Powerful Mental Wave Explosion Effect

Step 1

Open a new document. I used 800x600px. Look for a road photo on the Internet. The one I used can be downloaded here. After downloading, place the photo in your document.

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Step 2
Now we need a photo of a person. The one I used can be found here.
Once you have your photo, it's time to extract the guy from the
background. Using the Pen Tool(P) create a path like in the image
below. After that go to the Paths Palette and create a selection from
that path. Then go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection. Lastly,
I named this layer "dude."

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Step 3
Go to Edit>Transform>Scale and reduce the size of the guy.
Then go to Edit>Transform>Flip Horizontal. We do that to match
the light direction.

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Step 4
Go to Image>Adjustments>Curves. The idea here is to darken the
guy a little bit so he will fit better with the background. Use the
image below as a reference.

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Step 5
Holding Cmd/Ctrl click on the mask thumb of the "dude" layer. That
will create a marquee selection of the guy. After that create a new
layer. Rename it to "shadow" and fill it with black. Then go to
Edit>Transform>Distort and move the vertices to make the shadow
in perspective. The last thing here is go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian
Blur.

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Step 6
Grab the Ellipse Tool(U). Select Paths instead of Shape Layer.
Create a Circle, like the image below. After that grab the Direct
Selection Tool(A) and adjust the bottom of the circle.

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Step 7
Create a new layer. Rename it to "clouds." Then go to
Filter>Render>Clouds. While holding Alt, click on Clouds. After
that go to the Path's Palette and create a selection from the path and
mask the layer.

Tip: As you will be using the Render>Clouds, you will
probably need to apply the filter several times until you got the
clouds just right. Keep working with it until the light and dark areas
are in a good position.

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Step 8
Go to Filter>Liquefy. In the Liquefy Dialog Box select the Bloat
Tool (B). Then for the settings use: Brush Size 550, Brush Density 100,
Brush Pressure 100, Brush Rate 60, and Turbulent Jitter 75.

Then select the Show Backdrop Option. That will allow you to see the
clouds and the background. It will be necessary to use the Bloat Tool
in the right place. Click a few times and deselect the Show Backdrop.
Then you will see the effect and will be able to repeat it more times
in the correct place.

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Step 9
Change the Blend Mode of the cloud layer to Soft Light. Then create
another layer and rename it to "Clouds 2" and repeat Steps 7 and 8. We
will need another cloud to make it more turbulent. This time, however,
use Multiply for the Blend Mode.
After that, create yet another layer. Rename it to "Clouds 3" and
repeat Steps 7 and 8. For this layer use Color Dodge for the Blend
Mode. The last thing here is with the Eraser Tool (E) delete some
parts. This layer is used to give highlights to the clouds.

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Step 10
Group the "Clouds 3" layer and go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal
All. After that, select the Brush Tool (B), give it a black color, and
mask some parts of the clouds that are close to the ground.

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Step 11
Select the "Clouds" layer and go to Filter>Sharpen>Sharpen More. Then repeat this Sharpen filter on Clouds 2 and 3 layers.

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Step 12
Create a new layer. Rename it to "Glow." Fill it with white and go
to the Path Palette. Create a selection from the clouds path as we did
in Step 9. Then mask the layer.
After that go to Layer>Layer Style>Outer Glow. Use the default
settings. Then go to Layer>Layer Style>Create Layer. This command
will create another layer from the Outer Glow. You can delete the white
layer and leave just the Outer Glow layer.

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Step 13
Create a folder called "Lights." Move the "Glow" layer to this
folder. Next select the "Glow" layer. Then go to Layer>Layer
Mask>Reveal All. Then select the Brush Tool, black for the color,
and start masking the glow. We need just the outline; however, some
bright spots in the middle will give a nice result.

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Step 14
Create a new layer beneath the clouds group. Using the Elliptical
Marquee Tool create a selection like the image below. Fill the layer
with black and use 40% Opacity.

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Step 15
Go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All. After that select the
Gradient Tool(G) and use a black and white gradient. Then mask the
layer, like in the image below.

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Step 16
Duplicate the layer and go to Layer>Layer Mask>Apply. Then go
to Edit>Transform>Distort. Repeat the same thing we did for the
shadow of the guy on this layer. Group these two layers and rename the
group to "Shadows."

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Step 17
Create a new layer right above the road photo. Go to
Filter>Render>Clouds. Then go to Filter>Distort>ZigZag. Use
100 for the Amount and 5 for the Ridges. For the Style use Pond Ripples.

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Step 18
Now go to Edit>Transform>Distort. Distort the layer until you
get the right perspective. After that, change the Blend Mode to
Overlay. Again, as we are using Render Clouds, the results may vary so
you might need to erase some parts to make it more realistic.

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Step 19
Create an Elliptical Selection like the image below. Then fill it
with black. After that, create another Elliptical Selection, but
smaller. Then delete that part of the layer. With the Magic Wand
Tool(W) select the black part of the layer.

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Step 20
Duplicate the road's layer and select it. Make sure that you still
have the Marquee Selection from the Step 19. Then go to Layer>Layer
Mask>Reveal Selection. You can delete the black ellipse layer from
the Step 19 or just hide it.
Go to Layer>Layer Styles>Bevel and Emboss. This is another way
to create the ripple effect. You could use Displace as well.

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Step 21
Go to Layer>New Layer Fill>Gradient. Use Radial for the Style.
For the colors use #ddc396 and #2f1e00. Change the Blend mode to Color
Dodge.

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Step 22
Here I used another image from Stock.Xchng, image. Just place it on top of all layers and change the Blend Mode to Overlay.

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Step 23
Now let's make some adjustments. First, lets darken our Magneto dude
a bit more. Select the Burn Tool(S) and burn the back of the guy. After
that, change the Blend Mode of the "ripples" layer to Soft Light. You
can delete some parts of the clouds as well.

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Step 24
Create a new folder, beneath the "dude" layer. Name the group
"power" and change the Blend Mode to Color Dodge. After that, create a
new layer inside of this group. Then using the Brush Tool with white
color, create some lights coming from the hands of the guy. Tip: use a regular brush with 0% for the hardness.
After that you create another layer. Use some brushes to add more effects. I used some abstract brushes from http://brusheezy.com. Then add a Pink Outer Glow Layer Style.

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Step 25
Import the truck image, you can download it at image.
Then with the Magic Wand Tool(W) select and delete the background of
the photo. Leave just the truck. After that go to
Edit>Transform>Flip Horizontal. Move the truck to the side of the
road.

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Step 26
Go to Image>Adjustments>Curves and make the truck a bit
darker. After that, using the Rectangular Marquee Tool(M), create a
rectangular selection a bit bigger than the truck. Then go to
Filter>Blur>Radial Blur. For the settings use Amount 2, Method
use Spin, and set Best Quality. Next go to Filter>Blur>Motion
Blur. Then use -75 degrees for the angle and 3 pixels for the Distance.

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Step 27
Now we will create the truck's shadow. To do that select the Truck's
layer, click with the right button of the mouse and choose Select
Pixels. Then create a new layer and fill it with black. Put this layer
beneath the truck layer and go to Edit>Transform>Distort. Distort
the shadow to make it look more real. Then go to
Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Change the Opacity of this layer to
60%.

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Step 28
Group the truck and the shadow layer and rename it to "truck." Then organize your folders in the Layers Palette.

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Conclusion
You can add more elements to the image, like a traffic cone or more
cars. But always change the curves in order to make the objects have
the same lighting. That will make the image more realistic. For some
effects, there will be many other ways to achieve a similar result.
Experiment with different methods of achieving an effect, like we did
with the ripples. Finally, stick with the ones you think are the best
for that image.

FINAL PREVIEW:

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ENJOY ! :D

- ghen