Richly Ornate Typographic Illustration Tutorial

When looking for top quality content, you’re usually forced to pay for your resources. They’re generally better and easier to work with, and offer a wider range of use. Sometimes though, you can find the same level of quality at zero cost, and it’s exactly what we’re going to do today. We’re going to create a detailed illustration with free gifts and self made goodies.

Final Image Preview

Step 1

The first thing we’ll do is create a very large wooden texture. Getting the same result may be difficult, so just try to obtain something that looks like a wood texture. Start up Photoshop and create a new document. Make it big; somewhere around 6000 px by 6000 px (300 ppi).
Select a dark brown (#48403a) as the foreground color and a lighter version (#ac9f92) as the background color. Fill the document’s background with the foreground color (#48403a) and go to Filter > Render > Fibers. Change the settings (Variance of 12.0 and Strength of 34.0) and randomize it until you get something similar. Playing around with the settings can help.

Step 2

We’ll now give the fibers more depth and a darker color. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map. Once you created it, change its layer Blending Mode to Overlay and Opacity to 50%.

Step 3

Now create a new blank layer and fill it with the color #633a1c. Set the layer’s Blending Mode to Multiply.

Step 4

And finally, select the Gradient Tool (G). Choose white as the foreground color, and create a white to transparent white gradient from top to bottom. Change the layer Opacity to somewhere around 10%. Select the entire canvas (Command + A) and copy the merged file (Command + Shift + C).

Step 5

Create a new Photoshop document using a landscape A4 canvas (29,7 x 21 cm at 300 ppi). I created mine in CMYK format, so if you want the colors to make any sense, make sure you select CMYK, not RGB.
Now add the type to this new document. Download this free font and type in each letter on a separate layer. The color doesn’t matter, as it will be replaced by a texture. I chose different shades of green just to show the layer order.

Step 6

Now double-click on the letter “T” layer and add these effects. Here are the color codes for each of them: Drop Shadow set to #000000; Outer Glow set to #476454; Bevel and Emboss Highlight set to #f09629 and Shadow set to #45293c, and Stroke set to #466454.

Altogether, your effects should look like the image below.

Step 7

Copy the layer style (right-click on layer and go to Copy Layer Style) and paste it over the rest. Also, create a large ampersand behind all the letters.

Step 8

Create a new blank layer above the letter “T” and make it a clipping mask. Place the wooden texture inside.

Step 9

Create another blank layer as a clipping mask above the texture. Make a selection of the “T” layer (Command + Click on the layer icon) and contract it by seven pixels (Select > Modify > Contract).

Step 10

Fill it with white and blur it slightly (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur).

Step 11

Change the Layer’s opacity to 40% and select the eraser tool (E). Make it about 80% soft and erase the bottom part.

Step 12

Get this and this screw. Cut them out with the pen tool and desaturate them (Command + Shift + U). We’ll use the first one for large screws and the second for smaller ones. Place one of the large ones in the middle of the “T” and apply the effects shown below.

It will now look like it’s holding the “T” in place.

Step 13

Do the same to create the smaller one and place these screws on all the letters.

Step 14

Now you’ll need this free ornate pattern. Open it in Illustrator and double-click on the flourish detail (not the pattern). Use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to select a white part of the detail. Change its color to #486554, Copy it (Command + C) and paste it (Command + V) into the Photoshop file as a Smart Object.

Step 15

Now add this layer style shown below.

It looks odd now, but it will be better once we add the second color.

Step 16

Create a new blank layer as a clipping mask and paint (#74cdd8) with a soft brush the tips of the flourish detail.

Step 17

Group the layers (Command + G) and duplicate the group, then position it accordingly.

Step 18

Place a large one on the bottom.

Step 19

Add a few smaller ones that appear to come out of the large one underneath. Try to keep an orientation that feels natural and organic.

Step 20

Add the final ones too.

Step 21

As usual, we’ll adjust the colors and contrast of the document with good ol’ Adjustment Layers. Add the first one by going to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map.

Step 22

Now add a Selective Color Adjustment Layer and use the Colors drop down menu to get to Blacks.

Step 23

I thought the composition needed a touch of another color, so let’s add some orange. Duplicate one of the floral patterns and make it smaller. Delete the bright cyan and paint with this color instead: #f7db58.

Step 24

Add a few more.

Step 25

Now, make a selection of each letter and paint with the same color.

Step 26

Go back to the Go Media Illustrator file and double-click the ornate pattern this time. Select the white part, and make it black. Copy it and go to Photoshop. Create a new document and keep the Clipboard size. Paste the pattern into the new document that should be an exact fit. Make the Background layer invisible and go to Edit > Define Pattern.

Step 27

Create a new blank layer above the wood texture background in our illustration. Select the Bucket Tool, and click on the drop down menu to paint a pattern. Select the newly created one and create one in the blank layer. Add the layer styles shown below.

This is what you should see at 100%.

Step 28

Create a new layer, make it a clipping mask and paint with a very large, soft shadow a few white glows near the center. Keep the Opacity low so that they don’t become too obvious.

Step 29

Use the same orange to paint a few subtle glows in a few places, just like in the previous layer.

Pefect steps to follow! you should try it now!

Article source: http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/text-effects-tutorials/how-to-create-a-richly-ornate-typographic-illustration/

Post Production Tutorial

Original Stock

Step 1

Open up your selected photo and immediately create a new gradient map (image/adjustments/Gradient Map). Make sure the gradient map is set from black to white, then click OK.

Step 2

Duplicate the layer and then add some gaussian blur (filter/blur/gaussian blur). In the dialog box set the blur radius to 7px and press Ok. In the layers panel set the opacity of the new layer to 50% and then merge it with the background layer.

Step 3

Open up the curves dialog box (image/adjustments/curves)  and set the RGB channel output and input levels to 87 and 139 respectively. Then Duplicate the layer, set the layer mode to Overlay and set the opacity to 75%. Finally merge the layers.

Step 4 


Duplicate the background layer and again create another gradient map just like we did in Step 1. Set the opacity of the new layer to 75% then set the contrast of the layer to 15 (image/adjustments/brightness/contrast), and merge the 2 layers.

Step 5

Duplicate the layer and press Ctrl L to open up the levels dialog box. Inside the levels dialog box select the green channel and set the input levels to 7, 1.0 and 250. Then set the blue channels input levels to 5, 1.00 and 250 respectively and you’re done.

Final Preview

Article source: http://psdessential.com/photomanipulation/post-production-tutorial-3/

Perfect steps! try it now!

Create a Cool Music Logo on a Grunge Background

Step 1

Make a new document that is 1500px wide x 1000px high. I decided to make the document extra large for ease to work with so we can see the effects really well. With the Text Tool, set your text in a font that looks similar to the image below. I used the font Blackoak STD. Kern and scale the font as you desire.

Step 2

Load the transparency of the text layer by clicking on the layer’s thumbnail while holding Command. Go to Select>Refine Edge. We want to expand the selection and keep it sharp at the same time. To do this, use the settings below. Make a Solid Color Adjustment Layer below the text layer and fill it with a dark gray.

Step 3

While holding Option/Alt, drag the gray layer in the Layer Palette down slightly until you see a thick black line below it. This will duplicate the layer below the original. Grab the Move Tool (V), then hit the down arrow once and the left arrow once. Repeat this step 25 times.
Select all the gray layers and hit Command+E to merge them. Duplicate the merged layer once. Then manually drag the new one down and to the left until it lines up correctly. Merge the two gray layers into one.

Step 4

Use the Ellipse Tool whole holding Shift to create a perfect circle. Make sure the Create Paths button is checked on the property bar. Make a Solid Color adjustment layer below the Gray layer and fill it with the same gray. Duplicate the circle layer and change the fill to white. Hit Command+T to use Free Transform. While holding Shift+Option/Alt, scale it down to about 75%. Place it where you see fit.

Step 5

Select the Line Tool. Again, make sure that Create Paths is checked on the Property Bar. Set the weight to 60px. While holding Shift, make a line that is angled 45 degrees. With the path you made selected, make a Solid Color Adjustment Layer and fill it with a burnt orange color.
Duplicate that layer and hit (Command+T) and then Right Click and select Flip Horizontal.

Step 6

Select the orange line layers and go Layer>Group Layers. With the group selected, hit the Add Layer Mask button and create a mask. Hit it another time to make a vector mask. Select the vector mask from the white circle layer. Hit Command+C to copy. Select the vector mask on the "lines" group then hit Command+V to paste. Hit Command+T and scale down the path slightly so there is a little space between the path and the edge of the gray circle.
Select the transparency of the gray lettering. Go to Select>Transform Selection. Move the selection up and to the right slightly so the distance between the "e" and the selection is the same as the white gap we just created. Select the mask of the orange lines group. Fill the selection with black to mask it out.

Step 7

Create a new Alpha Channel in the Channels Palette. Go to Filter>Render>Clouds. Hit Command+T and scale the clouds up to about 180%. Load the selection of the Channel by holding Command and clicking on its thumbnail. In the Layers Palette, create a new Solid Color adjustment layer just above the background. Make the fill 50% gray (#808080). Blur the cloud mask with a 30px Gaussian Blur.
Just above that layer, create a Gradient Adjustment Layer and set up the gradient to go from transparent from the top-left to white at the bottom-right.

Step 8

Just above the clouds layer, make a Curves adjustment layer that looks like the image below. Invert the mask so that the curve is not visible.

Step 9

Now we are going to load some grungy-looking brushes that we can paint the curve back in with. I used the spray paint texture brushes from Spoon Graphics: Free Hi-Res Spraypaint Photoshop Brushes Set Two.
Load the brushes and select the one you want. Click on the Curves Layer Mask, make sure your foreground color is white, and set the Opacity of the brush to 50%. Setup your brush with the following Shape Dynamics in the image below. The Size Jitter and the Angle Jitter are the things that you want at 100 percent.

Step 10

Now just click around a few times until you get an effect that you like.

Step 11

Finally, lets put the color into this thing. Make a Solid Color adjustment layer above the clouds, the curve, and the white gradient. Make the Fill a cyan/blue color. Set the layer’s Blending Mode to Color.

Step 12

I know we have added a lot of layers, so below is what my Layer Palette looks like for comparison.

Step 13

Select the gray lettering layer’s transparency by holding Command and clicking on its thumbnail. Go to Select>Transform Selection and scale it up 250-350%. You can also offset its position if you want to. Make a Curves adjustment layer just above the color layer and bring up the brightness a little, like the image below.

Step 14

Do the same thing with the orange line layers. On the Curve layer that you made for the orange lines, we are going to fade the edges out. While holding Option/Alt click on the layer’s mask. Grab the Gradient Tool (G). Have the Gradient go from a Black to White fade, set the mode to Multiply on the property bar, and make it a Radial Gradient. Drag from the center of the ‘X’ to the edge. This will make it fade out.

Final Image

Now place the ‘X’ where you see fit, and you’re done!

perfect post! it helps a lot, what are you waiting for? try it now!!


Article source: http://psd.tutsplus.com/designing-tutorials/create-a-cool-music-logo-on-a-grunge-background/