tutorial

Playing with Timeline in Photoshop CS6

abduzeedo — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:37:12 +0000

Photoshop CS6 has some great features, one of them is the new timeline for basic animations and this time Photoshop gets a little bit of the After Effects taste. As the idea of the blog is to play with these tools, we decided to come up with something for this new feature.

So in this tutorial we will show you a simple animation using the new timeline and some light effect tricks. The whole process is super simple and won't take you more than 20 minutes.

Step 1

Open Photoshop CS6 and create a new document. Fill the background layer with any color, then go to Layer>Layer>Styles>Gradient Overlay. Use Radial for the Style and for the colors use black and #38556f for the center.

Step 2

Add a new layer and fill it with a pattern. I am using one from http://subtlepatterns.com/ called Broken Noise. Use Soft Light for the Blend Mode.

Step 3

Add a text you want to use for the light effect. I am using the letter A of Abduzeedo using a stencil font called Major Snafu. You can download it at http://www.dafont.com/major-snafu.font?text=a+A

Step 4

To create the light effect we will use Layer Styles. Just follow the instructions below for Bevel & Emboss, Inner Shadow, Inner Glow, Color Overlay, Outer Glow and Drop Shadow.

Step 5

Duplicate the layer and disable the layer styles. Use Inner Shadow and Inner Glow using the settings below.

Step 6

This is the results you will get after the layer styles. It's very similar with another tutorial I wrote a few years ago showing how to create a neon effect in Photoshop. Again the idea of this tutorial is to play with the timeline feature. That's why I will cover the first steps quickly.

Step 7

Add 2 layers on top of the other layers and name them right and left. After that group these 2 layers in a folder. Change the folder's Blend Mode to Color Dodge. With the Brush Tool (B) and a very soft brush, paint with white on top of the right part of the letter A. Select the left layer and paint another spot of light on top of the left part. Use the image below for reference.

Step 8

Go to Window>Timeline. You will see the timeline panel. The first thing you will notice is that all layers are in the timeline. Select the 2 layers in the folder. Expand them in the tree and make sure that the timeline is in the 0 frame. Click on the Position option to create a keyframe.

Step 9

Move the timeline to the position 1:00 and then move the layers in the composition where you want them to move to.

Step 10

This would be the second position of the light spots.

Step 11

Move the timeline again and after that move the layers to create new keyframes.

Step 12

Keep moving them until you complete the animation you want.

Timeline

This is how the timeline looks like. Note the keyframes for the points where the animation changes position.

Conclusion

After a few steps this is the final animation. Using the timeline is quite simple if you compare the number of steps necessary to create the light effect. The cool thing is that Photoshop makes our lives much easier when it comes to create simple animations.

Download the Photoshop file

Click here to download the Photoshop file used for this tutorial.

About the author

Abduzeedo is a blog about design. There are all sorts of articles for those who want to look for inspiration. Also you will find very useful tutorials for the most used applications out there, with a special selection of Photoshop Tutorials and Illustrator Tutorials. You can get in follow us via Twitter at @abduzeedo

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Big Up Cover Illustration by Saad Moosajee

abduzeedo — Mon, 14 May 2012 04:50:07 +0000

Monday is our tutorial day. We try to post tutorials every Monday showing how to create some nice effects or compositions we like. Today is not different, but instead of a tutorial we have a really nice case study by Saad Moosajee. It is an image created for the cover of the Big Up magazine.

Saad is a great contributor to the blog, always sharing beautiful wallpaper with us. Now we will be able to see how he created the beautiful Big Up Cover Magazine

Big Up Cover Magazine

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

Step 9

Step 10

Final Result

Details

For more information visit http://saadart.com/

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Hipster Text Effect in Photoshop CS6

abduzeedo — Mon, 07 May 2012 05:05:48 +0000

A few weeks ago we posted a tutorial showing how to create a hipster text effect using Pixelmator. Now we decided to show you the same effect using Photoshop CS6. As we had said, we will be doing that in Fireworks and CSS as well. So stay tuned.

So in this tutorial we will show you how to create a simple text effect with a very trendy hipster look. We will use just basic filters and layer styles to achieve the effect. The whole process won't take you more than 30 minutes.

Step 1

Open Photoshop CS6 and create a new document. The one I created is 2560x1600 pixels. After that fill the background layer with #e4cba9.

Step 2

With the Horizontal Type Tool (T) add a text using the font Sulivan. You can download it at http://www.losttype.com/font/?name=sullivan. Use the same font as the background and use the fill type for the font.

Step 3

Duplicate the font layer and gange the Blend Mode to Overlay. Chage the font type to Sullivan Bevel.

Step 4

Duplicate the layer again and change the Blend Mode to Overlay and use the Sullivan Regular for the font.

Step 5

Select the text layer created on step 2. Duplicat the layer and change the Blend Mode to Multiply. Move it 1px down and 1 pixel left.

Step 6

Keep duplicating the layer and moving down and left to create a nice 3D effect.

Step 7

After you duplicate a few times will have an effect like the one in the image below.

Step 8

Group all layers used to create the 3D effect and then merge them into one layer only. After that go to Layer>Layer Styles>Color Overlay. Use #c66d33 for the Color with Multiply for the Blend Mode.

Step 9

Let's create another 3D effect but now going to the top right.

Step 10

Repeat the same process to merge the layers into one and apply the Color Overlay, then go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 7.5 pixels for the Radius.

Step 11

Go to Filter>Blur>Motion Blur. Use 45º for the Angle and 50 pixels for the Distance.

Step 12

With the Rectangle Tool (U), create a rectangle in the center of the document, below the texts and just above the background. Go to Layer>Layer Style>Patter Overlay. Use Graphy 80 by 80 pixels patter from Subtlepatterns.com. Change the Blend Mode to Linear Burn.

Step 13

Add a complement text using the font Mensch. You can download it at http://www.losttype.com/font/?name=mensch. Repeat the same process to create the little 3D effect.

Step 14

Add a new layer on top of the others and then fill it with anoter pattern from subtlepatterns.com. I am using Rcocky Wall. For the Blend Mode use Multiply at 50%.

Step 15

Go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Photo Filter. Use Sepia at 60%

Conclusion

You can duplicate all layers and merge them into one, then apply the Noise filter to add a nice texture on top of the design. The idea of this tutorial was just to show you how to create a simple vintage look typography effect using photoshop. We did that in Pixelmator before and now in Photoshop. The next one will be in CSS :) I hope you enjoy it and have fun trying to create your own.

Download Photoshop File

Click here to download the Photoshop file used for this tutorial

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Icon Design in 5 Steps - Free Icon Set from Ramotion

abduzeedo — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:57:43 +0000

Icon design is a craft that requires some incredible amount of skills. It's all about creating simple representation of actions, products or services that can be use in interfaces. It sounds simple however these icons have to be understandable in various different sizes, from 16x16 pixels up to 512x512 pixels.

We haven't post much about icons but today we want to share with you a post showing a little bit of the workflow behind icon creation. Denis Pakhaliuk from Ramotion wrote this post listing the 5 step process they use to create icons.

In the end we also have the full set for free to download

1. Brainstorming

We discuss the icon with designers and looking for the most appropriate metaphor. As soon as everyone agree to choose one metaphor we start next phase.

2. Sketching

We usually design 3-5 pencil sketches of approved metaphor. And then we meet again and discuss which icon we love the most. And eventually choose one sketch.

3. Photoshop rendering

Based on approved pencil sketch we start to render it at Photoshop. Then, we create the main shapes and continue to work out the details.

4. Improving details

On this stage we work with a lots of references for better understanding of materials and lighting. Very important to design each icon the way when it's clear at a glance. We exaggerate the effects so that the user can recognize what we want to say.

5. Final approve

We meet again and see if we love the icon. Then we do final revision and finalize icon.

Full Resolution

Download free icon set

Download icon set

About Ramotion

Ramotion is a mighty tool to realize the most courageous ideas from icon design to complete range of services in development and support of your application. For more information visit: http://ramotion.com/

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Hipster Text Effect in Pixelmator

abduzeedo — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:56:29 +0000

Every time I checked Dribbble I see a bunch of posts with this sort of vintage typography style. It's a very interesting look and very trendy nowadays. With that in mind I decided to improve my skills by trying to replicate this look and feel using Pixelmator. I will also post a tutorial using Photoshop, Fireworks and CSS.

So in this tutorial I will show you how to create a nice Hipster Text Effect in Pixelmator.

Step 1

Open Pixelmator and create a new document. I am using 1680x1050 pixels. With the Paint Bucket Tool (N) fill the background with a salmon color (#d97b64).

Step 2

Let's add some text now. For the font I used Sulivan Bevel. You can download it at http://www.losttype.com/font/?name=sullivan. For the color I used #cfbf9b. Use Overlay for the Blending.

Step 3

Duplicate the font layer and change the font to Sullivan Regular. After that go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 1 for the radius, also change the Blending to Overlay.

Step 4

Just duplicate the layer created on step 2 to darken the text.

Step 5

The first thing to do here is duplicate the text layer and change the font to Sullivan Fill. Then use the same color of the background. We want to create some shadow but the problem is that the font has some cutout areas and by adding a layer with the text and the Sullivan Fill we solve the proble,

After that duplicate the layer with the Sulivan Fill and change the Blending to Color Burn. This layer will be underneath the others. Move the layer with color bur 2 pixels down and left.

Step 6

Keep duplicating and moving the layers 2 pixels down and left.

Step 7

After some new layers you will have a sort of 3D effect like the one in the image below. Group them all and in a folder.

Step 8

Duplicate the group with the color burn layers and merge the group into a layer. After that go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian blur. Use 5 pixels for the radius. After that go again to Filter>Blur>Motion. Change the angle to 145º and the a Radius to 20 pixels.

Step 9

Let's add some nice texture to our design. I am using a nice pattern from SubtlePatterns.com You can download it here http://subtlepatterns.com/?p=834

Just place a stripe with the texture using Color Burn for the Blending.

Step 10

Let's add a tagline. Use the same color as the Pixelmator text, but for the font use Mensch Regular.

Step 11

Duplicate the layer a few times to create a drop shadow effect by using Color Burn for the Blending.

Conclusion

Select all layers and duplicate them. After that merge all new layers into one and go to Filter>Stylize>Noise. Use 2% for the Amount.

Our design is done. As you can see it was a very simple techique to create this type of effect. Now it's up to you to come up with your own. Enjoy :)

Download the Pixelmator File

Click here to download the Pixelmator file used for this tutorial

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Happy Tree Friends in Illustrator

marcos333 — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 05:11:11 +0000

I should have done this tutorial sometime ago as Happy Tree Friends is already a old animation series (it was lauched in 2000), but it still really fresh. As everyone who enjoy this series, the contrast between the cuteness of the characters and the violence and gore that they get into it's what made this series a classic.

Just in case you have never seen it before here's a link. Now talking about the tutorial: I decided to not be gore as the series and so this image is way more softer. Anyway, this is a beginner tutorial, so no one should get any trouble on doing it, have fun guys.

Step 1

First of all open Adobe Illustrator and create a 20 x 20 cm canvas.

Later, using the rectangle tool (M) make a blue square on the background.

Using the pencil tool (N) or the pen tool (P) create this round shape on the background, it may look randomic but htis kind of shapes are classicaly used on retro cartoons.

Step 2

Let's skip to the title, you can grab the typeface used on this link. I wrote the name of the show then outlined the font (command + shift + O / ctrl + shift + O).

I duplicated it and sent to front a version with a orange outline and yellow fill

Step 3

Ok, before going to illustrator I decided to sketch a bit and besides the fact my sketches got really ugly, I got a main idea for the following steps. So, my idea was to make Toothy hugging Giggles strongly almost suffocating her.

I've been using the outline view a lot lately, as it make things easier to organize on Ai. Just press command + Y / ctrl + Y to acess this mode. Let's begin with toothy body, so first let's draw some parts of his boy using basic shapes as circles, use the ellipse tool (L) for the task. Let's begin by drawing his head.

His belly and body.

His feet.

His tail.

His ears, use the path eraser tool to erase part of the ellipse, you can find this tol on the pencil tool panel.

The insed of the ear can be achieve using the pencil tool (P).

Use the previous tool to crea the smile, teeth, the eyes and the nose of our buddy.

Toothy got some freckles, create them using the ellipse tool (L).

I used the pencil tool (N) and the pen tool (P)to create the legs of the squirrel.

Organize and group all the elements and get back to the normal view, it's time to add color.

Step 4

I first made a few hachures on the tail of this buddy.

The logic behind this coloring process it's wuite easy, as you're about to see that almost every path will have a outline and fill.

I use mainly the 5pt. oval brush for the outlines.

I created a layer with all the colors I used on each character so you guys can do the coloring process the easier way.

And here's a rough shadow created using only ellipses, the idea here it's not to be a perfect shadow as it's from a childlook cartoon.

And yes, despite all the violence and the gore of the original show I decidd to insert a little more fluffyness on this illustrations so I draw some hearts using the pen tool (P).

Add some light using the brsuh tool (B) with a brighter color.

And spread the love.

Yep, I know what you're think and dont worry, toothy it's not handicapped, I just going to make his arms on other layer (command + L / ctrl + L) with the rest of Giggles.

Step 5

Drawing Giggles will be beyond the easy, let's begin by copying Toothy's body and rotate him using the selectio tool (V).

You can alos copy part of the head.

As any character on HTF got some characteristics on their face that make then unique and recognizable beside the fact that they all were made from the same default. Giggles got a light section on the face.

I've made her with the mouth wide open because she trying to breath, use the pencil tool (N) to draw it.

Do the same thing here.

Add some wrinckles to it using the brush tool (B).

Use the pencil tool (N) to draw the throat, tongue and teeth.

Use the ellipse tool (L) to make the pupil an the eye, you're going to have to make a little triagle with the pen tool (P) and then use the minus front option to get this kind of 50's pupil on the character.

Use the previous tool to draw the eyelashes, the dark circle and the wrinckle.

Later just duplicate the eye, reflect it and reposicionate it on the other side.

I must admit I hate drawing arms and hands, but in this case this was not a big deal, as thery are wuite simple in terms of shape. So i just used the pencil tool (N) and a couple of time to do it.

Same thinig here, nothing really difficul, just make sure the positions make sense.

Finally I added some movement lines and that's it.

Conclusion

Download the Adobe Illustrator File

Download the Adobe Illustrator file used for this tutorial

About the author

My name is Marcos Torres, I'm Graphic Artist from Porto Alegre, Brasil. You can get to know more about me by acessing my Personal Website or by following me on Twitter: @marcos333. You can also see some of my last projects at my Flickr.

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Wrath of the Titans in Photoshop CS6

abduzeedo — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 05:44:55 +0000

We always try to publish tutorials based on effects we like especially from movies, posters and other sources of inspiration. Most of the times we want to redo effects so we want to learn how that was done. This tutorial is not different. We will be revisiting the Clash of the Titans tutorial with the new effect inspiring on the Wrath of the Titans poster. All done using the new Photoshop CS6.

So in this tutorial we will show you how to create a nice text effect based on the Wrath of the Titans poster in Photoshop CS6. The whole process is simple but it will take you 1 to 2 hours to go through everything.

Step 1

First thing to do is to get the text right. To do that is pretty easy, we have already showed a tutorial on how to make the Clash of the Titans logo, so you can just follow that at http://abduzeedo.com/clash-titans-text-effect-photoshop.

Step 2

Now in Photoshop, create a new document and fill the background layer with a radial gradient from #181818 (dark) to #757575 (light).

Step 3

Copy the text from Illustrator and paste it Photoshop. Just make sure to have a light grey for the color of the text.

Step 4

In order to add some cracks and deformations on the logo we will use an image for reference. The one I am using is from Roberto Castillo entitled Cracked Set. Courtesy of Shutterstock.

Just import the image and place it on top of the logo. Try to find a position that doesn't destroy the logo that much. Then just create a marquee selection of the cracks.

Step 5

With the logo layer selected go to Layer>Mask>Hide Selection. You will have an effect like the image below.

Step 6

Time to play with Layer Styles. WIth the logo selected go to Layer>Layer Styles>Bevel and Emboss. Select Inner Bevel for the Style, Chisel Hard for the Technique, 365% for the Depth, 250 pixels for the SIze, 0 for Softness, 100º for the Angle, 32º for the Altitude. For the Highlight Mode use Color Dodge with orange at 65%. For the Shadow Mode use Darken with Black at 85%

Step 7

Select Pattern Overlay. Then we will use a custom texture. The one I used is courtesy of Shutterstock and it's entitled The surface of the old metal, visible rust by Supertrooper. Basically what you will do is open the file in Photoshop and go to Edit>Define Pattern. Name it "Meta". Back to the design. Select the texture you created for the pattern. Use Hard Light for the Blend Mode.

Step 8

Select Color Overlay. Use grey with Overlay for the Blend Mode.

Step 9

Select Inner Shadow. Use orange for the color with Hard Light for the Blend Mode. For the Angle use -90º with 11 pixel for the Distance, 20% for the Choke, 13 pixels for the Size and change the Contour for the same we are using in the image below.

Step 10

Go to Edit>Transform>Perspective. Add a little perspective like the image below.

Step 11

Back with the cracks from the step 4. Make it visible and then create a marquee selection of the logo.

Step 12

With the cracks layer selected go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection. The blue cracks will be visible on top of the areas we deformed on the step 2.

Step 13

Now let's add some layer styles to the cracks to make the melting metal. Go to Layer>Layer Styles>Color Overlay. Use Orange for the color.

Step 14

Select Outer Glow and then use Overlay for the Blend Mode with red for the color. For the Technique use Softer with 10% Spread and 30 pixels Size.

Step 15

Select Inner Glow. Use Color Dodge for the Blend Mode, 60% for the Opacity, white for the color. For the elements use center with 1 for Choke and Size.

Step 16

Duplicate the layer so the effect is a bit stronger.

Step 16

Let's create a brush now so we can add some nice smoke effects. Go to Window>Brush. Select the Cloud tip preset. Change the Spacing to 1%

Step 17

Select the Shape Dynamics. Use the image below for the values.

Step 18

Select the Scattering and use the image below for the values.

Step 19

Select Texture. The for the Pattern select the Cloud one. Also change the Scale to 200% and the mode to Color Burn.

Step 20

Select Transfer and change the Opacity Jitter to 100%.

Step 21

Add a new layer on top of the background. Use the Brush Tool (B) with the brush you have just created to paint some clouds. Use grey for the color.

Step 22

Add another layer, this time underneath the previous one. The still with the Brush Tool and the brush you created. Paint some red clouds.

Step 23

Repeat the same process, this time to create some black clouds on top of the others.

Step 24

Add a layer on top of the grey clouds one. Then fill it with brown #574f41. Then change the Blend Mode to Overlay.

Step 25

Now let's add a nice Google Map satelite view. I print screen a map from greece. Put underneath all the other layers, but on top of the background one.

Step 26

Go to Image>Saturation>Hue and Saturation. Change the Hue to 40 and the saturation to 15.

Step 27

Add a layer on top of the clouds but underneath the text effect. Then fill it with a radial gradient from black to white in the center. Change the Blend Mode to Multiply at 80% Opacity to create a Vignette Effect.

Step 28

To create some nice shatters on our text effect we will use another image to get the assets from. The one I am using is courtesy of Shutterstock and can be found here http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-73243228/stock-photo-abstract-character-...

Step 29

Copy some shatters from the stock image and paste in the document. Position them on the areas that we deformed the text. Just copy the layer style from the logo and apply to them. You can change the inner shadow a bit so they won't be so yellow. After that merge all layers with shatters into one and go to Filter>Blur>Radial Blur. Use 10 for the Amount, Zoom for the Blur Method and Best for the Quality.

Step 30

Go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Photo Filter. Use a dark yellow with 75% Density on top of the other layers.

Step 31

Select all layers and duplicate them. Group all the new layers into one so you will have a layer with your composotion. Go to Filter>Blur>Radial Blur. Use the same settings as on the Step 29.

Conclusion

Duplicate the previous layer and then go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 8 pixels for the Radius and then change the Blend Mode to Screen with 50% Opacity. Your design will be done by now.

As you can see the process wasn't based on new techiques but on how to reuse them to create the effect we wanted. Using the tools will be always like that. Tweaking and evolving techniques.

Download the Photoshop File

Click here to download the Photoshop file used for this tutorial

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Video Tutorial: Battleship Poster in Photoshop CS6

abduzeedo — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 16:06:39 +0000

The coolest thing about writing tutorials is that I have the chance to try to recreate effects I see in movie posters, billboards, movies and practically anywhere. I've been learning so much since I started doing that, especially in terms of being more open to feedback and criticism. I also feel more freedom to try different things, that's the case of my new tutorial inspired by the Battleship movie.

This is going to be my first video tutorial, I have been afraid to try to do video tutorials because of my english but I decided that the day has come for me to put myself out there.

So in this tutorial you will learn how to create the Battleship movie poster using Photoshop CS6 Beta. The video is not long and I will cover so basic stuff like Blend Modes and new CS6 features for 3D and blurs. Enjoy

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Create Plants Vs. Zombie Type in Illustrator

marcos333 — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 06:03:19 +0000

Nowadays it seems that the good video-games era is coming back. Super fancy and graphic elaborated games dominated the early 2000's , but the simplicity and replayability of games as Plants Vs. Zombies will always be more fun than cinematics and complex plots. Anyway, let's skip to the tutorial that it's about this last game.

Well, let's not enter on a discussion about what are the best good games nowadays, because we have a tutorial to do. I would classify this one as a intermediary tutorial, but even If you're experienced in Illustrator, you might find some good insights and ideas on it, have fun.

Step 1

So, let's first open Adobe Illustrator and create a 70 x 15 cm canvas (command + N / ctrl + N).

Step 2

Well, in order to make this less harder I decided to use some fonts as a base to the type, although they're not the same as the original, so that's why we should od some adaptations. I used Impact fo the "plants" type and Samdan for the "zombies' type, i just substituted the "S" for the one on the Impact font.

Let's dispose them like this.

Step 3

Let's started with the plants type, first create some outlines (command + shift + O / ctral + shift + O), then ungroup them and resize and posicionate them on a less organized way. Also add some green to yellow linear gradient on them.

So, using the pencil tool (N) I made a few adjustments on it's corners turning them on round fluffly letters.

After adjusting it, add some bold dark green stroke on it. On the stroke panel, choose to use to align the stroke outside.

Now duplicate the type, select all the letter then go to the pathfinder panel > Unite. Make it one shape.

Select the duplicated type and go to Object > Path > Offset Path and set the panel like the one bellow.

Turn the new outline into black, then send it to the back of the previous type.

Don't forget to do a few adjustments on this outline like removing some holes.

Now using the pen tool (P), create this leaf shape on the first and last letter, then unite them with the letter later.

Using the previous tool , make a few wrickles n the leaves.

Now finally, let's add some reflexes. Use the previous to do that, don't forget to put them only on one direction, in this case, always on the right side.

Ok, now we have a emboss effect properly done, let's skip to the zombie type.

Step 4

I did the same process on the zombie font, first turned it all into aoutlines, then ungrouped and adjusted it a bit.

I added a linear grey gradient on all letters.

Then using the pencil tool (N) I did a somekind of 3D perspective, nothing fancy, just used the space between the letters "m" and 'b" as a vanishing point.

And added some gradients following the perspective I used.

Let's add some thick black stroke.

And here's the trick part: I decided to add some light on the bottom of the letters using the pencil tool (N), create and place them like the samples bellow. Don't forget to use a transparent gradient.

I didn't want to detail it a lot, so I finally ded a couple of random round shapes to look like holes, duplicate it and just posicionate both layer a bit searate in order to give it some depth.

Also added a big gradient on the back of the type to look like fire.

Step 5

Finally, let's do the last thing: the grave. It's easy, first using the pencil tool (N) create the stone shape, then duplicate and use a darker color to look like a perpective.

Add some cracks using the previous tool and the "VS." type on it, use the same font as the one on "zombies".

Use some white lights to enhance the cracks.

And also put white layer of the text above to give depth on it.

Draw the pile of earth using the pencil tool (N).

Use the pen tool (P) to create the texture over it.

As you may have already noted, I'm using the hard gradient technique on the objects here, so it really don't depends of the tool you're using, If you got the logic of it, you will know what to do next.

Finally, add a blue background with a radial gradient on it, hoep you guys enjoyed doing this.

Conclusion

Download the Adobe Illustrator File

Download the Adobe Illustrator file used for this tutorial

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LCD Style Effect in Pixelmator

abduzeedo — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 03:43:37 +0000

Digital LCD effects are very common but they still impress me especially in terms of light effects. The way the light gets blurry on the edges and super strong in the center is simply amazing. I have been doing this kind of effect for quite a long time but never shared exactly this one and using Pixelmator.

So in this tutorial I will show you how to create a LCD style text effect using Pixelmator. The whole process is quite simple and won't take you more than 30 minutes.

Step 1

Open Pixelmator and create a new document. I am using 1650x1080 pixels. After that fill the background layer with #191919

Step 2

Go to View>Show Gradients. Then add an new gradient preset by clicking with the right button of the mouse on an empty slot and select New Gradient. Create a gradient using black, dark grey, black, dark grey, black and dark grey like the image below.

Step 3

Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 100 pixels for the Radius.

Step 4

Add a new layer and using the Paint Bucket Tool (N) fill the layer with green (#3f7d00).

Step 5

Change the blending of the green layer to Multiply at 98%.

Step 6

Add a new layer and go to Filter>Generator>Stripes. Use white for the Primary Color and black for the Secondary Color. Also use 2.0 pixels for the Width and 0% for the Sharpness.

Step 7

Rotate the stripes layer so you will have horizontal lines. After that change the blending to Color Dodge at 40% Opacity.

Step 8

Time to add some text. I am using a font called DS-Digital. You can download it at http://www.dafont.com/ds-digital.font

After that add the text you want. I am using 00:00:09 with white for the color.

Step 9

Add a new layer underneath the text layer and with the Paint Bucket Tool (N) fill the layer with black.

Step 10

Select the text and the black layer and merge them into one. After that go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 7.5 pixes for the Radius.

Step 11

Change the Blending of the blurry layer to Color Dodge.

Step 12

Duplicate the layer and change the Blending to Overlay.

Step 13

Repeat the same process to add more text to your composition.

Step 14

Select all layers and duplicate them. With the new copies selected, merge them into a new one. After that go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 10px for the Radius, then change the Blending to Screen at 50%. That will create a really nice and realistic glowing effect.

Conclusion

You can create different colors effects by simply adding different layers with different colors instead of the green one on step 4. This effect is simple but very cool for some more advanced compositions or even for some animations. Now it's up to you to come up with your own versions.

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Starting a Design Project

abduzeedo — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 05:18:59 +0000

We have been posting tutorials pretty much every week for the past 6 years. We believe tutorials are an amazing way to learn how to use the software we need to do our design work. But as you can see, software is just a part of the design process, important but without a good foundation and design principles you won’t be able to translate a good idea into a cohesive design...even if you are a master of Illustrator, Photoshop or any other software.

With this in mind we wanted to go a bit deeper in terms of the tutorials we post here on Abduzeedo. Our goal will be to alternate tutorials showing techniques and how to use software with posts on the theory behind the design process.

For this first post we want to talk about the first step of a design work. From understanding what the project is all about, to briefing. This is probably one of the most important parts of the creative process because it’s how you will set your strategy in terms of what to explore.

The first priority when getting a new project underway is to understand exactly what the project is about. I know it might sound obvious but it’s a little bit more complicated. Below I’ve listed a few important questions I ask myself prior to embarking on a certain design project :

What exactly is the product or service I will be working on? Can I explain the product or service to other people clearly and concisely?
Who will be using the product?
What the audience accustomed to and what we think would be better if we used this product ourselves?
What is the vision the company has for their product or service? How much are they willing to commit in terms of radical changes?

What’s the product or service?

Having a deep understanding of the product you will be working on is vital for your design work. Not only because it gives you the information you need to start designing but this tactic will also give you the motivation to challenge yourself in creating a better product or service overall.

If you think about personal projects, we always do things we like because we challenge ourselves to learn something new while making our ideas come true in our personal work. We have all the motivation we need to do that. We control the whole process of the creative process.

For professional projects it is the same, once we have an idea of the scope of the project and the possibilities we can strive and innovate. Otherwise frustration ensues and we end up chasing our own tail.

“A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.” - Dieter Rams

Who will be using the product or service? What is the audience accustomed to and what do we think would be better if we used this product ourselves?

We always mention this in our posts or any event we have the chance to speak at but it’s the number one rule for any designer: Who is your audience and what’s the problem you are solving for them with your design?

Drawing another parallel with personal projects. When we are doing work for ourselves we are our own audience and that gives us freedom to do things we want or apply our personal style.

Rawz - personal project to help users share their inspiration

With professional work it is different. That might be a bit of a controversial statement but I believe when designing something for a particular audience we have to understand their needs and the best way to reach them. My personal style might be completely useless. The same applies to trends. As Dieter Rams says “Good design is long-lasting”. Make your design useful and efficient. Trends come and go and if you make yourself a product of a trend you might be useless as well.

“It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.” - Dieter Rams

What is the vision the company has for their product or service? How much are they willing to commit in terms of radical changes?

Gathering all the information about the project is not only mandatory in understanding the product or service but also enables a clear idea of what the company you are working for is willing to commit to the design work. What is the posture towards radical changes?

Questions about marketing and branding strategies is very important because this will give you hints on what to explore in terms of design but also on how to justify your design decisions.

A lot of frustration we hear from other designers is that people they are working for don’t understand the importance of the change in colors or attention to minute details, or even radical changes such as redesigning from scratch.

In really I believe it’s not that they don’t get it, they just need a good reasoning behind such change. In the end, design is not art but business and it has to be treated like that. Innovation comes from change, but we designers find that through iteration, A/B testing, interviewing the audience and a bevy of other ways to justify our work based on real data.

Here are some simple questions that the super talented designer and branding expert Roger Oddone usually ask his clients:

What's the name of the company/ product?
What service do you offer?
Who are your main competitors?
How does your service differ from them?
Who is your target/ existing audience?
Do you have any benchmarks?

Corporate and brand identity Taiama by Roger Oddone

Clearleft, one of my favorites design studios, has a very complete design brief that they share on their Web site. You can download it here

With all this information, we hope that you will have all you need to start your creative process and move to the second phase: Research and Inspiration. Stay tuned for more on that topic in our next post....and as always, if you have anything to add to this tutorial, please don’t hesitate to share with us here via comments and external links.

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The Artist Inspiring Design in Illustrator and Photoshop

abduzeedo — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 05:12:50 +0000

A few weeks ago I watched The Artist. Since the first time I saw and read about the movie I got curious about it, especially because it was a black and white movie. I wasn't expecting that much from the movie but I got really impressed in the end and ended up loving it. The style, the story and the little dog makes it a very pleasant experience.

So in this tutorial I decided to create a tutorial based on one of the scenes of the movie. The one in the very end in which there were a skyline while the 2 main characters were dancing.

The whole process won't take you more than 45 minutes to get the same result. However this should be considered more as a case study than a tutorial in terms of details.

Step 1

Open Illustrator and create a new document. With the Rectangle Tool create two rectangles to create the first building that will be in the center.

Step 2

Using the rectangle tool again, create a rectangle and with the Direct Selection Tool (A) modify the rectangle to sort of skew it. After that duplicate it and move it to the right.

Step 3

With the Blend Tool, create the details on the facade of the building.

Step 4

Create a rectangle with dark grey and move it below. Also duplicat the facade details and flip it horizontally. The idea is have one side with light grey (1) and another with dark grey (2).

Step 5

Create more details using the rectangle tool and the direct selection tool to add some perspective.

Step 6

Still with the rectangle tool, let's create some more buidings. Now with some perspective converging to the main building. The perspective doesn't need to be super perfect, but make sure it's good enough to look convincing.

Step 7

Keep adding a few more buildings. Move the higher ones behind the lower ones.

Step 8

Once you have one side right just duplicate it to make the other side.

Step 9

Time to Photoshop. Copy the main building and paste it Illustrator.

Step 10

Copy the other buildings and arrange them in the document. The main building in the center will be behind the others.

Step 11

For the main building, create a layer on top and then go to Layer>Create Clipping Mask. With the Brush Tool (B) and a very soft brush, paint with white to create a sort of radial light effect coming from the bottom. Repeat the same for the other buildings.

Step 11

Select all buildings and light effect layers, then duplicate them. Go to Layer>Merge Layers. After that go to Edit>Transform>Flip Vertically. Then go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 10 for the radius.

The idea here is to create the popular wet floor effect.

Step 12

Fill the background layer with black.

Step 13

Add a new layer and fill it with black. After that go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise. Use 45% for the Amount with Gaussian for the Distribution and Monochromatic.

Step 14

Go to Image>Adjustement>Levels. Change the black input to 160 the grey to 1.00 and the white to 205. That will create some stars in the black background.

Step 15

Add a white frame to your design. To do that is pretty simple. Create a new layer and fill it with black. Go to Layer>Layer Styles>Stroke. Use 70px for the Size and white for the color. After that just change the Blend Mode of this layer to Screen. What is black will be invisible and what is white will be shown.

Step 16

Now just add your text. I used a font called Andes for that. Also duplicate the background and the buildings then merge them into a new layer. Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 10 for the amount.

Change the Blend Mode of this layer to Overlay at 50% Opacity. Duplicate it again and change the Blend Mode of the new one to Soft Light at 60%.

Conclusion

Time to add some paper texture on top of the all layers to add the nice vintage look. I used two paper textures using Overlay and Multiply for the Blend Mode.

The result is simple but it looks the way I was envision since I saw the movie. I got really impressed by the classic style of the movie and wanted to make a nice interpretation.

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Download Photoshop file used for this tutorial

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Create Courage, The Cowardly Dog in Illustrator

marcos333 — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 04:41:42 +0000

I don't know about you guys, but Cartoon Network was like the Disney of the Tv channels when I was a kid, such a big range of awesome series and characters. So today I decided to pick one of them and highlight on a tutorial. I know some of you may not be familiar with Courage so here's a brief video that explains a bit this hilarious character.

I would say this tutorial it's half a case-study and half a tutorial, I'm just saying that before someone may complain of the fast pacing on some parts. Anyway, If you're used with my illustration tutorials, this will not be a big deal, please have fun.

Step 1

Ok, let's begin opening Illustrator, create a 31 x 23 cm canvas. Let's begin with the background.

Using the rectangle tool (M) create two big rectangles and thin one between then, just like the sample bellow.

Select the upper one and go to the gradient panel, create a golden radial gradient on it, use the gradient tool (G) to posicionate it on the right place.

Add another gradient on the lower big rectangle, use the previous tool to place it on the correct place.

I decided to apply a pattern on the upper one in order to make it look more like a grandma house ambient. You can get this texture here.

Later I used the blending mode multiply, with the texture over the previous gradient.

I also decided to apply some wood texture on the ground, go it on the same place.

Yeah and as you can see, i did the same with the thinner one, just watch for the bleding modes and the gradient directions.

Step 2

So, I did a rough sketch of what I would like to obtain, the main concept was to make Courage's shadow a frightening demon image. Also, trying to make the best use of the lightning. Create a exclusive layer for the shadows (command + L / ctrl + L)

Ok, let's start by the shadow, using the pen tool (P) start by the leg and elbow, the shadow got a refraction on the wall, that's why it look like bend on the half.

Before proceeding on the rest of the drawing, you should give attention to the hands, since as most people know, some hands can be very tricky to draw.

Ok, then draw the rest of the body as the original sketch. Paste the hand you created, duplicate, reflect and resize it to the other side, then use the pathfinder option called Unite to make then and the body one piece. Unite the legs also.

Use the pen tool (P) to create the demonic ways, it's pretty much just like drawing triangles, don't forget to add a bit of perpective on it.

After that, draw the sharpy teeth mouth, then select both mouth, eyes and body, go to the pathfinder panel and use the option called Minus Front.

Finally, add a black to white gradient to the shadow, use the gradient tool (G) to place it correctly. Then use the Multiply blending mode to make it look like a real shadow.

Step 3

Ok, let's skip to the main part, first create a exclusive layer for him (command + L / ctrl + L). Start by making a circle on the belly using the ellipse tool (L).

Make a circle and use the previous shape to make a clipping mask over it.

Drae the tail using the pen tool (P)

Use the ellipse tool (L) to create the eyeballs.

And the pupils.

Make the head using the rounded rectangle tool

Use a simple circle to make the cheek.

And also to make his lips

Draw his nose using the pencil tool (N).

Use the previous tool to make the ears.

Draw the sad eyebrowns using the pen tool (P), just make sure they loo like damn scared.

Use a ellipse and sharpy shape to create the mouth.

Use the pen tool (P) to trace the rest of the snout.

The leg it's quite simple: Make it using the pen tool (P), then using the ellipse tool (L) make the fingers, use the selection tool (V) to adjust them.

Then you're going to just redo this process three times again.

Now let's start blending the shapes, first start by the feet, select all shapes and use the Unite option at pathfinder panel.

I used the path eraser tool to erase the bottom of the leg and so give the impression of normal drawing dash.

Ok, now unite all arm shapes.

Unite the head and body shapes.

And all the mouth circles and shapes.

Remember the eyebrowns? Ok, let's duplicate both of them, select this copies and the eyeballs and use the Exclude option at the pathfinder panel, this will remove the eyebrown shape form the eyeballs, just don't forget to remove the rest of the shapes.

Step 4

Let's add Courage main colors on the shapes we already have. Then let's start adding some fine details.

Using the brush tool (B) to make the whiskers.

Use the pen tool (P) to make the wrinkles.

Also use it to make the teeth divisions.

Add some grey shades on the ears and nose using the pencil tool (N) and the pen tol (P).

I also added this shades using a similar process used on the legs.

Step 5

Let's make anotehr new layer. I drew some drips and pools of blood on the floor, that's pretty basic you just need to draw some round shapes using the pencil tool (N).

Then add some white reflexes and lower their opacity.

I also added some shades and made a clipping mask on them.

I went back on the shadows layer and added some behind those drips on the same direction as the demon shadow.

Step 6

Ok, the tv it's pretty simple, first let's draw half of the body using the pen tool (P), also I drew the top of it.

Add some perpective corners.

Use the rounded rectangle tool to create the monitor.

Duplicate, reflect and Unite it.

Make the antenna using first a circle and them creating this sharpy shapes using the pen tool (P).

Duplicate the monitor shape, then go to Effect > Grain. Let's turn this on real Tv, so use the same set up as the picture of the panel bellow.

Add a shadow and a light on the antenna.

Ok, now let's add some flat colors on it.

But in order to look like a real Tv, it should have some knobs, it's pretty eays to create them, as you can figure out on the pics bellow.

Also decided to add a speaker on it, doing the inverse process used on the knobs in order to give depth on it. Later just added a grid over it, just to look as old fashioned speakers.

I decided to use a really classy font on the title inside the Tv, so I used this one, don't worry it's free and quite useful.

And another sans serif font for the lettering, nothing special.

Step 7

Let's go back to the shades layer and make some for the Tv, it's quite easy, just do on the same direction of the previous one, use the pen tool (P) for this task.

Now that all the shadows are set, let' only verify If your layers are organized as they should be.

Now we just need a main light source, so make a big rectangle that fits all the canvas, use the gradient tool (G) to posicionate it's focus on the lower right on the screen. Then go to the tranparency panel and use the blending mode called Overlay.

Conclusion

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Download the Adobe Illustrator file used for this tutorial

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Nice Vintage Badge in Pixelmator

abduzeedo — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 06:42:40 +0000

Last year we published a tutorial showing how to create a nice badge in Photoshop and Illustrator. Now we decided to do the same, or similar effect using Pixelmator and its new vector tools. The result is very good and there are some nice techniques to overcome the lack of some more complex shapes.

So in this tutorial we will show you how to create complex shapes in Pixelmator and add round corners to it. After that we will show you how to make it look like an old badge using textures and some basic filters and blending.

Step 1

Open Pixelmator and create a new document. I am using 1680x1050 pixels. After that using the new vector tools, select the Rectangle Shape and add a square by holding the shift key.

Step 2

Duplicate the square and rotate it 30º.

Step 3

Duplicate the rotated square, then go to Edit>Transform>Flip Horizontal. You will have the base of our badge.

Step 4

Select the 3 squares and merge them into a layer. Layer>Merge Layers. After that go to FIlter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 7 for the radius.

Step 5

Go to Image>Levels. Change the Black to 86%, the grey to 88% and white to 90%. After that you will have a nice shape with rounded corners. If you want it to be more rounded you can use a higher value for the blur in the previous step.

Step 6

Go to Filter>Color>False Color. Use red for the color.

Step 7

Duplicate the shape and rotate it to have more sides on the badge.

Step 8

Change the color of one of the layers to blue and change the Blending to Multiply.

Step 9

Select both layers and merge them. Then with the Magic Wand Tool (W) select the center area. After that use black for the false color.

Step 10

Now let's start adding some text. I used a font called Carnevalee Freakshow for the font. Also used the Rectangle Shape Tool to add some other elements.

Step 11

I added more text using another font, called Birch Std for the words San Francisco and Abduzeedo. Also change the opacity of some text to 30% white.

Step 12

Let's add some texture. The one I used is from Subpatterns.com and can be found here: http://subtlepatterns.com/patterns/paper.png

Use one layer with it for the background and another on top of the other layers. With the one on top go to Image>Levels. Use 95% for Black, 99% for the Grey and 100% for White. Then change the Blending to Screen and the opacity to 60%.

Step 13

Select the badge with the text layers and duplicate them. After that merge the duplicated layers into one and go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 5.2px for the Radius.

Step 14

Change the Blending to Hard Light at 60%. You might need to delete a bit of the center area to make the text more visible.

Step 15

Duplicate all layers and merge them again into one. Then go to Image>Desaturate. You can change the opacity of this layer to 60% to make the colors less vibrant or...

Conclusion

You can have the layer in black and white, which is my favorite. So the idea of this tutorial was to show you how to create some more complex shapes using Pixelmator vector tools. You can go much further and add more details, but that now is up to you :)

Conclusion

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Playing with Vectors in Pixelmator

abduzeedo — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 06:53:55 +0000

One of the new features of Pixelmator 2 is the vector tools. You can create primitve shapes like rectangles, triangles, ellipses and edit them like in Illustrator or using paths in Photoshop. I decided to give it a try and create a poster using some impossible structures like Escher.

So in this tutorial I will show you how to create a poster using the vector tool in Pixelmator mixed with some textures and basic painting tools. The whole process won't take you more than 45 minutes and I am sure you will like the outcome.

Step 1

Open Pixelmator and create a new document. I am using 1200x1600 pixels. After that select the Rectangle Shape Tool and add a rectangle like the image below.

Step 2

Click on the gear at the top right of the window and select Make Editable. Then click on the rectangle twice to edit the points. Move the bottom points to start adding a perspective to the rectangle. Duplicate the rectangle and again edit the points to create a 3D object. Note: add one shape per layer, not all in one layer only, otherwise it's not possible to select different colors for each side of the object.

Step 3

This is the basic object that we will use to create the whole composition.

Step 4

Duplicate the basic object and rotate. Move it to the left and match the edges.

Step 5

Duplicate again and rotate to finish the triangle.

Step 6

Select the bottom side of the horizontal object and the right side of the one on the right. Use a dark grey for the color. To do that is easy now in Pixelmator. Just select the shapes and the go to Shape Settings and select the Fill Color.

Step 7

Select the left side of the left object and the top one of the bottom object and fill it with a light grey.

Step 8

Select the other 2 shapes and use a middle grey. You might have to adjust the order of the layers and also adjust the middle grey one on the left. It will be on top of the bottom object, just move it so you have something like the image below.

Step 9

Time for some refinements, especially with strokes and the connection of the objects. Once you do that the impossible triangle is done :)

Step 10

Add a new layer and then with the Gradient Tool (G) fill the layer with a radial gradient with black on the outside and dark grey in the center.

Step 10

Select the light object at the bottom and add a layer on top of it. Go to Layer>Create Clipping Mask. After that with the Brush Tool (B) and a big soft brush you will paint with black to create a shadow on that area.

Step 11

Repeat the same for the other 2 inner sides.

Step 12

Duplicate the left side and move it down. The idea here is to create the letter A of Abduzeedo.

Step 13

Repeat the same thing for the other side. You will have to create the top part of this object. Do that using a very dark grey for the color. It will give the depth we need to make the impression it is behind the impossible triangle.

Step 14

Now lets add a paper texture on top of everyhing. The one I am using is by R-studio and it's called Paper Texture. Courtesy of Shutterstock.

Add the texture on top of all the other layers and change the Blending to Multiply. After that go to Image>Hue and Saturation. Reduce the saturation to almost greyscale. Duplicate this layer and change the Blending to Color Burn at 30%.

Step 15

Select just the vector objects with shadows and duplicate them. After that merge the duplicated layers so you will have one layer with the impossible A. Rotate it and move it behind the main object. The last thing to do here is to change the Opacity to 10%.

Step 16

Duplicate a few more times to create a sort of pattern for the background.

Step 17

Add a new layer on top of all others. Select the Brush Tool (B) and then a very soft brush. Start paiting with blue, yellow and pink. Use the image below for reference. You can also try different colors to fit your taste and style.

Conclusion

Change the Blending of the previous layer to Overlay and the design is done. Just add the text you want and that is it, you have a nice poster design using impossible objects.

Pixelmator 2 and the vector tools make the process of creating this kinds of shapes much easier. It's all about trying and exploring.

Download the Pixelmator File

Click here to download the Pixelmator file used for this tutorial