Studio Usage:
This technique creates realistic water surfaces and works well for backgrounds, textures, and fills. As you experiment with various water effects, you may want to save the images to build your own personal water-effects library.

1. Create a New Document
Choose File-->New to create a new document. In the New dialog box, enter the dimensions and resolution that match your project requirements. If you're working in an existing document, click the page icon at the bottom of the Layers palette to create a new layer for the water surface.

2. Create a Gradient
Pick a dark blue foreground color and set the background color to black. Create a gradient with black in the upper-left corner and dark blue in the lower-right corner.

3. Paint the Ripples
Set the foreground color to white. Using a medium-sized, slightly-soft brush, paint a series of long lines in a single direction. Cross each of the lines with one or two roughly perpendicular lines. You can vary the brush sizes to produce several different weights of crossed lines.

4. Apply the Ripple Filter
Choose Filter --> Distort --> Ripple. In the Ripple dialog box, enter approximately 870 in the Amount box and click the Large radio button. Experiment with different settings using the preview box to see the results. When you have the effect you want, click OK to apply the filter.