Grunge City

This tutorial will teach you an easy method of turning your photo of a city into an amazing grunge city.

Let’s create a new file (File>New) of 1280×1024px/72 dpi.
Applying the Rectangle Tool (U), we’ll represent the background of the collage to be.

Set the next shown styles for the made layer by clicking on it on the layers’ panel. Blending Options>Gradient Overlay

Gradient’s parameters:

Next we need to find a picture of a city:

Insert it on a new layer:

The city’s layer needs the next selection: CTRL+SHIFT+U(Desaturate)

Select also Filter>Filter Gallery>Cutout

Apply for the same layer the next combination of buttons: CTRL+M(Curves)

Using Free Transform option, try to move down the layer with the city, choosing the next parameters for it: Blending mode-Multiply

Now we’ll represent several rays of gray color, using in this case the Pen Tool (P). The rays’ layer will be situated lower than the layer with the city:

Now we’ll combine in a group all the layers with the rays (press Ctrl button while marking the necessary layers and then hold on the left mouse’s button when moving the marked layers on Create a new group selection) The rays’ group needs to be processed by rasterizing the layer (press CTRL+E on the group). Then click on the same layer on the bottom part of the layers’ panel on Add a Mask selection and apply a standard brush of black color (Opacity 30%) to clean out the rays.

Next we need to download a set of brushes for Adobe Photoshop, named Brushes by Blazter [JavierZhX].
Create a new layer and choose the brushes mentioned above of white color (Opacity 30%). This layer containing the clouds should be situated lower than the rasterized layer with the rays on it:

On a new layer (Create new layer) apply the standard brush used earlier of gray color to paint the lowest half of the city:

Try to insert several more rays of gray color the same way we did earlier, using the Pen Tool (P).

Combine in a group all the rays’ layers situated on the bottom part of the picture (press Ctrl button when marking out the corresponding layers and then hold on the left mouse’s button while moving the marked layers on Create a new group option). The group needs the next parameters: Opacity 70%, Blending mode-Soft Light

Next we’ll apply the Pen Tool (P) and the Convert Point Tool to draw several multicolored lines.

Choose after that the Rounded Rectangle Tool (U) (radius 10px) to insert on the main picture a small panel of white color.

The layer’s styles: Blending Options>Gradient Overlay

Gradient’s parameters:

Blending Options>Stroke

Under the made panel we’ll insert now a small pillar, applying the Rectangle Tool (U)

The layer’s styles: Blending Options>Gradient Overlay

Gradient’s parameters:

Make a copy of the layer containing the pillar and choose after that Free Transform option to place the copy as it demonstrated below:

Create a new layer and apply here a standard brush of black color to represent the shadow under the road sign:

The parameters for the layer containing the shadow: Fill 40%

On the next new layer (Create new layer) apply the standard brush of black color (Opacity 20%) to represent a kind of attrition effect on the panel and the pillar: