Well Halloween is right around the corner; I thought this would be an ideal time for another creepy tutorial.

This tutorial is somewhat based on the horror film “The Ring”, the eerie frightening girl who comes out of the well.

With her pale creepy face, long shaggy hair and black colored eyes, she scared the heck out of me when the movie first debuted.

This tutorial is not exactly trying to mimic her all the way, just some parts of it. I’ll be using the all so beautiful Jessica Alba for this tutorial.

This tutorial will teach you how to sample from other images and blend them together nicely using some overlays and the eraser tool.

Just like a produce who takes beat samples from other music to put into their own, Photoshop users do the same thing, we take samples from parts of other images and blend them into our own.

Start off by download the PSD file. Click here to download

1. Black and white overlay

When you have the tutorial PSD opened you should see some layers that are already present, there should be a layer named “color”, make that layer visible by clicking on the check-box square next to the layer. Give this layer an overlay of “Color” as seen on the image on below, now get a brush with a solid black and color all over the image. Your image should now be completely black and white.

2. Adding color to the hair and lips.

Now we don’t want to make the whole image black and white, the only reason we did that was to give the impression that her skin is pale. Now select the “eraser tool” change it’s opacity to about 25%, still on the “Color layer” we’re going to erase the lip and hair area so that a little color will appear. Do this to all her lips and hair that is visible.

3. Black eyes.

Here we’re going to give her solid black eyes. Select the “Jessica Alba layer”, then using the “Polygonal lasso tool” start tracing around her eye like the example above, remember we want both the eyes on one layer, so after you’re finished tracing one eye, hold shift, and start tracing the other eye, holding shift will continue from your previous selection. After both eyes are completed “cntrl+c” copy and paste, this will create a new layer in which you will name “eyes”.

Now double click the “eyes” layer to open up the style menu, add the below settings to this layer. Color, Bevel, and outer glow. This will make her eyes black with a gloss effect.

Your image should now look like this.

4. Texture overlay.

I’ve already have a texture image placed on the PSD, if you want to go out and find your own texture that would be okay as well. Click on the layer titled “wrinkles” and give this layer an overlay of “Color burn”. This will blend the texture with her face.

Let’s sharpen this overlay to give it a real deep texture feel. Go to filter, then sharpen, and choose sharpen more. You’ll see a drastic change in detail.

5. Erasing parts of the texture.

Now this overlay is still suffering from the edges of the overlay-ed image, take the eraser tool at 100% opacity, and start deleting the edges of it, remember stop where it starts reaching the side of her face.

Also delete around the eye area.

6. Forehead winkles.

This is basically the same thing we did with the first texture overlay, so instead of me repeating those steps I’ve already have a forehead wrinkle textured in place, just make this layer visible and give it an overlay of “color burn”. If you would like to add your own wrinkles, go out and find some pictures of wrinkles, desaturated them, place it on top of the photo with the overlay of color burn, and erase the edges.

7. Extra skin.

Make the extra skin layer visible and also give it a “color burn” overlay. This is basically the wrinkle layer with all the areas deleted except for the mouth.

8. Adding blood with brushes.

Now we’re going to add some blood to her lips and eyes, or wherever you’d like, this part is all up to your personal taste.

I used Falln stocks blood brushes over at Deviant art, you can go download them for free with the link below.
Falln-Stock’s blood brushes

Once you have the brushes installed, create a layer on top of all the layers and name this layer “blood” give this layer a “Darken” overlay. Now using the color red (any tone of red is fine, I used bright red). Now start brushing your blood wherever you want it.

8. Extra fun, black widow spiders.

I have about 4 spider layers which I cut out a black widow already placed, make those visible and add them wherever you would like, have fun!

9. Burn tool. (optional)

Now go to layers and flatten your image all together, (remember to save first before you flatten your layers together). Now take your burn tool, and burn around the edge of the hair and the background.

Finished Product.