Basic Reflection Tutorial

The Surface Reflection
The Surface Reflection is probably the most widely known reflection type, as it has basically been made into an icon by Apple Inc. Basically, it’s simply the reflection of an object on a surface below the object. It’s very simple to create.

Begin by Duplicating the layers you wish to reflect (Right Click Layer > Duplicate Layer). Next, Flip the layer Vertically (Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical).

Now, using the Move Tool, drag your new layer just below the original

Using the Eraser Tool, with a brush size of 40-200 (It will vary from case to case, just experiment), and Hardness set to 0%, erase the bottom of your upside down cloud. Hold Shift while erasing to erase in a perfect line.

Only thing left to do is Adjust the Layer Opacity to control the intensity of the reflection. That’s it for the surface reflection!