Quickly Build an Abstract Background of Colored Bars

In Effect by Jonathan
Oftentimes there's a need for a quick but unique design. In this tutorial, I'll be showing you a short but attractive way to create a graphic for backgrounds, wallpapers, greeting cards, designs, and all that other good stuff. You will learn a simple Photoshop trick that you can easily manipulate for your daily needs.

Step 1

First off, let's start by creating a new document and applying the oh-so-obligatory clouds (Filter > Render > Clouds).

Step 2

Now that we have our base to work with, apply Mezzotint (Filter > Pixelate > Mezzotint) with type "Long Strokes."

Step 3

Doesn't look like much right now, but with the magic of motion blur (Filter > Blur > Motion Blur), with an angle of 90 degrees and a distance of 999 for the settings, everything will be better.

Step 4

Now add a new layer and overlay some color over it. Here I chose the Rainbow Gradient using the Gradient Tool (G), but you can choose whatever suits you. When you have a layer of color, set the layer mode to Overlay.

Step 5

If you feel like being creative, you can tweak some more by changing the curves (Ctrl + M) to make the image either brighter or gloomier depending on the mood.

Step 6

Now create a new layer. Then select the Marquee Tool (M), set it to elliptical, and the Feather to 30, and select around the picture (use the example below for reference). Then select inverse (Ctrl + Shift + I), and fill (Edit > Fill) with black. Then change the Opacity to 75% so that it is a bit more subtle.

Step 7

Again create a new layer, and with the same Marquee tool settings as above, select (use the example below as reference). Then change the curve (Ctrl + M) to something like in the example. Afterward, change the Opacity to 60% so that it isn't blinding. Try to be creative and change the settings to your taste.

Step 8

Now we are done with the background. You can choose to do whatever you want with it. But I'll leave you guys with a simple example that you can easily do for generic jobs.

Reset the Marquee Tool to rectangular with 0 feather. Then create a horizontal bar in the middle of the picture. Then fill it with white (Edit > Fill) and lower the opacity to say, 50%.

Step 9

Now while still selecting the area, select the first layer (the clouds + mezzotint + motion blur layer), copy it (Ctrl + C) and paste it (Ctrl +V) in a layer above it, but below the Color Overlay. Deselect, and apply Gaussian Blur to it (Filter > Blur > Gaussian blur) with a setting of about 3.2 pixels.

Step 10

Going back to the top layer, duplicate (Layer > Duplicate Layer) the white horizontal bar layer you created in step 8 and transform it (Ctrl + T). Then make it slightly smaller height-wise, about 2px from the top and the bottom.

Step 11

Finally, add a text on top of that layer and type in what your heart desires. Congratulations, you are done!

It's a simple technique that can still produce eye-catching results!

sourced from psdtuts

How to Create a 3D Shelf Element Similar to Dragon Interactive

In Interface by Arik

In the reader suggestions recently, I found a request to see how to produce the shelf interface on the incredibly cool Web site for Dragon Interactive, a Los Angeles–based creative agency. So here's a method for producing the shelf effect.

Editor's Note: Dragon Interactive requested us to note that this tutorial is not actually written or supported by Dragon themselves.

Step 1

Using the Pen Tool (P), create a path as shown below. Don't worry about the background color. I chose this color so that you can see the path. Next, go to your Paths Palette and hit the Create New Path button. This will create a new Path Layer and save your existing path to the layer below it. I named mine "Separator."

Note: If at any point you lose the selection of your path, go to the paths tab and select the separator layer. This is important for the coming steps.

Step 2

Create a new layer, select the Brush Tool (B), and select a 1px, hard brush. Switch your foreground color to a black and then select the Pen Tool again. Now right-click on the path and choose Stroke Path. In the box that pops up, make sure the Brush Tool is selected and that Simulate Pressure is off. Call this layer "black separator." Hit Enter if the path is blocking your view of the black line. And don't worry, as I mentioned earlier, you can re-select this path in the Paths Palette.

Step 3

Duplicate the "black separator" layer, make sure the Move Tool (V) is selected, then hit the left arrow key once. This will nudge that line one pixel to the left, now hit Ctrl+I to invert the colors. Name this layer "white separator" and place them in a layer set called "separator." Note that the Create a New Group button is right next to the Create a New Layer button. For now, keep the mode of this layer set to Normal Although we will change it later on in the tutorial.

Step 4

Select the Paint Bucket Tool (G) and use the settings shown in the screenshot below. Then create a layer below the separator set and fill the left side of the separator with #3d3d3d.

Create a layer above that and do the same for the right side, except this time use #111111. Nudge the "dark grey" fill, one pixel to the left (using the arrow keys!) and the "light grey" fill, one to the right. You should be aware that if you are at 100% zoom view, then hitting the left/right arrow key will move 1px, if, however, you are zoomed out further, then it will move a different number of pixels. For example, if you are at 66% view, then hitting the arrow key once will move 2px, at 50% view it will move 3px, and so on. So make sure you are at 100% :-)

After this, using the Brush Tool or the Pencil Tool, brush along the sides of the canvas to fill that one transparent pixel back up with the correct color. Drop these two into a set called "background."

Step 5

We have our basic set-up ready. Now it's time to add the highlights and shadows. Create a gradient with the color #707070 as shown below and then gradient-fill a new layer with that gradient. Make sure the size of the gradient is about the same as mine. If you are having trouble with gradients, you can either expand them vertically by hitting Ctrl+T and dragging them out vertically or you can use the Filter > Blur > Motion Blur filter (I prefer the free transform).

On top of that, on a new layer, create a similar narrow gradient filled with white. Set that to Overlay and drop the Opacity to 40%. I put these two layers into a set called "highlights."

Step 6

The shadows were created in a similar way. First a "large shadow" gradient using black with the layer and set to Soft Light and 80% Opacity, a stretched out gradient was created. Then on top of that, a "small shadow" was added, again using black but this time the layer was set to Overlay and the Opacity dropped down to 40. These two layers were put in a set called "shadows."

Step 7

The highlights and shadows are way too defined on the dark grey area—time to fix that.

Put the "shadows" and "highlights" into a new set. I called mine S/H. Make sure the highlights set is below the shadows set. Add a layer mask to the S/H set.

Now Ctrl-click on your "dark grey" layer. This time, using a low opacity black brush go over the masked area within the selection. With each stroke, the shadows and highlights fade away. Regulate the opacity of your black brush in order to gain more control over the transparency.

The more opaque the brush, the more transparent the shadows and highlights will become. If you still feel you need even more control, you can add masks to the layers themselves. For instance, adding a mask to the "highlight large" layer will let you edit the opacity of that layer only. Use this to your advantage.

Step 8

Now comes the hard part. Depending on your taste and skill, you will now have to brush in additional shadows and highlights. I suggest you put all of the brushwork into a separate set called "Brush" at the top of the document. Use low opacity black brushes to add shadows. Patience is key here. There is no fixed way of doing it. I used a big (180px), soft, black brush set to 10% Opacity and tapped along the edges.

Step 9

Duplicate the "background" layer set and hit Ctrl+E. This will rasterize it into a single layer. Use the Dodge and Burn Tools to add additional highlights and shadows if necessary. Highlight mode works best here, with a low exposure (around 15-20%).

Step 10

Until now we've used the separator to help us in our process with the shadows/highlights etc. so that we have a clear division between the light and dark area. Now we are going to finalize this design. Set the "separator" set to Overlay. Wow, an indent appears! If you are not happy with it, duplicate both the "white separator" and "black separator" layers and nudge them one pixel to the right. It creates a less prominent appearance.

Conclusion

The effect isn't too hard to achieve. When I first analyzed the Web page, I understood that the shape could be created with the Path Tool and the rest were just a bunch of shadows and highlights that could be created thanks to a combination of brushing and gradients. The more work you put into those shadows, the better the end result.

But wait, this doesn't look anything like the Dragon Interactive Web page!

No it doesn't. This tutorial was written to show you how this 3D effect is created. The Dragon Interactive site has a lot more to it than this one interface element, and you can learn a lot by studying how they've placed, colored, and sized objects. In general it's not a bad idea to analyse any design you come across and think about why the designer has done what they've done, as well as how they did it.

sourced from psdtuts

Handy Web 2.0 Icons In Photoshop

The Interface by Fabio

When we are working on a Web design project, we quite often need icons to show commands like add, delete, or edit. With the Web 2.0 trend, the use of badges and subtle 3D has become very popular. In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a really easy and very nice 3D effect to be used in either buttons and icons or elements that need some depth.

Step 1

Create a new document and select the Ellipse Tool (U). It doesn't matter what color you use because it will be replaced later with the Layer Styles.

Step 2

Double-click the ellipse layer to open the Layer Style dialog box. Then select the Gradient Overlay and use a blue and a lighter shade of blue for the gradient colors. For the style use Radial. Next add a Bevel and Emboss as shown below.

Tip: move the radial gradient more to the top of the circle. To do that with the Layer Style dialog box still open, make sure that you are on the Gradient Overlay section, and click and hold the button and start to move the gradient.

Step 3

Duplicate the circle layer and resize it to make it slightly smaller, like the image below.

Step 4

Double-click the new layer to open the Layer Styles dialog box. Deselect all previous effects (Bevel and Emboss and Gradient Overlay). Now select Stroke and for the Fill Type select Gradient. For the colors select white for both ends of the gradient and change the opacity to 0% for the beginning and 100% to the end.

Step 5

Select the Horizontal Type Tool (T) and create a text layer. Make sure that this layer is at the top. Now open the Layer Styles box and change the Color Overlay to white, and select Inner Shadow and use the settings shown below.

Step 6

Group the three layers and call it "Blue Circle".

Step 7

Select the Polygon Tool (U) and change some settings as shown below to create a Star Badge. Duplicate the layer and resize it like we did in step 3.

Instead of applying those layer styles to the layer, just copy the style from the previous icon we created and paste it to our new layer. To do that, select the layer you want to copy the layer style of, right-click on the mouse (Macs: Option-Click) and choose Copy Layer Style. Next select the layer you want to add the style to and right-click again and choose Paste Layer Styles.

The only thing you will have to change will be the gradient colors under the Gradient Overlay.

Conclusion

This is one of the easiest ways to create a cool 3D style button. You can eve change some settings like the stroke's gradient color and create different 3D styles.

sourced from psdtuts

Dynamic Recessed Watercolor Typography in Photoshop

In Designing by Fabio

In this tutorial, I'll show you how to mix vector elements and watercolor effects with text to create a stunning design. It's a quick process that depends heavily on good choices of images and colors.

Final Image Preview

Before we get started, let's take a look at the image we'll be creating. As always, the layered Photoshop file is available via our PSDTUTS Membership. You can view the final image preview below or view a Larger vision here. Fabio has another great Water color effect in Photoshop tutorial on the site as well you may want to review as well.

Step 1

The first step here is actually the first step in all my projects. I look for references images based on my sketch. This research and planning process is intertwined. It allows me to look through various elements and plan the direction to follow. Of course, I can change the direction during the creation as this process is fluid. So I found multiple images with effects I really liked and wanted to apply to a design (images: 1,2,4, and 5). Then I put some ideas on paper (image 3), added my own direction, and developed my concept.

Step 2

Create a new document in Photoshop, I used a wallpaper size of 1920 pixels by 1200 pixels.

Step 3

Download the Bleeding Dragon Oldpaper Texture , and place the Paper 2.jpg in your document.

Step 4

Now let's use some brushes, in this case the fantastic Bitbox set of watercolor brushes. Go ahead and download these WaterColor Brushes. Bitbox has some other amazing watercolor brushes as well, so feel free to test different ones as well.

So, let's select the Brush Tool (B) and blue for the color. Create a new layer, then with just one click paint place some paint on the layer.

Step 5

Create a new layer, select a different brush and use red for the color. Once again paint the layer. Also you can try different Blend Modes, in this case I used Normal but you can try Multiply as well.

Step 6

Create more layers and paint each layer with different colors. Use yellows and greens and different blend modes as well. Try to reproduce the image below.

Step 7

Group all the layers with watercolor brushes and duplicate the group. You can hide one. With the other layer go to Layer > Merge Group. Rescale the layer and make it bigger, as in the image below. Then go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, and use 250 for the value. Now change the Blend Mode to Multiply.

Step 8

Go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All. Select a big round brush and change the hardness to 0%. Choose white for the color and paint over the layer mask to hide some areas of the layer. Mainly in the center.

Step 9

Write the text you want, for the typeface I used a P22 font called Constructivist. You can use the one you like the most. Just make sure that it's really bold. Also, I placed some birds I got from the GoMedia's Arsenal (sets 5). The pack is called Flock of Birds, but I'm sure there are brushes with birds like that you can search on the web for.

The main idea here is make the birds coming from the text. That's why I placed them over the S and a bit on the T.

Step 10

Again, let's use that group of layers painted with the watercolor brushes we hid on the Step 6. First, use a big version, as in the image below. Rename the group to "Watercolor Big" and change the Blend Mode to Multiply.

Step 11

Duplicate the group several times. Change the Blend Mode to Multiply for each copy. Then select all new copies and merge them in one unique layer. Just go to Layer > Merge Layers. After that change the Blend Mode to Soft Light, rename the layer to "Watercolor Small," then group it with the "Watercolor Big" group. Rename this new group to "Watercolor."

Step 12

Here let's add more elements to our design. Use some brushes and paint over some letters (1-6). I used some Brushes from Brusheezy:1,2,3,4. Make sure you paint in black and with small brushes.

Step 13

Merge the layers with the text, the birds and the brushes with the splatters and other details. Go to the Layer palette, then hold down the Command Key and click on the thumbnail of the layer you have just merged. That will create a marquee selection, as in the image below. Now select the "Watercolor" group and go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection.

Step 14

Duplicate the group we have just used on the previous step and go to Layer > Merge Group. This layer has to be beneath the "Watercolor" group. After that go to Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options. Change the Fill Opacity to 0%. Select Inner Shadow and change the Blend Mode to Multiply. Use 75% for the Opacity, 5 pixels for the Distance and Size, 130º for the Angle, and Choke set to 0.

Step 15

Here I used one image of a linear floral design from iStockphoto. Place it in your design and change the Blend Mode to Multiply. This layer has to go beneath the watercolor layers. Duplicate the layer twice. Rotate and place them behind the D,, P, and S. Use the image below as a reference.

Step 16

Let's add more vector elements, I used another image from iStockphoto, this time of Floral Element. Place the new image in your design and repeat the same thing as the previous step. This time let's use just two copies.

Conclusion

Now you can add your logo or some text to finish the design. The idea of this tutorial is to show how to create a design from multiple reference images, a simple sketch, and your own ingenuity. Using vectors and images from stock sites allows you to create quick and attractive results with relatively simple steps. You can view the final image below or view a Larger version here.

sourced from psdtuts