How to: Apply a puzzle effect to your photos

By Elena Santos on 14 January, 2009

Some Photoshop effects are easier than others to apply simply because Photoshop already includes the exact template you need for it. In this tutorial we'll use a default texture included in Adobe's tool to create a jigsaw puzzle effect with your favorite picture.

1. Open the photo you want to work with and duplicate the background layer. Name this new layer "Puzzle".

Apply a puzzle effect to your photos

2. Now create another layer between the original background and the duplicate on. Name it "Background color" and fill it with black.

Apply a puzzle effect to your photos

3. Go to Filter > Texturer > Texturizer and click on the selected button to load the texture we need. Textures are usually saved in the Presets/Textures subfolder, inside the Adobe Photoshop directory.

Apply a puzzle effect to your photos

4. Select the puzzle.psd file and click on OK. Once the texture has loaded on the image, adjust its settings (scaling, relief and light) to obtain the result you're looking for.

Apply a puzzle effect to your photos

5. Now that the texture puzzle is already applied, it's time to move some pieces around. Select any of the pieces in the puzzle with your favorite selection tool and press Ctrl+Shit+J to copy the selected piece onto its own layer.

Apply a puzzle effect to your photos

6. Apply a Drop Shadow effect to the piece, and use Free Transformation (Ctrl+J) to change its angle.

Apply a puzzle effect to your photos

7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 with other pieces in the puzzle. Choose the ones that look better on the puzzle and are easy to move around.

Apply a puzzle effect to your photos

8. Now create a selection around the central image that includes the whole puzzle and removes edge pieces. Insert the selection and press Delete on the keyboard to erase those pieces.

Apply a puzzle effect to your photos

9. Now you can switch the background color to white if you like, and add some final shadow effects to the puzzle. Done!

Apply a puzzle effect to your photos

Comments

  • Dusin Dusin

    Hi, i have PS CS4 and i cant find puzzle.psd texture .. can u send me it by email please ? your work looks really great.. thanks a lot..

    • Sent on 08 Apr 2009
  • Dusin Dusin

    sorry.. my email... dusin77@googlemail.com .. thanks once more.. :)

    • Sent on 08 Apr 2009
  • Elena Santos Elena Santos

    Hi Dusin, Try looking in your Adobe installation folder (usually C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS2\Presets\Textures). It should be there. If not, a quick Google search will provide you with a dozen different websites to download puzzle.psd and other nice textures :)

    • Sent on 08 Apr 2009
  • Kim Kim

    I have a mac and am having problems with # 5 & #6.....can't move the puzzle pieces

    • Sent on 07 May 2009
  • Jake Jake

    Dusin apparently they don't include it with CS4. You can find it on Adobe's site. http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4048

    • Sent on 17 Jun 2009
  • kaneez kaneez

    nice and informative

    • Sent on 19 Oct 2009
  • Juan Juan

    Wow, thank you so much for posting the infos regarding where i can find the plug-ins. :D

    • Sent on 08 Dec 2009
  • nada nada

    hello, i have adobe 7.0 and i dont know how to do step 5 and 6. could you help me, please???

    • Sent on 05 Apr 2010
  • Vanessa Vanessa

    I am having some trouble with step 5 - it selects rows instead of the one piece. I am using CS5.

    Please help?

    • Sent on 14 Mar 2011
  • Comment

Softonic on Facebook