Whilst I've always been a huge fan of creating vector gradient designs in Adobe Illustrator, recently I decided to shake things up and experiment with creating raster gradient artworks in Adobe Photoshop. Photoshop and Illustrator are very different beasts when it comes to working with gradients and have a range of completely different tools which are suited for different tasks. So when I started to experiment with gradients in Photoshop, I decided to set aside all of the techniques I use in Illustrator (and teach in my course Mastering Gradients in Adobe Illustrator), and instead concentrate of taking advantage of the unique Photoshop’s features.

In this tutorial, I'll be sharing my process and special tips and tricks for creating experimental organic abstract gradient artworks in Adobe Photoshop. The technique I will be sharing in this tutorial is not only fun to explore, but also pretty quick and easy — and once you’ve learnt this process, you won't be able to resist creating more and more artworks, experimenting with different shapes and exploring different colour transitions!

The artworks you can create using this technique are not only visually stunning, but also highly versatile: they can serve as captivating graphic elements in your designs or become eye-catching backgrounds for presentations, social media posts, or digital wallpapers — the possibilities are endless!

So, let's dive into the exciting world of creating experimental organic abstract gradient artworks in Adobe Photoshop!

Quick note: this blog post is based on my video tutorial available on our YouTube channel, so be sure to check it out to get inspired and see the whole process in action! And when you are ready to start creating your own artwork, follow the instructions below which contain all of the steps, tips and tricks, links to resources and related blog posts where you can learn more about some of the techniques used throughout the process.

Step 1: Document Setup

In Adobe Photoshop, create a new document with a canvas size of at least 4000x4000 pixels to have some room for cropping and to be able to use your work on screen in 4k.
I like using 6000x6000 px canvas size to be able to produce large prints (50x50 cm in full resolution at 300 dpi).
Select RGB colour mode, 300 ppi resolution and white background.
Create a new document & save it right away in the PSD format.

Step 2: Creating the Shapes

Select the Brush tool, choose the standard Soft Round brush with Hardness set to 0.
In the Options bar, set the brush mode to Difference.
Make sure that Opacity, Flow and Smoothing are all set to 100%.
Important! Set the foreground colour to white in the Tools panel.
Increase the brush size to something pretty large in relation to the canvas size and start drawing on the background layer filled with white.

As you will be drawing with a Brush in a Difference mode, each new stroke you start after releasing the mouse button will create the inverted look over the area you are drawing on. And with the soft brush, it will create some interesting shapes and gradient transitions between them.

Play around drawing shapes over each other to get to grips with how this technique works. Once you've got the hang of it, simply fill your layer with white yet again, and start working more intentionally and slowly.

Don't hesitate to create copies of your layer at different stages, or start again from the blank white canvas until you create the shapes you want.

Step 3: Distorting the Shapes (Optional)

If you want to further develop the shapes in your artwork, you can distort them using the Liquify Filter.

In order to do it non-destructively:

Create a copy of your layer.
Convert it into a Smart Object.
Go to the Filter menu and open the Liquify Filter.
Play around with using any of the tools and various settings available in the Liquify Filter to distort the shapes in any way you want, and apply changes when you are happy with the results.

Step 4: Adding More Contrast

After creating and distorting your shapes, you might find that your artwork needs a little more contrast. Personally, I often end up with pretty dark images with barely any highlights. So here's a little trick you can use to non-destructively lighten or darken certain areas of your artwork:

Hit Command+Shift+N on Mac or Control+Shift+N in Windows to create a new layer.
In the New Layer dialog, set the mode to Overlay, and check ‘Fill with Overlay-neutral colour (50% grey)’ box, and hit Ok to create a new layer.
Select your new layer in the Layers panel, and use the Dodge tool (set to Midtones & 50% Exposure in the Options bar) to draw over the areas you want to make lighter.
If you need to make soma areas darker, use the Burn tool with the same settings instead.

If you make certain areas of the layer white or black, you won’t be able to push the contrast in these areas any further. In this case, create and use another neutral grey layer and work on the same areas to make them even lighter or darker.

Step 5: Fine-tuning the Tones

Apart or on top of adding more contrast to your artwork using dodging and burning technique, you might want to work with the tones and contrast a little bit more using the Curves:

Add a new Curves adjustment layer above all other layers.
Play around with the Curve to lighten, darken, squash or fade different tonal regions in your artwork: move the points on the curve above the diagonal line to make the respective tones lighter, and move the points below the diagonal line to make them darker.

Want to learn more about using Curves to enhance your images? Check out my post Making Tonal Adjustments Using Curves in Adobe Photoshop.

Step 6: Colouring Your Artwork

Next it's time for the fun part — colouring:

Free Resource:

To get on with your experiments faster, don’t hesitate to download a selection of my gradient map presets which were designed specifically for toning this kind of artworks.

Add a new Gradient Map adjustment layer.
In the Properties panel for the Gradient Map adjustment, double-click on the gradient preview to open the Gradient Editor.
In the Gradient Editor, set up your Gradient Map: make sure to include at least 4 or 5 colour stops, starting with a dark colour on the left, then a couple of rich and bright colours, and then some light colours for colouring highlights and whites in your artwork.
Learn more about using Gradient Maps and Gradient Editor in my post Using Gradient Maps to Recolour Images in Adobe Photoshop.
After you've picked your colours or applied one of my gradient presets, you can also play around with the distribution of the colours by adjusting the location of the colour stops and midpoints to fine-tune the look to your liking.

Step 7: Texturing Your Artwork

Gradient artworks look even better when they are textured using grain or noise! And apart from elevating the aesthetic qualities, texturing your gradient artworks also helps to conceal any weird graphic defects or colour banding.

To easily and non-destructively texture your work in Adobe Photoshop:

Create another new layer set to Overlay Blending Mode and filled with a neutral grey colour (the same process as in the Step 4).
Rename it to “Noise", and convert it into a Smart Object.
Go to the Filter menu > Noise > Add Noise.
Set the amount to around 10%, select Gaussian, check the Monochromatic box, and apply changes.
If you want a little more or a little less noise, change the amount by double-clicking on the filter’s name under the Noise layer in the Layers panel.
If you want the noise to be more subtle, experiment with turning down the layer’s Opacity until you get the desired look.

Step 8: Making Your Artwork Smoother

Whilst texturing your work helps to make the colour transitions appear a little smoother, if you want your image to look smoother still, you can consider blurring the artwork. Make sure you do it non-destructively, so you can easily adjust the look and undo the changes at any time:

Group all your image layers together (rename the group to keep things tidy).
Convert the group into a Smart Object and duplicate it (Command+J on Mac or Control+J in Windows).
Select the new Smart Object layer (the one above the original one), go to the Filter menu > Blur > Gaussian Blur.
Set the radius to about 50 pixels, and apply changes.
50 px is a good starting point for images of 4000 pixels or more, but you can always experiment with different settings to achieve your desired look. Because the Blur effect is applied to a Smart Object, you can always go back and adjust the blur radius later by double-clicking on the filter’s name under the Smart Object layer in the Layers panel.
If you're happy with the blurred look, you can stop here. Or you can play around with the Opacity of the blurred layer to get some of the details from the original layers to show through, and then check out different Blending Modes and see what kind of effects you can create. I like reducing the Opacity a little and also often use the Lighten mode. You can also work with the Layer Mask of the blurred layer and brush over some areas with a soft round brush set to black colour to make these areas transparent (or shades of grey for different levels of transparency) so you could see through to the original sharp layer below.

Step 9: Checking & Exporting Your Artwork

Before you export your artwork, make sure the layer order in the Layers panel is correct with the Noise layer at the top, and the Gradient Map adjustment layer just below it.

If you feel like adding more graphic elements, like some text or shapes, go ahead and get creative!

Once you're happy with everything, save and export your artwork in the desired format — and share it with the world!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, picked up a few new Photoshop tricks and are excited to start creating your own abstract gradient artworks in Adobe Photoshop using this technique! I'd love to see what you come up with, so make sure to tag us at @attitudecreative if you post your experiments on Instagram!

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Organic Abstract Gradient Artworks in Adobe Photoshop