Insane Tutorials

Super Cool Retro Poster in 10 Steps in Photoshop

2009-08-17T17:02:00.000+03:00

A couple of weeks ago Amanda (@amlight) published a few articles showing stylish posters and albums with a very retro style, very simple but at the same time really cool. The articles really inspired me so I decided to create an Abduzeedo poster for myself just to play with Illustrator and Photoshop.

So in this tutorial I will show you how to create a very cool poster in just 10 steps. We will use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, but you may use other tools. I'm working on the Pixelmator version as well.

Inspiration and Sketches

Step 1

After a few ideas on paper it's time to start designing it. For the base of the typography I used Illustrator. So I searched on Google Images for "Avant Garde" and select an image that had the "A" with the style I wanted. Then in Illustrator, using the Pen Tool (P) create the "A". You can hold the SHIFT key to make sure the lines are straights.

With the "A" done, select the Type Tool (T) and type the BDZ using the font Avant Garden.

Step 2

Select the text created and go to Type>Create Outilines. Then with the Direct Selection (A) select the vertices of the base of the Z and the move them down like the image below.

Step 3

Now open Photoshop and create a new document, I used A4 for the size. Then fill the Background layer with a brown (#573E2A). After that copy the text created in Illustrator and paste it in Photoshop as Shape Layer. That way we can keep playing with the vectors using the Path Selection Tool (A) and Direct Selection Tool (A).

With the Direct Selection Tool (A) move the base of the A, the straight one move all the way down until it reaches the base of the "Z" (1) and the other move all the way to the edge of the document (2). Using the Pen Tool (P) and create some points at the top of the B and make it go all the way to the top (3).

Step 4

With the Direct Selection Tool (A) select the B element and copy and past it in a new layer. Then with go to Layer>Layer Style>Color Overlay. Use #FC9E1D for the color.

Step 5

With the Lasso Tool (L) select the area below the A exactly like the image below. Then create a new layer and fill it with white. Just the selected area.

Step 6

Go to Layer>Layer Style>Color Overlay. Use green for the color #6F7A38 and Multiply for the Blend Mode. Then select Pattern Overlay. For the Pattern select the Graph Paper. It's under the Color Papers preset. Also increase the Scale by 300%.

Step 7

Now let's add some text. For the font I used Dirty Headline, you can find it at dafont.com. Place the text in the green area like the image below. Also you can add a very subtle shadow. Go to Layer>Layer Styles>Drop Shadow. I used 35% Opacity, 2 pixels for the Distance and 10 pixels for the Size.

Step 8

It's time to add some textures. The one I used is from Shutterstock and you can download it here http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-35221027/stock-photo-old-paper.html

Place it in your document on top of the other layers, then change the Blend Mode to Multiply. Also go to Image>Hue and Saturation and reduce the saturation so the image won't get it to yellowish.

Step 9

Now you may add some dirty elements using Brushes like to make the lines less uniform for example. I used some brushes from Eduardo Recife's Misprintedtype site.http://misprintedtype.com

Conclusion

In less than 10 steps we're able to create a really cool retro style poster, very stylish. The secret is simplicity, color and textures. Of course you might like it without the brushes and dirty effects, or you want to try different colors, I created 2 other versions with cold colors and also playing with a photo in the background. Now it's all about playing and testing different variations. I'll print a copy for me, and hang it on my wall. :)

Version 1

Version 2

Version 3

Creating Very Cool Folded Typo

2009-08-17T16:56:00.000+03:00

n this tutorial I will show how to create a very cool folding effect to apply on your typography using photoshop, in very easy and in a couple simple steps you can transform a simple text into a text full of folded letters to give a very cool look to it, check it out.

So the first thing we are going to do is to open a new file in Photoshop, this one is 1200 x 400 pixels, write down abduzeedo using big fonts, I just used Verdana Bold you can use any font of your choice.

For a bigger view click on the images

Now that we have the typo we are going to start working on folding the letters one by one, so starting with the A we are going to select a box around the letter “A” using the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M), once we have it selected, hold Ctrl + C to copy the letter and then pressCtrl + V to paste it, name the layer you pasted “A”(change the color that you want on the abduzeedo text before you copy and paste it .

We already have the letter “A” on a new layer now we are going to select the part that we want to fold it, I like to use the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) and select part of the letter that I want to fold it.

Now that we have a selection we are going to copy the selection by hitting Ctrl + C and then delete the selection on the layer “A”, paste it by hitting Ctrl + V, when you paste it note that it will be on a new layer so name that “A-fold” as you can see here.

First lets change the color of it, go to Image > Adjustment > Hue Saturation (Ctrl+U)bring the Saturation to -100 and Lightness to +60 to give a gray color so it looks like the back of the letter is folding and go to Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical (note that because we are folding from up to down, if it was side do side we would have to flip it horizontal) and then we have to Edit > Transform > Rotate and make sure we rotate the folded area exactly on the angle we want, make sure you place it right where it’s folding as you can see on the image.

Now that the folded part is on the right place we are going to make it look a little more real by adding some shadow, first hold Ctrl and click on the “A-fold” layer, that will select our folded part, now create a new layer and name it “A-fold-shadow”. Using the Gradient Tool – Linear Gradient with the color black apply it on the same angle as the top of the folding area as you can see on the image, if needed reduce the opacity of the layer so the shadow will be smooth.

Go back on the “A-fold” layer and go to Layer > Layer Style > Drop Shadow and reduce the Opacity from 75% to 25% and try to adjust the angle to be the same as the folding area, I set mine to 135, also reduce the Distance to 2px, and the rest can remain the same.

Our last step on the letter A will be to go back on the “A” layer, hold Ctrl and click on it to select the A we have, create a new layer (name it A-shade) and with the Gradient Tool – Linear Gradient with the color black apply it from the bottom up, change the layer mode to Overlay.

Our first letter is done, now we are going to repeat pretty much the same steps on each letter to get to the end with a good result. To get more organized put all the “A” layers into a folder called “A” and start working the same process on the letter B and so on.

At the end delete the text layer “abduzeedo” and you done! Hope you guys like it.

Amazing Watercolor Effect in Pixelmator

2009-08-15T00:33:00.001+03:00

In this tutorial I will show you how to create a really cool effect using some watercolor brushes mixed with photos. The image we will create is inspired by the works of Bruno Fujii, Margot Mace, Raphaël of My Dead Pony, and Stina Person.

This tutorial was originally published at Pixelmator Learn site, you can see more tutorial I wrote for them at http://www.pixelmator.com/learn/

Step 1

Open Pixelmator and create a new document; I’m using 1440×900 pixels. Then select an image for the background. The one I used can be downloaded at:http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-13035457-texture-series-old-aged-antique-parchment-manuscript-for-background-use.html. Place the image in the center of the document and then go to Edit>Transform>Scale and reduce its size to fit the page.

Step 2

Let’s add another texture. I’m using a canvas texture, and you can get it here:http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-18799315-watercolor-paper.html. Again, resize it to fit the image’s size and then change the Blending to Multiply.

Step 3

Now that we have our background done, we will add a photo of a woman that will be the model for our painting. Use the photo you want, but if you want to use the one I used, go tohttp://www.shutterstock.com/pic-26914486-amazing-jumping-girl-in-black-underwear.html.

Import the photo to your document and place it like the image below.

Step 4

Go to Layer>Add Layer Mask. Then, with a very soft brush using black as the color, start painting over the layer mask. You will be hiding some areas of the image. We need pretty much just the face for now.

Step 5

Go to Filter>Quartz Composer>Stylize>Color Pencil.

Step 6

Go to Image>Desaturate. Your image will become black and white. Then select the Brush Tool (B) and white for the color; paint over the girl’s layer mask to show some of the masked areas, especially the neck and part of the hair, exactly like the image below.

Step 7

Now let’s start painting some watercolor splatters. You can download the brush I used athttp://www.bittbox.com/freebies/free-hi-res-watercolor-photoshop-brushes-set-ii/.

Create a new layer and, using black, paint the first like the image below.

Step 8

Paint another one in a new layer. The idea is that it simulates the girl’s hair, but does so using the brushes.

Step 9

Add another one and go to Edit>Transform>Free Transform, or just Command+F. Rotate and scale the brush to match with the girl.

Step 10

The last one and we have a nice image already. But it needs some color.

Step 11

Add a new layer and fill it with the Gradient Tool (G); the one I used was the Pink/Purple one. Then select the Brush Tool (B) and, using the watercolor brushes, paint with different colors like red, orange, blue, green, and yellow. Use the image below for reference.

Conclusion

Change the Blending to Screen and there we go—we have a super cool watercolor effect. You can add your logo and also try a different color to see how it works. Also, if you try different blendings you will produce different results that are really cool as well.

Other Examples

Here is our example without the background image, only the canvas texture.

In this example, I changed the layer with the gradient and brush splatters to Soft Light, a much darker but really nice effect.

Here is an example using Multiply for the Blending—a really crazy result, though not my style.

This example uses only one color instead of that pretty colorful layer.

Amazing Video-Game Text Style in Photoshop

2009-08-15T00:31:00.000+03:00

Following my series of tutorials on Retro effects, I will show you how to create a text effect in Photoshop based on the DVNO clip by Justice and of course some 8 and 16 bits video game opening screens. We will play basically with some basic filters like Gaussian Blur, also with Blend Modes to the light effects.

Step 1

Create a new document in Photoshop, I used 1920x1200 pixels. Then fill the background layer with a very dark brown. I used #100c03 for the color.

Step 2

With the Horizontal Type Tool (T) add the text you want in 2 or more lines. It's good if the words end with E or F, later on you will understand.

Step 3

Duplicate the layer and go to Layer>Layer Styles>Stroke. Use 4 pixels and white. Then go to Layer>Layer Style>Create Layer. A new layer will be created, but it will be with the whole word, so holding Command (MAC)/Control (PC), click over the original text to create a marquee selection. After that just make sure that you have the stroke layer selected and delete the marquee selection.

Step 4

Group the stroke layer and the word layer. They will be inside a folder. Then change theBlend Mode of the folder to Color Dodge. Also move the stroke layer to the top and right so, they won't be aligned, that will create a nice depth. After that go toFillter>Blur>Gaussian Blurr. For the Stroke use 1.6 for the Radius.

Step 5

Now for the word without stroke, go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 5.0 for the radius. Then go to Layer>Layer Style>Inner Shadow. Use Color Dodge for the Blend Mode, -40º for the Angle, 20 pixels for the Distance, 30% for the Choke and 75 pixels for the Radius. Also you you have to change the Fill of the layer to 0%, that way you will only see the the inner shadow.

Step 6

Now for each text layer, the stroke and the inner shadow one, go toEdit>Transform>Warp. For the Warp select Bulge, then just move the handle to reduce the size of the bulge effect.

Step 7

With the Rectangle Tool (U), inside of the folder with Color Dodge, create some lines starting on the edge of the letters Es and Ls. Make sure you use white for the color. After that go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 0.8 for the radius. Then go to Layer>Layer Styles>Outer Glow, use 75% for the Opacity, a very light yellow for the color. Then for the Size use 10 pixels and for the Range 50%.

Step 8

Add another layer inside the Color Dodge folder and with the Brush Tool (B), pick a small and soft brush. Then just paint some dots of light like the light was moving through the lines.

Step 9

Add another layer, this time not inside the Color Dodge layer, then change the Blend Mode to Screen and go to Layer>Layer Style>Color Overlay. Use blur for the color andMultiply for the Blend Mode.

Step 10

Go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All. Then with the Brush Tool (B) use a big soft brush. With white for the color start painting over the mask layer, so the blue clouds will start appearing. Make it visible only in the center. Also, reduce the size of the brush and invert the color to erase the parts that are over the lines and text, otherwise the blue will affect the light effect.

Step 11

Add some flares using Brushes or stock images.

Step 12

Now if you want to add a space scene, you can either create it from scratch, which I have done several times in past tutorials or we can use a stock photo. I used one from Shutterstock if you want you can get it here.

Just place it in front of the other layers and change the Blend Mode to Screen. Also with the Eraser Tool (E), delete the center light of the space scene. Use the image below for reference.

Step 13

To create the lines I created I pattern, it's really easy, start a new document with 100x4 pixels then create a black line with 2 pixels height and a white line bellow the black with other 2 pixels height. Then just go to Edit>Define Pattern. Done.

So back to the document, just create a new layer on top of the others and with the Paint Bucket Tool (G), select Pattern for the color and use the patter you have just created. After that just go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 1 or 2 pixels for the Radius. The last thing will be to change the Blend Mode to Color Dodge.

Step 14

With the Horizontal Type Tool (T) type "Press Start" using a pixel font. The one I used was Bylinear. Then just add a shadow using layer styles.

After that, press Command+Option+Shift+E on a Mac or Control+Alt+Shit+E on a PC, that will create a new layer with all the layers merged. Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and use 10 pixels for the Radius.

Step 15

Change the Blend Mode of the Blurry layer to Screen and go to Layer>Layer Mask>Hide all. Again with the Brush Tool (B) and a medium size soft brush and white, paint over the flares and the dots of light. Also a little bit over the word where there's more light, that will add a nice glow to the image.

Step 16

Let's add some texture. I used an old paper texture I got from Shutterstock, you can download it here or you can use another one you have.

Place the image in the document and then change the Opacity to 80% and the Blend Mode to Multiply.

Conclusion

The effect is pretty much done, again it was all about playing with basic filters and blend modes. Of course you can add more elements or try different colors and angles. The idea was just to understand what elements and effects give the 80's feel to an image, or even the video-game look, like Streets of Rage, my favorite of them all. Of course the space background doesn't fit with that.

Click on the image for full preview

Another Example

That's why I prefer the version without the space background, it's simpler and we can drive the user attention more to the light effects of the word instead of the space scene. Again it's up to you and it's all about trying. I hope you like this tutorial and that it can be useful to you.

New Quicktime Icon in Photoshop

2009-08-15T00:29:00.000+03:00

Apple is about to release their new version of Mac OS X, code-named as Snow Leopard. With this new release there will be a totally new version of Quicktime. One thing that is really cool is the new icon for the app. Because of that I decided to play a bit with Photoshop to reproduce the effect.

Step 1

Open a new document in Photoshop, I used 512x512 pixels. Then start adding some guides using squares for references. They will be useful to create the circles. With theEllipse Tool (U) create a circle.

Step 2

Go to Layer>Layer Style>Gradient Overlay. Use Normal for the Blend Mode, and for the colors use #242e3c for the dark and #b4c1d4 for the light. Also change the Angle to 90º.

Step 3

After the gradient overlay, select Stroke. Then change the Size to 1 pixel and for the Fill Type use Gradient. For the colors use #7f8a98 for the dark and #e9f1f4 for the light. Also use 90º for the angle. The light colors will be at the top.

Step 4

Click on Bevel and Emboss. For the Style use Inner Bevel. For the Technique use Smooth, for the Depth use 20%, for the Size use 45 pixels, for the Soften use 15 pixels. Now for the Shading use -90º for the Angle, 65º for the Altitude, then for theHighlight Mode use Color Dodge, with white and 100% opacity and for the Shadow Mode use black, Multiply and 100% opacity as well.

Step 5

That's the effect you will have after the Layer Styles.

Step 6

Again with the Ellipse Tool (U) add create another circle. Then click over the Layer Palettes, click with the right button of the mouse over the big circle layer and select Copy Layer Style. The click on the new circle layer click with the right button again and selectPaste Layer Style.

Step 7

Over the Gradient Overlay, change the colors a bit, make them darker and add another spot of color. Use the image below for reference.

Step 8

Select Inner Shadow. For the Blend Mode use Multiply, for the Opacity use 55%. For the Distance and Choke use 0 pixels, then for the Size use 6 pixels.

Step 9

Now for the Stroke, the colors will change a little bit, we will add some transparencies. Use the image below for reference. And look how I added a 0% opacity right in the middle of the color scheme.

Step 10

Now this is is the effect you will have after the layer styles. Now it's time to add another circle.

Step 11

Once again with the Ellipse Tool (U) add another circle that will be the glossy part of the icon.

Step 12

Go to Layer>Layer Style>Gradient Overlay. Use a dark blue and a light blue for the colors. Then for the Style use Linear, and 90º angle. Use the image below for reference.

Step 13

Select Inner Glow. Change the Blend Mode to Overlay. For the Opacity use 75% and black for the color. Also change the Choke to 0% and the Size to 18 pixels.

Step 14

Now add a Drop Shadow. Change the Blend Mode to Multiply, and the Opacity to 75%. Also change the Angle to -90º, the Distance to 4 pixels, and 10 pixels for Size.

Step 15

This is the effect you will have after the layer styles.

Step 16

With the Ellipse Tool (U) create an ellipse using white for the color, also change theopacity to 30%.

Step 17

With the Elliptical Marquee Tool (M) create an ellipse like the image below, then with the white ellipse layer selected go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection.

Step 18

Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 30 pixels for the Radius.

Step 19

Add another circle, now more at the top of the middle part. Then apply a Gradient Overlaythrough Layer Styles. For the colors use white and white, and change the opacities to 0 and 100%. Also the Angle use 90º and the Style Radial. Move the gradient a bit to the top like the image below.

Step 20

Click holding Command (mac) or Control (PC) over the Vector Mask thumb in the layer palette. That will create a marquee selection. Then go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection. Now select just the layer mask and go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 2 pixels for the Radius. That will soften the edges of the effect.

Step 21

Create a new ellipse again, now at the top of the icon. Then holding Command (mac) or Control (PC) click on the thumb of the big ellipse. That will create a marquee selection of the whole circle. After that, again holding command or control but now with Alt, click on the middle ellipse. That will subtract that area from the marquee selection. Then just go toLayer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection.

Step 22

Now apply the same Gradient Overlay we applied in the step 19. Just change a little bit of the presets, like in the image below.

Step 23

Duplicate the layer for the top highlight and with the marquee selections still active, go toFilter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 30 pixels for the Radius. After that change the Opacity to 80%.

Conclusion

For this tutorial we basically used the Ellipse Tool, with Layer Styles and a few blurs. It's all about playing with gradients, shadows and strokes. You can even try different colors for the middle part instead of the blue scheme. The best thing when trying to recreate existing icons is that you learn quite a few new ways to create effects.

Other Versions

Reader Tutorial: Create Vintage Traveler Diary in Photoshop

2009-08-14T16:28:00.000+03:00

In this reader tutorial Nikola Lazarevic aka Colaja from Nis, Serbia will show us how to create a very stylish vintage traveler diary in Photoshop. We will mix brushes with stock photos and blend modes to achieve the effect.

Let's take a look at our final image.

STEP 1:

Let's start by creating new document in photoshop. Mine is 1680x1050 pixels. Name this file diary.psd. Fill the background with #e5dfd3.

Download soft grunge texture from Bittbox. I picked up second one (free_high_res_texture_102), and palce it above the background layer. Command + T to resize it the way You like, and lower the opacity to 70%. Let's name this layer"background texture".

Now download Waterlogged Map Brushes by ~Arbenting. Create new layer above"background texture" and name it "map". Set foreground color to #463003. Now pick up the brush tool (B), load Waterlogged Map Brushes by ~Arbenting, choose map3, set master diameter to around 1557 and place the map in the middle of layer "map".Lower the "map" opacity to 75%.

Select all three layers (background, background texture and map) by holding the command key (or control on PC) and left mouse click on every layer, then hit command + G (ctrl + G on PC), and group these layers in Group and named this Group "BACKGROUND".

STEP 2:

I found excellent picture of old Notebook. Download it and open in photoshop. Now we're going to cut out the notebook. Use Magic Wand Tool (W) to select white background, hitcommand + shift + I to inverse selection, so that the nootebook is now selected. Command + C to copy selection, and paste it into our diary.psd file. Name this layer "notebook", resize it and rotate a bit (Command + T) and place it somewhere in the center, but a little on the left.

Now, we want to have same pictures between pages. To achieve that effect we need to do the following steps:

Duplicate "notebook" layer (Command + J);
Name this layer "notebook top";
Now pick up the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) and start selecting around notebook pages.

Inverse the selection by pressing Command + Shift + I and delete the part that we don't need.

We'll going to give a life to a pages. Set the foreground color to #463003, create new layer above "notebook top", pick up the brush tool (B), and choose the map you like, I picked it map2, set diameter around 330px and paint with this brush in the lower right page part of notebook. Rotate this layer to match notebook paper orientation, lower opacity to 50% and name this layer "right page 1".

Create new layer, name it "right page 2", use the brush tool (B), choose another map, I choose map3, set the diameter around 450px, and paint upper part of right notebook paper. Rotate this layer to match notebook paper orientation. Lower the opacity to 50%.

Create another new layer, name it "left page", pick up the brush tool (B), choose another map, I choose map4, set the diameter around 600px, and paint over left notebook page. Rotate and move this layer so you get something like this.

Lower the opacity to 50%. Now we should have something like this.

Apply the following layer style to "notebook" layer:

STEP 3:

Download the polaroid photo and open it in photoshop. Double click on background layer and then clik OK so that this layer become editable. Save this file as ploaroid.psd because we will be using it for creating our polaroid photos.

For creating polaroid photos I used some of my pictures that I took this summer in Greece. You can find some of them on a flickr. So picked up photo you want, open in photoshop, copy and paste it in polaroid.psd. Command + T (Ctrl + T) to rotate a bit to catch polaroid orientation. Name this layer "photo".

Now hide photo layer, click on layer0, use magic wand tool (W) to select black square in polaroid.

Unhide photo layer, select it, inverse selection with Command + Shift + I, and hit backspace to delete unwanted parts of photo. Now deselect (Command + D). You should have something like this.

We want our photo to look old, so download Heavy Scratch brushes, open the brush tool (B), load Heavy Scratch brushes, pick up Scratch Heavy brush, set diameter to max 2500px, create new layer above "photo" layer, and paint with brush tool. Name this layer "scratch". Resize it to be bigger then the polaroid.

Then hide "scratch" layer, select "layer0", use magic wand tool (W) to select white background, Command + Shift + I to inverse selection, unhide "scratch" layer, select it, inverse selection once again and hit backspace to delete unwanted part of "scratch" layer.Lower the fill to 30%.

Photo now look scratchy but not old enough. To give more vintage look do next: ChooseCreate new fill or adjusment layer, choose photo filter, warming filter (85) for filter, set Density to 77% and click OK.

This one is now look pretty good and old enough.

STEP 4:

Select all layers, choose Layer>Merge Layers. Now pick up magic wand tool (W), select white background, inverse selection,

Copy it, and paste it in diary.psd between "notebook" and "notebook top" layers, and name this layer "photo 01 bp". Resize it and rotate, and place it on the left between pages like this.

Apply drop shadow layer style to "photo 01 bp".

Now create another polaroid photo and place it also between pages, using the above method. Name this layer "photo 02 bp" and apply Drop Shadow layer style to this layer, same as previous. We should have something like this.

Create another polaroid photo using the above method and this one we're going to place it on open pages. Name this layer "photo03".

Create paperclip to hold this photo. Set the foreground color to #583f0d, open custom shape tool, find paperclip shape, and draw paperclip. Hold Shift key to constrain proportions. Resize it and rotate. Name this layer "paperclip". Be sure that this layer is above "photo03" layer. Rasterize this layer and apply following "Bevel And Emboss"style to this layer.

We need to delete some parts of paperclip, choose eraser tool (E), pick Hard Round 5px, and start erasing.

Ok, let's continue. Create another polaroid photo, insert it in diary.psd, name this layer"photo04", and place it below "photo03" layer.

Let's add more details. Download Sticky Tape Photoshop Brushes, load into photoshop, set the foreground color to #dab05d, pick up brush tool (B), then pick up brush SpoonGraphics Tape2, set diameter to 116px, create new layer above "photo04", paint with brush tool. Name this layer "sticky tape 1" and apply drop shadow effect.

Duplicate "sticky tape 1" layer and clear layer style. We should have something like this.

With this, the left page is finished.

Now let's move on to the right page. Let's add Paragraph layer. To add a Paragraph layer you must create the bounding box first. You can Click and Drag the cursor diagonally until you've got your desired size. Write some text into Paragraph layer. I used font Journal. Set the text color to #463003, rotate and resize it to fit the right page of notebook. Name this layer "text".

Make this page a little more dirty and grunge. Download Coffee Stain 1 photo, open in photoshop, copy and paste it into dairy.psd. Name this layer "caffe strain page". Change the Blend Mode to Multiply. Resize it and palce it above "text" layer.

Now download Torn PostCard, open it in photoshop, select white background with Magic Wand Tool (W), inverse selection,

copy and paste into our photoshop file. Name this layer "map background". Resize it, rotate and place it on top of the right page. Add Drop Shadow Effect.

Select "map background" with Command + Click on thumbnail, create new layer, make sure that foreground color is #463003, pick up Brush Tool (B), choose any of the Waterlogged Map Brushes by ~Arbenting and paint it over. Name this layer "map1" andlower the opacity to 60%.

Add sticky tape, using the above method, to hold "map1" to the page.

Let's add a small detail to the pages. Download Italian Flag, open it in photoshop, withRectangular Marquee Tool (M) make a selection, copy and paste it into diary.psd.

Name this layer "italian flag", resize it, rotate it and place it below "photo03". Now go toImage - Adjusments - Photo Filter.

And apply Drop Shadow Effect.

With this we finished notebook.

STEP 5:

Let's add more details! Create couple of polaroid photos, palce it into BACKGROUND group, in separate layers, above layer "map", give them a names starting with "photo 05 bg" respectivly. Apply Drop Shadow Effect to every layer.

Now add Cofee Stain over top picture. Create new layer, name it "caffe strain big", useCoffee Stain 1 photo, change the Blend Mode to Multiply, resize it and place it over photo.

STEP 6:

We'll add a cup of coffee now. Download Isolated Cup of Strong Coffee, open it in photoshop, open Paths, hold Command Key and click on Path thumbnail to select cup of coffee.

Copy and paste it into dairy.psd, name this layer "caffee" and place it on top. Resize it, apply Drop Shadow Effect.

Make it old. Go to Image - Adjusments - Photo Filter.

This is what we have now.

STEP 7:

Let's add compass. You can download compass from my flickr photostream. Extract compass from background, copy and paste it into diary.psd. Name this layer "compass". Place this layer below "caffee" layer. Go to Image - Adjusments - Photo Filter.

Add Drop Shadow Effect.

Make it a liitle bit scratchy. Create new layer above "compass" layer, name it "compass scratch", set the foreground color to #000000, pick up the brush tool, choose Scratch Heavy brush, select compass by holding Command Key and click on compass layer thumbnail, select "compass scratch" layer, and paint it with brush tool. Change the Blend Mode to Soft Light.

This one is looking pretty good right now.

STEP 8:

It's time to finish. Let's add the final detail. Write out the word abduzeedo using some random font. I used HumstSlab712 Blk and set it in this colour #c5c6ba. Set the font size to 120px. Change the blending mode to Colour Burn and add a 1px stroke.

Now duplicate this layer, and lower the opacity to 65%, blend mode is still Colour Burn.

And this is it.

Hope You all enjoy this tutorial.

Stylish Banner for your Website

2009-08-14T16:26:00.002+03:00

Now I will show you how to create a stylish and effective banner which you may use on your website.

First of all we need to create a new document with the size of canvas 500×300 pixels and fill it with color of #2d164d.

Then use the Rounded Rectangle Tool and draw the form bellow with any color.

Then we use following layer styles for this layer: Gradient Overlay and Stroke:

And we get this:

Then create a new layer over and merge it with the previous one to get all effects in one layer. Now we apply the Drop Shadow layer style to received layer:

Get the effect which you may see at the picture bellow:

Let’s add some volume to our banner. In order to do this we use the Dodge Tool (130 px, Range: Midtones, Exposure: 25%.) and make darkening on left and right side.

After that we load selection with Select > Load Selection, then create a new layer and use theGradient Tool to fill selected part of the layer with the gradient from white to transparent at the top and the bottom of layer.

Then remove selection with Ctrl+D and then change layer mode to Overlay.

And the last step for design of entire banner. We need to add some glare. In order for this we create a selection across the banner’s form (Ctrl+left click the first button Layer Thumbnail in the Layers Palette). The use the Elliptical Marque Tool, hold down Alt and cut the piece of the selected area. You have to get the same result as on picture bellow.

After that we use the Gradient Tool and fill the gradient from white to transparent on the new layer.

Remove the selection by using Ctrl+D and change the layer mode to Overlay. Then apply Drop Shadow layer style for current layer:

Get this one effect:

Now we may add some information to our banner. In the beginning we may bring the tracery to our banner. For these purposes we may use these brushes. Load selection of banner again (Ctrl+left click the first button Layer Thumbnail in the Layers Palette), create a new one layer and put the print of brush into the selected area.

Remove this selection with Ctrl+D and change the layer mode to Overlay, then set up opacity to 30%.

Now we adjust the sharpness by using Sharpen Tool (Brush: 200px, Mode: Normal, Strength:50%).

Now, I would like to add a picture. Let’s use Google Pictures or sites of stock clip-arts. I found this one. Open image, separate it from background by using Polygonal Lasso Tool and copy it to our main canvas, make it a little bit smaller and rotate by using Ctrl+T.

After that we’re going to highlight the flower. For this effect apply the Outer Glow layer style for current layer:

Get this effect now:

Let’s create a new layer and merge it with the previous one to get all effects in one layer. Now select the banner’s form (Ctrl+left click the first button Layer Thumbnail in the Layers Palette). After that invert the selection using keys Ctrl+Shift+I and press Delete to delete everything abroad the banner.

Now, remove selection with Ctrl+D. It’s time to add the text information. Use the Horizontal Type Tool and type the string ‘New Spa Saloon’ with white color.

Font we’ve used above is Avant Garde Gothic – commercial font. In this way you may use any other font if you don’t have this one. Now apply to this text layer Drop Shadow layer style:

Now we get something like this one:

After that, type one more string like ‘Click here to enter’ underneath with the color of #80bb00 using the same style of layer.

And the last thing what we need to do is add the name. Type the word ‘AQUA’ using white color.

Apply the following Blending Options for this text layer: Drop Shadow and Outer Glow:

We should get the result of applying layer styles at the picture bellow.

At this point our lesson is finished. I hope it was useful and interesting for you, do not feel shy to make experiments and you shall get great results. Good luck!

Smoked Text Effect

2009-08-14T16:26:00.001+03:00

Well, this small but useful lesson about how to create text with the smoke effect.

For the beginning let’s create a new document with the size of 1000×500 pixels and fill it with some colour, for example, white.

Now, apply the following layer style for this layer:
• Gradient Overlay:

We will have the next result:

Time to add smoke pattern to background. To do this we should use brushes. You may use my brushes or use your own. Choose the colour of #502d01 and make several prints on the new layer:

Now I suppose, we need to focus sharpness of brushes. Use the Sharpen Tool (Brush: 600 px, Mode: Normal, Strength: 50%) and focus the sharpness. We should get the following result:

Well, it’s time to add the text. Use the Horizontal Type Tool and type the text, for example: ‘SMOKE.’ Font which I used - Arial Black is standard font from Windows fonts library.

Now, we are starting to create an effect. But we need to find the right pattern before, which we will use in the text effect further. Using Google Images we may find the right pattern or you can take mine. Open it and save as a pattern. To do this: go to Edit > Define Pattern.
Now, go back to our main document and apply following Blending Options to this text layer:
• Drop Shadow
• Inner Shadow
• Inner Glow
• Bevel and Emboss
• Contour
• Pattern Overlay
• Stroke

After all we will get the following result:

At this point our lesson is over. I hope this simple, but interesting effect will be useful for your work or designing something. Thank you for your attention!

Magic lighting effect in photoshop

2009-08-13T18:07:00.001+03:00

Since my last article on how to create smoke generated lots of traffic, I decided to write another one on some of the photoshop effects. Although I use Photoshop on a daily basis, I am by no means a photoshop expert.

Well what I want to show here is how to create a nice light and magic effect.

1 - Create a radial gradient, in this case from a purple to a really dark purple

2 - Here I added a really cool Icon of a magic hat from the Crystal Clear Collection by Everaldo

3 - Add some text, I used the source code of a site to get the text and apply the Distort >Wave filter

Create two stripes of text

4 - Rotate and place the text

5 - Add some light using glow : Use different values for each line of text, the secret here is the blending option COLOR DODGE..

Change the values of Spread, Size and Range

6 - Group the 2 lines of texts and with one apply a mask to make the stripes disappear at their ends.

7 - With the other group of text apply a gausian blur, after that delete some parts to show the non-blury text.

This will add a movement feel to the text, like they are really being magicaly created.

8 - Create a new layer below the text and with a regular big brush like 100px add a spot of light in white.

The layer must be below the text, otherwise the glow will not affect the white spot

9 - Make some smoke again, I used the eraser, I could've used the liquify as well

10 - Create a cloud: to do that make use a marquee with feather set to a value bigger than 20 and apply the render>clouds holding the command key(mac), ctrl key(win).

The same as the previous post, and the most important thing apply the COLOR DODGE blending options on it

11 - Sparks: For the sparks create a brush, play with the shape dynamics, scatering, and other dynamics. After that, apply a Outer Glow and Inner Glow to create the magic effect.

End - The result is really simple but at the same time it looks beautiful.

The whole process took me about 35 minutes, one thing I think is really cool is to apply the color dodge blending option to folder, and put blured elements inside of it. Using it you can create some really amazing light effects.

Water Drop Text Effect

2009-08-13T18:06:00.000+03:00

Hey, are you hungry for new Photoshop effects? I have a new one special for you. Here I’ll show you how to design water drop text effect.

Firstly we’re going to make a nice background. Start by creating a new document in Photoshop, sized1000×500 pixels, all the default settings, white background.

After making your new document, you need to find some appropriate picture to put on the background. I would like to use this one picture. Also you can put your own picture or find more pictures on Google Images.

Now we are starting straight to create a text effect. First of all we need to type some text, where the effect will be shown. Choose the Horizontal Type Tool and type text with any colour. Colour is not important in this case. It’s desirable to use bold style of text for this effect. For this tutorial I usedArial Black font.

Further when we have already had an inscription we can start to create an effect on it. But in the beginning we need to choose the appropriate pattern we will use further in our text effect. Using Google Images you may find appropriate pattern or may use mine. Open it and save as pattern by going to Edit > Define Pattern. Go back to our main document and set fill opacity to 0% up, after that apply the following Blending Options to the text layer:
• Drop Shadow
• Inner Shadow
• Outer Glow
• Inner Glow
• Bevel and Emboss
• Contour
• Satin
• Pattern Overlay
• Stroke

After all we get this one screenshot:

But this is not the final variant. Select text layer using Select > Load Selection, then apply Select > Modify > Expand to increase selection about 7 pixels. Create a new layer and fill the selected area with black colour. After that apply Filter > Noise > Add Noise with similar settings to these:

You should get the same result as mine:

Now, deselect chosen area with Ctrl+D and change layer mode to Screen.

Then apply the following Blending Options to this layer:
• Bevel and Emboss

We should get the next one effect:

That’s all! We have easy created nice fresh text effect, which you can use further in web-design and advertisement, polygraph and so on. I hope that this easy lesson was useful for you.

Globe Button for Your Website

2009-08-13T18:04:00.000+03:00

Hungry for the new design elements for your website? I have a new one for you. Hope it will be useful in your new design.

Let’s begin! Make a new document with the resolution 500×300 for this tutorial and fill this canvas with white color. Then select the Rounded Rectangle Tool (Radius: 30 px) and draw the next shape using the color of #d61d23.

After that apply following layer styles to this layer:
• Inner Shadow
• Gradient Overlay

Your button should look as mine:

Now, time to bring reflection to the button. Duplicate current layer using Ctrl+J, then create a new one and flip it with copied layer to get all layer styles in one layer. After that flip it vertical with Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical as on my picture below:

To make reflection more transparent at the bottom of the picture apply Quick Mask Mode with gradient as below:

Then go back to Standard Mode. Now we have some selected area. Press Delete to clear image into the selected area.

Remove selection with Ctrl+D. Go to the next step. I would like to add some glare to the button. To do this select the Rounded Rectangle Tool (Radius: 80 px) and create a new one form using white color.

Rasterize this layer with Layer > Rasterize > Shape. After that apply Quick Mask Mode one more time and fill the next gradient:

Go back to Standard Mode and we received selected area again. Press Delete to clear selected part of image.

Deselect chosen area with Ctrl+D and change layer mode to Overlay for current layer.

We are done with the button. Now, move to the next step. I think it will looks better when we will put some design elements on it. To do this get out the Ellipse Tool and create rounded shape as on my picture below using white color:

After that apply such Blending Options to this layer:
• Inner Shadow
• Inner Glow
• Gradient Overlay
• Stroke

See the result below:

Time to bring some picture to our rounded design element. Find some picture of the Earth on the Google Images or use mine or find it somewhere. Open it and reduce a little bit, then place the picture as shown below.

Good, then make it black and white using Image > Adjustments > Desaturate (Ctrl+Shift+U) and change layer mode to Overlay for this layer:

Select the Sharpen Tool (Brush: 100 px, Mode: Normal, Strength: 40%) to make this fragment more sharpen.

And the last one thing that we need to do. To finish off the tutorial let’s add some text. Get out theHorizontal Type Tool and write out something with white color like on my picture below.

In the above image I’ve used Segoe UI as my font of choice, and I’ve used white color. Actually, it is commercial font, but if you don’t have it, you can easily find a good alternative, for example, Arial Black. After that apply the following layer style to this layer:
• Drop Shadow

Now, we have something like this.

Great! Our work is done! Enjoy your own cool globe button. Also you can change it color.

How to Make Realistic Dew

2009-08-13T18:00:00.000+03:00

You can find a lot of tutorials how to make dew on the leaves. But I would like to invite your attention to another one unique simple tutorial how to achieve the desired effect in just a few steps.

To start this tutorial find some likely picture of the leaf where we will put the dew. In my opinion, a suitable image will be this one. Feel free to use it or find another one which you want on Google Images. Open chosen picture and create a new layer on it. Select the Brush Tool (Brush: 8 px, Sharp edges) and draw black spots on the leaves.

After that apply Filter > Liquify with similar settings to these:

Our result will be next. Water drops took a more realistic view.

Now we set the layer to blending mode Screen and apply following Blending Options for this layer:
• Drop Shadow
• Inner Shadow
• Inner Glow
• Bevel and Emboss

Now it looks better the before.

We are not finished yet. Select drop shapes with Select > Load Selection and go to the background layer to duplicate selected fragment from the background to the new layer. Use Ctrl+Jto do this action. After that select this layer again with Select > Load Selection and apply Filter > Distort > Spherize with next presets you can see on the picture below:

The result will be next:

After that use Sharpen Tool (Brush: 200px, Mode: Normal, Strength: 30%) to increase the sharpness drops.

Hide the selection temporary with Ctrl+H and use the Dodge Tool (Brush: 50 px, Range: Highlights, Exposure: 20%) and make lighter the lower part of each drop to enhance the volume effect of the drops.

Press Ctrl+H one more time to restore selection, then create a new layer above and fill selected area with black color.

Remove the selection with Ctrl+D and set the layer to blending mode Screen. Then apply Filter > Noise > Add Noise:

Now your image should look as mine:

After that apply the Sharpen Tool (Brush: 200px, Mode: Normal, Strength: 30%) one more time to make accent on the water drops inside.

And finally we’re all done! Keep experimenting with all the techniques described above to create a unique look every time. Enjoy!

How To Change Eye Color

2008-07-17T18:19:00.000+03:00

How to apply a different color to people's eyes using Photoshop.

1. Open the photo that has the person's eyes in Photoshop you want to change the color of.

2. Click from the "Standard Mode" into the "Quick Mask Mode".

3. Select black from the "Swatches Palette" and use an appropriate sized brush and paint over the person's eyes in the photo (when you are in Quick Mask Mode, the brush will paint a transparent red). I used a "Hard Round 3 Pixel" brush and just clicked over the eyes where I wanted the highlight. By clicking on the eyes with the "Brush Tool", you will still have some original color come through which makes the color change more realistic. Click on View > Zoom In a few times so you can see the eyes in detail.

4. Click from the "Quick Mask Mode" into the "Standard Mode".

5. Now click on Select > Inverse and you should now have only the eyes selected in your photograph.

6. Click on Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation to make adjustments.

7. Adjust the Hue/Saturation slider to get various colors for the eyes. I set the Hue to [-148] and the Saturation to [+20] for the example below.

8. Your new eye color will appear as in the Angelina Jolie photograph below.