Photoshop Graphic Design Tutorials

Richly Ornate Typographic Illustration Tutorial

2010-03-16T18:37:00.002+08:00

When looking for top quality content, you’re usually forced to pay for your resources. They’re generally better and easier to work with, and offer a wider range of use. Sometimes though, you can find the same level of quality at zero cost, and it’s exactly what we’re going to do today. We’re going to create a detailed illustration with free gifts and self made goodies.

Final Image Preview

Step 1

The first thing we’ll do is create a very large wooden texture. Getting the same result may be difficult, so just try to obtain something that looks like a wood texture. Start up Photoshop and create a new document. Make it big; somewhere around 6000 px by 6000 px (300 ppi).
Select a dark brown (#48403a) as the foreground color and a lighter version (#ac9f92) as the background color. Fill the document’s background with the foreground color (#48403a) and go to Filter > Render > Fibers. Change the settings (Variance of 12.0 and Strength of 34.0) and randomize it until you get something similar. Playing around with the settings can help.

Step 2

We’ll now give the fibers more depth and a darker color. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map. Once you created it, change its layer Blending Mode to Overlay and Opacity to 50%.

Step 3

Now create a new blank layer and fill it with the color #633a1c. Set the layer’s Blending Mode to Multiply.

Step 4

And finally, select the Gradient Tool (G). Choose white as the foreground color, and create a white to transparent white gradient from top to bottom. Change the layer Opacity to somewhere around 10%. Select the entire canvas (Command + A) and copy the merged file (Command + Shift + C).

Step 5

Create a new Photoshop document using a landscape A4 canvas (29,7 x 21 cm at 300 ppi). I created mine in CMYK format, so if you want the colors to make any sense, make sure you select CMYK, not RGB.
Now add the type to this new document. Download this free font and type in each letter on a separate layer. The color doesn’t matter, as it will be replaced by a texture. I chose different shades of green just to show the layer order.

Step 6

Now double-click on the letter “T” layer and add these effects. Here are the color codes for each of them: Drop Shadow set to #000000; Outer Glow set to #476454; Bevel and Emboss Highlight set to #f09629 and Shadow set to #45293c, and Stroke set to #466454.

Altogether, your effects should look like the image below.

Step 7

Copy the layer style (right-click on layer and go to Copy Layer Style) and paste it over the rest. Also, create a large ampersand behind all the letters.

Step 8

Create a new blank layer above the letter “T” and make it a clipping mask. Place the wooden texture inside.

Step 9

Create another blank layer as a clipping mask above the texture. Make a selection of the “T” layer (Command + Click on the layer icon) and contract it by seven pixels (Select > Modify > Contract).

Step 10

Fill it with white and blur it slightly (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur).

Step 11

Change the Layer’s opacity to 40% and select the eraser tool (E). Make it about 80% soft and erase the bottom part.

Step 12

Get this and this screw. Cut them out with the pen tool and desaturate them (Command + Shift + U). We’ll use the first one for large screws and the second for smaller ones. Place one of the large ones in the middle of the “T” and apply the effects shown below.

It will now look like it’s holding the “T” in place.

Step 13

Do the same to create the smaller one and place these screws on all the letters.

Step 14

Now you’ll need this free ornate pattern. Open it in Illustrator and double-click on the flourish detail (not the pattern). Use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to select a white part of the detail. Change its color to #486554, Copy it (Command + C) and paste it (Command + V) into the Photoshop file as a Smart Object.

Step 15

Now add this layer style shown below.

It looks odd now, but it will be better once we add the second color.

Step 16

Create a new blank layer as a clipping mask and paint (#74cdd8) with a soft brush the tips of the flourish detail.

Step 17

Group the layers (Command + G) and duplicate the group, then position it accordingly.

Step 18

Place a large one on the bottom.

Step 19

Add a few smaller ones that appear to come out of the large one underneath. Try to keep an orientation that feels natural and organic.

Step 20

Add the final ones too.

Step 21

As usual, we’ll adjust the colors and contrast of the document with good ol’ Adjustment Layers. Add the first one by going to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map.

Step 22

Now add a Selective Color Adjustment Layer and use the Colors drop down menu to get to Blacks.

Step 23

I thought the composition needed a touch of another color, so let’s add some orange. Duplicate one of the floral patterns and make it smaller. Delete the bright cyan and paint with this color instead: #f7db58.

Step 24

Add a few more.

Step 25

Now, make a selection of each letter and paint with the same color.

Step 26

Go back to the Go Media Illustrator file and double-click the ornate pattern this time. Select the white part, and make it black. Copy it and go to Photoshop. Create a new document and keep the Clipboard size. Paste the pattern into the new document that should be an exact fit. Make the Background layer invisible and go to Edit > Define Pattern.

Step 27

Create a new blank layer above the wood texture background in our illustration. Select the Bucket Tool, and click on the drop down menu to paint a pattern. Select the newly created one and create one in the blank layer. Add the layer styles shown below.

This is what you should see at 100%.

Step 28

Create a new layer, make it a clipping mask and paint with a very large, soft shadow a few white glows near the center. Keep the Opacity low so that they don’t become too obvious.

Step 29

Use the same orange to paint a few subtle glows in a few places, just like in the previous layer.

Pefect steps to follow! you should try it now!

Article source: http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/text-effects-tutorials/how-to-create-a-richly-ornate-typographic-illustration/

Post Production Tutorial

2010-03-15T18:21:00.000+08:00

Original Stock

Step 1

Open up your selected photo and immediately create a new gradient map (image/adjustments/Gradient Map). Make sure the gradient map is set from black to white, then click OK.

Step 2

Duplicate the layer and then add some gaussian blur (filter/blur/gaussian blur). In the dialog box set the blur radius to 7px and press Ok. In the layers panel set the opacity of the new layer to 50% and then merge it with the background layer.

Step 3

Open up the curves dialog box (image/adjustments/curves) and set the RGB channel output and input levels to 87 and 139 respectively. Then Duplicate the layer, set the layer mode to Overlay and set the opacity to 75%. Finally merge the layers.

Step 4

Duplicate the background layer and again create another gradient map just like we did in Step 1. Set the opacity of the new layer to 75% then set the contrast of the layer to 15 (image/adjustments/brightness/contrast), and merge the 2 layers.

Step 5

Duplicate the layer and press Ctrl L to open up the levels dialog box. Inside the levels dialog box select the green channel and set the input levels to 7, 1.0 and 250. Then set the blue channels input levels to 5, 1.00 and 250 respectively and you’re done.

Final Preview

Article source: http://psdessential.com/photomanipulation/post-production-tutorial-3/

Perfect steps! try it now!

Create a Cool Music Logo on a Grunge Background

2010-03-14T18:10:00.000+08:00

Step 1

Make a new document that is 1500px wide x 1000px high. I decided to make the document extra large for ease to work with so we can see the effects really well. With the Text Tool, set your text in a font that looks similar to the image below. I used the font Blackoak STD. Kern and scale the font as you desire.

Step 2

Load the transparency of the text layer by clicking on the layer’s thumbnail while holding Command. Go to Select>Refine Edge. We want to expand the selection and keep it sharp at the same time. To do this, use the settings below. Make a Solid Color Adjustment Layer below the text layer and fill it with a dark gray.

Step 3

While holding Option/Alt, drag the gray layer in the Layer Palette down slightly until you see a thick black line below it. This will duplicate the layer below the original. Grab the Move Tool (V), then hit the down arrow once and the left arrow once. Repeat this step 25 times.
Select all the gray layers and hit Command+E to merge them. Duplicate the merged layer once. Then manually drag the new one down and to the left until it lines up correctly. Merge the two gray layers into one.

Step 4

Use the Ellipse Tool whole holding Shift to create a perfect circle. Make sure the Create Paths button is checked on the property bar. Make a Solid Color adjustment layer below the Gray layer and fill it with the same gray. Duplicate the circle layer and change the fill to white. Hit Command+T to use Free Transform. While holding Shift+Option/Alt, scale it down to about 75%. Place it where you see fit.

Step 5

Select the Line Tool. Again, make sure that Create Paths is checked on the Property Bar. Set the weight to 60px. While holding Shift, make a line that is angled 45 degrees. With the path you made selected, make a Solid Color Adjustment Layer and fill it with a burnt orange color.
Duplicate that layer and hit (Command+T) and then Right Click and select Flip Horizontal.

Step 6

Select the orange line layers and go Layer>Group Layers. With the group selected, hit the Add Layer Mask button and create a mask. Hit it another time to make a vector mask. Select the vector mask from the white circle layer. Hit Command+C to copy. Select the vector mask on the "lines" group then hit Command+V to paste. Hit Command+T and scale down the path slightly so there is a little space between the path and the edge of the gray circle.
Select the transparency of the gray lettering. Go to Select>Transform Selection. Move the selection up and to the right slightly so the distance between the "e" and the selection is the same as the white gap we just created. Select the mask of the orange lines group. Fill the selection with black to mask it out.

Step 7

Create a new Alpha Channel in the Channels Palette. Go to Filter>Render>Clouds. Hit Command+T and scale the clouds up to about 180%. Load the selection of the Channel by holding Command and clicking on its thumbnail. In the Layers Palette, create a new Solid Color adjustment layer just above the background. Make the fill 50% gray (#808080). Blur the cloud mask with a 30px Gaussian Blur.
Just above that layer, create a Gradient Adjustment Layer and set up the gradient to go from transparent from the top-left to white at the bottom-right.

Step 8

Just above the clouds layer, make a Curves adjustment layer that looks like the image below. Invert the mask so that the curve is not visible.

Step 9

Now we are going to load some grungy-looking brushes that we can paint the curve back in with. I used the spray paint texture brushes from Spoon Graphics: Free Hi-Res Spraypaint Photoshop Brushes Set Two.
Load the brushes and select the one you want. Click on the Curves Layer Mask, make sure your foreground color is white, and set the Opacity of the brush to 50%. Setup your brush with the following Shape Dynamics in the image below. The Size Jitter and the Angle Jitter are the things that you want at 100 percent.

Step 10

Now just click around a few times until you get an effect that you like.

Step 11

Finally, lets put the color into this thing. Make a Solid Color adjustment layer above the clouds, the curve, and the white gradient. Make the Fill a cyan/blue color. Set the layer’s Blending Mode to Color.

Step 12

I know we have added a lot of layers, so below is what my Layer Palette looks like for comparison.

Step 13

Select the gray lettering layer’s transparency by holding Command and clicking on its thumbnail. Go to Select>Transform Selection and scale it up 250-350%. You can also offset its position if you want to. Make a Curves adjustment layer just above the color layer and bring up the brightness a little, like the image below.

Step 14

Do the same thing with the orange line layers. On the Curve layer that you made for the orange lines, we are going to fade the edges out. While holding Option/Alt click on the layer’s mask. Grab the Gradient Tool (G). Have the Gradient go from a Black to White fade, set the mode to Multiply on the property bar, and make it a Radial Gradient. Drag from the center of the ‘X’ to the edge. This will make it fade out.

Final Image

Now place the ‘X’ where you see fit, and you’re done!

perfect post! it helps a lot, what are you waiting for? try it now!!

Article source: http://psd.tutsplus.com/designing-tutorials/create-a-cool-music-logo-on-a-grunge-background/

How to Create a Stinking Zombie Flesh-Eater in Illustrator

2010-03-14T03:25:00.000+08:00

Step 1

The first step in the process is to dig up a fresh corpse, and in this case I sketch out the zombie I intend to create. My personal preference is a black biro on paper. As I want to scan the image, a biro ensures that the lines are all dark enough to show. Also by sketching in ink, I don’t get too hung up on the image at this stage and have some fun. The great thing about Illustrator is that I can always tweak and amend as I work.
Once I’m happy with the sketch I scan him into Photoshop. Obviously any software is suitable at this stage as no manipulation is required, so the software which came with your scanner should do the job just as well. 72 dpi and grayscale are fine and will help keep the processing power of your computer from having to work unnecessarily hard. You could even use a digital camera to capture the image if you don’t have a scanner.

Step 2

Open up Illustrator and start with an A4 portrait document. I tend to work in CMYK, as alot of my work is for print, but I also find CMYK to be more intuitive when mixing colors.

Once your document is open, import the sketch into the document by going to File > Place and locate your sketch. Once your file is located, check the Template box, which will ensure your sketch is placed upon its own layer. It also gives the layer a faded opacity, which will help in the next step when you are drawing over the top of it.

Step 3

Before we begin creating our little flesh-eater, arrange the document into different layers, each one representing an element of the figure. This figure breaks down into five main groups: “Head,” “Body Front Arm,” “Back Arm,” and “Guts.” I create a new layer for each of these items, and this will help keep things organized as the illustration progresses.

Step 4

For this step, I am going to draw around the sketch of the zombie using the Pen Tool (P). At this point, I have a black stroke with no fill. This way I have the ability to see every element even if they overlap.
I begin with the head, working on the “Head” layer, and draw around each element. As I draw, I keep in mind which elements lay on top of each other, starting with the furthest away and building up until I have a line drawing of the whole head. I then repeat the process for each element until I have the whole zombie.

Step 5

Once I have the complete zombie, I select it all and change the stroke to white and give it a black fill. This will show me which elements are in the wrong order.
I see that the sockets of the eyes are sitting in front of the eyeballs. To move them back, I simply select the sockets and send back a step (Object > Arrange > Send Backward), repeating the process until everything is in the correct order.

Once I’m happy, I begin to block out the basic colors. At this point. I only need four colors: blue (skin), purple (clothes), red (gore), and dark blue (outline). I mix these colors up in the color mixer and add them to my palette, then apply them to the relevant areas.

Step 6

Now that I can see the linework, I’m going to go around the piece and tweak the line weight where I think it’s required. I like the line weight to be nice and chunky, so using the Direct Selection Tool (A), I grab the points on the outline which are then tweaked to my liking.

Also at this point, I notice that the teeth have no outline. I select the teeth using the Select Tool (V) and make a direct copy (Edit &gt ;Copy), which I then paste directly below the originals (Edit > Paste in Back). Then I recolor the new teeth, set the color to black and once again, and resize the outline using the Direct Selection Tool (A).

The left eye currently sits outside the socket, so we just need to poke that bad boy back into his hole. Using the Selection Tool (V), select both the eyeball and the socket, then with both selected navigate over to the Pathfinder window and apply Intersect Shape Areas.

This will remove all the areas outside of what eyeball is peering through the socket. For future reference, if we were to now click on the Expand button located on the Pathfinder window, this would remove all the invisible areas, leaving just the white shape of the eye behind. However, since your eyeball may not be peering in the desired direction at this point, we’ll leave it as it is.

Step 7

OK, so right now we have a straightforward little blue guy, and what we want to do is mess him up a little. You can hack into your artwork any way you please, but in this instance I’m looking at that top lip, which in my original sketch is tattered and torn.
First, I draw the shape of the ripped flesh using the Pen Tool. Once I have a shape I’m happy with, I then select the blue face shape and make a copy, which I then paste directly above (Edit > Copy, Edit > Paste in Front). I also perform the same action for the tattered flesh shape.
With both the copies selected, I once again use the Pathfinder palette and this time I apply the Subtract From Shape Area option. This punches the top shape through the bottom shape, and you are left with the tattered bottom lip. Now click on the Expand button we talked about earlier and you will be left with one shape

Step 8

Now that the face is the shape we want we can create the outline for it. Make a copy (Edit > Copy) and then paste the copy directly behind the original (Edit > Paste in Back). With the object still selected, use the Eyedropper Tool (I) to change the color to black. Now use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to resize and tweak the linework to create a nice chunky outline.

Step 9

I’m now approaching the point where I have the zombie in one piece, so before I start working on the little details I’m going to color the rest of his clothing. The colors I mix for my zombies should have that touch of grubbiness about them, so whatever colors I choose I throw in some black on top. This is where creating the document in CMYK helps, as it’s easier to mix your palette together.

Step 10

Now that I have my colors, I want to give my zombie a bit of depth and to do this I’m going to add some shading. First of all I decide which direction the light is coming from, in this case from the left. Now using the Pen Tool, I begin creating the areas where the zombie’s skin is lighter and the areas which will be darker.

Once I have created the shapes, I mix up a lighter version of the zombie flesh tone and a darker version. Next, I apply these colors to the shapes just created. With the shapes still selected, I drag their layers so the shapes sit below the face shape.
Select the layer with the face shape on top and with all three layers selected I create a new layer mask (Object > Clipping Mask > Make). The top object, in this case the face, becomes a mask with the two other shapes within it. The mask at this point will become invisible, so ensuring only the face is selected, navigate to your swatches where you can reapply the zombie skin color.

Repeat this process for each element until you have shaded the full figure.

Step 11

Now is the time to add the smaller details to the figure, like creases in the clothing and cracks in the skin. Using the Paintbrush Tool (B) and a brush I have previously created, I move around the relevant layers and start painting in the details. You can create your own brush, or use one of the brushes which come with Illustrator. I use the Pen Tool (V) with a black fill and no stroke for larger areas.

Step 12

Now that we have our zombie, we need some blood! I apply the blood the same way that I applied the shading, using the masks I have previously created. However unlike the shading, the blood applied to the figure has the opacity altered.
For this figure, I’m just adding blood stains to where he has wounds, so that means his face, arm, and chest. A lower opacity allows for the details behind these stains to show through, giving a little more depth.

Step 13

This little fellah still needs some added gruel I feel, and with a stomach wound like that, I think a pool of blood is the way to go. I create a new layer that I call “POOL” and place it below all the other layers.
Within this layer, I draw a puddle shape that I then color red. I then make a copy of the lower half of the zombie, and group (Objects > Group) the copied elements together. These grouped items are then placed into the “POOL” layer. Using the Free Transform Tool (E), I flip the group horizontally and then transform it so that it is a shorter reflection of the original zombie figure.

Once I’m happy with its size and position, I select it along with the pool shape and create a mask of the pool shape with the reflected figure within it. Now to give the reflection that crimson tint I simply draw a red shape above the reflection within the pool mask. Once again I alter the opacity to ensure you can se the zombie reflection through it.

Step 14

I want to soften the skin of the zombie, so I select all of the shaded and lit areas which I have masked off earlier in the tutorial. I than apply a gaussian blur to these areas. This gives the skin a spongier feel, as every zombie should have.

Conclusion

You now have the first member of an ever-swelling army of the undead!

nice steps to follow!

article source: http://vector.tutsplus.com/tutorials/illustration/how-to-illustrate-a-cute-emo-kid/