Simulate rain droplets on glass over any photograph using custom brush strokes, motion blur, and depth-of-field techniques for moody atmospheric scenes.

Step 1: Prepare the Base Photo

Open your photo and slightly desaturate with Hue/Saturation: -20 saturation. Add a cool Photo Filter (Cooling Filter 80) at 20%.

Step 2: Create Rain Drop Brush

Define a custom brush: 15px round, Spacing 150%, Shape Dynamics Size Jitter 80%, Scattering 400%, Opacity Jitter 60%. Save as "Rain Drops".

Step 3: Paint Droplets

New layer "Droplets". Paint white droplets across the image with the custom brush at 40% opacity. Vary size between 3–12px.

Step 4: Add Streaks

New layer "Streaks". Use a 2px white brush, draw vertical streaks from some droplets.

Filter > Motion Blur: Angle 90°, Distance 15px.

Step 5: Glass Blur Effect

Duplicate the background. Apply Gaussian Blur 8px on the duplicate. Add a layer mask revealing sharp areas behind large droplets.

Step 6: Reflection Highlights

On the Droplets layer, double-click for Layer Styles. Add Bevel & Emboss: Depth 200%, Size 3px, Highlight Opacity 60%.

Step 7: Moody Finish

Add a blue Color Fill layer (#1a2a3a) at Soft Light 20%. Add vignette and reduce overall brightness by 10%.

That's it! You've completed this tutorial. Experiment with the techniques and share your results with the Designstacks community.