Create this stunning design using a free stock image, a free set of brushes and Photoshop's filters and blending options. This technique can be applied to different brushes/images - let your imagination run wild!

Resources:

Barbed Wire Brushes from photoshopfreebrushes.com

Orchids Image from sxc.hu

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Step 1

Open a new file using the following settings:

Fill the background with black

Step 2

Create a new layer and name it ‘wireupper’

Select the Barbed Wire brushes, brush no 17, set the size to 800px, foreground colour white

Position the image on your canvas and click once

Duplicate the layer and call it ‘wirelower’

Step 3

With the wireupper layer active

Select the Polygonal Lasso tool and make a selection similar to shown below:

Edit>Cut (Ctrl + X)

Edit>Paste

Use the Move tool and the arrow keys to place it exactly in position

Step 4

With either of the wire layers active

Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur – set to 1px, click OK

Repeat for the other wire layer

Step 5

Double click on either of the wire layers and apply the following Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, Outer Glow, Bevel and Emboss and Color Overlay settings:

Copy and paste the layer style to the other wire layer (right click on the layer with the style applied, click on Copy Layer Style, right click on the layer you wish to apply the style to, click Paste Layer Style)

Step 6

Check your layers palette – you should have 3 layers, which are, from the top of the palette: wirelower, wireupper, background

Step 7

Open the Orchids image

Image>Image Size – apply the following settings:

Zoom very well into the image (at least 200%)

Using the Pen tool, or the method of your choice, make a selection of the flowers

Copy and paste the selection into your project, make sure this new layer is in between the 2 wire layers

Name the layer ‘flowers’

Step 8

Ctrl + T to transform the object

Right click within the transform box and click on Perspective

Place the cursor over one of the bottom corner handles and drag inwards a little – to make the flowers smaller at the bottom

Drag the top of the flowers outwards a little

Right click within the transform box and click on Free Transform

Resize the flowers so they look in proportion

Step 9

Double click on the flowers layer in the layers palette and apply the following Gradient Overlay settings:

Step 10

Create a new layer and merge the new empty layer with the flowers layer to rasterise the effects – make sure the layer is still named ‘flowers’

Select the Lasso tool and make a selection similar to that shown below:

Edit>Copy (Ctrl + C)

Edit>Paste (Ctrl + V)

Select the Move tool, and use the arrow keys to place the new layer exactly over the original flowers layer

Drag this layer above the wirelower layer

Step 11

Add a layer mask by click on the icon at the bottom of the layers palette

Zoom into the image and with a  soft round brush, foreground colour black, mask out any parts of the flower that should not be above the barbed wire

Also mask out any dark parts around the outside edges of the petals

Step 12

Add a layer mask to the flowers layer and mask out as above any dark parts around the petals that are showing

Step 13

Right click on any layer and click Flatten Image

Step 14

Create a new layer

Select the Pen tool, set to Paths

Create a path as shown below:

Step 15

Select the Type tool and the font of your choice – I used Tekton Pro at 60pt, foreground colour white, set the alignment to centre

Hover the cursor over the centre of the path until the cross-bar becomes a wavy line – then you can click and type your required text

Right click on the layer in the layers palette and click on Rasterize Type – the path will disappear.

Step 16

Double click on the text layer in the layers palette to bring up the blending options and apply the following Inner Shadow and Bevel and Emboss settings:

The finished project:

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I hope you enjoyed this tutorial - as I mentioned previously, you can apply this technique to any hollow image with a solid image placed inside it - the possibilities are endless!

I would like to write a regular post of tutorial results by my readers - if you complete this and would like your image to be featured, please contact me via the link at the top of the page and include either the .jpg image at full size, or a link to the image if it is showcased on the internet somewhere. This applies to all my tutorials - please let me see your completed projects.

If you have any questions about this tutorial, or get stuck at any step, please leave a message in the comments below. If you completed it and enjoyed it, please share your thoughts with us.