A few weeks ago watched Clash of the Titans. The movie was okay, I have to admit, I was expecting much more, but it was awesome to see some huge monsters and mythologic creatures battling in this epic movie. However in the end of the movie, when the credits started showing I was really impressed with the effect and I thought to myself that I had to do a Photoshop tutorial inspired by the movie.

So, in this tutorial I will show you how to create a text effect inspired by the Clash of the Titans posters and artworks. We will use layer styles and basic filters to achieve the effect. It will not take you more than 45 minutes to achieve the effect, but the outcome is really cool.

Step 1

Let's start our design in Illustrator, it's easier to get the text done in Illustrator, even though you can do that in Photoshop as well. When I saw the official Clash of the Titans poster I knew that font, it was the Bank Gothic, or the Bank Gothic is very similar. So with the Type Tool (T) add the word "clash", then "of the" in another independent object and then "titans", again in another object and line. All of the in uppercase.

Step 2

Select the texts and go to Type>Create Outlines. With the Direct Selection Tool (A) start editing the text. First the A of "clash". then the F of "of" and the T and E of "the". After that edit the word "titans" by changing the T and A. Use the image below for reference. Basically you will be moving points, but be careful to keep the same alignments and angles as the original text.

Step 3

Now open Photoshop and create a new document. Create a new layer and fill it with any color, then go to Layer>Layer Style>Gradient Overlay. Use a light beige #fee4c8 and a very dark brown #0f0802 for the gradient, use Radial for the Style and 100% opacity.

Step 4

Add a new layer and go to Filter>Render>Clouds. Make sure you have black and white for the colors.

Step 5

Change the clouds' layer Blend Mode to Color Dodge. After that go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All. Over the Layers Palette, click on the mask thumb of the layer and go to Filter>Render>Clouds to apply the clouds to the layer mask, that will make the clouds less strong. Tip: play with masks and apply filter on the masks, you will be surprise with the possibilities and the results.

Step 6

Go to Edit>Transform>Warp. Select the Fisheye warp type, then move the controller towards the center of the document. That will create a really nice blur effect, much faster than the zoom blur in Photoshop.

Step 7

Copy the words "Clash of the " from Illustrator to Photoshop. We will do these words first because we will apply a different Layer Style preset for the Bevel and Emboss.

Step 8

First thing here is to search for a old and rusty metal texture. I found the one I'm using on Google Images.

Open the image in Photoshop and then go to Edit>Define Pattern. After that go back to our design and select the layer with the words "clash of the", the go to Layer>Layer Style>Pattern Overlay. Select the metal pattern you have just created.

Step 9

After the Pattern Overlay, select Bevel and Emboss. For the Technique use Chisel Hard, for the Depth use 500%, for the Size use 120 pixels, for the Soften use 0 pixel. Over the Shading Options, use 95º for the Angle, 35º for the Altitude, then for the Highlight Mode use Color Dodge with white for the color and 65% for the Opacity. For the Shadow Mode use Color Burn with Black for the color, then 40% for the Opacity.

Step 10

Now select Contour, then just change the Range to 50%.

Step 11

Here you can see the effect you will have. Notice that the ligths are coming from the bottom, or the center of the document, and that is why we split the words.

Step 12

Copy the word "titans" from Illustrator and paste it in Photoshop. On the layers palette select the layer we applied the layer styles in the previous steps and with the right button of the mouse click and select Copy Layer Styles. After that select the "titans" layer and click again with the right button of the mouse click and select Paste Layer Styles. Double click on the layer to open the Layer Style dialog box. Select Bevel and Emboss, then just change the Direction to Up.

Step 13

This is the effect you wll have gotten so far, notice now that the light for the word "titans" is coming from the top while for the "clash of the" is coming from the bottom.

Step 14

If you watched the movie you will know that the Pegasus was a black winged horse, so I got an image of a winged horse from Shutterstock, you can find it over here. It's a vector image, but that is fine, just place it as it is coming from the center.

Step 15

To make the horse more realistic and less vector style go to Filter>Blur>Motion Blur. Use 35º for the Angle and 20 pixels for the Distance.

Step 16

For the flares you can create them using different techniques, you can do that using the noise gradient, the lens flare filter (least recommended) and using an image. I have used a image that is really good for that on most of my projects, the only thing I do is to change the Hue and Saturation to make the colors match the design. You can find the image I used here.

As you can se the background of the image is black so the only thing you have to do is to change the Blend Mode to Screen, so the black will be transparent.

Step 17

Add more lens flares over some letters of the texts. Use the image below fore reference.

Step 18

Select all layers and duplicate them, after that merge all the duplicated layers into one layer only. The keyboard shortcut to that is Command(mac)/Control(pc) + Alt + Shit + E. Select this layer and go to Filter>Blur>Radial Blur. Use 5 for the Amount, Zoom for the Blur Method and Best for the Quality.

Conclusion

The zoom blur will give that movement idea to our design, as the text is coming out of the page, exactly like the credits at the end of the movie. You can add some noise as well to give that movie style to the image. The technique on this tutorial is pretty simple, there's nothing that is difficult to be done, but the most important thing was that I wanted to show you that you can find inspiration everywhere, but it's important that you turn this inspiration into something real. The best way to do that is through personal projects ;)

Click on the image for full preview.

Download the Photoshop File

Click here to download the Photoshop File used for this tutorial

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Someone emailed me and asked how did I do the illustration background on Next2Friends. It inspired me to write this article. He asked "Did I do it in Photoshop or Illustrator?" Well, it is a mixture of both. First I created the artwork in Illustrator, then polished it in Photoshop. Here I will unveil all my secret techniques. This tutorial includes 9 Photoshop techniques that will show you how to add more depth, color, contrast, and texture into your vector art.

Why do I need to polish the vector art?

Vector artworks are usually very flat, dull, and lack visual effects due to software limitations; thus they look very boring. Unless you want that "flat and dull" appearance, otherwise you should polish your vector in Photoshop. By polishing vector art, you can: make the color more vivid, bring up the contrast, texturize the artwork, and add more life and depth to the image. Here are some of my work samples (before and after polish).

Technique 1: Lens Flare Effect

First technique, let’s start with one of my recent work on Next2Friends. I will show you how to create a stunning lens flare effect in two simple steps.

I assume you have the vector artwork ready and you want to add a lens flare layer on top. First create a new layer on top and fill it with black color. Go to Filter > Render > Lens Flare. Then, set the layer’s blending mode to Screen. Done. Isn’t that nice and easy?

If you want the lens flare to focus on specify area only, you can delete the unwanted area. Make a circle selection, feather the selection (Cmd + Opt + D) by 10 to 20px, inverse selection (Cmd + Shift + i), and hit Delete key.

Sometime just the Lens Flare filter alone is not good enough. You can make it even better by manually adding more colorful circles and glows.

Technique 2: Colorful and Dusty Effect

This is one of my common styles that can be found in most of my design work. Again, it is very easy. It can be done in two easy steps.

Use the Radial Gradient tool, randomly draw some soft edge glows on a layer and set the layer blending mode to Dissolve.

Repeat this step and create different color overlapping layers. Try to use bright colors such as yellow, megenta and cyan. Tips: you can control the dissolve level by adjusting the layer Opacity.





Technique 3: Rainbow

If you ever wondered how I did the rainbow effect on my Phoenix illustration (currently displaying on N.Design Studio). It is done by a Photoshop plugin, Polar Coordinates.

Create a new square dimension file (ie. 800 x 800px). Make a spectrum gradation in the middle of the document using the Gradient tool with the default "Spectrum" preset. Go to Filter > Distort > Polar Coordinates. There you go, a perfect circle spectrum!

Now, you have to blur the sharp edge. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, apply 5 to 10px radius, depending on the size of your document. Bigger document size will require more blur.

If you only to show partial of the rainbow, you can use the layer mask to hide the unwanted area. In the Layer palette, click on the "Add layer mask" icon. Use Gradient tool, select the "black to transparent" swatch, drag from left to right to mask out the unwanted area.

Technique 4: Glowing Lights - Background

This is the quickiest and most easiest way to create a colorful light glowing background for your vector work.

First fill the layer with any dark gradient you desire. Use the Radial Gradient tool and start making soft (transparent) glows on separate layers. This effect works best with cyan, magenta, and purplish colors.

Experiment with the blending modes and drag the layers around (you will get unexpected results): Overlay, Color, Multiply, Screen, and Color Dodge.






Technique 5: Particles

Here is a technique on how to create a tail of particles as seen in my Flow artwork. This technique is also commonly used in the fairy tale books/movies (you know, the typical magic wand effects).

Select the Pen tool, and draw an opening path. Select the Brush tool, set any brush size you want (ie. Brush size 3px). In the Brush panel, turn on Scattering and Shape Dynamics (you can play around with these settings to get different results).

In the Paths palette, right-click on the path layer and select "Stroke Path". It will fill the stroke with your active brush setting.

Tablet Drawing

Of course you can manually create the particle effect by brushing with various brush sizes. If you have a tablet, this will be fun. In the Brush panel, turn on Shape Dynamics, Scattering, or any other controls to Pen Pressure and experiment the results. If you don’t have a tablet, have fun clicking and dragging.

Technique 6: Color Dodge

Vector artworks usually look very flat, by color dodging, you can bring up the contrast and create a focus point.

Paste your vector artwork in a new layer, use the Eyedropper tool and pick a bright color from the original image. Set your Brush mode to Color Dodge and brush Opacity 5 to 10%. Gentling click on the area where you want to be dodged. Be easy and try to over-dodge the image.

Technique 7: Blurred and Darkened.

As mentioned earler, vector artwork is usually very flat. You can add more depth to the image by blurring and darkening the background objects. Examples can be found in my Flow illustration. Notice the floral patterns in the background are blurred and darkened?

Just duplicate the foreground objects and apply 3 to 5px Gaussian Blur.






Technique 8: Watercolor

As seen on this site, watercolor texture and vector can mix very well together. Here is how I did the watercolor effects.

Choose any pastel colors, such as pink, green, purple, orange, etc. Select the Pencil tool, set the brush size to about 100px, Opacity 10%, and randomly draw on the layer.

Repeat this step for different colors. This technique is also posted in the previous tutorial, Watercolor Effect Menu.



Technique 9: Vintage

Here is a technique on how to create vintage effect to give more texture to your vector work. Although I have never used this technique in my illustration work, but I have seen it a lot. So, here is it.

Paste your vector artwork in Photoshop. Select the Erase tool, set the mode to Pencil, select one of the grunge/splatter brushes, and gentling erase partial of the layer.

Credits: The brush sets used here are splatter and watercolor, from Bittbox. The icons are from my free Christmas Holiday Icon Pack.

See more

You can browse my design portfolio to see more work by me. Some of my works are available for download as desktop wallpapers.

크리에이티브 커먼즈 라이선스

이 저작물은 크리에이티브 커먼즈 코리아 저작자표시-비영리-동일조건변경허락 2.0 대한민국 라이선스에 따라 이용하실 수 있습니다.

In case you haven’t noticed yet, the hand drawn style is one of the hottest design trends. There are several ways to create hand drawn images — you can create it from scratch in Photoshop or you can scan an actual hand drawn sketch. Personally, I like to use a scanned drawing because you get a realistic drawing texture. Here is a quick tutorial to show you how to create a hand drawn design in Photoshop using the blending mode and alpha channel.

1 Create From Scratch in Photoshop

If you have a tablet, you can simply draw the sketch by using the brush tool.

Don’t Have a Tablet?

If you don’t have a tablet, you can create the artwork in Adobe Illustrator and then imitate a hand drawing effect in Photoshop.

First draw a vector illustration. Then import it in Photoshop. Use a grungy brush and gently erase select parts of the image. Use the Blur tool to create the smug effect.

2 Scan It

The easiest way — scan the drawing and set the layer blending mode to Multiply.

Invert Color

If you want to have a white color stroke instead of black — go to menu Image > Adjustments > Invert (or press shortcut Cmd+i) and then select Screen blending mode.

Step It Up: Create Color Gradients

What if you want more than just a black or white stroke (ie. colors gradients)? Then you will have to extract the drawing from the white background. A simple way to do this is by using alpha channel.

• Copy (Cmd+C) the drawing.
• In the Channels palette, create a new channel. Then paste the drawing in the new channel.
• Invert (Cmd+i) the channel layer.

Go back to the Layers palette, create a new layer. Go to menu Select > Load Selection. In the Load Selection prompt box, select Channel: "Alpha 1" (which is the name of the alpha channel I created earlier).

Shortcut Tip: the shortcut for loading a channel selection is Cmd + Opt + any number key (ie. 1, 2, 3). Learn more Photoshop shortcuts.

Fill Selection

With the channel selection loaded, you can fill it with any color.

Using It In The Design

For the purpose of this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to incorporate your hand drawing on a female model (the photo was purchased from iStock).

1. First, cut out the model.

2. Fill the background with some sort of light glowing gradients.

3. Paste the drawing on top of the model. Lock the layer transparency. Play around with the color gradients.

4. Duplicate the drawing in the background to add more details to the image.

크리에이티브 커먼즈 라이선스

이 저작물은 크리에이티브 커먼즈 코리아 저작자표시-비영리-동일조건변경허락 2.0 대한민국 라이선스에 따라 이용하실 수 있습니다.

Since Web Designer Wall was launched last week, I received several emails regarding on how I made the main illustration background. I thought I should put up a quick Illustrator tutorial so everyone can share. This article will outline the main steps on how I made the flower pattern in Illustrator. Hopefully, this can answer your question.

1. Sketch

Always draw your illustration on paper first. This will save your time.

2. Trace

The illustration was traced in Adobe Illustrator using my favorite tracing technique. First, import the scan in Illustrator and set Layer Opacity to 20%.

Then trace it with the Pen tool.

3. Coloring

After you’ve done the tracing, go to Colourlovers.com (or any color palette sites) and find the color themes that you like. What I did was copy the sample image from the site, then paste it directly in Illustrator.

Now fill the path color by using the Eyedropper tool.

With the Eyedropper tool active, select the path, then click on the image to pick the color. That’s it. Quick and easy.

 

크리에이티브 커먼즈 라이선스

이 저작물은 크리에이티브 커먼즈 코리아 저작자표시-비영리-동일조건변경허락 2.0 대한민국 라이선스에 따라 이용하실 수 있습니다.

Right time to go into Photoshop and create a "simple" moody image using loads of simple effects to create an image with depth and composition. This is simpler than you think but can demand a lot from your system. You will be switching between Illustrator, Photoshop, Painter and throwing a few hand rendered elements in just for good measure so put the kettle on, sit back and get ready to begin!

Step 1

Obtain a mono shot which has good deal of contrast, the shot can have a background or be on an infinity screen, each will give a different feeling to the final piece. Your main task here is to find a shot you like as you will be staring at it for some time.

Step 2

Mask off the subject as tightly as possible, do this by creating a duplicate layer and adding a layer mask set to reveal all. Next select the mask itself and draw around the image you wish to keep. You can use feather edge brushes to allow semi transparent edges. Alternatively use a piece of masking software like Ez mask, a lot easier!

Step 3

Now add a layer in between your two existing layers and add a splash of colour, simply add a gradient of your chosen colour to create a little contrast and simply use the hue command in the layer effects. Don’t make this too obvious as the effect should be subtle.

Step 4

Now switch your image into Illustrator. Just open up the image and begin to draw vector lines over the top. Remember to place it on a separate layer and lock it down before you start as to move the image and continue to draw your vectors is not good! Draw whatever you fancy and is fitting with your chosen image as this is where you stamp your mark on the piece.

Step 5

If you have kept the original the same size in Illustrator all you need to do is paste it in and it will be the correct size in photoshop. Also if you are not happy with the colour simply adjust the hue via the Hue and Saturation command in the Image > Adjustment > Hue and Saturation

Step 6

Now highlight vectors using the burn brush, use this to give added depth and vary the brush size to get the best possible result. You want to make this in between looking real and plastic false to help it stand out from the original layer. This will obviously differ depending on what you used as a base image.

Step 7

Dupe up the top layer of the subject and then adjust the Hue and Saturation as in step 5, find a colour that matches the composition of your piece. Then add more sections to your layer mask to hide areas and give more interest to the viewer. Use your own personal judgement here and don’t be shy!

Step 8

Now freehand draw a shadow beneath the model and using the layer effect multiply place one below at 100% opacity and one above at around 50% opacity to hide the joint between the model and the background.

Step 9

Open up the file splats.ai and paste onto your image and multiply the layer down. Place this image behind the main masked subject layer and experiment with the layer opacity to get the effect level you think is right. Then repeat this process numerous times until you get the complexity you desire.

Step 10

Next get out your pen and paper and do a few hand rendered drawings, scan these in and place them behind your subject image. The image then needs to be again multiplied down and also use the Edit > Transfer > Perspective function in photoshop to get it to match into your composition.

Step 11

Right time to swap programs again. Open your layer file into Painter and dupe the master layer of the girl, then apply the Effects > Fill > Pattern filter and choose the rose design. Then apply thelayer over the top using the Gel layer effect and reduce the opacity to around 15%.

Step 12

Next get a picture of an item that complements your image and clipped out then place the image behind the main image, then add a slight drop shadow, not too much but enough to boost the contrast. You then need to dupe this layer and resize and change the opacity and layer modes in random to get a mixed effect. There is no science to this just experiment!

Step 13

Now dupe up the splat effect and flower layers, change the Hue and Saturation to fit in within with the composition. This will give an overall more blended feel to the image as a hole, again multiply these layers down using layer effects in various fashions. I can’t stress enough just experiment!

Step 14

Now introduce some other elements using the same effects as with the flowers in the earlier step, don’t be shy here just pile them up and work on your composition. You can take this as far as you want. Remember this is all about experimentation and making it different so try to get a good selection of items in at this stage! Drawing vectors and importing them can be a good idea to add more depth.

Step 15

Now continue experimenting in this way adding layers until you are happy. Then just flatten your image and hey presto you are done!

About the author

Neil is a self confessed Mac monkey based in a rural miners cottage 20 miles north of Manchester. He creates pieces that combine elements from mixed media, photography that are interlaced with complex vectors to create pieces that always hit the brief for clients all around the world. Visit Neil’s website to see his works.

 

크리에이티브 커먼즈 라이선스

이 저작물은 크리에이티브 커먼즈 코리아 저작자표시-비영리-동일조건변경허락 2.0 대한민국 라이선스에 따라 이용하실 수 있습니다.

It is proven that by using software shortcuts can boost up productivity. Here are 30 secret Photoshop shortcuts that I’ve learned from years of experience. Well, what I mean by "secret" is that these shortcuts are not documented in the menus. Keep reading and you will find how these shortcuts can speed up your productivity. I bet you don’t know all of them.

Note: this article is written in Mac Photoshop format. If you are using PC, Cmd = Ctrl and Opt = Alt.

1. Drag selection
   With the Marquee tool, drag on the document (do not release the mouse yet), now hold down Spacebar, it will let you drag the undefined selection.

   

2. Navigate the document left or right
   Hold down the Cmd key and scroll up or down allows you to navigate the document left or right. For example, hold down Cmd + scroll up will navigate to right.

   

3. Browse the font list
   Put your cursor in the font list dropdown, you can browse the font list by pressing arrow Up or Down key.

   

4. Scale font size
   Select the text that you want to scale the font size, press Cmd + Shift + > or < to increase / decrease font size.

   

5. Zoom with the scroll wheel
   You can zoom in / out by Cmd + Opt + scroll up or down.

   

6. Drag to adjust numberic value
   Mouseover the input box, hold down Cmd + drag left or right to increase / decrease. Hold down Cmd + Opt or Shift key and drag can change the value in decimal or 10 interval. This shortcut works in all dialog palettes.

   

7. Scroll to adjust numeric value
   Put the cursor in the input box, scroll up or down to increase / decrease value. This shortcut works in all dialog palettes.

   

8. Arrow up / down to adjust numeric value
   Put the cursor in the input box, press arrow Up or Down to increase / decrease. Hold down Shift and press arrow Up or Down will change value in 10 interval.

   

9. Zoom to 100%
   Double click on the Zoom tool will zoom document to 100%.

   

10. Collapse or expand all layer groups
    You can collapse or expand all root-level layer groups by holding down Cmd + click on the triangle icon. Hold down Cmd + Opt + click on the triangle icon will collapse or expand all level layer groups.

    

11. Show / hide in a row
    If you need to show / hide more than one layers, instead of clicking one by one, you can click on the visibility icon and drag in a row.

    

12. Hide other layers
    Hold down Opt + click on the visibility icon will hide all other layers.

    

13. Navigate layer blending mode
    Opt + Shift + "-" or "+" key allows you to navigate through the blending mode dropdown.

    

14. Set specific blending mode
    Opt + Shift + C, N, M, S, D… allows to set layer to specific blending mode.
    For examples:
    Normal = Opt + Shift + N
    Screen = Opt + Shift + S
    Multiply = Opt + Shift + M
    Color = Opt + Shift + C

    

15. Lock layer transparency
    Press forward slash ("/") to lock layer transparency.

    

16. Load Channel selection
    You probably know that Cmd + number keys (1, 2, 3) will activate the channels in sequent. Press Cmd + Opt + number keys will load the selection. For example, press Cmd + Opt + 4 will load Alpha channel 1.

    

17. Tool panels
    Press Tab to toggle tool panels.

    

18. Precise cursor
    Caps lock will display tool cursor in precise mode.

    

19. Navigate the tool list
    You can navigate through the tool list by pressing Shift + tool shorcut. For example: B = Brush tool, if you press Shift + B again, you will switch to Pencil tool.

    

20. Increase / decrease brush size
    With the Brush tool selected, you can increase / decrease the brush size by pressing [ or ] key (square bracket key). Press Shift + [ or ] will increase / decrease brush hardness.

    

21. Opacity
    You can set the layer opacity by pressing the number keys (ie. 1 = 10%, 2 = 20%…). When you have the brush tool selected, pressing the number keys will adjust the brush opacity.

    

22. Duplicate layer
    There are several shortcuts to duplicate layers.
    1. You can hold down Cmd + Opt + drag to duplicate the active layer.
    2. Cmd + Opt + arrow keys (Up, Down, Left, Right).
    3. Cmd + J will duplicate the active layer in exact position.
    4. Hold down Opt + drag within the Layers palette can also duplicate layers.

    

23. Copy visible and paste in a new layer
    Press Cmd + Opt + Shift + E will copy the visible layers and paste in a new layer.

    

24. Change workspace background
    By default Photoshop use grey for the workspace background color. You can change that by:
    1. select your favorite color
    2. choose the Paint Bucket tool
    3. Hold down Shift + click on the working area (outside the document area)

    

    Update: right-click on the workspace area to get a dropdown menu - allows you to set the background to black, grey, or a custom color (commented by Todd Patrick).

25. Fill background or foreground color
    Opt + Delete (Backspace) = fill the layer with foreground color.
    Cmd + Delete (Backspace) = fill the layer with background color

    

    Update:
    Cmd + Shift + Delete (Backspace) = Fill non-transparent pixels with background color
    Opt + Shift + Delete (Backspace) = Fill non-transparent pixels with foreground color
    (commented by André Dion)

26. Switch between document windows
    Ctrl + Tab will switch between document windows.

    

27. Load layer transparent
    Cmd + click on the layer thumbnail will load its transparency.

    

28. Scale proportionally from center
    When you are using the Marquee tools or Free Transform, hold down Opt + Shift + drag will scale proportionally from the center.

    

29. Shortcut to Eyedropper
    If you have the Brush tool selected, hold down Opt key will quickly activate the Eyedropper tool. Hold down Opt + Shift will activate the Color Sampler Tool.

    

30. Finally…
    Finally, if you want to check or set your own custom shortcuts, press Cmd + Opt + Shift + K will bring up the Keyboard Shortcuts panel.

    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

    출처 : http://www.webdesignerwall.com
    
    
    
    

크리에이티브 커먼즈 라이선스

이 저작물은 크리에이티브 커먼즈 코리아 저작자표시-비영리-동일조건변경허락 2.0 대한민국 라이선스에 따라 이용하실 수 있습니다.

크리에이티브 커먼즈 라이선스

이 저작물은 크리에이티브 커먼즈 코리아 저작자표시-비영리-동일조건변경허락 2.0 대한민국 라이선스에 따라 이용하실 수 있습니다.