How to create a reflection in water in Photoshop
To create a real water surface reflection effect in Photoshop, you need to follow the following steps: 1. Prepare an image with a clean background and prominent subject, and leave water surface space; 2. Convert the subject layer into a smart object and flip vertically, adjust the position and height as reflection; 3. Use the "Ripple" or "Marine Ripples" filter to simulate water surface fluctuations, and control the effect intensity through masks; 4. Perform Gaussian blurring or dynamic blurring on the reflection, appropriately reduce saturation and brightness, and use a gradient mask to enhance the sense of reality. The entire process requires attention to details such as angle, light and dark changes and blurring to improve the authenticity of the final effect.
It is actually not difficult to create a surface reflection effect in Photoshop. The key is to simulate the real reflection form and the impact of water on objects, rather than simply copying and pasting it.

1. Prepare the original image
First of all, you need to have a clear subject image, preferably a picture with a clean background and a prominent subject. For example, a picture of a building or a person standing by the water. If you synthesize it yourself, it is recommended to leave a certain space below the main body to facilitate subsequent addition of reflections.

- Don't be too complicated, otherwise the reflection part will be very difficult to process.
- If it is synthesised after cutting the picture, remember to clean the edges
- Try to level the water surface area so that the reflection will be natural
2. Create the basic shape of the reflection
Select the layer you want to add reflection, right-click and select "Convert to Smart Object", and then press Ctrl T (Cmd T on Mac) to enter the free transformation mode. Right-click to select "Flip Vertical", then drag the flipped image below the main body as a reflection.
- The reflection should be aligned with the bottom edge of the body
- It may need to reduce the height a little bit after flipping, as the reflection is usually slightly shorter in reality than it is
- The reflection color may be darker, you can try lowering the transparency first
3. Add water surface ripple effect
This step is the key to making the reflection look more realistic. You can use the "ripples" or "marine ripple" in the filter to simulate water surface fluctuations.

- Find Filters > Twisting > Ripples and choose medium quantity and size
- If you are using smart objects, you can add a mask after applying the filter to ensure that the local control effect is strong and weak
- Don't be too exaggerated, a slight ripples are enough
4. Adjust color and blur
The reflection in reality will not be completely clear, so it should be handled with Gaussian blur or dynamic blur.
- Copy the reflection layer, add Gaussian blur to the upper layer, and retain clear outlines of the lower layer
- It can appropriately reduce saturation and brightness, making the reflection look more realistic
- Use a gradient mask to make the reflection blurry the more you go down, imitating the real water surface reflection effect
Basically there are just a few steps. It doesn't seem complicated to say, but it's easy to ignore the details, such as the angle of reflection, changes in light and darkness, and degree of blur. Try it a few more times and you will feel more and more.
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