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Nice Vintage Badge in Pixelmator
Last year we published a tutorial showing how to create a nice badge in Photoshop and Illustrator. Now we decided to do the same, or similar effect using Pixelmator and its new vector tools. The result is very good and there are some nice techniques to overcome the lack of some more complex shapes. So in this tutorial we will show you how to create complex shapes in Pixelmator and add round corners to it. After that we will show you how to make it look like an old badge using textures and some basic filters and blending. Step 1 Open Pixelmator and create a new document. I am using 1680x1050 pixels. After that using the new vector tools, select the Rectangle Shape and add a square by holding the shift key. Step 2 Duplicate the square and rotate it 30º. Step 3 Duplicate the rotated square, then go to Edit>Transform>Flip Horizontal. You will have the base of our badge. Step 4 Select the 3 squares and merge them into a layer. Layer>Merge Layers. After that go to FIlter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 7 for the radius. Step 5 Go to Image>Levels. Change the Black to 86%, the grey to 88% and white to 90%. After that you will have a nice shape with rounded corners. If you want it to be more rounded you can use a higher value for the blur in the previous step. Step 6 Go to Filter>Color>False Color. Use red for the color. Step 7 Duplicate the shape and rotate it to have more sides on the badge. Step 8 Change the color of one of the layers to blue and change the Blending to Multiply. Step 9 Select both layers and merge them. Then with the Magic Wand Tool (W) select the center area. After that use black for the false color. Step 10 Now let's start adding some text. I used a font called Carnevalee Freakshow for the font. Also used the Rectangle Shape Tool to add some other elements. Step 11 I added more text using another font, called Birch Std for the words San Francisco and Abduzeedo. Also change the opacity of some text to 30% white. Step 12 Let's add some texture. The one I used is from Subpatterns.com and can be found here: http://subtlepatterns.com/patterns/paper.png Use one layer with it for the background and another on top of the other layers. With the one on top go to Image>Levels. Use 95% for Black, 99% for the Grey and 100% for White. Then change the Blending to Screen and the opacity to 60%. Step 13 Select the badge with the text layers and duplicate them. After that merge the duplicated layers into one and go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 5.2px for the Radius. Step 14 Change the Blending to Hard Light at 60%. You might need to delete a bit of the center area to make the text more visible. Step 15 Duplicate all layers and merge them again into one. Then go to Image>Desaturate. You can change the opacity of this layer to 60% to make the colors less vibrant or... Conclusion You can have the layer in black and white, which is my favorite. So the idea of this tutorial was to show you how to create some more complex shapes using Pixelmator vector tools. You can go much further and add more details, but that now is up to you :) Conclusion You can have the layer in black and white, which is my favorite. So the idea of this tutorial was to show you how to create some more complex shapes using Pixelmator vector tools. You can go much further and add more details, but that now is up to you :) Download the Pixelmator File Click here to download the Pixelmator file used for thist tutorial
Beginner Tutorial: Easy Clock Icon on Illustrator
Hi everyone, today we're going to do a really simple exercise on creating this slick clock icon on Adobe Illustrator. If you're beginning in using this software, well this tutorial will be very suitable for you, so let's begin! Just a little reminder: this is a beginner tutorial, even though some of you are really skilled with Adobe Illustrator, I would recommend to take the time to read this as you can get some insights and ideas out from this tutorial. Please comment If you have any questions, problems or doubts, have fun! Step 1 Let's open Illustrator and make a 15 x 21 cm canvas. Using the ellipse tool (L) and make a ellipse on the center of the canvas. Let's fill it with a radial beige gradient. Then duplicate it using the selection tool + alt or by just pressing command + c / command + v (ctrl + c / ctrl + v). Enlarge it proportionally by holding shift + selection tool. Now apply a metallic linear gradient over it. Make another ellipse using the same gradient, but this time change the gradient direction to give the sensation of depth. Make a circle inside the beige one, adjust the stroke to about 90 pt or more, it need to cover the whole circle. Then access the strokes panel and set a dashed line with 9,3 pt of dash, then go to the transparency panel and choose the blending mode to Soft light. Make a semi circle by using a circle and a square in the middle of it, select both and use the pathfinder option called Minus front, that must give you a semi circle. After that go to the gradient panel and make a white gradient with 0% of opacity on one of the sides. Then duplicate your semi circle and flip it to the other side. Let's make some golden dots to indicate the hours. Use some golden radial gradient on it, duplicate and adjust the position by using the align panel. Duplicate the first four and then make a rotation. Do it twice till you got the twelve hours of the clock on the desired position. I decided to simplify and use a common serif font (Capitals), let's make a classic hard shadow effect. First make the number using a grey color. Then duplicate it and put a white color copy over it. Step 2 Let's make another fading gradient, this time using black on one of the extremities. We're going to make this ellipse and fill it with this radial gradient. Let's create other ellipse on the top of this shadow using the ellipse tool (L) , let's add a red radial gradient on it The second arrow can be achieved by using the pen tool (P), just remember to create ellipse on the bottom of it and blend both using the pathfinder option called Unite. Using the ellipse tool (L) make the minutes pointer, adjust the vector points using the direct selection tool (A). Add a grey gradient, adjust the darker area to be next to the ellipse, so it will look like a shadow. Duplicate the previous shape, re-size it so it can fit inside the pointer and then add some golden gradient on it. Duplicate the big pointer and send it to back. Use a dark grey fill on it then go to Effects > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Set the radius to 7,4 pixels. Repeat the same procedures on the other pointer. Step 3 Let's make the legs, first make a rectangle and rotate it a bit on the bottom of the clock, don't forget to send it to back. Make another rectangle and adjust the two vector points of the bottom using the direct selection tool (A). Make a ellipse on the extremity. Add some grey metallic gradient on both three, make sure they're all in the same direction. You can also add some shadows over it by making a rectangle with a black fading gradient and then using the blending mode called Multiply, quite easy. Let's make a shadow bellow the clock, use the ellipse tool (L) to make a grey to white gradient. Step 4 Let's make the bells, first make ellipse and add a gradient with the darkest part on the top. Create a rounded rectangle, click on the icon to adjust the corner radius, set it to 1 cm. Now make a rectangle crossing on the middle of it, then go to the pathfinder panel and choose the option called Minus front. Adjust the remain piece and choose a metallic gradient to put over it. Make a little rectangle on the top of the rounded shape an then a bigger rectangle over it. You should be pretty cautious while trying to create the gradient for the clock pin, so it should look like it has some sort of slots to adjust, so make a complex gradient. Okay now we just need the ring breaker, this should be piece of cake. Using the pen tool (P), make a shape then just duplicate it and reflect to the other side. Final Result Download the Illustrator File Click here to download the Illustrator file used for this tutorial.
Beginner Tutorial: Create Super Mario's Head on Illustrator
Hi everyone, following my latest beginner tutorials today I'm going to show you how to create a Super Mario face using mostly simple and easy to create shapes. As every kid born in the 80/90's , I'm still a huge fan of this Nintendo character, so this will be another "nostalgia tutorial" , hope you guys enjoy it! Just a reminder: this is a beginner tutorial, eve though some of you are really skilled on this software, I would recommend you to take a a time to read this as you can get some insights and ideas from this tutorial. Please comment If you have any problems or doubts, have fun! And before we can begin, please listen to THIS while reading. Step 1 So, the deal on this tutorial is to create this Mario's face using the most round and simple objects as possible, why? Not just because it's easier than using the pen tool for it, but as drawing analysis, understanding that everything is created by simple and geometric shapes. It's a work of observation and it really takes time to understand, but with time you will find easy to see shapes on every object you see. Ok, so I saved a color pallet on the source file so you guys don't need to screen grab this JPEG or getting busy figuring out what colors we're going to use. Let's begin by creating a ellipse using the ellipse tool (L). Make another ellipse using the previous tool and adjust it using the direct selection tool (A), this will be the nose. Mkae another ellipse on the right side of the big one, this will be the ear. We're going to create more three ellipses on the bottom of the big one, this will be his chin, Mario being a chubby guy should have some cheeks. Then select all those three, the ear ellipse and the big ellipse, go to the pathfinder panel and choose the option called Unite. They should turn all into one. Add some beige fill to it and go to the brush panel, choose the one called 5 pt. Oval, it's a good one for cartoon characters outline, so use a thick one. Use the path eraser tool on the pencil tool (N) panel to erase past of the nose, like pic bellow. Step 2 Let's skip to the eyes, basically you're going to crete several ellipses and one last sphere using the ellipse tool (L). Add some color and fill as the examples bellow. For the other eye you're basically going to duplicate or do the same procedures, don't forget that this one should be with the nose partially on the front. The mustache is really piece of cake to do, first make a line of ellipses with different sizes like the sample bellow. Select all them and use the patfinder option called Unite. Use a black fill on them. Make another ellipse over them and use the pathfinder option called Minus front. Don't forget to put the nose on the front. And add some thick stroke on the mustache. Step 4 Oh the eyebrows, just another piece of cake part. First make two ellipses under the eyes as the samples bellow. Make the intersection with other ellipses like the sample bellow. Then just go to the pathfinder panel and choose the option called Minus Front., then add some black fill on it. The ear detail is the only part made 100% using the pen tool (P), If you're not used with the tool you still can try to do it using the brush tool (B) or using some ellipses and pathfinder modes to achieve it. Super Bald Mario heheh ok let's start to give some sense on it guys. Let's proceed by creating the mouth. First let's make a ellipse and adjust the vector points using the direct selection tool (A). Make a ellipse over it and use the pathfinder tool called Minus Front. Use the brush tool (B) to give this little detail, use a thick brush. I love using this tool: use the pencil tool (N) to draw the tongue, do the same procedure to draw the teeth. Step 5 Ok I'm tired of looking to this bald Mario, so let's put a hat on him and give him some hair. First make a ellipse and a circle like this. Add some red fill and a thick stroke on it. Make the white circle where we are going to put the "M". Use the brush tool (B) on the hat to add this detail. The flap is bit tricky to do, first create a ellipse using the ellipse tool (L). Make a sphere bellow it and use the pathfinder option called Minus front. The result may be a little messy, but first you should ajust Mario's head using the direct selection tool (A).. After it you should adjust the flap like the samples bellow Draw the "M" using the pen tool (P), that's no big deal. In order to draw the hair let's first make two circles, resembling almos a "8". Then using the pencil tool (N) or the pen tool (P) to make this part. Select all and choose the pathfinder option called Unite. Add some black stroke and a brwon fill on it and we're done. Final Result Download the Illustrator File Click here to download the Illustrator file used for this tutorial.
Beginner Tutorial: Create Dexter on illustrator
Hi everyone, I decided to insert some nostalgia on today's tutorial. Since I'm a guy born in the early 90s, I thought sharing how to draw Dexter would be really interesting and fun. If you've ever watched Cartoon Network you'll probably recognize this little fella at first sight. Let me repeat a simple nugget of information: It's a beginner tutorial, that's right, not too many difficult tricks on today's lesson, but if you want something more wicked, you should definitely check out some other illustrator tutorials on the site HERE, thanks. Step 1 So let's open Adobe Illustrator and make a blank canvas (command + N / ctrl + N), let's not stick with a specific size, use the one you feel more comfortable with. Here are the colors used on the character, you don't need to screengrab it, it's already in the downloadable file at the bottom of the Tut. So, let's begin by making its body. First make a rectangle using the rectangle tool (M). Go to the Brushes panel and choose the one called 5 pt. Oval, it's my favorite since it creates a smooth and thick outline, great for cartoon characters. Now let's make two spheres using the ellipse tool (L), this will be the head and ear. Make a huge one almost at the top of the rectangle, don't forget to add some beige and stroke on it.Let's get a bit familiar with pathfinder panel, but first let's make a cut rectangle. You can do it by using the rectangle tool (M) then adjusting one of the anchor points using the direct selection tool (A). Select both the big sphere and the shape then use the pathfinder option called Minus Front. Then let's repeat this technique in order to define the head and neck of him. This time we're going to use the pathfinder option called Unite. Do the same thing with the ear. Step 2 Let's draw the boots, it's best to use the pen tool (P) when trying to draw this one. Then just add some black fill on it. Let's duplicate it by selecting the boot and using the selection tool (V) + alt. Right click over it, then go to Transform > Reflect. Reflect the vertical Axis. Step 3 Lets add a button using the ellipse tool (L) and a line using the line segment tool (\) on his suit. Let's make his hair. Using the ellipse tool (L) make an ellipse, then using the direct selection tool (A), adjust each point like the the image below. Again using the same tool and make two ellipses. Use the pathfinder option called Unite to make them all one. Using the brush tool (B) you can make these details on the hair. Step 4 In order to make the glass, let's first make a sphere using the ellipse tool (L). Make a rectangle above it, select both, then use the pathfinder option called Minus Front, add a black fill on the shape. Duplicate it and use a blue fill, then using the ellipse tool (L), make a sphere inside of it. Duplicate and adjust the three paths using the selection tool (V). We're going to need to use the pen tool (P) again in order to make the mouth, but that's no big deal. Use the line segment tool (/) to make the teeth and the temples. Finally let's add a white fill on the boots then let's make a sphere on the bottom using the ellipse tool (L). Step 5 You know something, I really hate drawing hands and I bet you don't like it either so let's try to make this part easier. First make two ellipses using the ellipse tool (L) Make a bigger ellipse on the center. Using the polygon tool or the star tool, make a triangle. Use the pathfinder option called Unite to make it one path. Using the pen tool (P), make this open rectangle. And add a stroke on it. You're going to repeat nearly the same technique for the other arm, using the rectangle tool (M) make the arm. Make the triangle again and a sphere. Don't forget to add the stroke on it. This ellipse will be the toe, after creating it use the path eraser tool to cut only a part of it, later you're going to understand why. Make a rectangle between the toe and the hand, it's not a big deal. Using the ellipse tool (L), make the other fingers around the rectangle. Now create a sphere using the ellipse tool (L), then use the Unite option at the pathfinder panel to make the object. Add a bottleneck using the rounded rectangle tool. Using the pen tool (P) you can create the green liquid inside the bottle. Add some bubbles using the ellipse tool (L) and don't forget to add some simple reflexes on it later. Final Result Well, I hope everyone enjoyed trying this. I've tried to make things easier for you guys as you can see we pretty much used basic pre made shapes and avoided using the pen tool. However, even If you're "vector king" there's always some good tricks to learn on a beginner tutorial like this one. Download the Illustrator File Click here to download the Illustrator file used for this tutorial.
Vintage Typography Experiment in Illustrator and Photoshop
We all love typography and especially the vintage/retro ones. There's something on those artworks that catch our eyes and makes us really crazy about them. Despite the fact that some are quite old and done with rudimentary process the quality of the design is amazing and that's why books are the best way to get inspired by those and especially trying to learn how to do that using modern tools like Illustrator and Photoshop. So in this tutorial I will show you how to create a nice vintage/retro typography based on an artwork from the book New Vintage Type: Classic Fonts for the Digital Age. The whole process will take you 2-3 hours, but it's quite simple. However it requires time. I hope you enjoy it and keep practicing always. Simple Sketch Step 1 Open Illustrator and create a new document. The size doesn't even matter because it's vector and we will finalize our work in Photoshop. Type the words "inspiration" and "speaks'". Use uppercase. For the speaks, create 3 different text objects, 2 for the S and one for peaks. Make the Ss bigger than the peaks like the image below. Step 2 Select the word peaks and go to Object>Envelop Distort>Maker with Warp. Select Ark Lower. Use - 25% for the Horizontal. Step 3 With the Ellipse Tool (L) create 3 ellipses like the image below. Note that some have thicker strokes than the others. Step 4 Agai with the Ellipse Tool (L) add 2 circles. One at the top and the other at the bottom of the ellipses. Step 5 Select the Blend Tool and click on the top circle, then on the botton one to create the blend. Edit the number of steps until you have something like the image below. This values might change depending on your design. Step 6 Create an ellipse in between the 2 big ones, this new ellipse will be the path for the circles. Delete half of the ellipse then. With the Direct Selection Tool (A) select the line that the blend follows and then select the half of ellipse let. Go to Object>Blend>Place Spine. Now the circles will follow the ellipse spine. Step 7 Duplicate the blend and flip it vertically using the transform tools via pathfinder (View>Pathfinder). Step 8 Add more text, in this case I added by ABDUZEEDO. Also add 2 lines one at the top and the other at the bottom. Step 9 Keed adding more elements, this time I added a rounded rectangle using the Rounded Rectangle Tool. Then I typed ABDUCTED BY DESIGN. Step 10 With the Rectangle Tool (M) create 2 rectangles, the top one thinner than the bottom and position it next to the big ellispe. Step 11 With the Spiral Tool create a spiral to use in the end of one of the rectangles. Step 12 With the Ellipse Tool (L) create a ellipse to fill the end of the spiral. Step 13 Now with the Star Tool add one star, then duplicate it twice to have 3. Align and ditribute them uniformly. Step 14 Now just duplicate elements to have the center part as the image below. Step 15 Again with the Spiral Tool create spirals for the lines of the By Abduzeedo element. Step 16 Select the elements of the By Abduzeedo part and go to Object>Envelop Distort>Envelop with Warp. Use Arc with the same 25% Horizontal. Step 17 With the Line Segnent Tool (\) add 2 lines and then with the Blend Tool create a diagonal pattern like the image below. Step 18 The select the Inspiration Speaks part and group them. Duplicate it once and change the color to white. Move this new copy so it is beneath the black text, and also move a few pixels down and right. After that duplicate this white layer and move it a few more pixels down and left, but then cut it (Edit>Cut). Select the diagonal pattern and go to View>Transparency. You will see 2 thumbs, one with the pattern and another empty. Double click on the empty one to enable the clip mask, then copy the white text in place (Command + F). That will mask the pattern with the text object. Step 19 This is the final vector object we have. Notice that I also duplicate the By Abduzeedo part. It's up to you here, the idea is try different things :) Step 20 Open Photoshop and import the vector image. You can do that by copying and pasting or exporting a bitmap from Illustrator. In my case the latter was the fastest one, so it was the one I recommend. Also I added here a image of the Abduzeedo logo I created in Pixelmator a long time ago for testing and place it in the center of the ellipse. Step 21 Go to Image>Adjustments>Invert. Now we have a black background with white elements. Step 22 Duplicate the image and with the new layer go to Filter>Sketch>Contê Crayon. Use 13 for the Foreground Level, 10 for the Background Level, Sandstone for the Texture, 150% for the Scaling and 5 for the Relief. Step 23 With the Brush Tool (B) and some vintage/dirty brushes from Eduardo Recife (http://www.misprintedtype.com/v4/) start painting with black and white over the image. Also add a new layer and start paiting with white only. Tip: Go to Window>Brush (F5) and then create a brush activating the Shape Dynamics, Scattering and Transfer. That way you can paint of the image without looking too uniform. Conclusion Here is the final image, you can exaggerate a littel bit because my idea here is use this design on top of an photo, then using Screen for the Blend Mode, all the black will be transparent and only the white will be shown. As you can see, the design process is quite simple and it's all about trying and practicing. Now we understand a bit on how this vintage elements are creating, therefore we can start creating our own. The typography books were indeed very useful. Another Version Download Tutorial Files Download Illustrator and Photoshop file used for this tutorial
Reader Tutorial: Flaming Car in Photoshop by Lincoln Soares
This week’s tutorial we will show you how to create a flaming car. We saw this effect before and it’s quite simple but it’s a good exercise and the result is quite good. You can also apply this effect on other images. So let’s do that. Step 1 Open Photoshop and create a new document. Make the background with a mix of black and red (#160000). Then with the image of a car with no background. For this first step the idea is get the outlines of the car for our image. To do that, it's pretty easy. Create a new layer by duplicating the car's layer. Rename it to "Base" and hide the original. Go to Image>Adjustments>Invert. After that go to Filter>Stylize>Find Edges. Repeat the same thing again in order to have another layer but for the Blend Mode use Hard Light. After that you can merge those 2 layers into one. Step 2 Your image will look like this: Step 3 Now that we've gotten the cars outline we will have to apply the light effect on it so it will look like a flaming car. In the same layer that we created in the step 1, let's apply a Gaussian Blur. Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. The value will vary depending on the resolution you are working on. In my case I used 1.6 for the Radius. After that change the Blend Mode to Scree. Duplicate the the layer keeping the same blend mode, however let's apply a Gaussian Blur again, go to Fitler>Blur>Gaussian Blur and use 3.6 pixels. Rename this layer to "Top". Duplicate the layer we created in the first step and merge it down with this one. Then duplicate the first layer again and rename it to Red and go to Image>Adjustments>Hue and Saturation. Select Colorize and change the Saturation to 100. The Blend Mode of this layer will be Overlay. Let's repeat this again to create the yellow version. Go to Image>Adjustments>Hue and Saturation and use 40 for the Hue. Do the same again to create an orange version, then for the Hue and Saturation use -22. After that change the Opacity of the yellow and orange layers to 50% and put them inside a folder. You can do that by selection both and going to Layer>Group Layers. Then with the group select go to Layer>Vector Mask and then delete the outlines on the rear part of the car. Step 4 Our effect is pretty much done. Now let's duplicate the original layer that we hid on the step 1. Select it and go to Image>Adjustments>Hue an Saturation. Select colorize and change the Saturation to 100. Put this layer in a folder and rename it to Car. Step 5 Add a new layer and name it "Superior Line" before starting adding flames and other light rays. With the Brush Tool (B) with Hardness 0 add a line following the tires skid marks and go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. I used 4.5 pixels for the radius. After that go again to Image>Adjustments>Hue and Saturation. Use +76 for the Hue. Tip: You will have to do that for the right side tires and the left ones as well. Step 6 Now let's start mixing some images in our composition. Get some flame images ad start adding them in your image. Notice that the flame images I have they are all in black background, that way you can use Screen for the Blend Mode and the black will be transparent. Step 7 Keep adding more flames. Step 8 Here I added another flame image. You can change the perspective of the image by going to Edit>Transform>Perspective. Once again use Screen for the Blend Mode, and if you wan the effect to be stronger, just duplicate the layer. Img8 Step 9 Select one of the flames that you used for the skid mark and move it so it is underneath the car. Do that for the front and rear part of the car. Step 10 Almost done. Let's add a few more details. Add a new layer and then with the Brush Tool (B), use a rounded brush with 0% Hardness to create some little spots of fire following the skid marks. Make sure you use different sizes for the spots like the image below. Step 11 Duplicate the layer and go to Image>Adjustment>Hue and Saturation. Select Colorize and change the Saturation to 100 and the Lightness to -50. After that change the Blend Mode to Overlay. Duplicate that layer again and go to Image>Adjustments>Hue and Saturation. Change the Hue to 76. The next thing here is add an image of smoke like the image below. Conclusion That's it, our image is done. It takes a little time and work but the technique is quite simple. The end result is quite nice as well. I also hope you liked my first tutorial here at Abduzeedo. If you have any questions or want any asset I use here you can reach me at designsoares@hotmail.com I am very happy to contribute with Abduzeedo, a blog that has helped me quite a lot. Download Photoshop File Click here to download the Photoshop file used for this tutorial This tutorial was written by Lincoln Soares, an art director from São Paulo, Brazil. Lincoln has been working for over 5 years and you can check out more of his works at http://behance.com/lincolnsoares. You can also follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lincolnsoares.
Easy Camera Icon in Fireworks
A few weeks ago I decided to create a camera icon. Usually I would do that in Illustrator or Photoshop, however as I use Fireworks pretty much most of my time I chose to create the icon using it. The cool thing about Fireworks is that you have the vector features found in Illustrator with bitmaps features found in Photoshop, especially layer style filters. So in this tutorial I will show you how to create a camera icon in Fireworks. I will focus on the lens pretty much, but as you will see, to create a realistic effect it's all about playing with gradients. Reference The first thing to do is always find some references so we can learn about lighting, shadows and texture. For my icon I wanted to recreate the Sigma DP2s. Step 1 Open Fireworks and start a new document. I am using 1024x1024 pixels. You can do the same using Illustrator or Photoshop. After that with the Ellipse Tool (U) create a circle. Step 2 Start creating more circles following the photo as references. Step 3 Now it's time to create the small circles that will be the lens. When you see those lens they look quite complex but if you analyze it's quite simple to recreate that, it's all about circles. Step 4 Now we have all the circles necessary to create the lens. As you can see we are just playing with black outlines and no color. Step 5 With the Rounded Rectangle tool create the body of the camera. After that click on the yellow controller to change the type of the corner. Step 6 Now let's start making the lens looks more realistic. Select the bigger circle and apply a gradient. Use the Cone type with grey and black for the color. Use the image below for reference. Step 7 Now for the second circle just use black for the color with #333 for the stroke. Step 8 For the third circle use #1B1C1C for the color and #333 for the stroke. Step 9 Use black color for the next with the same stroke color. The for the other one use the same as the third to alternate the colors. Step 10 For the next 4 circles use #1B1C1C for the color with #333 for the stroke. The 5th you use black for the color. After that use #999 for the stroke of the 6th. We need some highlight to the center part. The add other 3 circles like the image below, with the last one using a linear gradient. Step 11 For the circle in the very center fill it with black. As you can see in the image below, until now we haven't done anything much fancy or difficult, it was just repetition. Step 12 Now add 4 new circles in the center of the document. The big one in purple (1), then another one in dark/green yellow (2), one in the very center smaller in light yellow (3) and another one in green (4). Use the image below for reference. Also change the Edge Type to Feather with 3pt. Step 13 Add 2 new circles one bigger and another smaller. The go to Modify>Ungroup. Then with the Subselection Tool (A) edit the circles to make them look more like an ellipse. Change the Fill color to Linear Gradient and use #728EA6 for the color but with 100% transparency in the beginning and 0% at the end. Make sure the total transparent part is towards the center of the lens. Step 14 Add an ellipse to use as a mask. That's important to create the refleciton in the lens. Step 15 Cut the ellipse and start selecting the colored circles. Celect the dark yellow one and go to Edit>Past as Mask. Step 16 Repeat the same thing for the other circles. Now for the big reflection select the circle like I did in the image below and copy. Select the big gradient ellipse and go to Edit>Paste as Mask. Do the same for the other small gradient ellipse. Step 17 Now lets add some effects on the body of the camera. We had the rounded retangle. To add a little bit of 3D effect just add two rectangles one at the bottom and one at the top. Apply a gradient on them so the left and right edges are transparent. Step 18 Add 2 new rectangles on the right and left edges of the camera. Then apply a gradient using white for the color but with 100% transparent at the beginning and end and 0% transparency in the middle. That will add a nice round 3D effect. Step 19 Move the lens on top of the body. You can add more effects like shadows and elements. Step 20 Here are other parts of the camera I created. They are basic rectangles with gradients and different sizes. They look very basic but when you put them to together you ger a very realistic effect. Conclusion Select all layers but the ones in the center of the lens. The go to the Add Filters button on the Properties panel. Click and select Noise>Add Noise. Use 2 Amount, that will give a nice texture to the camera. As you could see in this sort of walkthrough/tutorial, create the camera and the lens was quite simple, however you have to go all the way till the end in order to get the result you want, otherwise you want be able to see how simple colors and gradients when together can create a nice effect. Step by Step Download Fireworks File Click here to download the Fireworks file used for this tutorial
Psychedelic Design in Photoshop and Illustrator
It has been a little bit more than six months since I moved to San Francisco, California. As you might know, I am from Brazil so it's quite a big change, however I've been having an amazing time here, constantly learning new things. That's why I've decided to try something different for this tutorial, a Psychedelic image using Illustrator and Photoshop. I think it's very important for a designer to have as many visual references as possible. That is useful because it will give you more ideas when trying to come up with design solutions and that way you won't end up doing the same thing all the time. But just looking at references is not enough, at least not for me. I have to do things in order to learn the little subtleties that make a design look like a legit representation of a period in time, psychedelic in this case. So in this tutorial I will show you how to create a psychedelic design using Illustrator and Photoshop. Step 1 Open Illustrator and start a new document. The idea is create a psychedelic design using typography elements only. Start typing the first phrase you want to use, in my case I typed "Abduzeedo Six Months" using the font Butterfield Demo. You can download it at http://www.dafont.com/butterfield.font Step 2 Add 3 more phrases and make sure they match the lenght. It's impossible to do that without adjusting the kerning of each sentence. So in some you will have to increase while for others reduce the kearning. Step 3 Once you have the 4 sentences rotate them to create a square. Step 4 To connect the sentences you will have to create some elements. I add some basic rectangles matching the letters that start and end the sentences. Use the image below for reference. Step 5 Once you finish creating the connectors for the sentences you will have an image like the one below. Step 6 With the Rectangle Tool (M) create a square, in black, then move the square made out of the sentences on top of this square and change the color of the text to white. Step 7 Create a new square, this time with white like the image below. The idea here is add a new square made of texts. To do that just repeat the first steps of this tutorial. The size of the fonts will be the same, but the sentences will be shorter though. Step 8 Create a third square of text, this time you can reduce the font size. I simply duplicate the second square and resized it to fit the area. Note the way I inverted the colors for each square. Step 9 For the colors use #662D91(1) for the biggest square, #DA1C5C(2) for the biggest text square, #BE1E2D(3 red) for the second big square, #FBB040 (4 - yellow), #2B3990(5) for the dark blue, #27AAE1 (6) for the light blue. Step 10 Open Adobe Photoshop and create a new document. I am using 2560x1440 pixels for the size. Fill the background with #383324 for the color. It's a dark green. Step 11 Copy the vectors from Illustrator and paste them in Photoshop. Step 12 Now it comes the time to add some textures in order to make the design look old and sort of destroyed. The texture I am using is a stock image courtesy of Shutterstock called Closeup of rough blue and you can find it at http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-83457697/stock-photo-closeup-of-rough-b…. Once you placed the image in your document, mask it so it will only be shown on top of the vector design. Step 13 Change the Blend Mode to Divide. Divide is a really cool Blend Mode because it sorts of give the look and feel we are looking for when it comes to old and dated designs. Step 14 The colors were too saturated so let's try to change that. Go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Hue and Saturation. Change the Saturation to -35. Make sure that this layer is on top of the vector and then go to Layer>Create Clipping Mask. By doing this the Hue and Saturation will be applied only to the vector. Step 15 Again place the texture, this time on the whole document. Step 16 Change the Blend Mode to Divide at 20% Opacity. Step 17 In order to create a trully psychedelic image we need a crazy background. I am using a nice image from Markovka called abstract seamless pattern with underwater life: fish, seaweed. Endless romantic texture with doodles, courtesy of Shutterstock. Conclusion Change the Blend Mode to Overlay at 40% and we have a nice an subtle background. As you can see the whole process of creating a psychedelic design was quite simple. I was heavily inspired by some old posters I saw in a book and as I said before I wanted to exercise that in order to understand the little details that make a design look like that, especially the typography and combination of colors. Download the Photoshop File Download the Photoshop file used for this tutorial
Captain America Shield in Photoshop
I haven't had the chance to watch Captain America in the theaters yet, however I've seen the poster all over San Francisco. Every time I see it I think to myself that would be awesome to create that shield in Photoshop. This morning I woke up and decided that I would do that :) So in this tutorial I will show you how to create the Captain America shield using Photoshop. The whole process is quite simple and won't take you more than 45 minutes. Step 1 Open Photoshop and create a new document. I am using 2600x2600 pixels. Fill the background layer with black using the Paint Bucket Tool (G). Step 2 With the Ellipse Tool (U) create a circle in the center of the document using red (#d51a37) for the color. Step 3 With the Magic Wand Tool (W) select the area of the circle and then add a new layer on top of the red layer. Step 4 Fill the new layer with white using the Paint Bucket Tool (G). Step 5 Go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise. Make sure you have black and white for the background and foreground colors. Use 150% for the Amount, Gaussian for the Distribution and select Monochromatic. Step 6 With the marquee selection still active go to Filter>Blur>Radial Blur. Use 40 for the Amount, Spin for the Blur Method and Best for the Quality. Step 7 Go to Image>Adjustment>Levels. Change the Input Levels using 103 for the black, 1.00 for the grey and 192 for the white inputs. Step 8 Change the Blend Mode to Darken at 100% Opacity. Step 9 Repeat the same thing now to create the grey circle of the shield. Step 10 Repeate the same steps to create the 3 other circles and the star. Notice that for each object I created the radial brush effect. Step 11 Time to add some realism to the shield. First thing to do is use Layer Styles. Go to Layer>Layer Styles>Drop Shadow. Use white for the color, LInear Dodge (Add) for the Blend Mode, -4º for the Angle, 5 pixels for the Distance and 4 pixels for the Size. Also change the Contour for the one I am using in the image below. Step 12 Select Inner Shadow. Use Linear Burn for the Blend Mode, black for the color, 90% for Opacity, 45º for the Angle, 5 pixels for the Distance, 0% for the Choke and 3 pixels for the Size. Alos use the same Contour style I am using in the image below. Step 13 Select Stroke. Use 2 pixels for the Size, Inside for the Position and black for the color. Step 14 Apply the layer style on all circles and the star. You migh have to make a few adjustments depending on the size of your design. Step 15 Time to add some textures. The one I am using is courtesy of Shutterstock and you can find it at http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-20761540/stock-photo-metal-plate-backgr… Step 16 Apply the circle mask on it and also change the Blend Mode to Soft Light. Step 17 Import a new texture, this one is from DeviantArt and you can find it here http://wojtar-stock.deviantart.com/art/metal-texture-4-60021019. Also paint with white using the Brush Tool (B) and a very soft brush. This white will be important for the blend mode in order to create some highlights. Step 18 Change the Blend Mode to Color Burn at 30%. Step 19 Add a new layer and using the Gradient Tool (G) with the Angle Style, fill the layer with a gradient using black and white. As you can see from my image I created a custom gradient for this effect. Step 20 Change the Blend Mode to Overlay at 80%. Step 21 Duplicate the layer and change the Blend Mode to Color Dodge at 30%. Then go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All. Select the Brush Tool (B). With a very soft brush and black for the color start painting the areas you want to hide. In our case the areas 1,2 and 3) Step 22 Add a new layer on top of the others and then create a marquee selection of the circle area. Then go to Filter>Render>Clouds. Make sure you have black and white for the background and foreground colors. Step 23 Change the Blend Mode to Soft Light at 50% Opacity. Conclusion Select all layers and duplicate them, after that merge all the new layers into a new one via Layer>Merge Layers. With the new layer selected go to Image>Adjustment>Desaturate. Change the Blend Mode to Soft Light at 50%. As you can see the whole process was quite simple, we used basic filters and textures. The secret was the Blend Modes to create the light effects necessary to give realism to the scene. Download the Photoshop File Click here to download the Photoshop file used for this tutorial.
Easy 3D Globe in Photoshop
A few weeks ago a friend of mine wanted to know how to create a sort of 3D globe effect using Photoshop. I didn't know how to do that but I got really intrigued with that, so I decided to give it a try. I knew that the Spherize would work in this case but didn't know how. So in this tutorial I will show you how to create a nice 3D globe in Photoshop using basic tools and the Spherize filter. This whole tutorial won't take more than 30 minutes but the technique is really useful especially for icons and logos. Step 1 Open Photoshop and then with the Rectangle Tool (U) create a rectangle, then start duplicating it until you get 7 columns. Use the Distribute Horizontal Centers to make the distances the same. After that duplicate those 7 rectangles and rotate them to create a grid. Step 2 With the Elliptical Marquee Tool (M) create a circle selection like the one I did in the image below. Step 3 Go to Filter>Distort>Spherize. Use 100% for the Amount and Normal for the Mode. Step 4 Cut the selection and paste it in order to get the front face of the globe. Step 5 Go to Layer>Layer Styles>Gradient Overlay. Apply a gradient from dark red to light blue in linear mode. You can try with Radial as well. Step 6 Duplicate the layer and rotate it 45º Also change the gradient colors to light red on top and dark blue at the bottom. This will create a really nice 3D effect and it's super simple. Step 7 Select the background layer and go to Layer>Layer Styles>Gradient Overlay. Use (#aa616b) and (#2c354d) for the colors, Radial for the Style and 140% for the Scale. Position the center of the gradient a little bit on top of the center of the globe. To do that just click and hold to move the gradient position while you are in the Gradient Overlay properties. Step 8 Select the two globe layers and duplicate them. After that go to Layer>Merge Layers. You will have one layer with the globe. Go to Layer>Layer Styles>Color Overlay. Use black for the color. After that go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 15 for the radius. Then just resize it and change the opacity to 20%. to create a nice shadow effect. Step 9 Select the front face of the globe and edit the Layer Styles. Click then on Inner Shadow and use white for the color, Color Dodge for the Blend Mode at 60% Opacity. Also change the Angle to 100%, Distance to 3 pixesl and Size to 7 pixels. Step 10 After the Inner Shadow you will get a nice light effect in your globe. Step 11 Select all layers and duplicate them. After that go to Layer>Merge Layers to have one layer with all the image merged. Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 20 pixels for the Radius. Step 12 Change the Blend Mode to Overlay and you will get a really nice light effect. Conclusion Now just add the text you want and also you can apply a texture on top. I am using a scanline pattern I created. The whole idea of this tutorial was showing how to create a nice 3D globe using only Photoshop, it's a nice technique for logos and icons and it's super simple to achieve. Download the Photoshop File Click here to download the Photoshop file used for this tutorial
Yummy Cookies Typography in Photoshop
I woke up this morning thinking about an idea for a tutorial, then I remembered that last week I saw a really nice text effect that the characters were made of bread if I am not making any mistake. So I thought it would be really nice to create a text made of cookies just using Photoshop. So in this tutorial I will show you how to create a really nice text effect playing with cookies texture and layer styles. The technique is super simple and the whole process won't take more than 30 minutes. Step 1 Open Photoshop and create a new document. I am using 2560x1440 pixels for the size. After that double click on the background layer to make it editable, then go to Layer>Layer Style>Gradient Overlay. Use #fdebc2 and #f7efe0 for the colors, Radial for the Style and make sure the center is lighter than the edges. Step 2 Add the text you want, I typed abdz using Cooper Std Black for the font because it is rounded and bold enough to make them look as they are made of cookies. Step 3 Now let's use some real cookies texture. I used a stock photo from Shutterstock, you can find the one I used at http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-74918797/stock-photo-three-peanut-butte…. Cover the text with cookies and group them so they will be in a folder. Step 4 Create a marquee selection of the text by clicking holding Command (Mac)/Control (PC) on the thumbnail of the layer. Then select the folder that the textures are inside and go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection. Step 5 Select the mask layer and go to Filter>Brush Strokes>Sprayed Strokes. Use the values below for reference. Step 6 Still with the mask selected, go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 2 pixels for the Radius. Tip: This value might vary depending on the font you are using and the font size as well. Step 7 Still with the layer mask selected, go to Image>Adjustments>Levels. Change the values to 100, 1.00 and 150. The idea here is to fix the blurry edges by removing the greys. So we first made the edges irregular but it was too much, then with the blur we softened that but they got blurry, so with the Levels we make then again sharp and clear. Step 8 Here is the final result of the masking process. The cool thing about masking a folder is that you still have freedom to play with the layers inside it. Step 9 Create a marquee selection of the layer mask that has all the irregular edges and then add a new layer. Fill this layer with any color and then go to Layer>Layer Style>Blending Options. Change the Fill Opacity to 0%. Step 10 Select Inner Shadow and use the values below. Step 11 Select Inner Glow and once again use the values below. Step 12 At last but not least select Drop Shadow. Use Color Burn for the Blend Mode and use the image below for reference. Step 13 This is the final result with the layer with layer styles on top of the folder with the cookie textures. Step 14 Disable the Drop Shadow and then select the layer with layer styles and the folder with textures. Then duplicate them and merge them onto new layer. Change the Blend Mode of this new layer to Overlay then. Step 15 As you can see it was pretty easy to create the text with cookie texture, it was all about playing with masks and layer styles. Conclusion You can add more text and also rotate some characters in order to make them look more realistic. Also notice that the layer style values will change for smaller texts like the one below in which I typed the alphabet. The cool thing about this technique is that you can apply to all sorts of textures. Now it's all about playing :) Click on the image for full preview Download the Photoshop File Download the Photoshop file used for this tutorial
Create a Stylish Retro Futuristic Poster in Photoshop
It has been a good time since I did my last photoshop tutorial, so for this week I decided to take a look at some old works I did when I were more into photoshop and just found this awesome one. However, when I opened the orinal PSD. file I found many things I wouldn't do nowadays, so I decided to try to recreate using my reent methods. This a experience I would recommend to anyone: get an old design and try to redo it. The following tutorial is pretty easy, it's more for beginners, but if you are a advanced user you may find some interesting tricks. So stick together and let's start this week tutorial. Step 1 First of all, open Adobe Photoshop and create a A4 canvas ( 21 x 29,7 cm or 8,26 x 11,69 inches), set to 300 dpi, even if you work only with web it's good to try higher resolutions. First place some rulers (ctrl + R / command + R) with a distance of 1 cm (2,54 inches) from the borders, then create on the center this green rectangle using the retangle tool (U) . Now create a layer mask, select it and using the linear gradient tool (G) create this light gradient on the bottom. One thing most people forget when trying effects with clouds is that the colors used on it are the foreground and the background color, so set on of them white and the other light green like the image above (R:179 G:255 B:104). Then go to Filter > Render > Clouds , you will get something like these. Access the blending modes panel and choose the one called color burn, you should get this effect. Create a new layer ( ctrl + alt + shift + N / command + alt + shift + N ) and repeat the procedure, but after generating the clouds, go to Filter > Render > Fibers , set Variance to 8 and Strenght to 64, like the image bellow Again, access the blending options panel and choose the option called color burn. Repeat the procedure of creating clouds, use black and white clors this time for the foreground and background, after it go to Filter > Render > Difference clouds, hit this effect like 6 times, use the shortcut ctrl + F / command + F, you should get something like these. Set Opacity to 25% and choose the blending mode called soft light. Don't mees with the layers, create a group (ctrl + G / command + G) and place them like the sample bellow. Step 2 Let's add a landscape to it, I really found mountais would a nice thing, so you can download it at CG Textures. Open the image in PS, first let's desaturate the image (ctrl + shift + U / command + shift + U). Place it on the canvas, select the green rectangle layer with ctrl + click / command click to make this selection, then select the mountain layer and press ctrl + J / command + J to crop the image. Now go to the blending modes panel and choose the option called Linear light. Duplicate this layer (ctrl + J / command + J) then go to Filter > Other > High Pass , set radius to 9,9 pixels. Access the blending mode panel and choose the option called Overlay. Step 3 I don't remeber where exactly I got this starry night picture, but it's free to use in non commercial projects, so you can download it directly here. Open this image in PS and let's repeat the procedure of using the high pass filter like we've done on the mountains on step 2. Let's increase the intensity of this stars, so duplicate the original layer ( ctrl + J / command + J ) and use the blending mode called Overlay. Then let's desaturate it ( ctrl + shift U / command + shift + U ). A good trick to make them pop of the photo is to use the levels panel, set it like the one bellow. Paste the final image on the canvas we're using, go to the blending modes panel and choose Linear light. Make a layer mask on this layer and make it fit his area of the canvas, this should take sometime since the better way to get a good result on the gradient is using the brush tool (B) on the mask. Use again the selection of the green square we did on the beginning by clicking on the layer with ctrl / command pressed. Make a new layer ( ctrl + alt + shift + N / command + alt + shift + N ) and create a metallic gradient using the gradient tool (G). Set Opacity to 70% and choose the blending mode called Soft light. Step 4 Now let's create the background grid, some of you will say there are easier ways to do it using Adobe illustrator, but we're in photoshop so let's do on it. Using the retangle tool (U) create this white and really thin line, it should have at least 1,5 pixels, zoom to (ctrl + / command + ) to set it correctly using the transform (ctrl + T / command + T). Duplicate it many times using the move tool (V) + alt. I think most of you are familiar with these align tools, when you use the move tool (V) they will appear on the top, bellow the menu, select all the layers withe lines and choose the option called Distribute horizontal center (the one on middle of the picture bellow). This will make the space between them equal. Merge all the line layers after it ( ctrl + E / command + E ) Duplicate the horizontal lines using the move tool (V) + alt then using the transform (ctrl + T / command + T) and rotate it 180 degrees. You should get a grid like these. Make a group with the layers or just merge them all in one single layer, then make a layer mask on the group or layer, choose the gradient called reflected gradient, use it on the mask on the diagonal direction. Step 5 So one thing I always find important in a photomanipulation is to find the right picture for what you want to express, I mean, when I designed this poster I wanted a guy with a suit, then I found a couple of photos of this guy. But I really wanted to show the he was like preaching something, so I decided to use the one he's pointing the finger to the person who see it. You can download the picture here. Go to the Channels panel and duplicate the red channel of this photo. Then access Levels panel (ctrl + L / command + L) and set it like the picture above Again, go to the levels panel and set like the sample above. This will make the selection way more easier, just use the magic wand (W) to select the man (Yeah, I know the magic wand really sucks, but in some occasions you can use it). We have to take off his head, so use the lasso tool (L) to do it, be careful with his finger, we will need it. Repeat the procedure of th high pass filter and duplicating and then overlaying to enhance the picture. Then place it on the canvas. Create a new layer using the body's selection and fill it with green using the paint bucket tool (G). Then acess the blending mode panel and choose the option called Color burn Make a group (ctrl + G / command + G) with all the body layers and make a layer mask, select it and using the gradient tool (G) make this gradient on the body. The layer order of this group should look like these. Step 6 If the eagle head I had the same doubt to choose the pic as I had with the suitman. Stockimages sites have a lot of images so what exactly i wanted to be the expression of the eagle, well i wanted it to look more authoraty look, so I choosed this one. You can download this picture right here. Open the photo on PS, first just flip it using transform (ctrl + T / command + T ) + right click . Repeat the procedure to enhance the image (High pass layer + soft light layer). This is pretty similar to what I did on the previous step, but this time I din't made a copy of the channel and decided to apply this levels on the image, then I cutted the eagle's head off and pasted the whole group on the canvas. Just repeat the same procedure of the previous step to get this green look. Create a layer mask on the group and using the brush tool (B) make the hand appear. Your layer order should be like these, if you didn't get this effect maybe something is wrong on the order. Step 7 Pretty simple: using the text tool (T) write first "LET IT" on uppercase, then "Just" and then "HAPPEN", use the move tool (V) to place correctly. I used the walkway font, you can gra it here. Make a new layer (ctrl + shift + alt + N / command + shift + alt + N ) and use the selection of the letters by clicking + ctrl/command + shift on the layers. Then add a gradient using the gradient tool (G) with the darkest part on the bottom. Add some thin drop shadow to it and set opacity to 50%. Step 8 Let's create some shards, create this retangle using the rectangle tool (U), then using transform (ctrl + T/command + T) adjust is to look sharp. Use the Soft light blending mode, then rotate the shard duplicate him, group and duplicate it again and flip it. I added a layer mask to the group of shards and used a gradient on the layer mask, duplicate it again and got a pretty interesting effect. Step 9 Quick tip: create ellpses using the ellipse tool (U), then go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur and set angle to 82 and distance to 998 pixels. Use the overlay blending mode on it, duplicate it till you got this lightining effect. Final Result So let's compare the two version: the 2010 version and the 2011 version. I really can decide which I find the best, I think they represent diferent moments of my career and so the results. Despite the tutorial, this is a really interesting experiment to do, try you too, get an old design and try to redo it with your style nowadays. Download the files CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ALL FILES USED FOR THIS TUTORIAL
Vintage Badge in Illustrator and Photoshop
It's been more than two weeks since I've finally moved permanently to California, USA. Before the big move I was playing with Illustrator and Photoshop to create a vintage look badge. After a few hours trying different typefaces I got a nice result and published it on my Dribbble profile. I have received quite a few emails since I published that asking me how I did the effect, so in this tutorial I will show you how to create a vintage look badge using Illustrator and Photoshop Step 1 Open Illustrator and create a new document. Then with the Start Tool create a star in red. Step 2 Go to Effect>Stylize>Round Corner. Use 1.885 mm for the Radius. Step 3 Duplicate the star with round corners and then rotate it like the image below. Also change the color to Cyan. Step 4 Select the cyan start with round corners and then go to Window>Transparency. Use Multiply for the Mode. The areas that the cyan are on top of the red will turn to grey. Step 5 For the typography I used Carnivalee Freakshow for the words California, 2011 and here I come. For the word San Francisco I used Birch Std. Also I created some lines in grey with the Rectangle Tool (M). Step 6 Now with the Ellipse Tool (L) create an ellipse like the image below, then with the Type on Path Tool add the words World Wild Web West. Step 7 Also you can edit the text on path by double clicking on the icon of the tool to go to the Type on Path Options. I used Rainbow for the Effect, Baseline for the Align to Path and 36pt for the Spacing. Step 8 Do the same thing but now for the text that goes on top, which is ABDUZEEDO. Step 9 Copy all the objects in Illustrator and then go to Photoshop and create a new document. I'm using 2560x1440 pixels for the size, the paste the Illustrator vectors. Step 10 For the texture of the design I used an image from Shutterstock, you can find it at http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-62706346/stock-photo-paper-texture.html. So imported it and place it beneath the vector. Also change the Blend Mode of the vector layer to Multiply. Step 11 With the Magic Wand Tool (W) select an area of the texture like the image below. You will get some areas selected. Then select the vector layer and go to Layer>Mask>Hide Selection. That way you will create a really nice old style/vintage look to your design. Conclusion To create some nice vintage effects using Photoshop is pretty easy, it's all about playing with layer masks and textures. However the most important thing on this design is the Illustrator part in which I played with typogrpahy and other elements to create a nice composition. So the tip is, look for inspiration and try to learn as much as you can about design principles, the effects afterwards are the easiest part. Download the Illustrator and Photoshop file Click here to download the files used on this tutorial.
Game Center Layout Style in Fireworks
This tutorial was inspired on the new Apple Game Center design. Besides to teach you guys how to make all the effects we will use the whole work spent on that to create a cool wallpaper. So check out the resolution of your computer and let's get started! Step 1 Here I create a 1440x990 pixels canvas. After that we can start with a rectangle, fill with #34884B. Also check out the texture we need to apply. Step 2 Now we will create other 2 rectangles. First one fill with #27693F and the last one with #286B3C. Check out the image of each effect and texture applied. Also check out the order of the layers until now. Step 3 Let's start a red rectangle now. We will make some nodes to model this rectangle, so I have a tip, just ungroup the rectangle, you will convert it to a path. With the pen, create the nodes, and also delete some others as I show in the image below. After that use the Subselection Tool "A" to select some points and model the rectangle until you have a draw like the last on the image. Step 4 Now we will apply a dirty style on this path using a texture. Just duplicate the path you've just created, place the texture bellow the path and use this path as a mask on the texture. Also apply an overlay 70% on this mask. Step 5 Now we need to put some light onto this texture. Duplicate again the red path and create an ellipse with light pink color fill. Don't forget to apply a feather on this ellipse. Use this other path you've just duplicated to mask this ellipse. Step 6 Here you will just create a new path inside the our draw. Duplicate again the red path, go to Modify > Alter Path> Inset Path, and use the values I showed on the image. Step 7 The part of the top and the bottom of the badge we will draw using the pen tool and adjusting the nodes with the "A" tool. Also we will write something inside that. Here we have another tip, draw a curve line and select this line and the text. Then go to Text > Attach to Path. Maybe you will need to make some adjusts with the "A" tool until you have exactly the shape you want. Step 8 To draw the bottom and top wood bars, we will use simple rectangles and use the Wood texture on Fireworks. You can adjust the saturation and color of this wood if you want, do it with filters. After that, draw a half height rectangle over the wood with alpha 16%. Step 9 We're close to the end! Fill the layout with new elements, you can follow the PNG file if you need some inspiration! Final Result Also put some round rectangles the the both sides of the layout, like Game Center does, this way you can place your desktop icons over those! Download the Fireworks File Click here to download the Fireworks file used for this tutorial
Easy iOS Style Wallpaper in Photoshop
I have received quite a few emails asking me how to create that sort of linen texture effect we see in the iOS on iPads and iPhones. I like that effect but had never stopped to think about how I could do that in Photoshop, so last week I decided to give it a try. For my surprise it was much easier than I thought. So in this tutorial I will show you how to create the linen texture effect in Photoshop and also the metal/glass effect we see in the Apple logo in the iOS. Step 1 Open Photoshop and create a new document. I'm using 2560x1440 pixels for the size. After that fill the background layer with black. Step 2 Add a new layer and go fill it with white using the Paint Bucket Tool (G). After that make sure you have black and white for the background and foreground color, then go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise. Use 100% for the Amount, Gaussian for the Distribution and select Monochromatic. Duplicate this layer once. Step 3 Select one of the layers with the noise filter and then go to Filter>Blur>Motion Blur. Use 90º for the Angle and 50 pixels for the Distance. Step 4 Select the other layer with noise and go again to Filter>Blur>Motion Blur. Use 90º for the Angle and 50 pixels for the Distance. Step 5 You will have to layers with the blurry effect, one will be with a vertical texture and another with horizontal. Select the one that is on the top and change the Blend Mode to Multiply. Group the 2 layers into a folder and then change the opacity to 40%. Because we applied the motion blur, the edges get a bit transparent so select both layers and go to Edit>Transform>Scale. Increase a little bit the size of the layers so you can hide those edges. Step 6 Now import a symbol to use in your wallpaper. I'm using the Abduzeedo symbol. Place it in the middle of the document. Step 7 Go to Layer>Layer Styles>Gradient Overlay. Click on the gradient colors to open the Gradient Editor. Then use a color scheme like the image below. Step 8 Now back to the Gradient Overlay options, change the Style to Radial and increase the size to 150%. Then click on the symbol hold the button of the mouse and move it to move the gradient position. Use the image below for reference. Step 9 Select Bevel and Emboss. Use Inner Bevel for the Style, 150% for the Depth, Down for the Direction, 1 pixel for the Size and 2 pixels for the Soften. For the Shading use 103º for the Angle, 40º for the Altitude. For the Highlight Mode use Screen with white at 100% Opacity, then for the Shadow Mode use Multiply with black at 30%. Step 10 Select Inner Shadow. Use Screen for the Blend Mode with white for the color, -90º for the Angle, 5 pixels for the Distance, 25% for the Choke and 5 pixels for the Size. Step 11 Now select Drop Shadow. Use Multiply for the Blend Mode with black for the color. For the Angle use 90º with 5 pixels for the Distance, 0 % for the Spread and 15 pixels for the Size. Step 12 This is the effect you will have after these 12 steps. Step 13 Add a new layer on top of the symbol. Select the symbol area by clicking with the right button of the mouse over the thumbnail of the layer, then select the option Select Pixels. After that go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection. Then with the Brush Tool (B) with a very soft brush and white for the color, paint in the center of the symbol. Also change the Opacity to 40%. The idea of this step is to create a reflection in the metal effect. Step 14 Now add a text, in my case I added the Abduzeedo logotype. Then go to Layer>Layer Styles. Use grey for the color with Multiply. Step 15 Then select Inner Shadow. Use Multiply for the Blend Mode with black for the color. For the Angle use 120º, 2 pixels for the Distance, 0% for the Choke and 2 pixels for the Size. Layers Order Conclusion Here is the final outcome of the tutorial. The idea of this tutorial was show you how to create the line texture but I decided to add the logo with an Apple style effect in it. The whole process is very straightforward and if you want to use different colors for the linen texture you will have to change the background color or the opacity of the 2 layers with noise/motion blur, the ones we created in the steps 2 to Darker Version Download the Photoshop File Click here to downlaod the Photoshop file used for this tutorial
Water Text in Pixelmator
In this tutorial, I will show you how to create text with water effects. To do this, we will use some stock photos with masks and image adjustments. I will also show you how to create bevels using Pixelmator. Step 1 Open Pixelmator and create a new document. I used 1440×900 pixels. Also, keep the background white. Step 2 With the Type Tool (T), add a text. I typed “WATER” using Arial black for the font. The color here doesn’t matter because we will use it to mask images. To create a marquee selection of the text, just click on the thumb of the text layer while holding the Command Key. Step 3 Now, let’s use a photo of water. The one I used was courtesy of Shutterstock, and you can find it here. Import it and place it in your document. Go to Edit>Transform and reduce its size; also, duplicate it 3 times, always flipping the new copy horizontally. That way, you will be able to match the sides. Use the image below for a reference. Step 4 With the marquee selection of the text active, go to Layer>Add Layer Mask; that way, the photo will show only on the text area. You will have to repeat this 2 more times for the duplicated layers of the photo. Step 5 To make the water more realistic, let’s use another photo. You can find one here. This one is of some water bubbles. To make the colors of the images match, go to Image>Colorize. Move the little controller to the cyan area and increase the saturation to over 70. We will use this often for other images throughout the tutorial so keep that in mind. You also will have to try different values depending on the imagery you are using. Step 6 Repeat the Masking process so the bubbles will be within the text area. The result here already looks pretty cool. Step 7 To spicy it up a little, add some water splashes. The ones I used can be found here, courtesy of Shuterstock, once again. You also will have to colorize them in order to make the colors match, exactly like we did in Step 6. Step 8 Select all layers but the white background and duplicate them. Merge all the duplicated layers (Layer>Merge Layers) and then go to Edit>Flip Vertically. Move this upside down text right below the text aligning the words. After that, go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur; use 20 for the amount. To finish the effect, go to Layer>Add Layer Mask, then select the Gradient Tool (G) and a linear gradient from black to white. Mask the layer in which the black area will be hidden and the white will be shown. Use the image below for reference or download the PXM file in the end of the tutorial. Step 9 Add a layer on top of the others and fill it with a very subtle gradient. Use the Gradient Tool (G), and for the colors, use Grey to White and play with the Opacity in order to make it very, very subtle, exactly like the image below. Step 10 Let’s now place a photo of some water droplets. The one I used can be found here. The image is in grey scale, so go again to Image>Colorize and change the color of the image to this cyan scheme we are using. Step 11 Put this layer beneath the other layers; also, change its opacity to 55%. After that, go to Edit>Transform. Then, the Transform panel will open. Click on the little gear icon and choose perspective. Then, apply the perspective I used. Use the image below for a reference, but basically, the only thing you will have to do is move the controllers on the bottom area while holding shift to make them wider than the top area. Step 12 Duplicate the droplets layer and go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 30 for the amount. Step 13 With the Eraser Tool (E), delete the areas close to the text in order to remove the blur. Also, notice that the horizon is sort of fading out. That’s because I added a gradient from white to cyan and applied an overlay for the blending. Step 14 Again, repeat the “WATER” text with the marquee selection like we did in Step 2; however, this time, the text has to be black. Step 15 Go to Edit>Stroke. Use white for the color and 5 for the width. Also, make sure that the Inside option is selected. Step 16 Now, still with the marquee selection active, go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 15 for the Radius. Step 17 Just change the Blending of the layer to Color Dodge and you will already have a really nice bevel effect. Step 18 With the Eraser Tool (E), delete the bottom left areas of the bevel to try to match the droplets. Step 19 Select all layers and duplicate them. Then, merge all of them into a layer and go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 20 for the Radius. Step 20 Change the Blending to Screen. Step 21 Add a new layer on top of the others and fill it with cyan using the Paint Bucket Tool (N). Then, change the Blending to Color Burn with 30% Opacity. Step 22 Now, add another layer, this time, beneath the cyan layer and fill it with a radial gradient from white in the center to grey. Change the Blending to Multiply with 25% for the Opacity. Layers Order I love that we can now have groups of layers in Pixelmator. Conclusion This is the outcome you will have. The idea is pretty simple and straight forward; we are just mixing some photos and masking them with text. However, I believe the Bevel technique will be very useful for your projects in Pixelmator because there is no filter for that yet. Download the Pixelmator File Click here to download the Pixelmator file used for this tutorial.