Have you always wanted to add special effects to your videos but found the thought of learning Adobe Premiere or After Effects a bit daunting or time-consuming? Photoshop CS6 includes a new video timeline panel that will allow you to add effects to your video clips directly in Photoshop. In this episode of our Introduction to Photoshop CS6 series we will show you how this new feature works. Let’s get started!
Photoshop layer styles are a popular way to add effects, such as drop shadows and strokes, to layers in a non-destructive way. With the right knowledge and experience, any effect can be achieved. To achieve these effects, however, you need to understand what each setting does and how they can be combined to achieve a certain look. In this series by John Shaver from Design Panoply, we will explain every aspect of Photoshop’s layer styles feature and show you how to unlock their potential.
In this article, Part 3: Photoshop Layer Styles Inner Shadow, we will explain the settings behind the Inner Shadow and how it can be used. Let’s take a look!
The traditional use for an inner shadow is to simulate 3D depth in a 2D image. This is done by creating an offset shadow within a shape to make it look like it is cut out and casting a shadow on the object beneath it.
Below you will see an example of how an inner shadow can indicate how big the light source is and where it is coming from, as well as how far away an object is from the background. By changing only the settings of the inner shadow, you can dramatically change the look of an image.
The Inner Shadow dialog box is shown below. The settings are nearly identical to the Drop Shadow dialog box, the only difference is instead of the shadow showing up behind the shape, it shows up within the shape.
The Blend Mode allows you to set the blending mode for your shadow. Typically you will want this to be Multiply or Linear Burn, so that your shadow darkens the layer that is behind it.
If you are unfamiliar with how all the different Blending Modes work, I highly recommend checking out the Blending Is Fun Basix tutorial.
This is also where you set the color of your shadow by clicking the color block next to the Blend Mode dropdown menu. By default, the shadow color will be black, but you can add a tint of color or even try something outrageous to get special effects.
In the following example, you can see that the color of the shadow on the left is black with a Blend Mode of Multiply, while the color of the shadow on the right is a dark purple color with a Blend Mode of Normal. This creates the result you see below.
The Opacity slider allows you to specify how transparent your shadow will be. A setting of 0% is completely see through while 100% is completely opaque.
In the following example, you can see that the shadow on the left adds a subtle hint of depth to the text while the shadow on the right is more visible and adds even more depth.
The Angle spinner and corresponding box allow you to change the apparent angle that the light source comes from. By turning the "Use Global Light" checkbox on, any changes you make to the angle of the Inner Shadow will also change the angle of the light sources used in other effects like Bevel and Emboss and Drop Shadow. By leaving it unchecked, you can change the light angle for the Inner Shadow independently of other effects.
The recommended setting is "checked" for most cases, because we want to have a uniform light source for the most cohesive looking effect.
In the following example, changing the angle of the light source changes the way in which the shadow falls, and since "Use Global Light" is checked, it also changed the light angle for the Drop Shadow and Bevel and Emboss effects as well.
The Distance slider changes the apparent distance between the subject and the background. The effect is achieved by altering the offset between the subject and the Inner Shadow itself.
In the following example, increasing the distance gives the effect that the text on the left is simply indented in the cardboard while the text on the right is a completely separate piece hovering above the background.
The Choke slider changes the falloff of the shadow in a linear fashion, or in other words, how gradually it fades out at the edges.
For a typical Inner Shadow, you will normally want to leave this at 0%, but for harder shadows you should increase it, and for shadows with hard edges or even inner strokes and faux highlights you can set it all the way to 100%.
Adjusting the choke is almost the same as changing the size to 0px and then altering the distance. It basically achieves the same effect in a different way.
In the following example, increasing the choke percentage to 100% changes the falloff of the shadow so that it has a hard edge.
The Size slider changes the apparent size of the light source by softening the edges of the shadow. When it is set to 0, the shadow is exactly the same size as the shape of the object. As you increase the size, the shadow grows in 1 pixel increments.
In the following example, increasing the size of the shadow gives us flexibility over controlling not only the overall size of the shadow, but the softness of it as well.
The Contour shapes allow you to change the falloff of the shadow in a non linear fashion. By choosing different curve profiles, you can get the shadow to fade out in different ways.
The only time this is really useful is when you are trying to achieve special glow or abstract effects.
In addition, the "Anti-aliased" checkbox allows you to improve the quality of the shadow with a very slight drop in performance. The performance hit is negligible, so we recommend always keeping the box checked.
In the following example, changing the Contour shape to an inverted "U" results in shadow with a tiny gap between the edge of the shape and where the shadow starts. This is typically not a desirable effect.
The Noise slider is a useful tool to give your shadow a gritty feel. If you are creating a style that is going to resemble dirt or concrete, adding some noise can help the overall effect. For a totally smooth shadow, leave it at 0%.
In the following example, setting the noise to 30% gives us just a little grit in the shadow. A good range to use is 0%-30%, as going higher than 30% can often result in a very unnatural look.
You can save and load default settings for each effect in the Layer Styles dialog box. By clicking "Make Default", Photoshop will store whatever settings are currently active as the new default settings for that effect.
By clicking "Reset to Default", Photoshop will then load whatever settings were last saved. This allows you to experiment and simply reload custom default settings if you want to start over.
Until next time, this free, exclusive layer style and accompanying .PSD will quench your letterpress thirst and allow you to experiment with your own Inner Shadow settings.
Dan LuVisi is a digital concept artist working in the film, video game and comic book industry. LuVisi has worked for some big names in the industry including: DC Comics, Hasbro, FOX, Universal, Microsoft and more. In this article we will take a look at some of his stunning art.
Photoshop layer styles are a popular way to add effects, such as drop shadows and strokes, to layers in a non-destructive way. With the right knowledge and experience, any effect can be achieved. To achieve these effects, however, you need to understand what each setting does and how they can be combined to achieve a certain look. In this series by John Shaver from Design Panoply, we will explain every aspect of Photoshop’s layer styles feature and show you how to unlock their potential.
In this article, Part 4: Photoshop Layer Styles Outer Glow, we will explain the settings behind the Outer Glow and how it can be used. Let’s take a look!
When you hear the name "Outer Glow" you automatically assume that this effect is limited to just that, an Outer Glow. The truth is that there is much more you can do with it than a simple glowing effect.
On top of creating a glowing effect, Outer Glow can also be used to create faux drop shadows as well as add outer strokes to your designs.
Below you will see an example of how an Outer Glow can not only make an object look like it is emitting light, but how it can also be used to create a shadow effect. Keep in mind that only the Outer Glow settings were changed between the two different looks.
The Outer Glow dialog box is shown below. A few new settings are displayed here that we have not seen before, like Technique, Range, and Jitter.
The Blend Mode allows you to set the blending mode for your Outer Glow. If you are looking to create a glowing affect, Linear Dodge (Add) or Screen are good modes to use, if you want to create an "outer shadow" type effect, Linear Burn or Multiply work well, and if you are trying to create an outer stroke (which we will get into in more detail below) then Normal is fine.
If you are unfamiliar with how all the different Blending Modes work, I highly recommend checking out the Blending Is Fun Basix tutorial.
In the following example, you can see that Linear Dodge (Add) will create a more extreme glowing effect while Screen will affect the Outer Glow in a slightly more subtle way.
The Opacity slider allows to to specify how transparent your Outer Glow will be. A setting of 0% is completely see through while 100% is completely opaque.
In the following example, you can see that text on the left has a subtle glowing effect while the one on the right is much more pronounced.
The Noise slider is the same within Outer Glow as in Drop Shadow and Inner Shadow. Increasing the Noise slider will add a bit of noise to your Outer Glow, allowing you to create a type of "glowing dust" effect.
In the following example, increasing the amount of Noise takes us from a smooth Outer Glow to a "glowing particle" effect.
When the corresponding radio button is selected, the Color block allows us to change the color of the Outer Glow, while the same goes for the Gradient radio button. With Gradient selected, you are not limited to a single color, which can help you create very intricate and abstract glowing effects.
In the following example, setting a single color will give a predictable Outer Glow, while experimenting with different gradients can help us achieve more unique effects, like the slight rainbow glow you might see in soap bubbles.
The Technique dropdown box gives us two different options for rendering our Outer Glow, Softer and Precise. Softer gives us an Outer Glow that is more organic and natural looking, while Precise fits the shape of the glow tighter to the original shape of the layer.
In the following example, you can see the difference between the more organic looking Softer setting, and the Precise technique on the right.
The Spread slider changes the falloff of the Outer Glow in a linear fashion, or in other words, how gradually it fades out at the edges.
For a typical Outer Glow, you will normally want to leave this at 0%, but for more intense glows you should increase it, and for outer strokes with hard edges you can set it all the way to 100%.
In the following example, increasing the spread percentage from 0% to 50% gives the Outer Glow and harder edge.
The Size slider is pretty self explanatory. It allows you to increase the size of the Outer Glow in 1px increments. The higher the Size value is, the bigger the Outer Glow becomes.
In the following example, since the Size of the glow on the left is 2px, it gives us a more contained glowing effect. Increasing the glow Size to 9px makes the text seem more radioactive.
The Contour shapes allow you to change the falloff of the Outer Glow in a non linear fashion. By choosing different curve profiles, you can get the glow to fade out in different ways.
This is really useful is when you are trying to achieve special glow or abstract effects.
In addition, the "Anti-aliased" checkbox allows you to improve the quality of the shadow with a very slight drop in performance. The performance hit is negligible, so we recommend always keeping the box checked.
In the following example, changing the Contour to a "sine wave" shape results in an Outer Glow with more character, which allows us to add special effects to our images.
Adjusting the Range is similar to changing the Spread. It allows you to control the falloff of your Outer Glow in almost the same way.
A lower setting gives us a harder glow while a higher setting gives us a softer one.
In the following example you can see how changing the Range affects the softness of the Outer Glow.
While Range is similar to Spread, Jitter is similar to Noise. Noise creates transparency of adjacent pixels using a Normal blend mode, while Jitter adds noise by adjusting the and lightness of adjacent pixels in a way that is similar to Overlay.
It is a easier to see the difference in action.
In the following example, the effect on the left is achieved using the Noise slider, while the one on the right uses the Jitter slider. If you don’t see a difference, don’t worry. The difference is very subtle most of the time, often so much so that it doesn’t matter which you use.
You can save and load default settings for each effect in the Layer Styles dialog box. By clicking "Make Default", Photoshop will store whatever settings are currently active as the new default settings for that effect.
By clicking "Reset to Default", Photoshop will then load whatever settings were last saved. This allows you to experiment and simply reload custom default settings if you want to start over.
Until next time, this free, exclusive layer style and accompanying .PSD will keep the flame of love for layer styles burning bright and help you get better acquainted with Outer Glow.
In this tutorial we will explain how to create a car steering wheel and dashboard in Photoshop using vector shapes, layer styles, and a bit of painting. Let’s get started!
The following asset was used during the production of this tutorial.
Start by drawing new file with size 850 px × 840 px. Hit Command/Ctrl + R to reveal ruler. Click vertical ruler and drag onto canvas area to make a new vertical guide. Repeat same process to horizontal ruler to draw a horizontal guide. Boundary made from these guides will help us in drawing the steering wheel shape.
Start by activating Ellipse tool. Shift-drag to draw a perfect circle shape. Set its color to #797979.
Duplicate the path b selecting it and then hit Command/Ctrl + C, Command/Ctrl + V. Resize to smaller shape and set its mode to Subtract. In this step, we are going to get a ring shape.
Use Pen tool to draw inner part of the steering wheel. Set its path mode to Add to Shape area.
Apply basic lighting using Layer Style Inner Shadow and Inner Glow.
Grab a skin texture from WeGraphic (skin_6.jpg). Place it on top of the steering wheel.
We want to make sure that there are no stitches inside the steering wheel. Activate Patch tool, select stitches and drag it to clean area.
Repeat this to remaining part of the stitches.
Click Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. Reduce Saturation to -100 and Lightness to -47 to make the texture a lot darker.
Change Blend Mode layer to Multiply.
Alt-drag vector mask from wheel shape to the texture layer. At this point, the texture goes inside the texture.
Tone down its Opacity to 50%.
Duplicate the skin texture (Command/Ctrl + J). Set its Blend mode to Multiply and reduce its Opacity to 30%. Alt-click Add New Layer Mask icon. Paint some part of the mask with white to reveal more texture on the steering wheel.
Below, you can see layer mask I made.
Here’s the difference before and after adding more texture.
Make new layer and alt-drag steering wheel vector mask. From now on, everything we place or draw inside this group layer will stay inside the steering wheel.
Command/Ctrl-click ring shape from the steering wheel. Click Select> Modify > Contract, use 15 pixels.
Make new layer and fill selection with white. Deselect (Command/Ctrl + D). Soften the highlight by applying gilter Gaussian Blur, Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.
Reduce its Opacity to 10%.
Command/Ctrl-click center of the steering wheel to make new selection based on its shape. Select > Modify > Contract by 20 pixels.
Make new layer and then fill the selection with white. Deselect (Ctr + D).
Soften the highlight by applying Gaussian Blur. Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.
Once again, select ring shape on the steering wheel. Click Select > Modify > Contract to reduce the selection size by 25 pixels. Activate one of the selection tool and hit up and left arrow a few times to move it. Make new layer and fill the selection with white.
Soften it using Gaussian Blur.
Tone down its Opacity to 20%. Add layer mask and then paint some of the highlight to hide it. We want to make it as natural as possible.
Repeat previous steps, but this time use black to add highlights.
Let’s add stronger highlight on the steering wheel. Activate Brush tool, right click on canvas to open brush setting. Select soft brush (Hardness: 0%).
Make a new layer. Activate Pen tool and draw a curve. Right click and choose Stroke Path. In the next dialog box, select Tool: Brush. Make sure to select Simulate Pressure.
Below is the result we have. You can get same result by using a Wacom pen and with Pressure setting activated. I also use Wacom, but I always prefer to use this technique –pen and brush tool– because the result is more accurate.
Apply Gaussian Blur if you feel that the highlight is too harsh. Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.
Repeat previous step, but this time use smaller brush size to add stronger highlight.
Make new layer again. It’s a good habit to put each brush stroke in a separate layer. This way, you can easily edit it if you don’t like the result. Paint subtle shadow on lower right corner.
Make new layer. Paint white on center of the steering wheel. Don’t worry if the result is seems harsh.
Soften the highlight by applying a very big Gaussuan Blur filter.
Reduce its layer Opacity to 32%.
Command/Ctrl-click sttering wheel shape to make a new selection based on its shape. Activate selection tool and hit Down Arrow a few times to move it down.
Invert selection (Command/Ctrl + Shift + I).
Command/Ctrl + Shift + Alt-click the steering wheel shape to intersect active selection with its shape. At this point, we will have have selected upper of the steering wheel.
Make new layer. Fill selection with white.
Deselect (Command/Ctrl + D). Soften highlight using Gaussian Blur.
Tone down highlight Opacity to 50%. Erase highlight outside the steering wheel.
Paint more highlight on center of the steering wheel using previous technique. Add Layer Mask onto its layer.
Draw a path selecting upper part of the steering wheel center.
Command/Ctrl-click path to convert it to selection. hit Command/Ctrl + Shift + I to invert selection. Activate Brush tool and reduce its Opacity to 30%. Paint selected mask with black.
Reduce highlight layer Opacity to 20%. If you think the highlight is too harsh, deselect (Command/Ctrl + D) and then apply Gaussian Blur.
In case you deselect, click Select > Reselect to bring back previous selection. Paint shadow on areas indicated below.
Reduce layer’s Opacity to 35%.
Let’s draw stronger highlight on top of the steering wheel. Draw path, make new layer, right click and select Stroke Path. Select Tool: Brush and make sure to activate Simulate Pressure. Reduce its Opacity if needed.
Make a new layer and draw another highlight shadow on other part of the steering wheel.
To draw a realistic object, we need to add imperfection in it. In real life, there is no perfect lighting, perfect texture, perfect shape, or perfect color. First, let’s add some wrinkles onto the steering wheel.
Make new layer and activate Brush tool. Select small brush size, 1 px or 2 px. Paint a random black lines on corner of the steering wheel. For now, no need to worry about its result. Duplicate the layer (Command/Ctrl + J). Activate move tool and hit up and left arrow twice to move it up and right 2 px. Invert its color to white by pressing Command/Ctrl + I. Reduce Opacity of both layers.
Repeat previous steps to draw more wrinkles on other corner of the steering wheel.
Repeat same step but this on upper of the steering wheel. Make new layer and paint random lines on upper of the steering wheel. Duplicate the layer, move it 2 px up, invert its color, then reduce Opacity of both layers.
Make new layer. Use Brush tool to draw a line on one part of the steering wheel. Draw a black line.
Make new layer. Draw a white line, next to the previous black line. Reduce Opacity of both lines.
Draw subtle highlight and shadow using soft bigger Brush tool. make sure to add another imperfection by paint some random lines next to it.
Here’s the result viewed at 100%.
Let’s add another imperfection, this time stitches curling out on some part of the steering wheel.
Make sure Brush tool is active and open Brush panels (F5). Click and drag inside the brush appearance to turn it into an ellipse. Increase its Spacing to about 400%.
Make new layer and draw a black line as seen below.
Duplicate the line layer using Command/Ctrl + J. Invert its color to white (Command/Ctrl + I). Activate Move tool and hit Up and Right arrow twice to move the new layer 2 px up and right. Reduce black line layer Opacity to 50% and white line to 20%.
Make new layer and paint dark shadow near the stitches.
Repeat same step to draw other stitches on other side of the steering wheel..
Duplicate steering wheel shape and change its color to #aea7a1. Add another path to place some buttons and set its mode to Intersect. Make sure to place it behind shadows and highlights group we have worked on earlier.
Command/Ctrl-click shape. Make new layer. Paint needed shadows and highlights.
Make new layer and place it behind the shape. Fill selection with black.
Soften it using Gaussian Blue. Erase the shadow outside the steering wheel.
Paint another subtle highlight next to the shadow. Use soft brush with size 1 px.
Draw another vector shape with color #434343 inside previous shape. Add Layer STyle Bevel and Emboss.
Below is the result shown at 100%.
Command/Ctrl-click shape we have just made. Expand the selection 1 px by clicking on Select > Modify > Expand. Make new layer and place it behind the shape. Fill selection with black.
Apply Gaussian Blur to soften it.
Activate Brush tool and paint small highlights on top right of the shape.
Draw this shape, made from an ellipse and then transformed. Add Layer Styles Bevel and Gradient Overlay and reduce its Fill to 0%.
Draw another button and apply same Layer Styles.
Use Type tool to add label on top of the button. You can always apply transformation (Command/Ctrl + T) to make sure the text match with the button perspective.
Add another button on other side. You can see clearly that I’m too lazy to use different label. So, be creative!
Add text or logo on center of the steering wheel. You can use your own car logo, if you want to. Here, I’m using a combination of character in different font style. Apply Layer Style Bevel and Emboss and set its Fill to 0%.
Command/Ctrl-click logo and click Select > Modify> Expand. Make new layer and fill selection with any color. Apply Layer Style Inner Shadow and Gradient Overlay. Reduce its Fill to 0%.
Add more logos if you think its needed.
So far, here’s our result.
Draw an ellipse shape with color: #181817 behind the steering wheel. Hit Command/Ctrl + T and then rotate it. Hit Enter once you are satisfied with the transformation result. Apply Layer Style Bevel and Emboss and Gradient Overlay.
Add new layer and convert it to Clipping Mask. This way, everything we paint here will goes inside the shape. paint some shadows behind the main steering wheel shape. On its opposite side, paint some highlights.
Make a new layer and then draw a white curve. Duplicate the layer (Command/Ctrl + J). Activate Move tool and hit Up Arrow twice to move it up 2 px. Reduce Opacity of both lines, black to 50% and white to 20%.
Duplicate the lines and place them a few pixels above.
Make new layer and paint subtle highlights on center of the button.
Duplicate the button and place it on its opposite side. We don’t want both buttons to be 100% identical. So, I sugest you to manually draw different highlights and shadows. As you can see below, the left button is a lot brighter than the right one.
Draw shape shown below on left side of the steering wheel with color #434346. Add Layer Style Gradient Overlay.
Paint big and subtle highlight on center of the shape and sharp highlight on upper of the shape.
Paint shadow right behind the previous buttons.
So far, here’s our result.
Draw a rounded rectangle behind the steering wheel with color #2d2c31. Make new layer and convert it to Clipping Mask. Paint upper shape with black.
Draw smaller rounded rectangle shape at same position. Repeat previous step, paint its top with black.
Draw a red shape behind the steering wheel. Add Layer Style Inner Shadow and Gradient Overlay.
Manually, draw another shape above the previous shape with dark grey color. Apply Layer Style Inner Glow and Gradient Overlay.
Paint highlight on indicated area below.
Command/Ctrl-click the steering wheel shape. Make sure selection tool is active and hit Down Arrow a few times. Fill selection with black.
Click Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur to soften the shadow.
Add Layer Mask and paint upper shadow with black to hide it.
Reduce its Opacity to 20%.
Paint lower area with black to everything there.
Draw shape shown below with color #242524. Make new layer and convert it to Clipping Mask (Command/Ctrl + Alt + G). Paint upper shape with black.
Repeat previous step. Draw another shape above the previous shape and paint its upper area with black. Make new layer and then paint intersection between the two shapes with black.
Draw upper dashboard with gray as its color. Add Layer Style Gradient Overlay.
Make new layer and convert it to Clipping Mask (Command/Ctrl + Alt + G). Paint shadow and highlight on the shape.
So far, this is our dashboard. Next, we are going to draw the middle dashboard. To help us doing this, let’s hide the steering wheel.
Dtart by drawing shape shown below, use #eeebdc as its color. Make new layer. Hit Command/Ctrl + Alt + G to convert it to Clipping Mask. Paint its edges with black. You can reduce its Opacity if you think the shadow is too harsh.
Below, is the result when the steering wheel is revealed.
Draw a rounded rectangle and modify some of its points until we have following shape. Add Layer Style Inner Shadow. This is going to be the air ventilation hole.
Below is the result when the steering wheel is revealed.
Use pen tool to Draw these shapes on top of the air ventilation. Make sure to draw some shadows behind it. You may notice that shapes I made goes outside the hole. It doesn’t matter because the steering wheel will keep it hidden.
Add another rounded rectangle shape for its handle. Paint more shadow and draw some shapes inside the hole.
Add white stroke surrounding the air ventilation hole. Apply Gaussian Blur to soften it.
Here’s the result with steering wheel revealed.
We’re almost done. Let’s reveal the steering wheel back.
The middle dashboard seems too light. We need add more shadows there. Command/Ctrl-click the steering wheel shape. Move selection down a few pixels.
Make new layer behind the steering wheel. Fill selection with black and soften it using Gaussian Blur filter.
Draw shape shown below. Add Layer Style gradient Overlay and Inner Glow.
Repeat previous step, draw similar shape but this time smaller with lighter color. Add same Layer Styles.
Add one more shape.
Paint some highlight on indicated areas below. We’ve seen it done on Step 22.
Draw a white circle shape. Paint subtle highlight surrounding the circle.
Command/Ctrl-click the circle shape. Click Select > Modify > Contract, Select > Modify > Border. Make new layer and fill the selection with white. Add Layer Style Gradient Overlay.
Draw gray circle inside the previous shape. Apply Layer Style Inner Glow and Gradient Overlay.
Draw a ring shape with color #e1e2e1. Subtract its lower part with a polygon shape. Make a new layer. Convert it to Clipping Mask (Command/Ctrl + Alt + G) and paint its right end with yellow and black.
Draw a circle shape and apply following Layer Styles.
Draw a tall line shape on center of the speedometer.Make sure the line path is selected, hit Command/Ctrl + Alt + T to duplicate and transform the path. Rotate it 15°. hit Command/Ctrl + Shift + Alt + T a few times until we have a full set of line in 360°.
Add a circle shape on its center. Set its mode to Subtract.
Add some numbers on each line.
Add an ellipse shape and rotate it. Place it on top of the circle. Don’t forget to paint some shadows behind it..
Duplicate the dpeedometer. Change its number to convert it into an rpm meter.
Draw an arrow on each direction for turning signal.
Make new layer and place it on top of the speedometer. Use soft and big Brush tool to paint some shadows.
So, here is our final result. I hope you enjoyed the tutorial. Thank you for reading.
In this tutorial we will explain how to create a fantasy landscape using digital painting techniques. Let’s get started!
The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial.
Editor’s note: The brush sets linked below are not necessarily the brushes that were used in this tutorial. The brushes below were recommended by the author. Please feel free to use brushes from your own collections.
Usually I’m not much of a sketcher, so coloring is usually my first step, but when I’m painting something more detailed, I like to think about what I am doing. It is important not to get attached to the sketch, most of the times the final piece is different from the initial sketch, use the sketch to help you with the overall composition. If you feel more comfortable using a pencil and paper, draw it by hand and scan it into your computer.
Ok, so after you have an idea of what you want to paint it’s time to select you color palette, this is not an easy task. What I do is select the base color depending on what I am painting, and start mixing colors you think would fit your purpose. Since I’m painting a lot of rocks and grass, my base colors are grey and green. In this step it’s important if you start thinking about the light. As you can see in the picture below, the light is coming from the right side, so I just started to paint with lighter colors on the spots facing that direction. One thing that could help you with the light and color selection is the sky, when you have the base color for the sky that can make you work much easier, so I just added a sky to help me to create more realistic colors, lightning and mood.
So as you can see, now I have a rough painting and I can now start to add details. The next thing to do is quite simple, take your lasso tool and start defining the mountains so you can have more accurate results when painting them.
After that just cover all the selected area with a base color, in my case I just used grey. When I want a more detailed piece, I use clipping masks, because I can easily control my painting area. It’s quite simple to do it, just create a new layer above the one that you want to detail, and then go to Layer > Create Clipping Mask (or just press Alt + Command/Ctrl + G) now, everything you paint on this layer will only be visible on the area of the layer from below. On this new layer, start by defining the light and shadows; try to make it simple so you have a better overview on your light.
When working on the mountains, keep in mind that the veining on the mountains is actually quite easy to achieve. Use a small round brush, set to color dodge with blood red, and then start to paint, as you experienced before using color dodge, every time you repeat a brush stroke on the makes the color brighter.
So, now it’s time to start the detailing process. To help me with that task I have some nice brushes that I have collected over the years. I have included some brush sets in the Tutorial Assets section of this tutorial. Feel free to give those brushes a try. The biggest piece of advice that I can offer is to get to know the brushes that you use. Then you will know which brushes are best for your situation. Once you know the capabilities of the brushes you are using for the project, you can start to add in some details. Occasionally, I will use a texture brush when I paint but for the most part, I use simple brushes like the one below to paint in details.
The clouds can be a bit tricky, and again, depends on the level of detail you want, in this case I used a simple cloud brush to get the main shape.
To detail the clouds I used the smudge tool, it gives you good control over the details on that kind of material. Select the smudge tool, with a the same brush used before around 5-6px large, and check the finger painting box, this mean that if you use the smudge tool on the canvas you can paint a small stroke before you actually start to smudge. However there is a nice shortcut for this feature that I prefer, if you use the smudge tool when pressing "Alt" it will do the same thing, but now you don’t need to check or uncheck that option when you need it.
So, on your selected color select a lighter and a darker tone of your base cloud color, and then switch between them to paint highlights and shadows on your clouds. This is how I do it when I want a more detailed painting, there are plenty of ways to do it, just try it and develop your own way.
In this particular painting, at this point I started to paint objects that could bring a purpose or a theme to my piece. By this I mean a story, something you can tell the viewer, which makes the painting more exiting. I had an idea in my sketch, but sometimes the initial idea isn’t my final result. I already had a theme before I started the painting and that can make your job a lot easier. You can see 3 points of interest in my painting, the wolf head shaped mountain, the statue, and the most important one the temple on the top of the mountain, and that is my focal point.
This process is quite simple you just need to find a stock photo that suits your purpose. I used 3 textures in this piece, one on the center mountain, one on the grass on the ground, and the last one on the dirt path.
The first step is to understand your environment, what you want to detail, this is not meant to do all the work for you but instead give a more detailed and realistic look for your piece.
So all three photos need to be different, and there are websites dedicated to texture photos, most of the time I use cgtextures.com but there are many more out there on the web.
So I used a stock texture of rock, grass and dirt to make the mountain middle ground and path, respectively. Now I’m going to explain how I applied the textures, so take them and place them over the layer you want to "texturize," you can use the same process I used before and create a clipping mask and make your job easier. Select your texture layer and change the blending mode to overlay, after that you just need to adjust the opacity and finally paint over or erase some areas that could be bothering you.
Now that most of your back and middle ground are done, you need to focus on your foreground. You just need to apply what you have learned before, paint some rocks, and give them the correct light and texture. What I want to tell you about this art is how to do your vegetation.
There are amazing vegetation brushes on the web that you can use. I used the one shown below to paint the grass, but there are a lot of brushes that can help you.
I use this brush a lot because it feels great and genuine, but having a good brush won’t do your work, you need to make it look real. Again, try it, learn how it works and it will be much easier to work with.
Now that you feel comfortable using your brush, create a new layer and start painting with it, with a dark color, I used dark green. Create another layer and above the current one and make it a clipping mask layer, just like you did on the mountains, so you can have a perfect control of the grass edges. So it’s time to give some highlights to the grass, pick a small round brush 4-5px and make it color dodge. I use color dodge a lot when I’m adding highlights, what it does is that every stroke you give make the color brighter. So paint the edges of the grass until you are happy with the result.
It’s been a busy month over at GraphicRiver. Our team has deep in the code analysing, organizing and expanding our Marketplaces. GraphicRiver in particular received a whole lot of attention with some seven new an improved categories. Since plenty of our PSDTuts+ users sell products on GraphicRiver, we thought it would be nice to introduce you what has changed and any new opportunities to sell your amazing work on the Marketplace.
Photoshop is very popular on Graphic River and it’s time we brought some order and organization to the category. So we added a section for a ton of Photoshop text-effects and style collections. Here’s some of the work that’s out there:
Great retro text effects. These effects give your website, logo, banner and advertisement a unique, vintage look!
The Best Styles for 80’s Magnificent Text Effects. Works great for texts and icons!
PSD files with the styles applied on text for easy use or copy and paste the styles. All one click styles!!!
Now we have even more selection with our new Actions category which currently includes photo, text-effects and utilities. Let’s take a look!
Works with all type of photos to add a little soft vintage look.
Stitched Leather Generator is a Photoshop Action for Styling texts, Vector Shapes and Raster Shapes.
Proven to work with any kind of photo and give you the best results!
This pack contains 30 Actions and bonus metal text effects and brushes.
An amazing add-on to boost up your photography or design experience. Within two quick steps it gives your photos a great professional look.
Present Your project in 5 perfect angles. This Universal Closeup Mockup will help You with present Your work in perfect closeup view.
The great thing about Photoshop is it allows us create the impossible, but sometimes it can be a struggle; imagine trying to create this image without enlisting the help from a 3D application. In this Tuts+ Premium tutorial, author Mark Mayers will show you how produce a 3D render and use it as the basis to create a flying pig. This tutorial is available exclusively to Tuts+ Premium Members. If you are looking to take your photo manipulation skills to the next level then Log in or Join Now to get started!
Tuts+ Premium Members can login now for instant access to this tutorial. Membership to Tuts+ Premium gets you access to hundreds of exclusive premium tutorials, top selling ebooks, in-depth courses, member forums, and much more. To learn more about Tuts+ Premium, Take the Tour or Join Today.
Each month, we bring together a selection of the best tutorials and articles from across the whole Tuts+ network. Whether you’d like to read the top posts from your favourite site, or would like to start learning something completely new, this is the best place to start!
In this tutorial we will explain how to create a metallic copper text effect using layer styles in Photoshop. Let’s get started!
Leica is considered one of the most prestigious camera brands. In this tutorial, we will draw one of the most notable Leica cameras in Photoshop, the Leica M1. Let’s get started!
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, then we’ve got a mouth-watering tutorial for you. In this Tuts+ Premium tutorial, author Mark Mayers will show you how Photoshop CS6 Extended’s new 3D tools can be utilized to create a typographic illustration that includes lots of sugary treats. This tutorial is available exclusively to Tuts+ Premium Members.
For eight months, I had the opportunity to intern with the YUI Team at Yahoo, while I was completing my engineering degree. Today, I’d like to share the top ten things that I learned from my experience with YUI.
Well, it happened; Panic finally released the long-awaited version two of their popular code editor, Coda. But does it live up to the hype? Well, that depends on what type of coder you are. Read the full review after the jump!
If you’re in software development, new techniques, languages and concepts pop up all of the time. We all feel those nagging doubts every now and then: “can I keep up with the changes and stay competitive?” Take a moment, and sum a line from my favourite movie, Casablanca: “The fundamental things apply, as time goes by.”
In today’s tutorial I’m going to collaborate with a great friend of mine, Ashley Benson and show you how to create a Victorian styled Silhouette. She’s been great to give me this wonderful sketch specifically for our vintage vector art tutorial, so feel free to download it as part of your Tuts+ Premium membership to practice on. Learn basic techniques on creating a detailed, framed silhouette inspired by Victorian vintage postcard designs using scatter brushes, patterns and more. Using these techniques you can create your own vintage illustrations.
With the vector software Corel Draw you are able to draw everything you can imagine. However, if you are using it to create illustrations for the microstock agencies – there are some issues that you must take into consideration. The problem comes with the industry requirement to provide an EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) file, which is mandatory for almost all agencies. See, EPS is Adobe standard and Corel developers don’t like Adobe standards very much…
Audiences identify with effective logos and well composed brand identities. Learn how to craft creative logo designs with impact. In this Creative Session, we have a compilation of inspiring logo design and branding material.
This is going to seem like a no-brainer to many of you, but I see it happening so often I figured it was worth bringing up. We’ll call this issue improperly nested corners; a small detail which can ruin an otherwise brilliant design!
During this tutorial I’m going to be introducing you to HTML5 audio and showing you how you can create your own player.
In this article we’ll discuss how we can use design to implement the principles laid out by AIDA (the marketing acronym, not the Italian opera) and help create sales-orientated web pages.
We have another Photo Premium tutorial exclusively available to Premium members today. In this tutorial, try going out on a shoot with only one lens to limit us and force us to think creatively. Luckily, we’ll be guided by professional photographer Simon Plant. Learn more after the jump!
Pictures of a big moon over a landscape are many times the result of a double exposure. Even when the moon comes closer to Earth, as it did recently, it is too small to fill the frame with normal gear. Still, there are ways to get around the thousands of miles that separate us and our big nightlight.
Telling visual stories is the work and craft of the photojournalist. I remember it from the first hard news story I covered, back in 1980: a bank robbery that completely defined my future.
Today we’re kicking off an awesome new tutorial series by Sasa Posloncec where you’ll learn how to model the ridiculously huge Caterpillar 797B mining dump truck. Spanning three parts this series will give you an in-depth look at what it takes to create a fully realized vehicle model in 3D Studio Max using blueprints and photo reference. As Sasa walks you through the creation of each part, you’ll learn how to work with Max’s Edit Poly modifier, spline tools and much more!
So Image Based Lighting…. What is it, and how can you use it to your advantage? Get the answers in this tutorial from James Whiffin where you’ll not only learn about implementing IBL into your projects, but how to setup and shoot your very own high dynamic range images, a topic rarely seen in tutorials.
In this tutorial we will be modeling an interior scene from a reference photo. It is written for the complete beginner, you’ll learn how to setup a background image and how to match the camera to it, as we follow a very simple workflow for building up the scene with a variety of basic modeling techniques that will give you a very good basis on how to approach any kind of modeling.
In this tutorial, I will be sharing with you how to achieve 2D facial motion capture in After Effects. The technique involves acquiring motion data from dots on a face, and using that motion data to manipulate the position of puppet pins on an image that you want to animate. It’s a very useful way of quickly creating detailed animations, and characterizing inanimate objects, like the rock face in the intro. It’s also possible to do face replacement.
In today’s tutorial I’ll be showing how to take DSLR footage and give it the popular “Muted” color grade. After we cover the color grading, I’m gonna show you how to create a film burn effect from scratch using “Fractal Noise.”
In this tutorial we will learn how to create an advanced and well composited Jumper Punch by using a matte, some displacement, and smoke to add style to the final effect. Throughout the tutorial, we will be using basic expressions. We’ll learn to position the jumps in time and space and give the illusion of a jumper disappearing and reappearing with a trajectory. Let’s “Jump” in… :)
In the final installment of the series, we are going to look at the final effects on the signal chain (Master EQ, Master Reverb, Master Limiter), and discuss the various final print options.
Today I will show you my new gadget, and teach you how to make it. A snare roll is an important part of a song. It can be used in many situations: as a creative element of a song or introducing something important like a breakdown. My new toy will reduce the time it takes to create one.
Sooner or later, even the most inspired and prolific songwriter will stumble into that dreadful and frightening abyss known as writer’s block. To call it frightening is truly not an overstatement when one is attempting to land a writing deal, keep a publisher happy, or best-case scenario, keep the already lucrative royalties flowing. The voice of defeat stirs in every songwriter at some point, first as a murmur and then as a blood-curdling scream.
We’ve reached the final article of the series. In the last post, we took a look at introducing validation, sanitization, and a couple of basic input elements that we can take advantage of when building option pages.
As many stated before me: “A good WordPress citizen only loads their files where they’re needed”. This principle applies both to front-end and back-end (admin). There’s no justification for loading CSS and JS files on every admin page when you only need them on one single page you created. Thankfully doing things the right way is only one function call away.
Ever wrote a “post series” on your blog? If you did, you probably needed to add the links of the other parts of the series into the latest post you wrote. Each time you finished a new part, you had to update the link list of the other parts. There has to be an easier way, right?
Theme customization is a great way to stand out in the App Store, but it isn’t always easy to achieve. This tutorial will teach you several basic UIKit customization tricks that will help distinguish your applications and create more memorable user experiences.
Unity3D is a powerful cross-platform 3D engine and a user-friendly development environment. Learn how Unity3D can help you create games in this article!
Network traffic analysis can be a vital part of the software debugging and testing process. This tutorial will teach you how to monitor all incoming and outgoing traffic on an Android device in order to better debug your applications!
Naming your layers is the the first step if you want to take advantage of some of the new layer search features in Photoshop CS6. In the past, naming your layers meant double clicking on each layer individually. In Photoshop CS6, however you can quickly tab through your layers just like you would if you were filling out a form online. In this episode of our Introduction to Photoshop CS6 series we will quickly show you how this new feature works. Let’s get started!
Do you ever feel unsure about pricing your services as a freelance designer? We’re running a fantastic series of articles on our FreelanceSwitch newsletter, focused on how you can effectively and easily price your services. It’s relevant to graphic designers, digital illustrators, Photoshop specialists, and any freelance professional interested in improving their bottom line. Read on to find out how to subscribe!
We’ll show you how to improve your freelance income by looking at topics such as: hourly vs. fixed rates, assessing the competition, negotiation, and understanding the value of your work. Throughout the series, we’ll also be including some exclusive offers and discounts!
Here’s a quick overview of what this comprehensive series of articles will cover:
For every type of project you work on regularly, you need to have a clear idea of your price — but also how low you’re willing to go in terms of that price. We all like to think that we’re firm on price. The truth of the matter is that there are always situations when we’ll consider taking a lower rate.
In this first part of the series, we’ll look at what you need to consider when setting your minimum price. And how to stick to it!
Read this exclusive preview of the first article in the series.
It just takes a second to sign up — enter your email address below, and you’ll receive the first issue of the series direct to your inbox. It’ll then arrive as a convenient weekly issue!
N.B. If you decide you don’t want to receive updates at any point, we make it really easy to unsubscribe.
In this article we will feature the character, concept, and game art of Paul Hyun Woo Kwon, a talented concept artist and digital painter who has produced work that features many popular characters from StarCraft, Diablo, and more. Let’s take a look!
Most of us probably grew up with fairytales of one type or another. When we grow up however, we start to notice the hidden messages, and sometimes, not so nice messages in the stories. In this Tuts+ Premium tutorial, author Mario Sanchez Nevado will re-interpret the popular tale of the frog and the prince with a fun and ironic twist. In the process, he’ll explore some of the new tools available in Photoshop CS6. This tutorial is available exclusively to Tuts+ Premium Members. If you are looking to take your photo manipulation skills to the next level then Log in or Join Now to get started!
Tuts+ Premium Members can login now for instant access to this tutorial. Membership to Tuts+ Premium gets you access to hundreds of exclusive premium tutorials, top selling ebooks, in-depth courses, member forums, and much more. To learn more about Tuts+ Premium, Take the Tour or Join Today.
In this quick tip tutorial we will explain how to create a cookie text effect using layer styles and textures in Photoshop. Let’s get started!
The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial.
First make a new PSD document 1000 x 400 pixels resolution 72 Dpi. Now open the free texture Wooden Table and copy and paste it into your new PSD document. Command/Ctrl + T (transform) the texture and resize it until you are happy with it.
Then we are going to make the texture for the Cookie style. Open the Chocolate Cookie Texture in Photoshop. Go to Image > Image Size… and fill in the setting like below. Now go to Edit > Define Pattern… name it Cookie Texture and press ok. Exit this document and go back to your document from step 1.
Now make your text with a font of your own choice and write your text. I wrote Cookie with Arial Black 220 pt.
Now we are going to apply some layer styles! Use the settings as shown below. We start with the texture for the cookie – Double Click on the text layer to open Layer Styles – Select Pattern Overlay – Click on the Pattern Box and choose the cookie Texture we made in step 2.
Now select Bevel and Emboss for the cookie style for a 3D look.
Next select Inner Shadow to give some more realism to the emboss.
Next select Drop Shadow to make it more real on the background
Now select Outer Glow to give it dark edges
Then select Inner Glow to make the cookie brighter
Next select Texture under the Bevel and Emboss to make the cookie more real and give it a grungy look.
Now we are going to draw around the text to make it look more like a cookie. Select the text layer, Right click on the layer and choose Rasterize Layer, Choose the Brush Tool with size of 13 and a Hardness of 100%, Now draw around the text with the Brush tool until you’re happy with it (like below).
Now we are going to make some extra chocolate. Make a New Layer by going to > Layer > New > Layer. Double click on the layer and use the Layer Styles as shown below.
Now draw some chocolate on the cookie with the brush tool – hardness 100%
Now your Chocolate Cookie Style is done!
In this quick tip tutorial we will show you how to create a cartoon, gold, text effect using layer styles in Photoshop. Let’s get started!
The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial.
First create a new .PSD document, 600 x 400 pixels in RGB mode, 72 DPI with WHITE background color. Now prepare your assets. Install the HVD Comic Serif font into your computer and open .PAT files.
Go to Menu > Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options and use the settings below. You can also access Blending Options with two faster ways. The fastest way is to double click on the layer in your layers menu. Other way is to right click on the layer in your layers menu and choose Blending Options. When you are done with all the settings below, don’t forget to hit "OK" in the Blending Options window.
Next step in Blending Options is to use pattern overlay as seen in the images below. After you use the "whirl" pattern, you will see it is not centered with the background. Grab the pattern in your picture with your mouse while you are still in Pattern overlay blending options and move it to centre.
Now we can start making our text effect. First choose a type tool and change font to HVD Comic Serif, size around 150 pt and anti-aliasing Sharp. Now type your text somewhere in the center of the image. You can write any word, but in this tutorial I’ll use "Lucky". Now it is time warp your text with Arc Style.
This text layer will be at the bottom of all text layers so we only need to put some shadow with Blending Options. Go to Menu > Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options and use the settings below on our text.
Now duplicate our text layer. Select new text layer. Select the text layer in layer menu and go to Menu > Layer > Duplicate layer and name it as you wish. Now go to Menu > Layer > Layer Style > Clear Layer Style as we will make different style for this layer. Finally, go to Menu > Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options and use the settings below on our text. You can also use the quicker methods to access Blending Options from "Step 2" of this tutorial. When you are done with all the settings below, don’t forget to hit "OK" in the Blending Options window! This text layer will make most of the effects and must be on top of the first text layer.
If you are happy with the effect, you can stop right here but I’ll go a bit further and make it look a bit more gold with some highlights and background decorations.
We are almost there. Now we need to duplicate our 2nd text layer. Select the text layer in layer menu and go to Menu > Layer > Duplicate layer and name it as you wish. Now go to Menu > Layer > Layer Style > Clear Layer Style as we will make different style for this layer. Finally, go to Menu > Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options and use the settings below on our text. Again, you can use the quicker methods to access Blending Options from "Step 2" of this tutorial. When you are done with all the settings below, don’t forget to hit "OK" in the Blending Options window! This layer will add more gold look and shine to our text and must be on top of the second text layer.
You can optionally put some coins into the design and I’ll show you the easiest way. First of all SAVE the layer effects from the text layers created in step 4 and 5 into your Styles palette. You can do it by selecting the layer with text and going to Menu > Layer > Layer Style > Blending options. Now click the "New Style…" button under OK and Cancel buttons. Do the same with both text layers.
Now use your Ellipse Tool to make a perfect circle. To make a circle instead of oval just start making the circle and click and hold your mouse – hit and hold SHIFT and continue to scale your circle. Try to make it in similar diameter to the circle on picture below. When you are done just apply the style from Step 4 of this tutorial by clicking on it in your styles palette.
Next duplicate your coin layer and apply the style from Step 5 of this tutorial by clicking on it in your styles palette.
Last step is to merge both coin layers into one. Select both layers, right click on one of it and choose "Merge Layers" from the menu. When the coin is merged, you can freely duplicate it, scale it down or rotate it to make it looks like in the final image. TIP: You can always scale it down, but not scale it up as it will be blurred, so first of all duplicate the final big coin and hide it for all cases.
Vignetting can give your photos an artistic look and focus the viewer’s attention around a center of interest. In this tutorial we will explain how to add a non-destructive vignetting effect to your photos using vector shapes and masks in Photoshop CS6. Let’s get started!
Many of us already use Photoshop on a day-to-day basis. But are we limiting our creativity by only focusing on certain projects or styles? In this article we’ll learn how to create new inspiration by incorporating Photoshop into our day-to-day lives.
When you hear the word Photoshop, what comes to mind? Perhaps you follow it up with keywords like airbrushing, photo manipulation, and digital art. And whether you’re a novice or Photoshop professional, we all fall prey to the designer’s equivalent of writer’s block. So how do you cope when the inspiration meter is running on empty?
While inspiration posts are fun, they often help us get as much done as Facebook. And part of growing with a program like Photoshop is giving yourself the leeway to experiment. Clients, deadlines, and even personal barriers are all headaches we can overcome with a little Photoshop therapy.
Below are a few examples of fun, no-pressure projects for a creativity boost during your free time.
We see our desktop wallpapers every single day. What does your current desktop say about your mood, interests, or aspirations? Explore a change of pace by creating wallpapers that inspire action.
Your goals, family, and passions are all different from one another, so the next time you save and minimize your work, let your desktop remind you of what matters most. Create a collage of inspiration using photos, which illustrate the memories, feelings, people, and interests you love best.
Sometimes working in Photoshop just makes a person want to throw their computer right out the window! So when frustration is brewing, look back on the work you’ve done with a sense of pride and openness towards your growth. Create a timeline of past and current work with notes of personal achievements along the way. Soon enough you’ll see the humor in your humble beginnings and the inspiration in your present.
What is that one thing you always forget to do? For me, it’s either not saving my work or thinking way too hard. Add a friendly reminder to your wallpaper, and who knows, you might just read it at the right time. Extra brownie points if it utilizes wicked typography design!
Step away from your normal frame of work to pursue projects at home. Engaging your creativity in a new element will help to quiet the pressure of work related projects. Fit some time in to create an environment that will inspire you morning, noon, and night.
Take photos of your home and office and open them in Photoshop. Wondering what the walls would look like a different color? Change them. And how about that room you’ve been meaning to redecorate or organize. Well, grab the brush tool and sketch a new layout for the room. Even insert photos of possible artwork, furniture, and other products to complete your ideal space.
Perhaps you’re more of an arts and crafts kind of person. Allow Photoshop to help streamline the process by planning out sketches, colors, and even textures of your next craft. Everyone from product designers to fashion designers utilize Photoshop to execute their passions.
Bring the university setting to you by strengthening the basics in Photoshop. Dedicate a new file to practice experimental and observational sketches. To save on costs for new sketchbooks simply create new layers in Photoshop for endless doodles.
Studying anatomy will only make your digital art better. Whether it’s of your hand or a stock photo, include lots of quick and detailed sketches of anatomy. Study how principles like perspective affect the human form while conditioning your mind to pick up on the influence of your subject’s environment.
Drawing classes are made up of lots of still life works. Still life drawings allow us to observe the composition as a whole, and how light, shadow, and point of view affect that composition. Challenge yourself by working with tonal shapes instead of lines for an engaging twist.
Maybe you need a different kind of inspiration. Many of us often forget the animation possibilities with Photoshop. Create a fun animation that can uplift your mood and benefit from its lessons of movement and expression.
Remember, there is no one way to use Photoshop. In fact, it’s a canvas for creations of any kind, so familiarize yourself with its endless techniques and possibilities on a day to day basis. How do you create your own inspiration in Photoshop?
Australian digital painter, Sheridan Johns has a talent for producing fantastic celebrity portraits using Photoshop. In this article, we will feature some of our favorite works from her portfolio. Let’s take a look!
Vexel illustrations are created using a mix of vector and raster techniques. While a vexel may look like a vector illustration, it is not. In this Tuts+ Premium tutorial, author Constantin Potorac will explain how to create a surreal vexel illustration in Photoshop. This tutorial is available exclusively to Tuts+ Premium Members. If you are looking to take your photo manipulation skills to the next level then Log in or Join Now to get started!
Tuts+ Premium Members can login now for instant access to this tutorial. Membership to Tuts+ Premium gets you access to hundreds of exclusive premium tutorials, top selling ebooks, in-depth courses, member forums, and much more. To learn more about Tuts+ Premium, Take the Tour or Join Today.
If you’re a big fan of playing video games, then you are probably aware of the release of Diablo III. The Diablo franchise has been a popular video game title for over a decade. In this tutorial, we will explain how to create a Diablo-inspired text effect in Photoshop. Let’s get started!
The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial.
Before starting out in Photoshop, we’ll need to prepare our typography a little bit. Open a new document in illustrator, make it 20 x 7 inches.
For the logotype, I’ll use a personally customized font. However, you can just use the Blade 2 free font witch is almost identical. Grab the Type Tool (T), set the type size to 500 pt, click on your canvas and type the title you want.
To edit the font, we will first need to vectorize it. This means that our font will become an editable vector shape, and will no longer be editable with the Type Tool. To do so, right-click on your font and select Create Outlines. Right-click again, and this time select ungroup.
Select every letter between the first and the last one, and scale them down (Object > Transform > Scale). Once the letters are scaled down, use the Selection Tool (V) to replace the letters so they have an even space between each other’s.
To create the final logotype, we’ll need three versions of our title: a regular one, a thinner version and a larger version.
To make the thinner version, simply duplicate your title (you can simply copy and paste it, or drag it while holding Alt). Select the letters and go to Object > Path > Offset path and input the following values.
We could use the same process to create the larger version of the title. However, I find that the Offset Path method doesn’t work as good when expanding a path. As you can see in the following example, the tool tends to flatten the tips of the path.
A good way to avoid this is to use a stroke instead. Select your text, and in the Stroke Panel, input a weight of 10 pt.
You can now vectorize the stroke (Object > Path > Outline Stroke) and use the Pathfinder’s Unite button to merge the Stroke path with the original text path.
Now that we have the three versions of the title, open a new file in Photoshop, and give it the following settings.
In your file, fill the background layer with black (Edit > Fill). Copy one of the version of the title we previously made in Illustrator, and paste it in Photoshop. When you paste, a window should pop-up asking you what kind of layer you want to paste your file. Select "Smart Object". Please note that it is really important to import them that way in order to complete the following steps. Once you are done with all of the three titles, align them properly.
To distinguish the three layer, you can give them a particular color using the Layer Style. To do so, click on the little "FX" icon at the bottom of the Layer Palette and select Color Overlay. Take careful note where the Layer Style button is located, as we are going to use it a lot through this tutorial.
To make the red shape in the background, create a new layer (Command/Ctrl + Shift + N). Grab the Brush Tool (B), set the Hardness to 0%, select the color #6d0100 and paint a big red circle in the middle of your canvas. Hit Command/Ctrl + T to enter the Free Transform mode, and stretch the circle horizontally. Name the layer "Red Spot".
Give your layer a mask by clicking the Mask button next to the Layer Style button. In the Channel panel, be sure to select the Mask channel and hide the RGB, Red, Green and blue channel. Go to Filter > Render > Clouds. Then, go to Filter > Distort > Polar Coordinates and select Rectangular to Polar. Finally, go to Filter > Blur > Radial Blur, set the blur to Zoom with an amount around 80.
Press Command/Ctrl + F to repeat the Radial Blur effect a few times, and then Command/Ctrl + M to give it the following Curves adjustment.
Once you are done, you can select your RGB channel and unhide it. You should have the following result.
Duplicate the "Red Spot" layer and compress it horizontally, and scale it a little bit vertically.
Download SoilSand0016_2 and place it into your canvas. You might have to duplicate it and place the two layers so the texture fully cover the red shape. If you do so, make sure that you merge both layers before going on.
Give your "SoilSand" layer a mask, and draw a soft oval shape so the texture isn’t visible at the center of the red shape. Set the layer to Multiply.
Let’s make our background even more grittier by adding another texture. Download and place ConcreteBare0129 into your canvas.
Press Command/Ctrl +I to invert the image. Then, press Command/Ctrl + M to bring up the Curves Adjustments, and give it the following curve. Once you are done, set the layer to Multiply and 33% opacity.
Download OrnamentsVarious0028 and open it in a new file. Increase the contrast with a Curves adjustment, and hit Command/Ctrl + Shift + U to desaturate the layer.
Create yet another new Photoshop file, and give it the following settings. Back to your pattern file, use the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) to select part of the ornament, copy (Command/Ctrl + C) it and paste it into your newly created file.
Repeat the process until you fill the canvas. You can use the Darker Color blending mode to help you. You might also want to use the Eraser Tool (E) to erase parts of some layers so they blend well together.
Once you are done, flatten your layers (Right-click on a layer > Flatten Image). Hit Command/Ctrl + A to select the whole image, and go to Edit > Define Pattern to create a new pattern. We’ll name this pattern "Ornament Pattern"’.
Next, we’ll give or medium sized text some Layers Style. However, before doing so, we’ll need to create yet another Pattern. Download and open Crackles0014 in a new file. Hit Command/Ctrl + A and go to Edit > Define Pattern. We’ll name this one "Cracks Pattern."
In the same file, place ConcreteBare0129 and set it to multiply. Flatten your image, and once again, create a pattern. We’ll name this one "Cracks Pattern 2."
Back into your main Photoshop file, select the smaller text layer and give it the following Layer Style.
Give the medium sized text the following Layer Style.
Finally, give the following Layer Style to the larger text layer.
Unhide all the layers, you should have the following result.
We can also help make the text shape more to look more eroded by altering it a little bit in Illustrator. To do so, double-click on the larger text layer’s vignette to open it in Illustrator.
Select your text and add a few anchor points by going to Object > Path > Add Anchor Points. Select the Wrinkle Tool and draw on the text to add some wrinkles. You can double-click on the tool icon to adjust its options.
Hint: if the effect comes out too intense in some places, you can use the Delete Anchor Point Tool (-) to remove a few points.
Once you are done, you can save and exit the Illustrator file. The shape should be updated in your Photoshop file.
In this step, I wasn’t quite satisfied with the bevel effect from the Layer Style. So I went ahead and created a new layer placed between the Smaller text and the Medium text layer. I retrieved a selection from the medium text layer and, while keeping the selection active, painted some highlights with a soft brush (B).
I then created another layer, and this time, using the same technique, painted some shadows. In this example, I filled the text in white so you can see where I painted the shadows.
This step could have been done using Layer Style only. However, I tend to prefer painting things manually sometimes as it allow gives more liberty than the Layer Style. Unhide all of your layer, you should have this result:
In this step, we’ll create a nice white outline in the highlights areas. Duplicate the "Small Text" layer (Command/Ctrl + J) and clear the layer style (Right-click > Clear Layer Style). Give the new layer the following Layer Style. Make sure that the layer Fill is set to 0%.
Create a new layer (Command/Ctrl + Shift + N) and merge it with the previous layer. This will apply the layer style leaving only the white stroke on the new layer.
Name this layer "White Stroke" and give it a mask. In the mask, paint out the areas under the text that would be less exposed to the light.
Let’s make our text even grittier with some textures. Download and open ConcreteBare0280_24. Once again, you might have to duplicate the layer to cover the whole text. Once you are done placing it, increase the layer’s highlights with a Curves adjustment.
Retrieve a selection from the medium sized text by Command/Ctrl + clicking on the layer’s vignette. Apply the selection as a mask to the new texture layer. Set the layer to multiply and make sure it is placed above your text layers.
Place Crackles0014 in your canvas. Give it a nice Curves adjustment to boost the luminosity, and then a Gradient Map to colorize the cracks.
Retrieve a selection from your medium sized text layer, use it to mask the texture. Set the texture to Darken.
Due to all the textures we added, our text got a little bit desaturated. We’ll fix this problem in this step. Start by creating a new layer. Retrieve the selection from the medium sized text, and fill the layer with #F98111. Set the layer to color dodge and reduce the opacity to around 15%.
Create a Curves adjustment layer to darken the text. Once again retrieve the text selection to give the layer a mask. In the mask, paint out in black the top area of the text. This will allow our layer to only darken the bottom of the letters.
Create a new layer and retrieve the selection once again. With the selection still active, grab the Brush Tool (B), set it to 0% Hardness and paint the top of the letters with #92754C. Set the layer to Screen.
In case you missed anything, here is what your layers should look like.
Once you are satisfied with everything, group every layer that are related to the text in a new folder (Command/Ctrl + G) and do the same for the background layers. This will help us stay organized as our file becomes more complex.
Back in illustrator, grab the Ellipse Tool (L) and do a single-click on your canvas. A window should pop-up. Input the following values and click OK.
Select the Star Tool and repeat the same process. Place the star inside the circle.
Once again, this time with the Polygon Tool.
Grab the Line Segment Tool (\) and create lines starting from the center of the circle toward the tips of the star. To find the center, you can simply hit Command/Ctrl + Y to enter the Outline Mode. The center of the circle will show as a X.
Once you are done, select everything except the circle, copy and paste to duplicate them. Rotate them 180° and scale them down so the tips of the small pentagon fit the bigger star.
And finally, add another small pentagon inside the smallest star.
Once you are satisfied, select everything, go to Object > Expand. Make sure that the stroke is checked and click Ok. Then go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Roughen. This will give an eroded look to our strokes.
Back in Photoshop, paste everything in a new layer. Duplicate the layer and flip it vertically (Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical).
Make sure you place everything behind the text. Grab the Polygon Tool (U), set the number of sides to three and draw a triangle. Hit Command/Ctrl + T, rotate and stretch the triangle according to the example. Then, duplicate the layer three times and place the triangle to match the example.
For the pattern, there is no magic trick. In my example, I used Vector Tribal tattoo and Wing Tattoo Set. If you do not want to buy stock vector, you can always take a look at the Tribal Brushes on Deviantart. Place your tribal pattern around the circle until you are satisfied with the result.
Once you are done, group every layer created in this step into a folder (Command/Ctrl + G). Duplicate the group and merge it. Keep the layer, we’ll need it in the next step.
Create a new layer and fill it with white. Name the layer "Pattern". Retrieve the selection from our previously merged layer, and with the selection active, give the "Pattern" layer a mask.
This setup will allow us to paint the color we want on our pattern. Grab a big soft brush, and paint the colors according to the example. Once again, this could be done using a Gradient Layer Style, but this method gives us more freedom than a simple linear gradient.
Group your "Pattern" layer, give it a mask and paint out the bottom area.
Give the "Pattern" layer the following Layer Style.
Duplicate the group, invert the mask (Command/Ctrl + I), clear the Layer Style and give it the following:
Once you are done, group everything and name the folder "Background Pattern."
On a new layer placed under the "Text" folder and above "Background Pattern" folder, draw three small lines with a 2px Brush. Quick tip: you can hold shift to draw straight lines.
Keep drawing lines with black and white color until you achieve a result similar to the example. Then go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur and apply a strong vertical motion blur.
With the Eraser Tool (E) set to 0% Hardness, paint out parts of the light lines to achieve a symmetric effect where the middle line is a little bit taller.
Create a new layer and paint in the following colors. Then, clip the layer to the "Lines" layer we created in the previous step.
Create another layer and clip it on top of everything. With a 2px Brush, paint a bright yellow line inside each of the three lines. Set the layer to screen.
Duplicate the "Lines" layer and scale it up.
Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply a three pixels blur to the layer.
Using the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M), select the right and the left lines and bring them closer to the center so they fit the layer we created in the previous step,
Finally, grab the Eraser Tool (E) and paint out the top and the bottom parts of the layer.
Create a new layer and fill it with the following colors. Clip the new layer to the "Blurred Lines" layer we just made.
We can make the lines even more interesting by giving them a little bit of sharpen. Group everything into a "Lines" folder and duplicate it. Create a new layer filled with black, and merge it with the "Line Copy" folder.
With the new layer selected, go to Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen, and input the following values. Once you are done, set the layer to Screen.
We’re almost there! In this step, we’ll add some final touches that will bring our image to completion. First, create a new layer named "Shadow" and place it above our background layers. On this layer, paint some black with a soft brush behind the text. This will help reduce the visual noise in the middle and the readability.
Next, we’ll add a little bit of shininess to our image. Create a new layer and fill it with black. Go to Filter > Render > Lens Flare and select the 105mm Prime. Hit Command/Ctrl + M to bring in more contrast, and then apply a Gaussian Blur.
Hit Command/Ctrl + T to enter the Free Transform mode, scale down the layer and bring where the bright lines meet the letters. Set the layer to Color Dodge to have a night light refraction effect.
Repeat the process as much as you please. You can take a look at my example for reference. When you are done, place all those layer into a new folder named "Lens Flares".
To finalize our image, let’s add a Smart Sharpen filter. To do so, duplicate and merge all folders together. With the new layer selected, go to Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen and add the following values.
