail of the Crystal Ball layer. Make sure you have the new pixel layer selected in the Layers Panel.

Step 28

Now, go to the Edit menu and select Fill with Secondary Color so that the pixel layer and the selection is filled with white. Press CTRL + D to deselect. Drag the mask layer back into the Crystal Ball layer.

Step 29

With the new layer selected, click the fx icon in the Layers Panel. Select Inner Glow. Set the Blend Mode to Overlay. Set the Opacity to 60 percent, Radius to 80 px, and Intensity to 50 percent. The Color should be White, and Edge should be selected. Then, in the Layers Panel, change the Blend Mode of the layer to Overlay, and lower the Opacity to 20 percent.

Step 30

Click the Add Pixel Layer icon in the Layers Panel. Label the layer Water Shadow. Grab Elliptical Marquee Tool in the Tools Panel. Take the tool and draw an ellipse beneath the crystal ball and in the water. Then, go to the Edit menu and select Fill with Primary Color. The selection should be filled with Black. Press CTRL + D to deselect.

Step 31

With the water shadow layer selected, go to the Filters menu. Select Blur > Gaussian Blur. Set the Radius to 15 px. Then, in the Layers Panel, lower the Opacity to 80 percent.

This part is optional to make the crystal ball stand out more in the crystal ball effect.

Step 32

Select the original image. Press CTRL + J to duplicate it. Label the duplicated layer Blur and turn off the original image.

Step 33

With the blur layer selected, go to the Filters menu. Select Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to 2 px.

Congratulations, this tutorial is complete. You now know how to create a crystal ball effect in Affinity Photo. For more Affinity Photo tutorials, check out this article on how to create a wet glass effect.