Post pobrano z: How to Create the Justice League Logo With Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator

In this tutorial, we are going to recreate logo of an upcoming movie, Justice League. In the movie, the logo was probably made using 3D software. But that won’t stop us from recreating it using Photoshop and Illustrator. We will use Illustrator to draw the logo’s shapes and then bring them into Photoshop to enhance its appearance. Let’s get started.

Get inspired with more amazing logos from GraphicRiver.

Tutorial Assets

The following assets were used in this tutorial:

• 6 HD Seamless Concrete Textures
• 8 Hi-Res Metal Textures
  

1. How to Draw a Vector Outline

Step 1

First, we will draw the logo in vector software, Adobe Illustrator. You can draw it directly in Photoshop, if you want to. But personally I prefer Illustrator since it has better control for vector editing. In Illustrator, make a New Document (File > New). Any size is acceptable.

Step 2

Activate the Rectangle Tool and then click once on the empty canvas. A dialog box will pop up asking for the dimensions of the rectangle we want to make. Set it to 13 cm x 12 cm. Click the OK button to make the rectangle at exactly that size.

Step 3

Make sure you have activated the Smart Guides (View > Smart Guides). Select the rectangle shape. Using Pen Tool, click on the center of its lower edge to add a new anchor point.

Step 4

Pull the new anchor point down using the Direct Selection Tool while holding the Shift key.

Step 5

While the shape is selected, click Object > Path > Offset Path. Set a negative offset size until we have made the frame shape. Make sure the Preview option is selected, which will allow you to see the end result in real time.

Step 6

Using Direct Selection Tool, select two anchor points on top. Add a small amount of radius corner from the Option Bar.

Step 7

We’re done building the frame, so let’s move on to building the letters. You can try searching for a font type that matches the original letter shape, but in this tutorial we’ll draw them from scratch. We start with a rectangle shape as the base for the J letter.

Step 8

Duplicate the shape (Control-C, Control-V) and then Rotate it 90°. Attach it onto the lower part of the J letter. Duplicate another shape and use it for the upper part of the J letter.

Step 9

We need to move some anchor points using the Direct Selection Tool. Check out the following pictures for references.

Step 10

Once you’re happy with the result, we need to combine all the shapes into a single letter J. Select the shapes and then click Unite on the Pathfinder panel.

Step 11

Select all the anchor points and then add Radius Corner.

Step 12

Add bigger Radius Corners to the two anchor points at the bottom of the J letter.

Step 13

Using a similar approach as in the previous steps, draw the L letter. We start with a rectangle. Make sure the rectangle shape has the same thickness as the one used in the J letter.

Step 14

Drag its right edge upward using the Direct Selection Tool.

Step 15

Add another rectangle.

Step 16

Select both shapes and Combine them into a single L letter.

Step 17

If we look closely at the vector path, we will notice that there are some unneeded anchor points, such as the two points shown below. It’s a good practice to always keep your path clean and free from unused anchor points. Click both points with the Pen Tool to remove them.

Step 18

Here are some more anchor points we want to remove.

Step 19

Add a star shape using the Star Tool. Place it in the middle of the letters.

Step 20

Select the star and then Copy it (Control-C). Then, select both the star and a letter. From the Pathfinder panel, select Subtract.

Step 21

Hit Control-F to Paste the star object that we have copied earlier in the same place. Select the star and the remaining letter and then Subtract it from the Pathfinder panel.

2. How to Export Vector Paths to Photoshop

Step 1

We are done with the vector shapes, so let’s transfer them to Photoshop. Select all the shapes we have made and hit Control-C.

Step 2

Let’s open up Photoshop. Make a New File (Control-N).

Step 3

Click the Add Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel to add a Solid Color. In the next dialog box, select a dark color (#0e0f16) for the canvas background.

Step 4

Hit Control-V to Paste the vector path we made earlier in Illustrator. Paste it as a Shape Layer.

Step 5

Double-click the layer shape thumbnail and change its color to a dark shade of gray (#414650).

Step 6

Now, we want to move the letters and the frame into separate layers. This step will ease the editing process. Select the letters’ paths and then hit Control-Shift-J.

Step 7

Change its color to a lighter shade of gray (#78757b).

Step 8

Repeat the process for its frame, and move it onto a separate layer. Keep in mind that now we have three shape layers: one for the JL letters, another for their frame, and another one for the pentagon shape background.

Step 9

Make sure the letters’ layer shape is selected and then double-click the layer to add some styles. We want to add Bevel & Emboss to add a bit of 3D appearance onto the letters’ surface. Inner Glow and Gradient Overlay will help add lighting onto their surface. And Drop Shadow will lift the letters off their background.

Step 10

We also need to add styles onto the frame layer. For the frame, add a large Inner Glow with a sharp white to black Gradient to add metallic lighting onto the surface.

Step 11

We also need to add styles to the logo background.

3. How to Apply Textures

Step 1

The logo appears three dimensional, but still too flat. To fix this, we need to add texture. Grab the metal texture number 4. Place it above the letters shape layer. Reduce its layer Opacity to 60% and then hit Control-Alt-G to convert the texture into a Clipping Mask.

Step 2

Add another metal texture, this time number 8. Place it above the letters shape and just like the previous texture, convert it into a Clipping Mask.

Step 3

Let’s add another texture, this time a marble one, to add random wavy lines across the letters. Hit D to reset the background and foreground color to their default settings, white and black. Make a New Layer and then make a new Selection covering the letters. Click Filter > Render > Clouds.

Step 4

Click Filter > Render > Difference Clouds.

Step 5

Hit Control-F a few times to apply another Difference Clouds Filter. Once you get some interesting shapes, hit Control-Alt-G to convert it into a Clipping Mask and put the texture inside the letters shapes. In the Layers panel, change its Layer Blend Mode to Overlay and reduce its Opacity.

Step 6

And, of course, we need to add texture to the frame. This time, use a concrete texture. Place it above the frame, reduce its Opacity, and convert it into a Clipping Mask.

Step 7

Add another metal texture, place it above the frame with low Opacity, and then convert it into a Clipping Mask.

Step 8

Don’t forget to add texture onto the logo background.

4. How to Add Lighting to the Background

Step 1

Add a New Layer and place it above the Justice League logo. Activate the Brush Tool. Right-click to open the list of available brushes. Select a Scatter Brush. Paint white inside the logo background.

Step 2

Soften the brush stroke by applying a Gaussian Blur filter from Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Use a big Radius Size until the stroke is completely blurred. In the Layers panel, reduce its Opacity and set its Layer Blend Mode to Overlay.

Step 3

Add another white brush stroke to add more lighting into the scene.

Step 4

We still need to add stronger shadows to the letters manually. Add a New Layer and place it underneath the letters shape layer. Control-click the thumbnail of the letters layer to make a new selection based on its shape.

Step 5

Fill the selection with black. Then hit Control-D to remove the selection. Using the Move Tool, move the shadow a few pixels down. Keep the shadow soft by applying a Gaussian Blur filter (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur) and reducing its Opacity.

Step 6

Let’s add another texture onto the logo. Make a New Layer and draw a selection covering the logo. Click Filter > Render > Clouds.

Step 7

Click Filter > Render > Difference Clouds a few times until you get an interesting texture.

Step 8

Click Image > Adjustments > Levels or hit Control-L. In the Levels dialog box, drag the white triangle until we have nice contrast inside the selection.

Step 9

To isolate the texture in the letters and its frame, we’ll need masking. Control-click the letters thumbnail layer and then Shift-Control-click the frame thumbnail layers. Add a Mask to the shape layer and then set its Layer Blend Mode to Darker Color with 30% Opacity.

Step 10

We want to add depth into the scene. Paint white on a New Layer using a Soft Round Brush. If you want it to be softer, just apply a Gaussian Blur filter (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur). Reduce its layer Opacity and use Overlay for its Blend Mode.

Step 11

Repeat this step to add another soft highlight on the scene.

Step 12

Don’t forget to add the dark area. In the top left corner, paint a random black spot and keep it subtle by making it transparent. Add some Gaussian Blur if needed.

Step 13

Let’s add a grainy background to create a dark mood for the overall scene. To do this, add a New Layer and then Fill it with white. Click Filter > Noise > Add Noise. Make sure Monochromatic is selected. Click OK. Change the Layer Blend Mode to Multiply to preserve all the dark pixels and hide the white pixels from sight.

Step 14

We want to add a blue shade into the background. From the Layers panel, add a Photo Filter and select Blue for its color. By default, the Photo Filter Adjustment Layer will affect every pixel underneath it. To confine it to the background, select its Layer Mask and paint over the logo with black.

5. How to Add Lights and Reflections

Step 1

Make a New Layer. Control-click the letters’ shape layer to make a new selection based on the letters shape. Click Edit > Stroke. In the dialog box, set white as its Stroke Color with a 1 px Width. Click OK to accept the result.

Step 2

Using the Eraser Tool with 0% Hardness, erase most parts of the stroke line and leave some on the letters’ corners.

Step 3

Duplicate the stroke line and then apply the Gaussian Blur filter to soften the line. Reduce its layer Opacity to keep it subtle.

Step 4

Repeat the same procedure for its frame.

Step 5

Zoom in on the center of the letters, right on the empty star area. Using a Soft Round Brush, dab once on a New Layer using light yellow as its color.

Step 6

Hit Control-T to Transform the brush stroke.

Step 7

Hold the Control key and then drag its corner to skew the brush stroke. Hit the Enter key to accept the transformation result.

Step 8

Repeat the previous steps, add a quick dab of a brush stroke and then skew it. Repeat this a few times until we have enough light reflection to fill the gap.

Step 9

Behind the star reflection, paint white for a fill light on the logo background.

Step 10

We can add another light reflection on the other part of the logo where the light hits it. In this scene, the imaginary light source was placed in the top right corner. One of the best places for our next reflection is in the lower left part of the logo. Just like in the previous steps, we just need to paint a soft light yellow over the area.

Step 11

Make it more realistic by painting over it again using a smaller brush with white or another light color.

Step 12

Using the same techniques, another light reflection is added to the top right corner. Considering this is where the imaginary light source was placed, the reflection should be bigger and stronger.

Final Result

This is our final result. As you can see, we did a lot of manual painting and added some subtle highlights to keep the scene realistic. We also relied on textures to easily add realism to the shape.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you’ve learned some useful techniques from this simple tutorial. If you do follow along, please make sure to upload the result in the comments below—I’d love to see it.

Post pobrano z: How to Use Gradient Mesh to Create Strawberries in a Milk Splash in Adobe Illustrator

In this tutorial you will learn how to use the Mesh Tool and the Warp
effects, all while creating a pair of realistic strawberries in a splash of milk!

If
you’d like to skip this tutorial and wish to purchase the end result with some different fruits, head
over to GraphicRiver to purchase the Big Collection of Fruit and Berries in Milk Splashes.

1. How to Create Two Strawberries

Step 1

Begin by creating a red rectangle and Filling it with the #DF0203 color.

Grab the Mesh Tool (U) and place a node in the top middle of the shape by left-clicking. Move the edges of the rectangle using the Mesh Tool by dragging them. Aim to create a strawberry-like shape.

Finally, create a couple more nodes with the Mesh Tool. There should be about eight rows and five columns of Mesh. Select all the nodes in the two bottom rows and color them with a darker color, #920000.

Step 2

Continue by creating and coloring more nodes with the Mesh Tool, similarly to the last step.

The colors you will need for each substep are:

1. #B20505
2. #CC0304
3. #B70404

Step 3

Finally, color the middle node in the fifth row with #C00404.

Step 4

Our mesh for the strawberry is done, so let’s move on to creating the seeds!

As in our previous steps, create and modify a shape filled with #E7BD42, and then color the edges of the seed with a darker #DD8C0A.

Step 5

Continue coloring the seed with Mesh.

The colors you will need are:

1. #EBCC56
2. #CE880D
3. #F3CF71
4. #D66D0C

Step 6

Create one more Copy of our result.

Take the first copy and apply Effect > Warp > Inflate to the shape with the following settings:

• Bend: 0%
• Horizontal: 0%
• Vertical: 22%

After applying the effect, go to Object > Expand Appearance.

Remember to do this after every warp!

Step 7

Modify the seed by flattening it a little and dragging its tip to the right.

Step 8

Create a copy of the shape we just finished. Scale the copy to about half the size of the original.

Step 9

Let’s place our seeds onto the strawberry!

In the first substep, use the seed we finished in Step 5.

Next, use the one we created in Step 7.

Finally, finish the placement by using the seed from Step 8.

Step 10

This should be your resulting strawberry!

Step 11

Now, let’s start creating a half of a strawberry.

Follow the steps in the image below to color the shape with Mesh.

You will need these colors:

1. #D32D18
2. None, shaping the strawberry.
3. #E85D41
4. None—you will need to delete the columns of Mesh on the sides of the shape and create four other columns that are closer to the middle.
5. #AA0000
6. #C93425
7. #EB9383
8. #ECBAB9
9. #9F8D3C
10. #ECC2C7
11. #EAA39B

Step 12

Add some seeds on the edges of our finished Mesh strawberry, and let’s move on to creating the leaves!

2. How to Create Leaves, Stalks, and Highlights

Step 1

Let’s draw the leaf! Follow the substeps below.

Here are the colors you will need to use:

1. #6F7B24
2. #60641A
3. #BDBD87
4. #97953B
5. #4F3F13
6. #5B5219
7. #5F6D1D
8. #535F18

Step 2

For the details of the leaf, draw three jagged lines with the Pen Tool (P).

Apply a Stroke with the Arrowhead profile to the lines, and then change the color of the Stroke to the basic white-black Gradient.

Change the Transparency mode to Screen and Opacity to 30%.

Finally, select the paths and go to Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 3

Place the lines on top of the leaf. I would suggest Grouping all of the shapes with Control-G.

Step 4

Create two copies of the original leaf.

Grab the first copy and apply Effect > Warp > Squeeze with the following settings:

• Bend: -13%
• Horizontal: -55%
• Vertical: -11%

Don’t forget to Expand Appearance.

Next, draw an outline similar to the yellow path in the screenshot. Select both the outline and the leaf, right-click on the image, and select Create Clipping Mask in the drop-down menu.

Step 5

Create two copies of the leaf we finished in the previous step.

Grab the first copy and modify it by Edit > Edit Colors > Adjust Colors with the following settings:

• Red: -11%
• Green: -5%
• Blue: -15%

Step 6

Take the second copy we made previously and modify its color by going to Edit > Edit Colors > Adjust Colors, now with these settings:

• Red: -14%
• Green: -14%
• Blue: -15%

Step 7

Very similarly to Step 4, grab the second copy we made in that step and apply Effect > Warp > Arc with the following settings:

• Bend: 25%
• Horizontal: -26%
• Vertical: 0%

Don’t forget to Expand Appearance.

Next,
draw an outline, indicated by the black path in the screenshot. Select
both the outline and the leaf, right-click on the image, and click Create Clipping Mask in the drop-down menu.

Step 8

Move on to creating the stalk.

Draw a light-green rectangle filled with #E2E564. Next, bend it with Effect > Warp > Arc, using 45% Bend. Expand Appearance.

Step 9

Bend the right tip of the stalk to make it rounder. Then, following the substeps below, color the stalk with Mesh.

You will need these colors:

1. #9E7943
2. #A2A13F
3. #70511A
4. #FEFDA6
5. #ADAD45
6. #AB7F4E
7. #CEB963
8. #C2B248

Step 10

Now that every element is done, let’s bring them all together!

Add the leaves according to the order they were created in, as indicated by the numbers below.

Step 11

Now let’s add our new leaves to the whole strawberry! Place them behind the berry by sending them to the back with Shift-Control-[.

Step 12

Do the same for the half of the strawberry.

Step 13

We’re almost done with our berries! All that’s left is to create the highlight for our whole strawberry.

Draw a shape like the one in the screenshot, and then three round shapes. The round shapes should be bigger than the seeds we placed.

Next, move the round shapes on top of the original drawing, select all of them, and click Exclude in the Pathfinder panel.

Step 14

Draw a half-moon shape and place them as shown in the screenshot. You can use your strawberry with the seeds for reference while doing this—the grey shapes should not touch the seeds, but instead they should be in between.

The same goes for the previous shape.

Step 15

Select all the objects and go to Object > Compound Path > Make.

Next, Fill the resulting path with a Linear Gradient from white to #626161.

Step 16

Change the Transparency mode to Screen and Opacity to 70%.

Step 17

Move the highlight on top of the strawberry. If it doesn’t fit, don’t worry—you can modify the shape by dragging its nodes with the Direct Selection Tool (A).

Step 18

Move the half next to the whole strawberry.

3. How to Create a Milk Splash

Step 1

In this final section, we will draw a milk splash for our strawberries. Prepare your Mesh Tool!

Let’s begin by drawing the first little splash out of five.

Use Mesh to modify and color the shape. The colors you will need for this one are:

1. #ECEEF1
2. #CBCFD6
3. #FFFFFF

Step 2

Create the next little splash with more Mesh.

1. #ECEEF1
2. #D0D5DB
3. #FFFFFF

Step 3

Continue by creating the third splash.

1. #ECEEF1
2. #D0D5DB
3. #FFFFFF

Step 4

The colors you will need for the fourth splash are:

1. #E8EAED
2. #D2D6DC
3. #FFFFFF

Step 5

Finish off by creating a milk drop.

1. #EFF1F3
2. #DFE1E5
3. #FFFFFF

Step 6

This is how our little elements will be labeled later—don’t forget!

Step 7

Let’s create our first big Mesh milk splash! You will need these colors:

1. #F2F3F5
2. Nothing, just shaping the object
3. #D0D4DA
4. #E1E3E7
5. #FFFFFF

Step 8

Add little elements to our big splash! Consult Step 6 if you’re not sure which is which.

Step 9

Move on to creating the second big splash. This time, you will need these:

1. #9E7943
2. Shaping
3. #DADDE2
4. #FFFFFF
5. #E1E3E7
6. #CBD0D7

Step 10

Add little elements to this splash as well!

Step 11

Create the last part of the splash. Use these colors:

1. #DFE2E6
2. Shaping
3. #C3CAD1
4. #CFD3DA
5. #F5F6F7

Step 12

We won’t add any other elements to the last splash.

Let’s combine them! Green is the first splash we finished, red is the second one, and blue is the last splash.

Step 13

We’re almost done! Let’s add some milk drops.

Create four more copies of the milk drop we made in Step 5. Modify the first copy by applying Effect > Warp > Squeeze with these settings:

• Bend: -35%
• Horizontal: -18%
• Vertical: 23%

Don’t forget to Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 14

Modify the second copy with Effect > Warp > Inflate with these settings:

• Bend: 18%
• Horizontal: -8%
• Vertical: -40%

Make sure to Expand Appearance.

Step 15

Apply Effect > Warp > Twist to the third copy.

• Bend: -34%
• Horizontal: 26%
• Vertical: 36%

Expand Appearance.

Step 16

For the last copy, simply drag it to flatten it a bit.

Step 17

Use the different milk drops we made in these steps to create something like this:

Step 18

When you’re happy with the little random drops, add them to the big splash and place your strawberries „inside.” They should be on top of the third splash part.

Step 19

The final touch will be the addition of a shadow.

Create an ellipse, Filling it with a Radial Gradient from #8B7065 to #FFFFFF. Set its Transparency mode to Multiply.

Step 20

Place the shadow under your milk splash, and you’re done!

Awesome Work, You’re Now Done!

What now? You can try any of my other tutorials from my profile, or check out my portfolio on GraphicRiver, as well as the original image we recreated in this tutorial.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial, and I will be extremely happy to see any results, feedback or suggestions in the comments below!

Post pobrano z: The Beginner’s Guide to Hot Foil Stamping

If you want to add a touch of luxury to your designs, you’re going to want to know a bit about foiling. Often used on premium print media, like invitations, business cards, reports and letterheads, this is a process whereby metallic foil is applied to the surface of the paper using either a manually-operated or pneumatic (air-powered) machine. The result? A truly stunning effect that pulls out details of the design in a metallic or colored sheen. 

In this article you’ll learn how to set up existing artwork for foiling, but you can also find ready-prepared foil print templates on GraphicRiver and Envato Elements.

Let’s take a look at the historical background to foiling and some contemporary examples to whet your appetite. Skip to the end of the article to find out how to set up your digital artwork for foil stamping. 

How Did Foiling Come About?

Some of the very first manuscripts ever produced used real gold leaf to decorate intricate calligraphy. The process of applying raw gold leaf to paper was related to the craft of gilding, in which wafer-thin layers of gold were brushed onto items like bullae (amulets), picture frames, statues, and furniture. 

After printing presses became more widely used in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, books became the focus of metallic foiling. The most beautiful and expensive books were bound in leather cases which were often embellished with gold leaf. This process was combined with embossing or bevelling, which left a relieved or raised impression on the surface of the cover. 

Nowadays, the foiling process doesn’t use real gold leaf (save in exceptional, and very expensive, circumstances). Metallic foils are now made of aluminium or tin, and are combined with a color layer to produce the desired effect. For designers, this is a much-loved development, giving you a wider choice of colors without the risk of blowing your budget! 

Although many printers will have a standard range of foil colors that they provide at a lower price point, which typically include gold, silver and copper, you can also request custom foil colors from an almost endless range of options. Want a metallic rainbow effect on your wedding invites? There’s probably a foil color out there to do just that. 

Even though foiling is an added expense to a standard print job, due to the extra hours and resources that go into stamping the foil after printing, it is still a relatively economical method for producing an impressive effect that really ups the luxury factor of a product. 

You’ll notice that designers use foiling across all sorts of things, from packaging to stationery. It’s a sure-fire way of making your design feel more expensive and aspirational, without the hefty price tag. 

How Does Foiling Work?

Foiling can be done either manually, using a manual hot foil stamping machine, or pneumatically, using an air-powered machine. Manual machines are used for low-volume jobs (e.g. for foiling a limited-edition book cover, or a small volume of invitations), while pneumatic machines are used for higher-volume jobs. Small print shops might have a manual machine in-store or send off your item to a specialist, while larger commercial printers might have a pneumatic machine in-house. 

For either machine, the foiling process is roughly the same. The design to be rendered in foil is etched onto a metal die. The die is heated up, and the foil is placed between the die and the surface of the paper or other material to be stamped. When the die is applied to the surface, the foil bonds to the surface, producing the metallic effect. 

Commercial foiling machines fall into three main categories­: clamshell presses, straight stamp presses, and roll presses. Clamshell presses are suited for medium runs, and the name comes from the movement of the machine, which closes like a clam, pushing the dye, foil and print surface together. Straight stamp and roll presses are designed to deal with larger item quantities, so these tend to be used by commercial printers for things like packaging. 

Dies range in price depending on their size and the material they are made of. The cheapest dies are made from magnesium, which is a softer metal and, as a result, can only be used for a certain number of impressions. More expensive dies are made from copper, which is pretty tough, or brass, which is even stronger. 

Once your die has been made using acid etching (where your die is placed in an acid bath after being exposed to UV light), it can be used for a number of print runs, which will vary depending on the material. If you’re producing a short print run, it’s possible that your die can be stored and used for another run later down the line. Your printer can store this for you, or you can request to take it away when the run’s finished.

Foils themselves come in a huge range of textures and colors, which can be split into four categories. Choosing your foil is probably the most exciting part of the foiling process, and if you’re willing to pay a little extra, your options are almost unlimited.

Metallic foils replicate the look of precious metals, such as gold, silver, or copper. These are considered standard by most printers, so they’ll probably carry this limited range in-house. But you can also request orders for other metallic foils, like rose gold or metallic colors like red and blue. 

Pigment foils don’t have a metallic look, but instead come in a range of matte or gloss colors. These are great for pulling out text or logos in an eye-catching color and texture. 

Pearl foils add a pearlescent, ethereal sheen to otherwise mostly transparent or translucent color. They are used to give more tactile shine rather than color to a design, and are a pretty, subtle choice for elegant stationery like invitations and business cards.

Holographic foils appear to be silver before application, but in fact they reflect a variety of colors back at the viewer, giving the impression of a holograph or rainbow. These are fun and youthful when used in the right context, and are also popular for Christmas-themed designs. 

When Should I Use Foiling on My Designs?

There’s probably nothing more satisfying than seeing your digital design come to life when printed and foiled. A simple business card can look instantly impressive with a dash of bronze foil, and a silver sheen has the magical ability to make somebody choose one product over another, based on the packaging design alone. 

Almost all print media that is meant to be special in one way or another will probably benefit from foiling. Some items to consider adding foiling to are:

• Invitations—for New Year’s Eve celebrations, Christmas parties, gala events and weddings.
• Business stationery­—make your business seem more upscale by adding foiling to business cards, letterheads, envelopes, and reports.
• Promotional materials—adding foiling to brochures, booklets and catalogs makes your offering seem instantly more aspirational and enticing.
• Packaging—up the luxe factor of boxes, labels and stickers. Wine labels look particularly luxurious with a touch of foil.

Fired up for foiling? Awesome! Let’s check out how to set up your digital artwork for foiling.

How to Set Up Your Artwork for Foil Stamping

Preparing your own artwork for foil stamping is pretty simple. Different printers have different preferences for how they like the artwork to be set up, but in general most will be happy with the elements to be foiled placed on a separate layer and set in a spot color. 

Here, I’ve created a save the date card in Adobe InDesign, and I want to bring out all the typographic elements in a copper foil. 

The process for setting up the file is roughly the same whether you’re working in a publishing program like InDesign or vector software like Adobe Illustrator. What is important to note is that you should always set up your foiling design in vector, not raster, format. This allows your dye to be produced to a high quality. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how I set up my card for stamping in InDesign.

Step 1

I’ve created a US postcard layout (7 by 5 inches) with a dark blue color set on its own Background layer (Window > Layers).  

I then created a New Layer and named this Typography, before using the Type Tool (T) to create the type design*.

* The fonts used on this design are Charlevoix Pro and Euphoria Script. 

Step 2

I right-click on the Typography layer and select Duplicate Layer “Typography”, to create a copy. 

Double-clicking the duplicate layer allows me to edit the name of the layer. Name your layer something easily recognizable, like HOT FOIL STAMPING or SPOT FOIL.

Step 3

Next, we need to vectorize all the elements on the page that are to be stamped. 

Select all the text elements on your layer and head up to Type > Create Outlines. 

Step 4

Go to the Swatches panel (Window > Color > Swatches) and create a New Swatch. Name the swatch something instantly recognizable, such as FOIL SPOT COLOR. Set the Type to Spot and adjust the levels of either Cyan, Magenta or Yellow to 100%. Then click Add and Done. 

Apply the Spot Color Swatch to the elements on your layer.

Step 5

A final preparation step before exporting is to set the elements on your foil layer to overprint. This prevents the foil effect from knocking out other items on the page below. 

Go to Object > Output > Attributes and check the Overprint boxes which are not greyed out. 

Step 6

Now you’re ready to Export your design as a print-ready PDF file. 

Head up to File > Export, and choose Adobe PDF (Print) from the Format drop-down menu. Give the file a suitable name and hit Save.

Step 7

In the Export window that opens select [PDFX1a 2001] from the Adobe PDF Preset menu at the top of the window. 

Then click on Marks and Bleeds in the left-hand menu and check the All Printer’s Marks* and Use Document Bleed Settings boxes. 

Then go ahead and click Export to create your PDF file.

* It may not be necessary to include all printer’s marks on your exported file. Check with your printer before you include this. It is, however, really important to always include a bleed on your exported print artwork.

Step 8

You can now see how your design is split into different print plates from Adobe Acrobat. In Acrobat, go to View > Tools > Print Production. Then select Output Preview from the Print Production menu. 

Keep in mind that the more separations or plates you have in your artwork the more time and resources will go into producing your final printed product, which will increase printing costs. You should always check with your printer ahead of preparing your artwork, and get a quote in advance. 

Conclusion: Have Fun With Foiling!

Applying foil to your print designs really does add a very special touch. The process adds both visual and tactile appeal—people won’t be able to resist touching your prints! 

Whether you go for luxurious metals, dreamy pearl effects or pops of glossy color, foiling is a lovely finishing touch for any product and every designer should experience the joyful satisfaction of seeing and touching the results of their foiling. 

If you’re still not super confident with setting up foil artwork on your own, there are lots of foil print templates available on GraphicRiver and Envato Elements, which do the hard work for you. It’s then easy-peasy to export your design and send it to the printers. They’ll be really impressed with the professional result. 

Post pobrano z: How to Create a Mountain Landscape in Flat Style in Adobe Illustrator

In this tutorial I will show you how to create a natural mountain landscape in flat design using the most basic shapes and tools of Adobe Illustrator.

If you would like to skip the tutorial, you can just purchase the result as a part of my Camping Travel Landscape package. Find more inspiration for Travel Designs on GraphicRiver.

1. How to Create a New Document

First we need to set up a New Document (File > New or Control-N) with these settings:

• Number of Artboards: 1
• Width: 1200
• Height: 1200
• Units: pixels

From the Advanced Tab:

• Color Mode: RGB
• Raster Effects: Screen
• Preview Mode: Default
• Uncheck Align New Objects to Pixel Grid

2. How to Set Up the Layers

It would be a good idea to organize our project using layers, since this way we can easily focus on each part of our landscape.

Bring up the Layers panel, and create five layers, renaming each of them as follows:

• layer 1: lake
• layer 2: main
• layer 3: hills
• layer 4: mountains
• layer 5: sky

Lock all but the first „lake” layer. To Lock layers, click the Edit Column button (to the right of the eye icon) in the Layers panel for each layer you want to lock.

I prefer to do it the faster way by Alt-Clicking the Edit Column button in the Layers panel for the only layer I want to stay unlocked.

3. How to Create the Mountain Lake

Step 1

Start to build a mountain lake by creating a 900 x 58 px light blue #4bafe3 rectangle in the bottom part of the artboard with the help of the Rectangle Tool (M). 

Make one more 580 x 40 px shape of the same color, placing it under the bottom edge of the first one closer to the left side.

Step 2

Using the Direct Selection Tool (A), select the corners of the large rectangle or just click inside the shape, holding down Shift. You can see the Live Corner Widget shown inside the corners. Make the shape’s corners fully rounded by pulling the circle indicators to the center. You can also use Effect > Stylize > Round Corners. 

Use the same method to round the corners of the smaller rectangle.

Select both objects and merge them into one object, using the Unite option of the Pathfinder panel.

Step 3

Select the blue shape and Copy it, using Control-C. Click Control-B to get a Duplicate behind the main object. Move it a few pixels lower and change the color to #406e85.

Step 4

Select the top edge of the light blue figure with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and Copy it by clicking Control-C. Press Control-F to get a Duplicate of the top side line in front of the main shape. Change the Fill color of the line to None and Stroke color to black. Set the Stroke weight to 3-4 px, making the stripe stand out from the main shape. 

Choose the line and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag. Change the Size value to 3 px, Absolute. And set Ridges per segment equal to 27. Select Smooth Points and click OK, getting the wavy line. Go to Object > Expand Appearance to apply the effect.

Step 5

Select both the left and the right side anchors of the wavy stripe with the Direct Selection Tool (A), and use Control-J to join the open path, getting a closed shape as a result.

Drag the resulting wavy shape right onto the top edge of the main blue figure and change its Fill color to #4bafe3 and Stroke color to None. Select the wavy shape together with the large blue form and merge them into one object, using the Unite option of the Pathfinder panel.

Step 6

Choose the main blue form and press Enter to open the Move window. Set the Horizontal Position value to 0 px and the Vertical position value to -10 px, and click on the Copy button. Set the Fill color of the new shape to #73d0ff and place it to the back with the help of Shift-Control-[.

Repeat all the actions for the newly created figure to get another Duplicate behind it. Change the Fill of the second copy to #ace5f6.

Group all the shapes together with Control-G, aligning them to the middle of the artboard.

Step 7

Now we are going to add some details to the lake to make it more real.

Take the Ellipse tool (L) and create a 22 x 10 px ellipse, filling it with #ace5f6 color. Convert the left and right anchor points from smooth to sharp corners by clicking on them with the Anchor Point Tool (Shift-C), getting the leaf-like shape (1).

Draw a horizontal line across the middle of the figure which passes through both sharp anchors. Divide both shapes in Pathfinder (2), Ungroup (Control-Shift-G) them, and Delete the top half (3).

Use the Move option window to create two more copies at the same distance (4). Group (Control-G) all the shapes.

Spread the copies of our group over the lake, making the sun’s glittering reflections (5), something like what we see on the water’s surface on a sunny day.

Step 8

Make an 8.5 x 21 px ellipse of #fff75a color with the help of the Ellipse Tool (L). Click on the top anchor with the Anchor Point Tool (Shift-C), converting it to a sharp corner.

Select the left and right anchors of the ellipse with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and move them down by a few pixels, resulting in a drop-like shape.

Choose the yellow shape, take the Rotate Tool (R), and then Alt-click on the bottom anchor point of our figure. In the Rotate panel, set the Angle to 20° and click the Copy button. Press Control-D one more time to repeat the last action, getting two more copies. Select both copies and move them slightly to the bottom.

Step 9

Keeping the copies selected, choose the Reflect Tool (O). Holding the Alt key, click on the top anchor of the vertical yellow figure. In the Reflect option window, set the Axis to Vertical and press Copy, reflecting both shapes to the right side of the vertical form. Group (Control-G) the yellow shapes. It will be the blossom of the water lily.

Build a 62 x 6.5 rectangle, Filling it with #c1db35 and making the corners rounded with the help of the Live Widget feature.

Place the yellow blossom closer to the right side of the green figure, hiding its bottom part behind the rectangle.

Create a 13 x 13 px circle Filled with this #fff75a color and send it backward with Object > Arrange > Send Backward. Then place the circle closer to the right side of the green rectangle, hiding its bottom edge behind the figure. Group (Control-G) all the parts together.

Step 10

Using the same methods as in the two previous steps, create a small fish of #ace5f6 color. 

Spread the copies of fishes and water lilies over the lake surface as shown in the example below.

4. How to Create the Meadow and the Forest

Lock all the layers but the „main” layer.

Step 1

Let’s start to create the bulrush by building a 1.7 x 55 px vertical rectangle, with #66801b for the color of the stalk. 

Make one more 4.25 x 17 px rectangle, which we will color using #696354. Use the Live Corners feature to make the corners of the shape fully rounded. 

Put the brown shape on the top of the green stalk, making its bottom part overlap the top of the stalk and aligning to its middle.

Using the Pen Tool (P), draw simple triangle-like shapes of #66801b color for the leaves on the bottom part of the stalk. Group (Control-G) all the bulrush parts together.

Step 2

Build an 82 x 78 px rectangle of #c1db35 color, making its top part fully rounded with the help of the Live Corners feature. Draw a vertical line which goes across the middle and the top anchor of the shape.

Divide both shapes in Pathfinder and Ungroup (Control-Shift-G) them. Color the left half with #79981f. Make a small circle of #99ba38 color on the right half of the large figure. Copy the circle and spread the copies over the right part, making it textured. Group (Control-G) all the parts together. This will be the bush.

Create a smaller Copy of the bush near the first one and drag both bushes to the left side of the lake, hiding their bottom parts behind the waves.

Make few copies of the bulrush that we created previously, and place them on the right side of the lake, hiding the bottom part of the stalks behind the water line.

Step 3

Start to create the shore by building a 1075 x 57 px rectangle with a #a2c430 Fill color. Make if fully rounded and align it to the middle of the lake. Send it backward with Object > Arrange > Send to Back.

Select the green rectangle and Copy it with Control-C. Click Control-B to get a Duplicate behind the main object. Move it down by a few pixels and change the color to #406e85. Group (Control-G) the rectangles and place them behind the lake.

Step 4

Let’s continue adding details to the shore by creating a 14 x 14 px rectangle with a #79981f Fill color. Choose the Add Anchor Point Tool (+) and click on the middle of the top edge of the rectangle, adding one more anchor point. Delete the left and right top anchors with the Delete Anchor Point Tool (-), getting the triangle shape (1).

Select the triangle with the Selection Tool (V) and press Enter to open the Move options window. Set the Horizontal Position value to 0 px and Vertical position value to 14 px, and click on the Copy button. Press Control-D to repeat the action, and continue pressing Control-D to add 17 copies (2). Group (Control-G) them together. This will be the grass.

Create a 110 x 100 px circle with a #7a7462 Fill color. Draw a horizontal line which goes across the middle and side anchors of the shape. Select both figures and Divide them, using the Pathfinder panel (3). Ungroup (Control-Shift-G) the shapes and Delete the bottom part. This figure will act as a stone. Create a smaller stone of #8f8873 color (4).

Combine and copy stones and grass, spreading them behind the ground rectangle. Don’t forget to use Object > Arrange > Send to Back for the objects to place them behind the ground rectangle. Add one or more copies of the bush we created previously. You can use and example below as a reference (5), but feel free to make different combinations of grass, bushes, and stones.

Step 5

Now we are going to work on the forest background. Build a 1030 x 40 px rectangle with #d0f341 color, aligning it to the middle of the artboard. Round its corners, send it backward with Object > Arrange > Send to Back, and place it behind the larger green rectangle, making its bottom part overlap the top edge of the larger figure.

Step 6

To form the forest we will need two types of trees: fir trees shaped like a triangle, and leaf trees shaped like a circle.

Create a 140 x 235 px rectangle with a #d0f341 Fill color. Click on the middle of the top edge of the rectangle with the Add Anchor Point Tool (+), adding one more anchor point. Delete the left and right top anchors with the Delete Anchor Point Tool (-), getting the triangle shape. 

Make a vertical line which goes across the middle and the top anchor of the shape. Divide both figures in Pathfinder and Ungroup (Control-Shift-G) them, coloring the left half into #a2c430. Create a small rectangle of #a2c430 color, Copy it, and spread the copies over the right part of the tree, making it textured. Group all parts and send the tree to back with Object > Arrange > Send to Back.

Step 7

Let’s make the crown of the second tree by building a 165 x 165 circle which we will Fill with #d0f341 color.

Draw a vertical line across the middle and anchors of the shape.

Divide both shapes in Pathfinder and Ungroup (Control-Shift-G) them. Color the left half with #a2c430. Add few small rounded rectangles of #a2c430 color to the right half for a textured effect. Add a trunk with a #7a7462 Fill color to the bottom of the crown.

Group (Control-G) all the parts and send them to the back with Object > Arrange > Send to Back.

Step 8

Let’s place our trees in a row behind the back rounded rectangle shape, Duplicating some of them and varying the sizes to form a balanced composition. Add a few more of the brushes we’ve created already.

Leave an empty space in the middle of the forest for the hills and the mountains which we will be creating in the following steps. The result should look like this:

5. How to Create the Hills

Lock all the layers except the „hills” layer.

Step 1

With the help of the Pen Tool (P), create the wavy shape with a #8ead28 Fill color.

Select the figure, and then choose the Reflect Tool (O) and, holding the Alt key, click on the bottom right anchor. In the Reflect option window, set the Axis to Vertical and press Copy, reflecting the shape to the right side.

Merge both shapes into one with the Unite option of the Pathfinder panel, getting the hill.

Step 2

Put the hill behind the main scene, placing it closer to the right side. Make a smaller Copy of the darker green color (#79981f) on the left side of the landscape, hiding it behind the first shape. All the side and bottom parts of our hills should be hidden behind the trees, bushes, and the ground level.

Step 3

First, select the left hill that we created in the previous steps.

Right-click and choose Isolate Selected Group from the drop-down menu. The isolated hill appears in full color, while the rest of the artwork appears dimmed.

Take the Pen Tool (P) and build a vertical zig-zag line crossing the hill shape. Set the Fill of the line to None, the Stroke Weight to 9 px, and the Stroke Color to #66801b. Make the corners of the line rounded by choosing them with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and dragging the Live Corners markers.

Choose the line and go to Object > Expand. Check the Stroke option, and uncheck the Fill option, pressing OK. Our stroke will transform into a filled shape

Let’s cut off the parts of the path that stand outside the hill. Select the overlapping path together with the hill shape, and use the Shape Builder Tool (Shift-M) by holding down the Alt key and clicking the unwanted pieces to Delete them.

Press OK and Escape to exit isolation mode or, using the Selection Tool (V), double-click outside of the isolated group.

Step 4

Unlock the „main” layer. Select one leaf and one fir tree and Copy them. Lock the „main” layer again and go back to the „hills” layer. Press Control-V or go to Edit > Paste, getting the copies of our trees on the „hills” layer.

Spread the trees over the hills, Duplicating some of them and varying the sizes to fill the empty space.

Step 5

Create silhouettes of the background hills by making Duplicates of the previously created hills, changing their Fill colors to #515c1b and making taller or shorter shapes with the help of the Selection Tool (V). 

You should get something like this:

6. How to Create the Mountains

Lock all the layers but the „mountains” layer.

Step 1

Let’s start to form the mountain shape by creating a 582 x 540 px rectangle, Filling it with #99927b color.

Take the Add Anchor Point Tool (+) and click on the middle of the top edge of the rectangle, adding one more anchor point. Delete the left and right top anchors with the Delete Anchor Point Tool (-), getting the triangle shape.

Step 2

With the help of the Line Segment Tool (/), build a 400 px Width black Stroke without Fill, positioning it under the top part of the rectangle, leaving a gap of about 200 px from the top anchor and aligning it to the middle of the rectangle.

Select the line and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag. Set the Size value to 10 px, Absolute. And set Ridges per segment equal to 9. Select Smooth Points and click OK. Go to Object > Expand Appearance to apply the effect.

Choose the triangle shape and Copy it, using Control-C. Click Control-F to get a Duplicate on top of the triangle. Select the duplicate and the line using the Divide option of the Pathfinder panel, dividing our triangle into two shapes. Ungroup them and remove the bottom part. Color the upper remaining figure with #e2f0e9, getting the snowy top of the mountain.

Step 3

Create a narrower Copy of the triangle in front of the first one and change its color to #99927b, forming slight shadows on the mountain. Build a narrower Duplicate of the shadow part in the front of it, coloring the new one with #87806c.

Now our mountain looks more detailed and interesting.

Step 4

Now that the basic view of the mountain is ready, let’s add a flat-style shadow, covering one half of the rock.

Select the back triangle shape, Copy it and Paste in Front (Control-C > Control-F). Keeping the duplicate selected, go to Object > Arrange > Bring to Front, placing the copy in front of the mountain. Select the bottom right anchor of the triangle with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and drag it to the center, aligning to the middle anchor.

Change the Blending Mode of the resulting triangle to Multiply while lowering the Opacity levels to 40% in the Transparency panel, getting the shadow. Group (Control-G) all the mountain parts together.

Step 5

Put the mountain on the main scene, hiding its bottom part behind the hills. Create two smaller mountains to the left and to the right of the main rock, making them overlap the larger mountain and placing them in front of it.

Form two more triangle mountain silhouettes with a #659cad Fill color behind the main landscape, finishing the composition.

7. How to Create the Background

We are almost done with our mountain landscape. But we still need a background depicting sky, sun, and clouds.

Let’s start by Locking all the layers except the „sky” layer.

Step 1

Build a 1200 x 1200 px square of #77b8cc, aligning it to the middle of the artboard.

Step 2

To fill the empty space and add depth to our landscape, create cloud-like shapes of #9accdb color behind the mountains with the help of the Pen Tool (P) or the Rectangle Tool (M), making the corners of the resulting figures rounded.

Step 3

Start to build the cloud by creating two overlapping circles with the Ellipse Tool (L), setting their Fill and Stroke to the default black and white colors. Switch to the Rectangle Tool (M) and place a narrow stripe at the bottom of the cloud, letting it down a little lower than the bottom edge of the large circle.

Unite all the shapes in the Pathfinder to make a single object. Change the Fill color to #e2f0e9 and stroke to None. Make a few more clouds of different sizes and spread them over the sky, leaving an empty space for the sun.

Step 4

Build a 105 x 105 px circle which we will color using #fff45a. Draw a vertical line across the middle of the circle, using the Line Segment Tool (\). Keeping the line and the circle selected, Divide them in the Pathfinder. Ungroup (Control-Shift-G) the shapes and color the left half with #fde23d. 

Build one more 144 x 144 px circle of #fbcd30 color, placing it behind the first one, aligning to its center. Select the large circle and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag. Set the Size to 5 px, Absolute. And set Ridges per segment equal to 10. Select Smooth Points and click OK. Go to Object > Expand Appearance to apply the effect.

Group all the sun shapes together and place it on the main scene.

Unlock all the layers.

Our Mountain Landscape Is Ready!

Great job! Our flat-style mountain area scene is finished. You can use your imagination and continue playing around and adding details until you are fully satisfied with the result.

This mountain landscape illustration is just a part of my Camping Travel Landscape, and there are far more travel and adventure illustrations in my portfolio!

I hope you’ve discovered some new tips and tricks that you can use for creating wonderful illustrations in future. Feel free to share your results in the comments below.

Post pobrano z: How to Create a Floral Portrait Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop

In this tutorial I’ll show you how to create a floral portrait of a woman with flowers, leaves, branches and butterflies. We’ll not only combine different images using standard blending techniques but also learn how to make abstract elements. We’ll also use filters and enhance the color to achieve a fresh and creative result. 

Tutorial Assets

The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial:

• Model 
• Branch 
• Flower 1 
• Flowers 2 
• Flowers 3 
• Butterfly 1 
• Butterfly 2 

1. Add the Background

Step 1

Create a new 1500 x 1500 px document in Photoshop with the following settings:

Step 2

Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color and pick the color #e4dbe7:

Step 3

Select Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves and decrease the lightness a bit:

On this layer mask, use a soft round brush with black color (soft black
brush) and Opacity about 20-30% to paint on the middle of the canvas
to make this area a bit brighter than the edges. It will help to focus
on the center. Here are the results on the mask and on the picture:

2. Add the Model

Step 1

Open
the model image and isolate her from the background using your favorite method. In this case, I used a layer mask with a hard black brush.
Create a new fill layer between the background and the isolated model
and pick any light colors.

Step 2

Create two new layers and use a soft brush with the colors #331f18 and
#9c7966 (these colors are picked from the head) to fill in the hair.

Step 3

Hide the background and the fill layer and hit Control-Shift-Alt-E to
merge all the transparent layers into a new one. Move the merged model
into our main canvas using the Move Tool (V):

Click the second icon at the bottom of the Layers panel to add a mask to
this layer. Use a medium-soft black brush to remove the bottom of the model’s body:

Step 4

Use a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer set as Clipping Mask to
desaturate the model. Change the Master settings as the screenshot below
shows:

Step 5

Make a Curves adjustment layer to brighten the model. On this layer
mask, use a soft black brush to erase the areas which are bright
already.

3. Make the Branches

Step 1

First we’ll be making the abstract branches. Open the flower 1 image.
Isolate the flower using the Magic Wand Tool (W) and add it to the main
canvas. Go to Filter > Liquify and choose the Forward Warp Tool. Set
the brush size to about 300 px (it depends on the flower size you’ve
chosen). Stretch it to change the shape and make it much longer, like a
curvy branch:

Step 2

Duplicate this layer many times and liquify them to get results in a similar style to the first. Arrange them on both sides of the model.

Step 3

Select all of these layers, press Control-G to make a group for them, and change this group mode to Normal 100%. Add a mask to this group and use
a medium-soft black brush to erase the bottom of some of the branches
to make them look as if they’re growing from the model’s body.

Step 4

Duplicate several branches, make them smaller and move them to the eye:

Step 5

Create a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer within this group to change the branches’ color.

Step 6

Use a Curves adjustment layer to darken the branches:

Step 7

Open the branch image and cut it out from the white background. Add it
to the bottom of the model’s body and duplicate it. Flip it horizontally by
choosing Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal. Place these layers
under the abstract branches group.

Add a mask to each of these layers and clear their bottom.

Step 8

Duplicate them several times and arrange them around the bottom of the model’s body and her
head. Use the Free Transform Tool (Control-T) to vary their size and
position.

Step 9

Make a group for these branches and add a Color Balance adjustment layer. Increase the Red value of the Midtones:

Step 10

Use a Photo Filter adjustment layer and pick the color #ec0075:

4. Add the Flowers

Step 1

Open the flowers 3 image and isolate the flowers using the Magic Wand Tool.
Place the image at the bottom of the model and cover the holes between the
leaves and branches.

Use a layer mask to blend the flowers with the existing elements:

Step 2

Create a Color Balance adjustment layer and change the Midtones and Highlights settings:

Step 3

Use a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and change the Master settings:

Step 4

Make a Curves adjustment layer and increase the lightness to make the flower brighter:

Step 5

Open the flowers 2 image and cut the flowers out as you did with the other
elements. Move it into the main document and rotate the side with the
flowers and buds in the direction of the eyes.

Here is the result after masking off the parts covering the face:

Step 6

Duplicate this several times and arrange them around the model. Use a
layer mask to delete the areas you don’t want to show on the picture.

Step 7

Use the Lasso Tool (L) to select the flower on the top of the model, and
press Control-J to duplicate this flower on a new layer. Choose the
Liquify Tool and pick the Twirl Clockwise Tool to bend and tweak this
flower to make it appear like an abstract one. Feel free to form it in
the way you want but keep it still looking like a flower, so don’t tweak it too much. Place it on the left of the head area with the leaves.

Step 8

Duplicate this flower several times and continue bending them to make
them appear different but still in a similar style. Place them above the top of the abstract branches and on the arm.

Step 9

Make a group for all the elements made from the flowers 2 image. Use a
Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and reduce the Saturation value to –40:

5. Create the Abstract Makeup

Step 1

We’ll be going through a very interesting stage. Press D to turn the
foreground and background to default (black and white). Create a new
layer on top of the layers and use the Elliptical Marquee Tool (M) to
draw a circle on the canvas. Go to Filter > Render > Clouds:

Press Control-D to deselect this circle and go to Filter > Pixelate > Pointillize. Set the Cell Size to 67:

Step 2

Tweak this circle using the Liquify Tools to get a result similar to the one below, or any shapes you wish for.

Step 3

Change this layer mode to Soft Light 100% and use a layer mask to make the effect visible only on the model’s cheek:

Step 4

Duplicate this layer twice and move them to the forehead and arm. Mask
off the unwanted details to make the effect subtle and soft.

Step 5

Create a group for these layers (remember to change the group mode to Soft Light 100%) and use an Invert adjustment layer to invert the effect color:

6. Add the Butterflies

Step 1

Open
the butterfly 1 image and isolate the butterflies from the background. Select the
middle butterfly and place it above the highest abstract flower on the
right side.

Step 2

Use a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to make the butterfly more saturated:

Step 3

Open the butterfly 2 image. Take the blue butterfly on the top left and move it above the highest abstract flower on the left of the main document:

Step 4

Change the butterfly color using a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer:

Step 5

Use a Curves adjustment layer to make the butterfly brighter:

7. The Final Adjustment

Step 1

We’ve finished adding the elements, and now it’s time to change the color.
Create a Color Fill layer on top of the layers and pick the color
#1f0901. Set this layer mode to Exclusion 100%:

Step 2

Make a Color Balance adjustment layer and change the Midtones and Highlights values:

Step 3

Add a Curves adjustment layer to change the contrast and color of the whole image:

Step 4

Make a Photo Filter adjustment layer and pick the color #bbb85d:

Step 5

Create
another Photo Filter adjustment layer and select the color #f7014c. On
this layer mask, use a soft black brush to reduce the effect on the
edges and the model’s face. This aims to avoid making the color effect look flat.

Step 6

Use a Selective Color adjustment layer to alter the color of the leaves and butterfly 1.

Step 7

Add a Vibrance adjustment layer to enhance the effect. You know it’s my all-time favorite adjustment layer!

Step 8

Make a Levels adjustment layer and decrease the Midtones value. Select
this layer mask and paint on the middle to make the edges a bit darker. It helps to create a subtle vignette effect.

Congratulations, You’re Done!

I hope that you’ve learned something useful for your future projects.
Feel free to leave your comments in the box below—I’d love to see them.
Enjoy Photoshopping!

Post pobrano z: 7 WordPress Website Design To Inspire You

Even if you always design websites from scratch, it’s wise to take a look at the many inspirational ways that other designers have made templates their own. For instance, many of the available WordPress templates are impressive, to begin with, but they take on new life with the right touch. Let’s take a look at […]

The post 7 WordPress Website Design To Inspire You appeared first on Web Resources Depot.

Post pobrano z: How to Create a Graffiti Effect in Adobe Photoshop

Learn how to create graffiti art from your photos in Adobe Photoshop, using filters and adjustments.

The graffiti effect is part of Graffiti Effect with Pop Up Photoshop Action from my portfolio on Envato Market.

Tutorial Assets

The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial:

• Brick Wall
• Man Portrait
• Grunge Brush
• Graffiti Wall

1. How to Create the Brick Wall Background

Create an 850 x 630 px New Document. You can, of course, use another size for your PSD file, but you have to proportionally adjust all the sizes used in this tutorial. 

Add the Brick Wall in a New Layer. Resize the image if needed according to your canvas size.

2. How to Add the Graffiti Art

Step 1

In a New Layer, add the Graffiti Wall texture. Resize the image if needed according to your canvas size.

Step 2

Click the second icon at the bottom of the Layers panel to add a Layer Mask to the Graffiti Wall layer.

Set the Foreground Color to #000000 and pick the Brush Tool. Use the Grunge Brush to paint inside the mask to hide some of the graffiti effect and to reveal the brick wall.

3. How to Create the Graffiti Portrait Effect

Step 1

Add the Man Portrait in a New Layer. Use the Magic Wand Tool to select the background of this image. Set the Tolerance to 10 and check Contiguous. Keep the Shift key pressed to make multiple selections. Press Delete to remove the selected background.

Press Control-D to deselect. 

Step 2

Press Control-J to Duplicate the Man Portrait layer twice, and call the new layers Man Portrait 1 and Man Portrait 2. Hide the two newly created layers. Clicking the eye icon next to any layer on the Layers panel will hide/show the layer.

Step 3

Return to the Man Portrait layer and add a Stroke layer style of 4 px, Position center, Color #000000.

Step 4

Go to Filter > Artistic > Cutout and choose the Number of Levels 8, Edge Simplicity 0 and Edge Fidelity 3.

Step 5

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Posterize and set the Levels to 5. Click on the third button from the left to add this adjustment as a Clipping Mask for the layer below.

Step 6

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast and set the Brightness to 117 and the Contrast to -50. Click on the third button from the left to add this adjustment as a Clipping Mask for the layer below.

Step 7

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation and set the Hue to 129 and the Saturation to 100. Click on the third button from the left to add this adjustment as a Clipping Mask for the layer below.

Pick the Brush Tool and use the Grunge Brush to paint inside the Hue/Saturation Mask using the color #000000 to reveal the original color below.

Step 8

Create a New Layer. Copy and paste the Graffiti Wall image in this layer. Right-click on the layer and choose Create Clipping Mask. 

Change the Blend Mode of the Graffiti Effect layer to Lighter Color.

Click the second icon at the bottom of the Layers panel to add a Layer Mask to the Graffiti Effect layer. Pick the Brush Tool and use the Grunge Brush to paint inside the Layer Mask using color #000000 to hide some details.

Step 9

Click the eye icon next to Man Portrait 1 layer to show the layer. Set the Foreground Color to #000000 and the Background Color to #ffffff.

Step 10

Go to Filter > Sketch > Photocopy and set the Detail to 3 and the Darkness to 50. 

Step 11

Go to Filter > Artistic > Cutout and set the Number of Levels to 3, Edge Simplicity to 3 and Edge Fidelity to 3. 

Step 12

Go to Image > Adjustments > Levels and set the Input Levels.

Step 13

Set the Blend Mode of the Man Portrait 1 to Multiply.

If you want, you can repeat the same process but with different settings for the Man Portrait 2 layer, but this step is optional.

4. How to Create the Brick Effect

Step 1

Press Shift-Control-N to create a New Layer above all the other layers. 

Press Shift-Control-Alt-E to Merge all the visible layers. Call this layer Brick Effect. 

Step 2

Add a Layer Mask to the Brick Effect layer.

Step 3

Go to Image > Trim and trim the canvas based on transparent pixels.

Step 4

Go to Brick Wall layer and make a selection using the Rectangular Marquee Tool. Press Control-C to make a Copy of the selection.

Step 5

Go back to the Brick Effect layer and on the Channels tab click on the eye icon next to the Brick Effect Mask to make it visible. Press Control-V to Paste the selection in this mask.

Step 6

Return to the Layers tab and press Control-D to Deselect. Also click on the Brick Effect Layer Thumbnail.

Step 7

Open the Layer Style Window of the Brick Effect layer and add a Bevel and Emboss. 

Congratulations! You’re Done!

In this tutorial, you’ve learned how to create a graffiti effect in Photoshop from scratch using brushes and textures. I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial.

For faster results, feel free to download this action Graffiti Effect with Pop Up Photoshop Action from my portfolio on Envato Market.

And check out the final result below!

Post pobrano z: How to Create a Colorful Salad Plate in Adobe Illustrator

In
this new tutorial you will learn how to draw a colorful salad on a
plate, but let’s choose a different angle because that means more fun.
At the beginning, we will create a simple plate, and after that it’s
time to get creative in arranging the ingredients of this salad:
rocket leaves, pieces of red and yellow peppers, onion rings, tasty
slices of tomatoes, radishes, and black olives. At the end, it’s all
about the shadows in order to give it a more realistic look. Let’s
start the fun!

If
you are hungry for more food icons or vector icons in general, then
run over to GraphicRiver and you’ll surely find what are you looking
for there. 

1. How
to Create a New Document 

Launch
Illustrator
and
go to File
> New to
open a blank document. Type a name for your file, set up the
dimensions, and then select Pixels
as
Units
and
RGB
as
Color
Mode.
Make sure that Align
New Objects to Pixel Grid is
not checked.

Next,
go to Edit
> Preferences > General and
set the Keyboard
Increment to
1
px and
while there, go to Units
to
make sure they are set as in the following image. I usually work with
these settings, and they will help you throughout the drawing process.

2. How
to Draw a Simple Plate

Step
1

Let’s
start with an ellipse about 610 x 75 px Filled with the Linear Gradient shown (1). Next, draw another ellipse slightly bigger only
at the bottom and send it behind the first (2).

Step
2

To
create the center of the plate, draw a new ellipse about 480 x 58 px
(1). Now, select the first ellipse and Copy and Paste in Place
(Shift-Control-V) in order to make a copy of it (2). While this copy
(the black ellipse) and the red ellipse stay selected, press
Intersect in the Pathfinder panel. Fill the new shape with the Linear Gradient shown (3).

Step
3

Grab
the Pen Tool (P) and draw a shape like the one below. The important part is
the curve at the bottom which is a bit lower than the rest of the
ellipses and creates the thin border. Use the Gradient shown and then
send this shape behind everything. 

Step
4

Next,
draw the bottom of the plate like in the following image. Use the Gradient shown and then send this shape behind everything. 

Step
5

Draw
another shape like earlier, where the bottom curve is a bit lower than
the rest of the plate, in order to create a darker thin border
(1).

Continue
with the last ellipse at the bottom of the plate about 280 x 58 px Filled with the Linear Gradient shown, and then send it behind
everything (2). 

Step
6

To
add a highlight on the bottom of the plate, draw a very thin shape
with the Pen Tool (P) following the bottom edge, and Fill it with the Linear Gradient shown.

Step
7

Now,
follow the outer edge of the plate and draw two new thin shapes as
shown. After that, the plate is ready, and you can see the final result
in the image below (3).

3. How to Draw the Rocket Leaf (Arugula)

It’s
time to draw the components of this tasty salad, and the first
ingredient is rocket, also known as arugula. Take the Pen Tool (P) and draw a leaf shape similar to the one below. Once you are happy with the shape, Fill it with the Linear Gradient shown (1).

Next,
draw a thin shape through the middle of the leaf and Fill it with the Gradient
shown (2).

That’s
it! The leaf is ready. Group (Control-G) the two shapes and name the
group “rocket”.

4. How
to Draw the Onion Ring

Step
1

Use
the Ellipse Tool (L) to draw two shapes and arrange them as shown in the
next image (1). The size is not important because you will scale all of the ingredients later anyway. While the two ellipses stay
selected, go to Object > Compound Path > Make (Control-8) and Fill the resulting shape with a pale purple (2).

Select
the ring and then Copy and Paste in Back (Control-B) to make a copy
of it. Move this copy 2-3 px downwards with the help of the Down
Arrow key on your keyboard (3). 

Select the original ring again and
then Copy and Paste in Place (Shift-Control-V) to make another copy
of it. Having this new copy of the ring selected along with the black
ring, press Minus Front in the Pathfinder panel. Send the resulting
two shapes in the back (4) and Fill them with the two shades of
purple shown (5).

Step
2

The
onion ring is ready. You can create another version, but this is
optional. Just make a Copy of the onion ring and then use only two out of the
three shades of purple. 

Group (Control-G) the shapes and name the groups “onion ring 1” and “onion ring 2”.

5. How
to Draw the Piece of Red Pepper

Step
1

Next
on the list of ingredients is the red pepper. Draw a shape similar to
the one below with the help of the Pen Tool (P) and
use red as the Fill color (1). While this shape stays selected, go to
Object > Transform > Scale, type 105% in the Scale field, and
then hit Copy. As a result, you will get a slightly bigger shape. Use
a darker shade of red to Fill it and send it behind the first (2).

Grab
the Pen Tool (P) again and draw a new shape in front of the two Filled with a lighter shade of red (3). Fix the ends of the pepper if
necessary and align the points with the Direct Selection Tool (A).
The piece of red pepper is ready now (4).

Step
2

This
step is optional, but if you want more color in your salad, you can
create a piece of yellow pepper. Simply make a Copy of the red
pepper and replace the Fill colors.

Group
(Control-G) the shapes and name the groups “red pepper” and
“yellow pepper”.

6. How
to Draw the Slice of Tomato

Step
1

Use
the Pen Tool (P) to draw the tomato slice and Fill it with a dark
shade of red. While the shape stays selected, add a New Fill in the
Appearance panel above the first and use an orangey-red color. Select this
Fill attribute, go to Effect > Distort & Transform >
Transform and apply the settings shown. As a result, you will get the
darker edge at the bottom of the slice.

Step
2

Next,
draw a similar but smaller shape on top and Fill it with red. Add a
New Fill below the first and use a darker shade of orange. With this
Fill attribute selected in the Appearance panel, go to Effect >
Distort & Transform > Transform and apply a 1 px Vertical
Move.

Step
3

Take
the Pen Tool (P) again and draw a shape like the one in the next image, Filled
with dark orange (1). Continue with a similar shape but slightly
smaller, filled with white. Set the Blending Mode to Soft Light (2).
You can see the result in the image below (3).

Step
4

For
the seed of the tomato, you need two tear-drop shapes. Fill the
bigger one with dark orange and the smaller one with yellow. Group
(Control-G) the two shapes and Multiply to obtain more seeds; then Rotate and arrange them on the tomato slice.

Step
5

Now,
draw a curved path next to the bottom edge of the slice (1). Give it
a 5 pt red Stroke; then go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur and
apply a Radius of 2 px. Reduce the Opacity to 70% (2).

Select
the slice shape and then Copy and Paste in Place (Shift-Control-V) in
order to make a copy of it in front of everything. Set this copy to
stroke-none and fill-none. Now, select the curved path along with the
copy of the slice and go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make
(Control-7). Name the resulting group “tomato slice” and you are
done (3). You can see the final result in the image below (4).

7. How
to Draw the Slice of Radish

Use
the Pen Tool (P) to draw the slice shape, and after that, draw a
similar shape but bigger only at the bottom in the back (2).

Select
the blue shape and then Copy and Paste in Place (Shift-Control-V) to
make a copy of it in front of everything. Having this copy selected
along with the orange shape, press Minus Front in the Pathfinder
panel. As a result, you will get the shape at the bottom as the skin
of the radish (3). Fill the two shapes with the Radial Gradients
shown, Group (Control-G) them, and the slice of radish is ready (4). 

8. How
to Draw the Black Olive

The
olive is pretty easy, and you only need two shapes: a 50 x 38 px
ellipse (1) and the highlight shape on the upper left side (2). Fill
them with the Radial Gradients shown; then Group (Control-G) them, and
you can see the final result in the image below (3).

9. How
to Compose the Salad

Step
1

First,
select the “plate” group and Rotate it as shown in the following
image to make things more interesting. And now, it’s finally time to
compose the delicious salad. Grab the “rocket” group and make a
few copies. Arrange them as shown below, or you can put your
creativity to the test.

There
are plenty of shadows in this salad, and you can choose to add them at
the end once you see the final picture, but that might be a bit
overwhelming because there are so many components involved. In order
to make things easier to understand, I will show you the settings
for the Drop Shadow effect as we go along. The settings are slightly
different from step to step because they depend on the position of
each ingredient.

Some
of the ingredients don’t even need a shadow. From the three rocket
leaves in the image below, only one has the Drop Shadow effect
applied because the other two will be covered with the rest of the
ingredients by the end so it’s not really necessary. 

Step
2

Next,
grab the “red pepper” group and move it on the plate. Apply the
Drop Shadow effect to create a shadow. The same thing goes for the
“yellow pepper” group.

It
looks weird for the moment, but at the end we’ll use a Mask to hide
the ingredients that go over the edge of the plate.

Step
3

Duplicate and arrange more rocket leaves. For the leaves that are up in the
air, you don’t need to apply the Drop Shadow effect because the
shadow should exist only on the plate and not outside and around the
plate.

Step
4

Next,
put an olive on the plate and apply the Drop Shadow effect. 

Also, put
an onion ring and a yellow pepper on the left side but without the
shadow this time, because they go over the edge of the plate. We will
create more detailed shadows later in the tutorial for ingredients
like these.

Step
5

Following
the technique explained in the previous steps, place more leaves and
other ingredients on your plate. 

Step
6

Arrange
another piece of red pepper, another slice of tomato, more olives and
another copy of the onion ring plus a bunch of leaves in between and
on top, as many as you want.

In
the image below, you can see the Drop Shadow settings for the onion
ring on the right side and for the rocket leaf on top of it. 

Don’t
add a shadow under the slices of tomato because we’ll take care of that
later in the tutorial. 

Step
7

It’s
time to arrange a few radish slices. Scale them so they are not the
same size because that is more natural. Add more leaves on top and
start to go upwards with the ingredients.

Step
8

Add
another piece of yellow pepper and another slice of tomato up in the
air between the leaves. The
last two ingredients are the red pepper and another onion ring. 

10. How
to Add Shadows Between the Ingredients

Step
1

If
you are happy with your salad and the position of each ingredient, you
can now add more detailed shadows between them for a realistic
look.

Focus
on the slices of tomato and draw a path following the bottom edge,
one for each slice that you have. Give them a 3 pt black Stroke and
then apply a 3 px Gaussian Blur. After you are done, send each path
right behind the corresponding slice of tomato. 

Step
2

Now,
focus on the ingredients that are up in the air and especially on the
areas where they overlap because you need a shadow there. Take your
time, zoom in as much as you need, and draw a small path where two
ingredients are overlapping following their contour, but don’t go over
the edges (into the white background). You can see a few examples in
the close-ups. The more paths you draw, the more detailed and
realistic your salad will be.

Select
a 2 pt black Stroke for all these paths and apply a 2 px Gaussian
Blur. Some of them are at 100% Opacity, and some of them are at 75%
Opacity, depending on the area and the colors. Don’t forget to move
each path between the two ingredients that are overlapping in the
Layers panel because the correct order is very important in this case.

11. How
to Clean Up the Edge of the Plate

Step
1

Select
the ellipse from the inside of the plate and then Copy and Paste in
Place (Shift-Control-V) in order to make a copy of it in front of
everything (1). Grab the Scissors Tool (C) and click on the two end
points of this copy to cut the shape in two and keep only the half in
front (2). Use the Pen Tool (P) to close this path and create a new
shape around the salad (3). 

Step
2

Set
the shape from the previous step to Stroke–None and Fill-None. Now,
select all the ingredients of the salad along with this shape and go to Object >
Clipping Mask > Make (Control-7). Now, the front side of the plate
is clean, as it should be.

Step
3

If
you want to add a leaf that goes over the edge of the plate for a
more realistic look then now is the time to do it, outside the mask.
Arrange it in the desired place and then apply the Drop Shadow
effect. 

12. How
to Add Highlights on the Salad

Focus
on one of the tomato slices and draw two short paths as shown in the next
image. Stroke them with the Black Blend Art Brush from another
tutorial of mine dedicated to Blending Brushes and how useful they are: How to Create a Set of
Multi-Use Blend Brushes. I use these brushes all the time to add
highlights and details in my drawings. Set the color as
indicated and set the Stroke Weight to 0.75 pt. Keep the bigger path at
100% Opacity but for the shorter path reduce the Opacity to 50% to
make it more discreet.

Do
the same thing for the rest of the tomatoes to make them shinier.
You can also do this for the other ingredients if you want but for
me, this was enough. 

13. How
to Create the Shadow Under the Plate

Step
1

Use
the Pen Tool (P) to draw a shape like in the next image on a New Layer behind the plate, and give it a white Fill. Continue with a
similar but smaller shape Filled with light gray and set it to 75%
Opacity. 

Step
2

Draw
another ellipse under the bottom of the plate and Fill it with gray.
The last ellipse is much smaller and filled with a darker gray.

Step
3

While
the four shapes stay selected, go to Object > Blend > Blend
Options and choose 50 Specified Steps. Hit OK; then go back to Object
> Blend > Make (Alt-Control-B).

Set
the resulting blend group to Blending Mode Multiply and reduce the
Opacity to 75%, but this depends on the color of your background. 

Congratulations!
You’re Done

The colorful salad on the plate is ready now. Grab a fork!

Let
me know if you enjoyed this tutorial, and don’t forget to share an
image of your recreation with us if you decide to have fun with it. I would love to see it.

Post pobrano z: How to Create a Color Dust Action in Adobe Photoshop

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create a color dust explosion effect on any photo. At the end of the tutorial, you’ll have an action which will automate the entire process with a single click.

I’ll try to explain everything in much detail so that everyone can follow along, even if this is your first time with Photoshop.

The action we’ll be creating is part of the Color Dust Photoshop Action. Feel free to gather more inspiration from the amazing Photoshop Actions on GraphicRiver. You can also check out the Animated Color Dust Photoshop Action which will create an animated GIF from your image.

The complete action has the following additional features: 

• Greater control over dust elements.
• Three predefined background options.
• Ten preset color looks and additional color adjustments.
• Additional dust elements are also included.
• Animated version contains options to generate animated GIF images with variable frame rates and sizes.

Here, we’ll only create the static color dust effect and apply the default color look.

Tutorial Assets

The following resources are needed for the tutorial:

• Young Boy Stock
  
• Color Dust Brushes (downloadable attachment)

1. How to Set Up Your Document

Step 1

First, open the photo on which you want to work. To open your photo, go to File > Open, choose your photo, and click Open. Now, before we get started, we need to check a few things:

1. Your photo should be in RGB Color mode and 8 Bits/Channel. To check this, go to Image > Mode.
2. Your photo should be the Background layer. If it is not, go to Layer > New > Background from Layer.
3. Click the fly-out list of the Layers panel and click Panel Options…. Make sure that both Use Default Masks on Fill Layers and Add „copy” to Copied Layers and Groups are checked.

Step 2

The effect works best with images of size 2500–4000 px width. If your image is smaller, increase it by going to Image > Image Size. You can always reduce it to your original size after the effect has been applied.

2. How to Load the Brushes

Step 1

Go to Edit > Presets > Preset Manager… In the Preset Manager window, select Preset Type: Brushes and click Load…

Browse and select the Color Dust Brushes.atn file that came with the downloadable attachment. Then, click Done.

Step 2

Press B on the keyboard to select the Brush Tool. Make sure both Opacity and Flow are set to 100%.

3. How to Make the Effect Area Layers

Add a New Layer above the Background layer. Name the new layer subject.

Now, make a Selection around your main subject. You can also choose the Brush Tool (B) and brush over your photo using a Hard Round Brush.

4. How to Start Recording the Action

Step 1

Now, let’s start preparing the base for our action. We’ll put it in a separate set for easier management. 

Go to Window > Actions or press F9 on the keyboard to open up the Actions panel. Then, click the Create new set icon, name the set Color Dust Photoshop Action, and click OK. We’ll place the action inside this set.

Step 2

Click the Create new action icon and name it Color Dust.

Click Record to start recording all the subsequent steps in Photoshop.

From this point onwards, everything you do will be recorded, so please be careful and keep an eye on the Actions panel. If you make a mistake, click the Stop playing/recording icon, and Delete the unnecessary step from the Color Dust action. Then click the Begin recording icon again to continue. The last thing you’d want is to have a messy action filled with unwanted steps.

5. How to Create the Background

Step 1

Select the Background layer, and hide the subject layer by toggling the eyeball icon off. Then, press D on the keyboard to reset swatches.

Step 2

Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color… Name it BG Color, enter the hex color code #ffffff, and click OK.

Step 3

Press Control-G to add the BG Color layer in a new Group. Then, go to Layer > Rename Group… and rename the group Color Dust. We’ll add all our further layers into this group to keep everything organized.

Step 4

Select the subject layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels. Then select the Background layer and press Control-J to Copy the selection into a New Layer.

Create a New Layer, rename it Base Image, and drag it above the BG Color layer (inside the Color Dust group).

Step 5

Create a New Layer and name it temp-sub.

Again, select the subject layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels. Go to Select > Modify > Smooth…, enter Sample Radius: 50 pixels and click OK.

Then, select the temp-sub layer and press Alt-Delete or to Fill the selection with the Foreground Color.

Press Control-D to deselect the current selection.

Hide the temp-sub layer by toggling the eyeball icon off.

6. How to Create the Emitter Guide Layers

Step 1

Select the Base Image layer. Create a New Layer and name it emitter-1. 

Select the temp-sub layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Select the emitter-1 layer. Press M on the keyboard to select the Rectangular Marquee Tool. Then, right-click on the image and select Make Work Path…. Enter Tolerance: 3.0 pixels and click OK.

Step 2

Press B on the keyboard to select the Brush Tool. Expand the brush selector drop-down menu and select the br-color-dust-emitter-1 brush. Make sure both the Opacity and Flow are set to 100%.

Step 3

Press P on the keyboard to select the Pen Tool.

Then, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path… Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Again, right-click on the image with the Pen Tool and select Delete Path.

Step 4

Now, your image should look like below.

Hide the emitter-1 layer by toggling the eyeball icon off.

Step 5

Create a New Layer and name it emitter-2.

Select the temp-sub layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Select the emitter-2 layer and go to Select > Transform Selection.

Keep Reference point location at Center, enter Width: 50%, Height: 1%, and click the Tick button on the top toolbar or press Enter to confirm.

Step 6

Press M on the keyboard to select the Rectangular Marquee Tool. Then, right-click on the image and select Make Work Path…. Enter Tolerance: 3.0 pixels and click OK.

Press B on the keyboard to select the Brush Tool. Expand the brush selector drop-down menu and select the br-color-dust-emitter-2 brush. Make sure both the Opacity and Flow are set to 100%.

Step 7

Now Stroke the path with the selected brush. Your image should look like below.

Hide the emitter-2 layer by toggling the eyeball icon off.

Step 8

Create a New Layer and name it emitter-3.

Select the temp-sub layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Select the emitter-3 layer and go to Select > Transform Selection. Keep Reference point location at Top-Right, enter Width: 40%, Height: 40%, and click the Tick button on the top toolbar or press Enter to confirm.

Again, go to Select > Transform Selection.

Keep Reference point location at Bottom-Left, enter Width: 1%, Height: 1%, and click the Tick button on the top toolbar or press Enter to confirm.

Step 9

Make a path from the selection and Stroke it with the selected brush. Your image should look like below.

Hide the emitter-3 layer by toggling the eyeball icon off.

Step 10

Create a New Layer and name it emitter-4.

Select the temp-sub layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Select the emitter-4 layer and go to Select > Transform Selection.

Keep Reference point location at Bottom-Left, enter Width: 30%, Height: 30%, and click the Tick button on the top toolbar or press Enter to confirm.

Again, go to Select > Transform Selection.

Keep Reference point location at Top-Right, enter Width: 1%, Height: 1%, and click the Tick button on the top toolbar or press Enter to confirm.

Step 11

Make a path from the selection and Stroke it with the selected brush. Your image should look like below.

Hide the emitter-4 layer by toggling the eyeball icon off.

Step 12

Create a New Layer and name it emitter-5.

Select the temp-sub layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Select the emitter-5 layer and go to Select > Transform Selection.

Keep Reference point location at Bottom-Right, enter Width: 30%, Height: 30%, and click the Tick button on the top toolbar or press Enter to confirm.

Again, go to Select > Transform Selection.

Keep Reference point location at Top-Left, enter Width: 1%, Height: 1%, and click the Tick button on the top toolbar or press Enter to confirm.

Step 13

Make a path from the selection and Stroke it with the selected brush. Your image should look like below.

Hide the emitter-5 layer by toggling the eyeball icon off.

Step 14

Create a New Layer and name it emitter-6.

Select the temp-sub layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Select the emitter-6 layer and go to Select > Transform Selection.

Keep Reference point location at Top-Left, enter Width: 40%, Height: 40%, and click the Tick button on the top toolbar or press Enter to confirm.

Again, go to Select > Transform Selection.

Keep Reference point location at Bottom-Right, enter Width: 1%, Height: 1%, and click the Tick button on the top toolbar or press Enter to confirm.

Step 15

Again, make a path from the selection and Stroke it with the selected brush. Your image should look like below.

Hide the emitter-6 layer by toggling the eyeball icon off.

Step 16

Select the emitter-1 layer. Hold Shift and select the emitter-6 layer. Press Control-J to Duplicate all selected layers.

Show the emitter-1 copy, emitter-2 copy, emitter-3 copy, emitter-4 copy, emitter-5 copy and emitter-6 copy by toggling the eyeball icons on.

Step 17

Press Control-E to Merge the selected layers. Go to Layer > Rename Layer… and rename it emitter-7.

Now, your image should look like below.

Hide the emitter-7 layer by toggling the eyeball icon off.

7. How to Create the Background Color Dust

Step 1

Select the BG Color layer.

Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color…. Name it BG Fill Dust 1, enter the hex color code #000000, and click OK.

Step 2

Go to Layer > Layer Mask > Delete.

Again, go to Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All.

Now, go to Layer > Layer Mask > Unlink.

Step 3

Press B on the keyboard to select the Brush Tool. Expand the brush selector drop-down menu and select the br-color-dust-4c brush. Make sure both the Opacity and Flow are set to 100%.

Step 4

Select the emitter-7 layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Step 5

Select the BG Fill Dust 1 layer icon. Then, select the layer mask (this is to make sure that the layer mask is always selected at this step).

Press D on the keyboard to reset swatches. Make sure your Foreground Color is white while the layer mask is selected.

Step 6

Press M on the keyboard to select the Rectangular Marquee Tool. Then, right-click on the image and select Make Work Path…. Enter Tolerance: 3.0 pixels and click OK.

Step 7

Press P on the keyboard to select the Pen Tool.

Then, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path…. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Again, right-click on the image with the Pen Tool and select Delete Path.

Step 8

Now, your image should look like below.

Step 9

Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color…. Name it BG Fill Dust 2, enter the hex color code #000000, and click OK.

Step 10

Repeat Step 2 for the BG Fill Dust 2 layer.

Press B on the keyboard to select the Brush Tool. Expand the brush selector drop-down menu and select the br-color-dust-3d brush. Make sure both the Opacity and Flow are set to 100%.

Step 11

Select the emitter-7 layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Select the BG Fill Dust 2 layer icon. Then, select the layer mask (this is to make sure that the layer mask is always selected at this step).

Step 12

Then make a path from the selection and Stroke the path with the selected brush.

Now, your image should look like below.

Step 13

Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color…. Name it BG Dust 1, enter the hex colour code #00ce7e, and click OK.

Step 14

Repeat Step 2 for the BG Dust 1 layer.

Press B on the keyboard to select the Brush Tool. Expand the brush selector drop-down menu and select the br-color-dust-1 brush. Make sure both the Opacity and Flow are set to 100%.

Step 15

Select the emitter-1 layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Select the BG Dust 1 layer icon. Then, select the layer mask (this is to make sure that the layer mask is always selected at this step).

Step 16

Then make a path from the selection and Stroke the path with the selected brush.

Now, your image should look like below.

Step 17

Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color…. Name it BG Dust 1 Col 2, enter the hex colour code #0db9ea, and click OK.

Step 18

Repeat Step 2 for the BG Dust 1 Col 2 layer.

Go to Layer > Create Clipping Mask to add the BG Dust 1 Col 2 layer as a Clipping Mask to the BG Dust 1 layer.

Step 19

Press B on the keyboard to select the Brush Tool. Expand the brush selector drop-down menu and select the br-color-dust-4c brush. Make sure both the Opacity and Flow are set to 100%.

Select the emitter-7 layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Select the BG Dust 1 Col 2 layer icon. Then, select the layer mask (this is to make sure that the layer mask is always selected at this step).

Just like before, make a path from the selection and Stroke the path with the selected brush.

Press Control-I to Invert the layer mask color.

Now, your image should look like below.

Step 20

Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color…. Name it BG Dust 2, enter the hex color code #ef16a5, and click OK.

Step 21

Repeat Step 2 for the BG Dust 2 layer.

Press B on the keyboard to select the Brush Tool. Expand the brush selector drop-down menu and select the br-color-dust-2 brush. Make sure both the Opacity and Flow are set to 100%.

Step 22

Select the emitter-3 layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Select the BG Dust 2 layer icon. Then, select the layer mask (this is to make sure that the layer mask is always selected at this step).

Then make a path from the selection and Stroke the path with the selected brush.

Now, your image should look like below.

Step 23

Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color…. Name it BG Dust 3, enter the hex color code #ffea5a, and click OK.

Step 24

Repeat Step 2 for the BG Dust 3 layer.

Press B on the keyboard to select the Brush Tool. Expand the brush selector drop-down menu and select the br-color-dust-4a brush. Make sure both the Opacity and Flow are set to 100%.

Step 25

Select the emitter-3 layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Select the BG Dust 3 layer icon. Then, select the layer mask (this is to make sure that the layer mask is always selected at this step).

Then, make a path from the current selection. Press P on the keyboard to select the Pen Tool.

Then, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path…. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Again, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path…. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Now, your image should look like below.

Step 26

Press B on the keyboard to select the Brush Tool. Expand the brush selector drop-down menu and select the br-color-dust-3d brush. Make sure both the Opacity and Flow are set to 100%.

Press P on the keyboard to select the Pen Tool.

Then, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path…. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Again, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path…. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Again, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path…. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Now, right-click on the image with the Pen Tool and select Delete Path.

Now, your image should look like below.

Step 27

Select the emitter-4 layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Select the BG Dust 3 layer icon. Then, select the layer mask (this is to make sure that the layer mask is always selected at this step).

Then make a path from the current selection. Press P on the keyboard to select the Pen Tool.

Then, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path…. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Again, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path…. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Now, your image should look like below.

Step 28

Press B on the keyboard to select the Brush Tool. Expand the brush selector drop-down menu and select the br-color-dust-4a brush. Make sure both the Opacity and Flow are set to 100%.

Press P on the keyboard to select the Pen Tool.

Then, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path…. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Again, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path…. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Again, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path…. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Now, right-click on the image with the Pen Tool and select Delete Path.

Now, your image should look like below.

Step 29

Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color…. Name it BG Dust 4, enter the hex color code #0df0ed, and click OK.

Step 30

Repeat Step 2 for the BG Dust 4 layer.

Press B on the keyboard to select the Brush Tool. Expand the brush selector drop-down menu and select the br-color-dust-3c brush. Make sure both the Opacity and Flow are set to 100%.

Step 31

Select the emitter-5 layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Select the BG Dust 4 layer icon. Then, select the layer mask (this is to make sure that the layer mask is always selected at this step).

Then make a path from the selection and Stroke the path with the selected brush.

Now, your image should look like below.

Step 32

Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color…. Name it BG Dust 5, enter the hex colour code #eb18a8, and click OK.

Step 33

Repeat Step 2 for the BG Dust 5 layer.

Press B on the keyboard to select the Brush Tool. Expand the brush selector drop-down menu and select the br-color-dust-4a brush. Make sure both the Opacity and Flow are set to 100%.

Select the emitter-2 layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Select the BG Dust 5 layer icon. Then, select the layer mask (this is to make sure that the layer mask is always selected at this step).

Then make a path from the selection and Stroke the path with the selected brush.

Change the Blending Mode of the layer to Darken.

Now, your image should look like below.

Step 34

Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color…. Name it BG Dust 6, enter the hex color code #0db9ea, and click OK.

Step 35

Repeat Step 2 for the BG Dust 6 layer.

Press B on the keyboard to select the Brush Tool. Expand the brush selector drop-down menu and select the br-color-dust-3a brush. Make sure both the Opacity and Flow are set to 100%.

Select the emitter-4 layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Select the BG Dust 6 layer icon. Then, select the layer mask (this is to make sure that the layer mask is always selected at this step).

Then make a path from the selection and Stroke the path with the selected brush.

Now, your image should look like below.

Step 36

Press B on the keyboard to select the Brush Tool. Expand the brush selector drop-down menu and select the br-color-dust-3b brush. Make sure both the Opacity and Flow are set to 100%.

Select the emitter-6 layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Select the BG Dust 6 layer icon. Then, select the layer mask (this is to make sure that the layer mask is always selected at this step).

Then make a path from the selection and Stroke the path with the selected brush.

Now, your image should look like below.

Your BG Dust layers should look like below.

8. How to Create the Overlay Color Dust

Step 1

Select the Base Image layer.

Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color…. Name it OL Dust 1, enter the hex color code #00ce7e, and click OK.

Step 2

Go to Layer > Layer Mask > Delete.

Again, go to Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All.

Now, go to Layer > Layer Mask > Unlink.

Step 3

Press B on the keyboard to select the Brush Tool. Expand the brush selector drop-down menu and select the br-color-dust-4b brush. Make sure both the Opacity and Flow are set to 100%.

Step 4

Select the temp-sub layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Step 5

Select the OL Dust 1 layer icon. Then, select the layer mask (this is to make sure that the layer mask is always selected at this step).

Press D on the keyboard to reset swatches. Make sure your Foreground Color is white while the layer mask is selected.

Step 6

Press M on the keyboard to select the Rectangular Marquee Tool. Then, right-click on the image and select Make Work Path…. Enter Tolerance: 3.0 pixels and click OK.

Step 7

Press P on the keyboard to select the Pen Tool.

Then, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path…. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Again, right-click on the image with the Pen Tool and select Delete Path.

Step 8

Now, your image should look like below.

Step 9

Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color…. Name it OL Dust 2, enter the hex color code #eb18a8, and click OK.

Step 10

Repeat Step 2 for the OL Dust 2 layer.

Select the emitter-5 layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Select the OL Dust 2 layer icon. Then, select the layer mask (this is to make sure that the layer mask is always selected at this step).

Then make a path from the selection and Stroke the path with the selected brush.

Now, your image should look like below.

Step 11

Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color…. Name it OL Dust 3, enter the hex color code #0db9ea, and click OK.

Step 12

Repeat Step 2 for the OL Dust 3 layer.

Select the emitter-4 layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Select the OL Dust 3 layer icon. Then, select the layer mask (this is to make sure that the layer mask is always selected at this step).

Then make a path from the selection and Stroke the path with the selected brush.

Now, your image should look like below.

Step 13

Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color…. Name it OL Dust 4, enter the hex colour code #ffea5a, and click OK.

Step 14

Repeat Step 2 for the OL Dust 4 layer.

Press B on the keyboard to select the Brush Tool. Expand the brush selector drop-down menu and select the br-color-dust-5 brush. Make sure both the Opacity and Flow are set to 100%.

Step 15

Select the emitter-7 layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Select the OL Dust 4 layer icon. Then, select the layer mask (this is to make sure that the layer mask is always selected at this step).

Then make a path from the current selection.

Press P on the keyboard to select the Pen Tool.

Then, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path…. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Again, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path…. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Now, right-click on the image with the Pen Tool and select Delete Path.

Now, your image should look like below.

Your layers structure should look like below.

9. How to Make Image Adjustments

Step 1

Select the Base Image layer and press Control-J to Duplicate it.

Go to Layer > Rename Layer… and rename it Overlay Image. Change the Blending Mode of the Overlay Image layer to Luminosity.

Go to Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All. Select the Base Image layer and go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All.

Step 2

Select the emitter-7 layer, right-click on the layer thumbnail, and select Select Pixels.

Press B on the keyboard to select the Brush Tool. Expand the brush selector drop-down menu and select the br-color-dust-3e brush. Make sure both the Opacity and Flow are set to 100%.

Step 3

Press M on the keyboard to select the Rectangular Marquee Tool. Then, right-click on the image and select Make Work Path…. Enter Tolerance: 3.0 pixels and click OK.

Select the layer thumbnail of the Base Image layer and then select its Layer Mask. This is to make sure that the layer mask always gets selected at this point.

Press D on the keyboard to reset swatches. Then, press X on the keyboard to switch swatches and set your Foreground Color as Black.

Press P on the keyboard to select the Pen Tool.

Then, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path…. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Again, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path…. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Again, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path…. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Now, your image should look like below.

Step 4

Select the layer thumbnail of the Overlay Image layer and then select its layer mask. This is to make sure that the layer mask always gets selected at this point.

Press D on the keyboard to reset swatches and set your Foreground Color as White.

Press P on the keyboard to select the Pen Tool.

Then, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path…. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Again, right-click on the image and select Stroke Path…. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not checked. Click OK.

Now, right-click on the image and select Delete Path.

Your image and layers structure should look like below.

10. How to Make Additional Adjustments

Step 1

Select the OL Dust 4 layer.

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels… and name it Overall Levels.

Enter the following input levels – Shadow input level: 20 and Highlight input level: 245.

Step 2

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves… and name it Overall Curves.

Select the Blue channel and enter the following values.

Now, your image and layers structure should look like below.

11. How to Tidy Up Your Groups

In the next steps, we’ll organize the layers into logical groups and color code them for ease of use.

Step 1

Select the temp-sub layer. Hold Shift and select the emitter-1 layer.

Press Delete on the keyboard to delete all eight selected layers.

Step 2

Select the Overall Levels layer, hold Shift and select the Overall Curves layer.

Press Control-G to Group the layers. Go to Layer > Rename Group… and rename it as Overall Adjustments.

Right-click on the Overall Adjustments group and select Slot Color: Gray.

Step 3

Select the OL Dust 4 layer, hold Shift and select the OL Dust 1 layer.

Press Control-G to Group the layers. Go to Layer > Rename Group… and rename it as Overlay Dust Elements.

Right-click on the Overlay Dust Elements group and select Slot Color: Yellow.

Step 4

Select the Overlay Image layer, hold Shift and select the Base Image layer.

Press Control-G to Group the layers. Go to Layer > Rename Group… and rename it as Image Elements.

Right-click on the Image Elements group and select Slot Color: Blue.

Step 5

Select the BG Dust 6 layer, hold Shift and select the BG Dust 1 layer.

Press Control-G to Group the layers. Go to Layer > Rename Group… and rename it BG Dust Elements.

Right-click on the BG Dust Elements group and select Slot Color: Red.

Step 6

Select the BG Fill Dust 2 layer, hold Shift and select the BG Color layer.

Press Control-G to Group the layers. Go to Layer > Rename Group… and rename it BG Elements.

Right-click on the BG Elements group and select Slot Color: Green.

12. How to Finish Recording the Action

Stop recording by clicking the Stop button.

13. How to Customize Your Result

Now, I’ll show you how to change the color of the dust elements.

Step 1

Double-click on the BG Color layer thumbnail and enter the hex color code #000000. Click OK.

Double-click on the BG Fill Dust 1 layer thumbnail and enter the hex color code #ffffff. Click OK.

Double-click on the BG Fill Dust 2 layer thumbnail and enter the hex color code #ffffff. Click OK.

Step 2

Double-click on the BG Dust 1 layer thumbnail and enter the hex color code #000000. Click OK.

Double-click on the BG Dust 1 Col 2 layer thumbnail and enter the hex color code #436c78. Click OK.

Double-click on the BG Dust 2 layer thumbnail and enter the hex color code #38b2ff. Click OK.

Double-click on the BG Dust 3 layer thumbnail and enter the hex color code #ffea5a. Click OK.

Double-click on the BG Dust 4 layer thumbnail and enter the hex color code #49b0ff. Click OK.

Double-click on the BG Dust 5 layer thumbnail and enter the hex color code #eb18a8. Click OK.

Double-click on the BG Dust 6 layer thumbnail and enter the hex color code #ffffff. Click OK.

Step 3

Double-click on the OL Dust 1 layer thumbnail and enter the hex color code #ffffff. Click OK.

Double-click on the OL Dust 2 layer thumbnail and enter the hex color code #eb18a8. Click OK.

Double-click on the OL Dust 3 layer thumbnail and enter the hex color code #ffffff. Click OK.

Double-click on the OL Dust 4 layer thumbnail and enter the hex color code #ffea5a. Click OK.

This is what we’ll get.

Feel free to experiment with different colors. You can also select the Layer mask of any color dust layer and press Control-T to bring up the Free Transform tool. Then, you can resize and rotate the elements.

Awesome, You’ve Done It!

Here is your final result!

You can now apply the effect onto any other image. Open the image, select Color Dust Photoshop Action, and click Play from the Actions panel.

Things to remember before playing the action:

• Make sure that you have installed the Brush.
• Make sure that the Brush Opacity and Flow are set to 100%, like step 2 – How to Load the Brushes.
• Make sure you have created the subject layer, made a selection of your main subject and filled it with any color, just like Step 1 of 3 – How to Make the Effect Area Layers.
• Make sure the width of the image is set between 2500-4000 pixels, like Step 2 of 1 – How to Set Up Your Document.
• Make sure Use Default Masks on Fill Layers and Add „copy” to Copied Layers and Groups are checked under Panel Options…, like Step 1 of 1 – How to Set Up Your Document.

We have reached the end of the tutorial. Here you’ve learned how to
add a color dust explosion effect on any photo and also automate it in a
one-click Photoshop action.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial and found it helpful. Feel free to leave your comments below, and thanks for reading.

Post pobrano z: How to Draw a Mushroom

Summer is almost here; it’s a perfect time for creating nature-inspired artworks. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to draw mushrooms of three different kinds from scratch.

We’ll be using a graphite pencil and ink liners—the tools that give an artist almost endless possibilities when it comes to quick and expressive sketching.

We’ll also explore various organic textures and learn how to depict them step by step.

What You Will Need

• A graphite pencil (I recommend using an HB or B type).

• A brush pen – a tool with a soft, flexible tip. My brush pen has an SB label; this means “soft brush.”

• An ink liner of a medium size (S size equals 0.3 mm).

• An ink liner of a small size (XS size equals 0.1 mm).

1. How to Draw the Toadstool Mushrooms

Step 1

I draw a core line with light pencil lines and mark the bases of the mushrooms. 

Step 2

I add the rough shapes of the caps. 

Step 3

I refine the caps and the stems, making the lines less even and straight.

Step 4

I mark the grass near the mushrooms. I also add a leaf in the foreground to make the composition more interesting and balanced.

Step 5

It’s time to start inking! I outline the contours with beautiful, varied lines, using the SB pen.

Step 6

With the S ink liner, I draw the prominent elements on the mushrooms’ caps.

Step 7

I draw the veins of the leaf and add the details to the mushrooms’ stems, using the S liner.

Step 8

I draw separate blades of grass, using the S ink liner. Such details look great in sketchy style drawings.

Step 9

With the XS liner, I add a rounded hatching to the caps to accent the three-dimensional look of the objects.

Step 10

I also add the rounded hatching to the sides of the stems, using the XS ink liner.

Step 11

I mark the dark places in the bottom part of the drawing, accentuating shadows in the grass with the groups of parallel hatches. The XS liner works perfectly for this task.

Step 12

I add more ink strokes to the caps, using the XS ink liner.

Step 13

I add hatches that are going from the core line of the leaf to its sides, using the XS liner.

Step 14

With the XS ink liner, I increase the contrast of the mushrooms, adding rounded hatches to the sides of the caps.

Step 15

I add groups of hatches in the bottom part of the drawing, using the XS liner. This simple trick creates an illusion of completeness; it seems as if we see a generic texture resembling grass blades in the foreground.

I also add small dots to the leaf.

Step 16

As a final touch, I increase the contrast in my drawing and strengthen the shadows, using the S liner. 

2. How to Draw the Chanterelle Mushrooms

Step 1

With a graphite pencil, I draw curved core lines. They point in slightly different directions.

Step 2

I draw the shapes of the mushrooms. A chanterelle has a thin stem and a wider cap.

Step 3

I refine the upper parts of the mushrooms, adding the details under the cap and varying the shapes of the caps.

Step 4

I mark the grass and add two small floral elements under the mushrooms.

Step 5

With the SB pen, I outline the main contours of the drawing.

Step 6

With the S ink liner, I mark the details of the mushrooms, covering the existing pencil lines.

Step 7

I use the XS ink liner to mark the shady areas of the mushrooms’ caps.

Step 8

I work on the stems, adding rounded hatches with the XS liner. The stems already look more three-dimensional.

Step 9

I create an illusion of grass in the foreground of the drawing. Using the XS ink liner, I draw vertical lines that imitate the grass blades.

Step 10

With the XS ink liner, I add more hatches and dots to the mushrooms, accenting the shady areas at the sides of the objects and under the caps.

A combination of lines and dots creates an illusion of a smooth organic texture.

Step 11

I add dots to the upper parts of the caps, using the S liner. This simple yet effective technique helps to create a beautiful velvety texture.

Step 12

With the S liner, I increase the contrast in my drawing, making the shadows look darker.

3. How to Draw a Boletus Mushroom

Step 1

I draw the core line of the mushroom, using a graphite pencil. Then I add the rough shape of the cap.

Step 2

I refine the shape of the mushroom, making the lines more irregular and organic.

Step 3

I mark the details of the mushroom, such as small hollows and prominent areas. I also add several leaves and grass blades.

Step 4

I outline the contours, using the SB pen.

Step 5

With the S ink liner, I cover the pencil lines and add the details to my drawing.

Step 6

With the XS ink liner, I add rounded hatches to the mushroom’s cap. This method of applying strokes helps to make the object look more three-dimensional.

Step 7

I add vertical hatches to the stem, using the XS liner.

Step 8

With the XS ink liner, I add groups of parallel hatches to create an illusion of grass that’s located in the shadow of the mushroom.

Step 9

With the S liner, I add dots to the mushroom, both the cap and the stem. Dotwork creates an effect of a beautiful organic texture.

Step 10

I add rounded hatches to the sides of the mushroom, using the XS ink liner. The object becomes more contrasting and realistic.

Step 11

I add even more thin hatches that repeat the contour of the mushroom, using the XS ink liner.

Step 12

I work on the bottom part of the drawing, increasing the value and contrast in the shady places. The S liner is a perfect tool for this task.

Your Drawings Are Complete!

Congratulations! You’ve created three artworks depicting different kinds of mushrooms. I hope you enjoyed both the process and the result.

I wish you much success in drawing with ink and capturing the unique charm of summer nature!