Chernobyl
First, I imported an image into photoshop that I wanted to edit.
Next, I replaced the sky with a cloudy sky. I did this by using the quick selection brush and creating a mask. I also removed the wires going across using the spot healing brush. I then added a Hue/Saturation layer to make the sky match the rest of the image.
Then, I imported an image of a nuclear reactor and removed the sky. I also increased the brightness and saturation of it to match the rest of the image.
After that, I removed all of the people from the image using the clone stamp tool. I also used the spot healing brush.
Next, I imported an image of some fire and put it on top of the reactor. I then created a mask to remove the background of the image and then blended it using the screen blending mode.
Then, I added some smoke above the fire using the same method as before but I set the blending mode to multiply instead of screen.
After that, I added some smoke to the rest of the image. I imported an image of smoke and set the blending mode to screen. I then duplicated it so I had three and created different masks so it appeared as if the smoke would get thicker the closer it got to the reactor.
Next, I duplicated the fire and flipped it vertically. Then, I turned down the opacity. This created a reflection of the fire on the ground.
Then, I imported two images of embers and set the blending mode to screen. I used one for the foreground and one for the fire.
Finally, I used Camera Raw to colour grade the image. I adjusted the colours to match the style of the Chernobyl TV Show. This gave it a blue/green.
Final Image
I then removed the lights from the shops because they were taking attention away from the fire. I also made the windows and some of the building darker.
I also did a before and after image. To create the before image I had to remove the fire and most of the smoke. I also added in the people and the lights on the buildings again. I also made the colour grade less contrasted.
To do the after image I removed the fire and some of the smoke. I also added a man in a radiation suit and added a shadow and reflection for him. I also added radiation signs on the lamp post.
Before
During
After
Chernobyl 2025
