Graphic Design Blogs

Blending Images in Photoshop (Easy)

Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn

Blending / Color Grading Your Photos in Photoshop

In this video, you'll learn how to Blend Images in Photoshop. Take two random images and make them fit perfectly together.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IxwHGkWEIU&t=1s Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn
Sharpen in Photoshop Tutorial

Sharpen Your Photos like a PRO (Quick Tip)

Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn

Bring out the DETAIL & SHARPEN your Photos in Photoshop LIKE A PRO (NO PLUGINS!)

Why Sharpen Your Photos?

Sharpening your Photos is a great way to bring out the detail in Photos and in your Photoshop Designs. The image will look more professional and the effects and details will stand out. In this tutorial, I'll show you how to sharpen your photos in 3 easy steps to achieve a professional result. You don't need Plugins for this!

Start the Editing!

Download the Photo Here  "Size doesn't matter" for this tip but what you need to understand is that the BIGGER YOUR PHOTO the MORE RADIUS you will use for the HIGH PASS FILTER. The SMALLER YOUR PHOTO the LESSER RADIUS you will use. I'm going to use a photo of a model but you can use any photo you like. Sharpen in Photoshop Tutorial With your image selected and opened in Photoshop. Duplicate the Photo/Image (Right Click on the Background image and select duplicate layer or use CTRL+CMD J) With the Duplicated layer selected, go to FILTER - OTHER - HIGH PASS high pass filter For this photo I've chosen a Radius of 2.5 (you will see slight outlines in the image against a 50% gray background). Sharpen in Photoshop Tutorial Highpass Filter Your layers panel should have 2 layers as shown below. Sharpen in Photoshop Tutorial Now you need to go to the blending modes and choose between OVERLAY, HARD LIGHT or VIVID LIGHT If the effect is too strong you can always bring down the opacity down a bit. Sharpen in Photoshop Tutorial

Sharpen in Photoshop Tutorial

Final Touch Up!

Now that we have sharpened our image, I added a little more color to the image using the "Color Balance" adjustment layer. Doing so will add life to your image. Remember, only add use the color balance if you feel your image could use a little color. DON'T OVER DO IT! YOU DON'T NEED TO USE THESE EXACT SETTINGS. Sharpen in Photoshop Tutorial Sharpen in Photoshop Tutorial The Final Result!  This technique can be applied to any photo, however, the settings of the filters and adjustment layers may vary depending on the resolution and size of the photos you select.  Let me know in the comment section below if you enjoyed this tutorial! Sharpen in Photoshop Tutorial     Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn

How to Create Effective Youtube Thumbnails

Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wWEMiEJ958&t=933s

How to Create Effective Youtube Thumbnails

Youtube Thumbnail Template Download Youtube Thumbnail Template

 

Why are Youtube Thumbnails important?

The first thing that grabs your attention to any video is the "thumbnail image", the better the design the more chances there are that you'll click on the video. A good Thumbnail image increases the chances of a user clicking on your video. In many ways, the thumbnail image tells the viewer what he can expect from your video. Remember these words, CLICKBAIT! That's exactly what it is. In this blog, you'll learn how to create an "effective" youtube thumbnail image. Let's show you how to design some "Click Bait"!

Get Your Size Right!

Firstly! you'll need to get the right size for your image to show up correctly and the right sizes are: Thumbnail Includes in following sizes: 4K Resolution (4096 x 2160 pixel) 1080p Resolution (1920 x 1080 pixel) 720p Resolution (1280 x 720 pixel) Now that we've got the sizes out of the way, let's get started to design an effective youtube thumbnail.

Use Large Bold Text

  Youtube Thumbnail Template Download Youtube Thumbnail Template Using large title text compliments your design. It allows the user to get an idea of your video content. Using fonts like Steelfish, Bebas, League Gothic, Futura among others is great for adding bold titles and is easy to read. You can divide your thumbnail into two sections, LEFT  SIDE IMAGE and RIGHT SIDE TEXT or Text right across your image with one background image. In the example above notice how LARGE TITLE TEXT STANDS OUT. It's pretty easy to understand what video you can expect with a thumbnail such as that. I'm sure you get the idea!

 

Contrast your Thumbnail

 

Youtube Thumbnail Template

Download Youtube Thumbnail Template Adding Contrast will separate the image and the Text nicely, making it more readable. Follow this rule - Light Text, Dark Background, Dark Text, Light Background. Notice how each of the Thumbnails in the above images have ample contrast and it's easy to read what the Videos offer.

Choosing Your Images

Good Images are crucial for a good looking thumbnail. It's common practice to include no more than 2 images of people or 1 background image. If it's a vlog then it's good to include a cutout image of yourself. If it's a background image then it's good to have an appropriate image with your text in the center fo more balance and symmetry. If it's an image of yourself or a product then keep your product or image on the left or right with the text on the opposite side. You can find some good images from here - Download Premade Pixels Youtube Thumbnail Free Pack This was a rather simple tutorial to give you the basics in creating an effective youtube thumbnail for your channel. We hope you enjoyed it. Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn
How to Design a Modern Album Cover in Photoshop

How to Make an Album Cover

Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn

How to Design a Modern Album Cover in Photoshop

For this tutorial we are going to be creating an Album Cover Artwork in Photoshop. I'll try to make this as simple as possible. Let's break this tutorial down: 
  1. Setting up Photoshop (Canvas, Resolution)
  2. Getting the Photos & Masking the Photos
  3. Darkening the Photos
  4. Adding the Sun & Glows
  5. Adding Water Reflection
  6.  Adding Stars
  7. Write your Text & Add Your Logos
  8. Bring the Image to Life (Final Adjustments)
  Step 1. Setting Up Photoshop Create a Photoshop Document with a size of 3000px x 3000px (square) and a Resolution of 150 Dpi You've got a Perfect Square!

Step 2. Getting & Masking the Photos

Water Image (Sea)

Sky Stars

Once you've downloaded the images, bring the Water Image / Sea Image in first and crop it to fit the canvas. It should look like this.

Next we'll bring in the Sky image and place it over the Sea Image. You'll should only be able to see the Sky image now.

I have increased (transformed) the size of this image to increase the size of the clouds and make sure the trees and buildings are below the horizon line of the sea. We will be masking out the trees and the buildings.

While your Sky image is selected, click on the layer mask icon at the bottom of the panel.

You should see a layer mask added to your photo. Make sure the layer mask is selected. Notice how the layer mask is highlighted when selected. Press G on the keyboard to pull up the GRADIENT TOOL (G), now place the cursor over the mouse and drag from top to bottom. Don't forget your foreground and background should be set to black & white. You've now masked the "sky" and got rid of the trees and buildings. Bring down the Opacity of the sky to 50% Step 3. Darkening the Images Add an Exposure Adjustment Layer & a Black & White Adjustment Layer above the images. On the Exposure Adjustment Layer bring down the exposure to around -2.5 and the Gamma to 1.13 Step 4. Adding the Sun & The Glows to the Sun Select the Ellipse Tool and  draw a circle above all of the layers in your panel.  Fill the Ellipse with a Yellow Color - #ffa123    Just as we did with the Sky, we need to mask this circle (sun) so it looks like the Sun is rising from the water. Refer to Step 2 of this tutorial. I already showed you how to mask. :)  Time to make the Sun Shine!  Yellow Glow - #ffda0cOrange Glow - #ff8a0c Create a New Layer and call it Orange Glow Press B on the Keyboard to Bring up the Brush Tool and select a Soft Round with the Hardness set to 0 and the Opacity set to 100% and a Color #ff8a0c. Oh! Make sure the BLEND MODE of the LAYER IS SET TO HARD LIGHT. This is very important.  Make sure that the size is slightly bigger than the Circle/Sun. (Brush size will vary depending on the dimensions of the album cover) Place your brush in the middle of the Circle/Sun and left click once to add the Orange Glow - #ff8a0c   Create a New Layer and call it Yellow Glow and follow the exact steps as you did for the Orange Glow. (Make sure the blend mode is set to Hard Light) 

Step 5. Adding Water Reflection

Just like you did with the glows on the sun, use those same colors and paint on the water.

Press B on the Keyboard to Bring up the Brush Tool and select a Soft Round with the Hardness set to 0 and the Opacity set to 100% and a Color #ff8a0c.

Oh! Make sure the BLEND MODE of the LAYER IS SET TO OVERLAY. This is very important.

Make sure that the size is around the same size as the Circle/Sun. (Brush size will vary depending on the dimensions of the album cover)

Create a New layer and paint with the same yellow #ffda0c but this time CHANGE THE BLENDING MODE TO Linear Dodge (add) and bring down the opacity to 50%  Finally we will create a New layer and paint with the orange again #ff8a0c but this time CHANGE THE BLENDING MODE TO OVERLAY with an Opacity of 100%. and paint towards the bottom edge of the canvas. This adds a nice reddish orange to the water and gives the image a little more depth.   It's good practice to group all your layers and name them appropriately. Bring all your Water Reflection/Glow Layers below the Sun Layers. I put all the layers in groups to create a little order in the layers panel. With so many layers it can get a bit daunting and chaotic. For a little drama, I added a white silhouette of a man. I did a google search by typing man standing silhouette  and I got exactly what I was looking for. Because the Silhouette was in BLACK I inverted the silhouette to white (ctrl or cmd + i) bring down the opacity to 60 (use your discretion). Step 6. Adding Stars 

Bring in the STARS photo and place it in the canvas. Transform it so it fits nicely in the canvas. I prefer to have the stars as small as possible.

Change the Blending Mode of the layer to "Screen", this way every thing that is BLACK will be REMOVED and only the white will show. Bring down the Opacity to 50%.

Erase a little bit of the bottom portion so. the transition is smoother and you don't see the harsh edge of the image. You can use the masking technique I showed you earlier. Step 7. Adding Text & Logos I don't think I need to explain how to do this, if you've come this far, you probably know how to add text in photoshop. It can't get simpler than that.  As for the logos, I made up some logos using simple text and added it to the image to make it look like a legit album cover.   Step 8. Bringing the Image to Life This is where we'll add the final adjustments to make the image pop. First off download the GRADIENT MAPS. I've included. Pretty Basic Gradient Maps but I want to save you the trouble. Download Gradient Maps Once you've downloaded the gradient maps. We will add a Gradient Map Adjustment layer By default you should see the Gradient Map Adjustment set to Black to White. Change the Blending Mode of the Adjustment Layer to Overlay at an Opacity of 40% (incase you don't see the Black to White Adjustment layer, I've included it for you) To get the dark bluish tint we need to use our next gradient. Make a Gradient Adjustment Layer and this time click on the color bar of the adjustment layer. Click on the Color Bar You'll be presented with a Dialog Box called the GRADIENT EDITOR where all the gradients are stored. Click on the little Gear Icon and select Import Gradients from the fly-out menu. Locate the Gradient file you downloaded  and click open Click on the Grey to Blue Gradient and then select "reverse". Change the Blending mode of this Gradient Map to Soft light. Bring the Grey to Blue Gradient Map Adjustment layer below the Black to White Adjustment layer. And with both adjustment layers turned on it should like this...(see below) Finally, we'll add two Curves Adjustment layers to bring in some contrast and add some shadows (darkness) to the composite. You'll be better off just copying this curve. It's super simple. After adding the Curve Adjustment Layers album artwork Let's add one more Curves Adjustment Layer. Bring down the opacity of this adjustment layer to 80% After adding the Curve Adjustment Layer album artwork That's it! Thanks for staying with me through this tutorial.  I took out some extra time and made some enhancements to this image, it's on Sale here - New Day Album Cover Have fun and Play around!    Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn

Want more like this?

Receive more great content like this straight in your inbox. Signup now!

Cool Grungy Mask Effect for Your Photos in Photoshop

Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn

Create a Cool Grungy Dispersion Effect for your Photos in Photoshop

 

Grungy Dispersion Photo Effect

In this tutorial I will show you how to create this cool Grungy Dispersion effect in Photoshop using Photoshop CC 2019 & above. This tutorial was created in CC2020, however, this effect can be achieved in any version of photoshop using the techniques outlined in this tutorial. Download the PSD   Let's break this tutorial down:  1. Getting Your Photo 2. Setting Up Your Photo 3. Getting a Brush 4. Experiment   Step 1. Getting Your Photo You can download the photo here Feel free to use your own photo as well. Once you've got your photo, you need to open the photo in photoshop. Add a Solid Color adjustment layer and choose white as the color.

Step 2. Setting Up Your Photo

With your photo selected, click on the mask icon at the bottom of the layers panel (3rd from the left)

 Your mask would appear white.  

 With the mask selected, press CTRL or CMD + I on the keyboard to invert the mask and make it BLACK. Doing so your PHOTO SHOULD DISAPPEAR

 

Step 3. Getting a Brush This effect will work with any brush, but, because I wanted a "Grungy" look, I've selected the default Special Effects Brush - Kyle's Spatter Brushes - Supreme Spatter This set comes default with Photoshop CC 2019 and above. However, lower versions of photoshop also have plenty of spatter brushes and special effects brushes too.  Set the Opacity of the Brush to 100% Now that we have our brush selected, make sure the foreground color is set to WHITE. Press D on the KEYBOARD to set the foreground color to WHITE. Make sure the MASK is selected for your photo layer Paint with your Brush over the photo and you should see parts of your photo being brought back into the canvas. Pretty Cool, huh?  Continue the painting process till you reach a result you are happy with. If you feel you've done too much and would like to erase certain parts of the photo then you need to start painting with BLACK instead of WHITE.  This is exactly how masks work.

Step 4. Experiment   Use different brushes to achieve different mask effects. Here are some examples using the same image. The options and choices are endless.  Download the PSD   Have fun and Play around! Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn

Want more like this?

Receive more great content like this straight in your inbox. Signup now!
Grungy Text Tutorial

Create Distressed & Grungy Text in Photoshop (Non-Destructive)

Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn https://youtu.be/Tsl53sBr_xA

Create Distressed & Grungy Text in Photoshop Tutorial

   

Create Distressed & Grungy Text in Photoshop

 

Nope that isn't a cool looking font. In this tutorial I'll show you a cool little trick to get an amazing NON DESTRUCTIVE GRUNGY TEXT EFFECT to ANY FONT including Hand Written fonts.

Let's break this tutorial down: 

1. Setting Up the Document

2. Write Some Headline & Convert to Smart Object

3. Download a Grungy Textured Image

4. Saving Image as Displacement Map

5. Applying Displacement Map to Text

Let'sdo this!

Step 1. Setting Up the Document

It really doesn't matter what document size you choose, the effect will work no matter what size. But, I'm going to use a document size of 900 px x 400 px at 300 dpi with a background color of #ffe615

 Step 2. Write a Headline and Convert to Smart Object

I've used the font Helvetica Compressed as the font of choice. You could use ANY FONT.
I then wrote the word GRUNGY. You could write any word you wish.

To make the effect editable I turned the text into a smart object. (Right Click on the text layer and select Convert to Smart Object.)

Step 3. Download a Grungy Textured Image

To get a grungy text effect we need a grungy image. The image I've used to get this effect can be found here. 

Click Image to Download

Rotate the image to make it landscape and then go to IMAGE - ADJUSTMENTS - DESATURATE or press CTRL (CMD) + SHIFT + U
(desaturating the image is important)

    Step 4. Creating the Displacement Map   Save the Grungy Image you downloaded and save it as a PSD file.
Go to FILE - SAVE AS - FORMAT (Photoshop) or CTRL (CMD) + SHIFT + S to open us the SAVE as dialog box.   We saved it as a PSD because THE DISPLACE FILTER we are about to apply only works with PSD FILES.     Step 5. Applying the Displacement Map to the Text   Here's where the GRUNGY EFFECT COMES TO LIFE   Select your Text Layer, now GO TO FILTER - DISTORT - DISPLACE    

 

You can play around with the values on the Horizontal Scale or Vertical Scale but I'm sticking with 10 and 10 on the Horizontal and Vertical Scale. You can copy these settings but feel free to experiment.

CLICK OK.

A new dialog will open asking you to select your PSD file. It's the file you created in STEP 4.

Select that PSD file and Click on OPEN

You should now see your text appear GRUNGY and DISTRESSED.

Create Distressed & Grungy Text in Photoshop

That's all there is to it. Remember to play with the settings in the DISPLACE FILTER, different settings will produce different results. Give it a Try!  

Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn

Want more like this?

Receive more great content like this straight in your inbox. Signup now!

Glowing Social Media Icon Photoshop Tutorial

Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn

Glowing Social Media Icon Photoshop Tutorial

 

You've probably seen this effect on Instagram and wished you could do the same with your photo.  Well! you're in luck. In this tutorial I'll should you exactly how you can get the Glowing Icon effect and apply it to your photos. Download the PSD to follow along Before we begin, let's break this tutorial down:  1. Get a Photo 2. Making Color & Tonal Adjustments to the Photo 3. Get or Make the Instagram Like Icon 4. Adding the Social Media Icon Glow Effect 5. Final Touches using the Camera Raw Filter Let's get Glowing! Step 1. Getting a Photo This technique will work on any photo. Get a photo of a guy, girl, baby, pet and open your photo in photoshop. For this tutorial I've chosen the picture of a college student from pexels.com Step 2. Making Color & Tonal Adjustments to the Photo For our glows to look right we need to make a few adjustments to the photo. All glows stand out in the dark. We will darken the photo using a few adjustment layers. We'll start by adding a Gradient Map Adjustment layer. We will use the default BLACK TO WHITE GRADIENT and set it's BLENDING MODE to OVERLAY at an OPACITY of 70%.  Adding OVERLAY to a black and white gradient map is a pretty cool way of darkening a photo while bringing out some strong contrast in the photo. Don't share this tip with anyone!  This is how the photo should look.  Next I'll want to darken the upper section of the photo. The cars are a little too bright. I'll use a GRADIENT FILL ADJUSTMENT LAYER with BLACK or TRANSPARENT and make the angle 90 degrees so that the black appears at the top. With the settings box/dialog box open I'll adjust the gradient position by moving the mouse up or down while on the photo. I'll then place this adjustment layer below the GRADIENT MAP. I'll add a VIBRANCE ADJUSTMENT LAYER and crank up the Vibrance to +70 to boost the colors a little. Time for another BLACK & WHITE ADJUSTMENT LAYER to brighten up the scene a bit. Set the BLENDING MODE TO SCREEN with an OPACITY of 40% to 60%. You can always "Mask Off" the areas where you won't want the effect of the Black & White Adjustment layer. I masked off the top area because I still wanted the cars to remain dark.

Finally we will add a PHOTO FILTER ADJUSTMENT LAYER with the default Warming Filter. We will increase the density to 54% to bring in those oranges & yellow tones making the scene a little more dramatic. After all those adjustments, this is what our layers panel & Image should look like. Step 3. Instagram Like Icon Perhaps the easiest of all the steps is finding the Instagram Like Icon. One simple google search - Instagram Like Icon and you'll find thousands of Instagram Like Icons. But for the purposes of this tutorial we'll just use one :) You'll have the icon in the PSD provided with this tutorial. Place the icon just above his head so it looks like he's looking at it. Turn the icon into a smart object so we can apply a few effects non-destructively.  Next I'll make it a little blurry because in reality when the glows are on top and around an object, the object will never look as sharp. It will look a little blurry. So, I'll add a Gaussian Blur of 1.4px to the icon.   I'll also add a HUE and Saturation (Ctrl+U) and make the icon a little more reddish. Your icon may be red enough which in your case you wouldn't need to add some Hue & Saturation. Step 4. Adding the Social Media Icon Glow Effect Create a new layer and call it GLOW 1 (just to be organised) Press B on the Keyboard to bring up the BRUSH TOOL and use #e01350 and the foreground color to paint with. Make sure the Brush Opacity and Flow are set to 100%  Set the BLENDING MODE TO Linear Dodge (Add) Paint on the ICON. Just left click ONE time to the icon to add the first glow. Repeat till you get a stronger glow.   Create a new layer and call it GLOW 2, this time repeat the same process as you did with GLOW 1 only this time you'll be painting with WHITE instead of #e01350 Set the GLOW 2 layer blending mode to SCREEN with an OPACITY of 80%. Because our Model is looking at the glowing icon, it's only natural that the light from the GLOWING ICON will FALL ON HIS HEAD & FACE.  This will make it look more natural and realistic. Create a new layer and call it GLOW ON FACE It's the exact same process as we did with the other glows except we will be sampling the same color as the glow from the icon #e01350 and set the BLENDING MODE to SOFT LIGHT with a BRUSH OPACITY of 50%. We don't want to much red on his face. Start painting on his face. Once you are satisfied with the look. We will add one more final glow. Create a new layer and call it GLOW 3, this time repeat the same process as you did with the other glows and we will select #fd4d80 as the color. Set the BLENDING MODE TO SCREEN and THE BRUSH OPACITY anywhere from 50% to 60%.

Start painting. Just a few dabs should do the trick.

Step 5. The Camera Raw Filter The Camera Raw Filter is a great way to add polish to your composite. Here we will add a vignette and play with a few sliders. Before we apply the CRF (Camera Raw Filter) we will merge our composite on a new layer by clicking on any layer from the layers panel and pressing SHIFT + OPTION + COMMAND + E  (Mac) or SHIFT + ALT +CTRL + E (Win) Name the merged layer to Composite and convert it to a smart object so we can apply the CRF non-destructively. Go to Filter - Camera Raw Filter and use these settings or settings that you feel you like better. Remember ART IS SUBJECTIVE. glowing effects in photoshop That's all there is to it. This is a simple way to get that SOCIAL ICON GLOW EFFECT that you've been searching for. Download the PSD to follow along Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn

Get More like this

Want more like this?

Receive more great content like this straight in your inbox. Signup now!

Dramatic Lighting Effects in Photoshop

Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn

Adding Dramatic Lighting in Photoshop 

 

Dramatic Lighting Effect in Photoshop

I only wish I knew this technique when I started using photoshop. However, it's extremely simple to get great lighting effects. I wonder what took me so long... Download the PSD to follow along Let's Break down this tutorial before we begin 1. Choosing a Photo  2. Adding Lighting Effects 3. Adding Gradient Maps 4. Photo Examples Let's dive right in. Step 1. Getting a Photo This technique will apply to any photo. I prefer using it on Models. These are a few of my favorite ROYALTY FREE stock photo websites. Unsplash Pexels Pixabay Step 2. Adding the Lighting Effects Make a New Layer (shit + ctrl + N) and name it Light 1 (you can name it whatever you wish, but I like to keep things organized) Press B on the keyboard or select the Brush tool from the Toolbar to bring up the Brushes. Choose a Soft Round Brush. Choose a night bright blue from the color palette and make sure the foreground color is set to the color you choose. Change the Blending mode of that layer to LINEAR DODGE (ADD) and Paint on one side of the image. Since there's a light blue in the image I've chosen I deliberately choose a blue color to paint with. I followed the exact same process and painted with a purple on the left side of the image. It's that simple. You can alternate between SCREEN, COLOR DODGE & LINEAR DODGE (ADD) Blending Modes. Feel free to experiment.  Step 3. Adding Gradient Maps Adding Gradient Maps will also give you some cool dramatic effects. Add a Gradient Map Adjustment Layer ABOVE the LIGHTING LAYERS. You could also place the gradient map adjustment layer in between the lighting layers you painted. This will also give you some great results.  Change the blending mode of the Gradient Map Adjustment Layer to Color Burn and reduced the opacity to 60% (feel free to toggle the various other blending modes to see the different lighting possibilities) These are the colors I've chosen for the gradient map For Photoshop CC 2020 users I used 5 gradient the Default Gradient from the "Oranges" folder" For older versions of Photoshop you can add any gradient map and change the colors to: YELLOW - #facc22 & ORANGE - #f83600 The Photo above shows the result when the Gradient is ABOVE the LAYERS  The Photo below shows the different results you can achieve when the GRADIENT MAP is between the light layers  EXPERIMENT! EXPERIMENT! EXPERIMENT.  You'll surprise yourself if you experiment with layer placement, changing blending modes etc. You don't have to copy everything I've told you in this tutorial. Have fun! That will be all for this Tutorial. As I mentioned it is THAT simple. It looks complicated but it's a piece of cake. Photo Examples using the same techniques you learned in this tutorial. Thanks & don't forget to Share & Leave a Comment. Download the PSD to follow along Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn

Want more like this?

Receive more great content like this straight in your inbox. Signup now!

How to make a Roy Woods Album Cover Design in Photoshop

Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn

Roy Woods Album Cover Design in Photoshop

 

In this tutorial I'll show you how to make an Album Cover Design in Photoshop in a few simple steps. We are going to replicate the style of Roy Woods. The design is simple and easy to achieve, but sometimes the simplest things can be the most complicated. Let's Break down this tutorial before we begin 1. Setting up the Photoshop Document 2. Creating the Circle Glow 3. Adding the Model 4. Adding the Noise 5. Adding the Text  This is the finished design we will achieve through this tutorial. Album Cover Design Let's dive right in. Step 1. Setting up the Photoshop Document   For the Size I have used 2000x2000px  with a Resolution of 150DPI and since I'm not going to be printing the artwork, I'll select RGB Color Mode. Who prints CD Covers these days?  Once I've done that, I'll change the color of my background to BLACK. Just press Ctrl or CMD I to invert the default color of white to black. You could also add a solid color adjustment layer and use black as the color.  Step 2. Creating the Circle Glow I really enjoyed this part. You'll enjoy it too. Go to the tool bar and select the Ellipse tool or type U on the keyboard to bring up the ellipse tool and draw an Ellipse (circle) by holding down the Shift key. Holding down the shift key while drawing the Ellipse / Circle will make a perfect circle. This is what your design should look like. I changed the color of the circle to #ba0000 We are going to need two circles, so, duplicate the first RED ellipse/circle and change it's color to #ff5d05 Creating the Circle Glows Convert both the "circle layers" to a Smart Object

Right Click on the layer and select "Convert to Smart Object"

Converting it to a Smart Object will ensure that we can work in a non destructive manner, any filters we apply to our "circle" can be changed later as opposed to a Rasterized layer. 2. Once converted to a smart object, go to FILTER - BLUR - GAUSSIAN BLUR and enter a value of 56.0, this should make your circle quite blurry.

Do the same for the ORANGE circle but this time change the Gaussian Blur to 16.0

 This is how your Circles should be looking. Nice and Blurry! Lastly! Create a New Layer and press B on the keyboard to bring up the Brush Tool and select the default SOFT ROUND BRUSH Right click on the canvas to bring up the brush settings (this is the easiest and shortest way) and bring the hardness all the way to 0 and make the brush size 700px which is almost the same size of the circles. On the tool bar, make sure your foreground color is set to #e7593d

 

  Now place your brush in the center of the circles you've already created and "left click on the mouse" to add in the color. It should look something like this.   Nice! We're done creating the glows. On to Step 3.

Step 3. Bringing in the Model

  Download the Model Image from Here Once we've opened up our model image in photoshop we need to mask him out before we add him in to our Album Cover document. If you are using Photoshop CC 2018 and above you can cut the model out easily by going to the Select menu and click on Subject. Photoshop will automatically select out the model for you. After photoshop is done selecting the model, you may need to use the quick selection to select the spectacles of the model. Press W on the keyboard to bring up the Quick Selection tool and select his spectacles. After you've got a good selection, press CTRL or CMD J to add the cutout of the model to a new layer.  You can now drag the model layer to the Album Design PSD (the one with the circles) and place the model in the center. You can also press CTRL or CMD A to copy the model and head on over to the Album PSD and press CTRL or CMD V to paste the model on to a new layer. Obviously you will now need to resize the model so he fits nicely in the design.

We need to color grade the model in so it looks like he belongs in the scene. We'll do so by adding a few adjustment layers to the model.

We will start by adding a BLACK AND WHITE ADJUSTMENT LAYER and clip it to the model by right clicking on the adjustment layer and selecting "create clipping mask". Now the Black and White adjustment layer will only effect the model and not the other layers.

Next we will add a GRADIENT MAP ADJUSTMENT LAYER which will add the colors of the glows to the model. I've used #ff5d15 for the orange. That's all I've done!

 

 

You can already see that the model blends in much better. It looks like he belongs in the scene. You can add a curves or levels adjustment layer and brighten him up a bit but we won't need to do that here. He looks fine!

Step 4. Adding Noise

  Let's add some grain and noise to the album artwork design to give it some texture. Create a new layer, press SHIFT + F5 or go to EDIT - FILL  and from the Contents dropdown, select 50% GRAY. Click OK Now go to FILTER - NOISE - ADD NOISE (20%) Change the blending mode of the noise layer to OVERLAY and bring down the OPACITY to 25% Not bad at all, just add the text & we're done!

Step 4. Adding TEXT

TITLE FONT (CLUB NITRO HOUSE) -  I've used steelfish bold for the title with a size of 182 pt. SUB TEXT (VERTICAL TEXT) - For the Sub Text, I've used the Montserrat Bold from dafont.com with a size of 9.46 PT and a TRACKING of 250 and I've lowered the opacity of the text to 45% so it doesn't stand out too much. You can download the fonts here: Montserrat Bold Steelfish Bold

To finish things off I added a Parental Advisory from google images and threw it in the design. With some bold text I added the Artist Series and Billboard Logo to add a little polish to the overall design. 

There you have it, we have completed this Album Cover Design in Photoshop. I'm pretty happy with the results. I'm giving you the completed PSD so you can follow along with this tutorial. 

Remember, Art is Subjective, you don't have to follow the exact settings and colors I've used, experiment and have fun. 

Download the PSD

Check out and Download the Nitro House Album Artwork  Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn

Want more like this?

Receive more great content like this straight in your inbox. Signup now!

How to design a Cool Youtube Banner for your Channel

Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn

Want more Views? Look more Professional

 

It's as simple as that, a cool Youtube Banner for your Channel is crucial to give your channel "that" professional look. While the quality of your videos is important, having well designed Channel Art and Youtube Video Thumbnails is just as important. 

Ever heard of the term "Click Bait"? Well, that's exactly what your Channel Banner is intended to be. A good designed Youtube Banner or Video Thumbnail is almost 100% guaranteed to have visitors flocking to your channel. You get the idea, don't you.

Today we will design a professional looking Youtube Channel Banner inside of Photoshop. This tutorial is intended to be simple and less complex. I'll leave a link for you to download the PSD and use it on your channel.

This is the Youtube Channel Banner we will look to create using Photoshop CC 2020.

Alright then...let's get to work.

Step 1. Open up photoshop and make a new document (photoshop .psd file of course)

 

As of 2020, the size of a Youtube Banner is 2560x1440 pixels. This size is optimized for Desktops, TV's & Mobile Devices.  That's the size you must choose. 

Step 2. Adding a Pattern or Background

 

I've chosen to add a background of leaves. In this case i've used the default photoshop patterns that come with Photoshop CC 2020, if you don't use CC20 then you could always add a background of leaves which you could find on unsplash.com, pexles.com or pixabay.com

Step 3. Adding a rectangle across the canvas

 

Next, we'll add a rectangle shape horizontally across the canvas to act as a base / container for our text and photo. This section is very important because this is what your viewers on their desktop and mobile device are going to see. I have added the template with all the guides and safety margins for the devices, leaving that technical stuff aside, let's get on with the tutorial.

Once our container (black rectangle) is in place, I'll double click on the rectangle layer or right click on select "Blending Options", and select "Pattern Overlay" and choose the same "trees background" as you did for the main background in Step 1,
Bring down the opacity of the pattern to around about 35% - 40 %.
Looking good!

Now we will add text to our Youtube Banner Template. You could add the photo first but, I like to start with the text first to make the design a lot fuller and give me better visual direction.

Step 4. Start Texting

 

Nothing fancy here, just some text to inform my viewers exactly what my channel is about.

TITLE FONT - For my title PHOTOGRAPHY, I've used the MONT HEAVY DEMO from dafont.com with a size of 35 PT and a TRACKING of -40. I've also set the font to italic and uppercase on the character dialog box.

SUB TITLE FONT - For the Sub Title, I've used the Montserrat Black from dafont.com with a size of 6 PT and a TRACKING of 250. You get the idea!

You can download the fonts here: 

Month Heavy Demo
Montserrat Black
Bebas Neue 

Step 5. Adding Your Photo

I've chosen to add a photo to the left of the text, this is subjective and you could add it anywhere you'd like as long as it's within the safety margins so that your photo will be displayed correctly on all devices. 

Click to Download Photo

I added a circular shape where I want my photo to appear. This circular shape will serve as the "mask" or "container" for our photo. In other words, the photo we place will take the shape of the "mask" or "container". In this case it's a circle. 

In order for our photo to take the shape of the circle we will need to use a "clipping mask". A clipping mask will "clip" the photo to the circle so it could the shape of the circle. 

To make the photo a clipping mask, you would need to make sure your photo sits directly above the circle shape. Right click on your photo and from the long dialog box that opens, select CREATE CLIPPING MASK

Notice how your photo has now taken the shape of the circle. That's perfect!

So this is what we have thus far. Not too bad!

and oh! I grabbed a Youtube Subscribe button from google images and added it to the Youtube Banner Design. The options are endless, you can go crazy if you want to.

That's it! You've learned how to design a good looking Youtube Banner for your Channel.

Download the PSD

Download a Set of Youtube Channel Banner Templates Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn

Want more like this?

Receive more great content like this straight in your inbox. Signup now!