Post pobrano z: How to Create a Dark, Sci-Fi Landscape Photo Manipulation With Adobe Photoshop

In this tutorial I’ll show you how to create a dark, sci-fi landscape photo manipulation in Adobe Photoshop. 

First, we’ll build the base scene using two stock images. After that, we’ll import the stars and add planets. Later, we’ll add the misty mountains and a big rock to the middle of the background. We’ll use several adjustment layers to change the color and contrast of the whole scene. Finally, we’ll create the lighting effect.

If you’re looking for photo manipulation resources, including brushes, texture, 3D models and photos, you can find them all over on Envato Elements and Envato Market.

Tutorial Assets

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

• Landscape 
• Sky 
• Stars 
• Planet texture 
• Rock 
• Mountains 

1. How to Build the Base Landscape

Step 1

Create a new 1920 x 1080 px document and fill it with white:

Step 2

Open the landscape image and use the Magic Wand Tool (W) to isolate the
landscape only. Move it into the white canvas and place it at the bottom
using the Move Tool (V). Convert this layer to a Smart Object.

Step 3

There
are some unwanted details on the ground. To correct them, create a new
layer and set it as Clipping Mask. Use the Clone Tool (S) to remove the
indicated details.

Step 4

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance and change the Midtones settings:

Step 5

Use a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and bring the Saturation value to -82:

Step 6

Make a Curves adjustment layer and decrease the lightness a lot. On this
layer mask, select a soft round brush with black color (soft black
brush) with a lowered opacity (about 10-15%) to reveal some visibility on
the middle of the ground.

Step 7

Create a new layer, change the mode to Overlay 100%, and fill with 50% gray:

Activate the Burn Tool (O) with Midtones Range, Exposure about 25% to
darken the left edge of the landscape. You can see how I did it with
Normal mode and the result with Overlay mode.

Step 8

Open the sky image. Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) to select the sky only and place it in the upper half of the main canvas. Set this
layer below the landscape group and reduce its opacity to 50%.

Step 9

Make a
Curves adjustment layer and decrease the lightness. On this layer mask,
use a soft black brush to erase the middle of the sky as we’re aiming to make
the light source there.

Step 10

Add another Curves adjustment layer to darken the left more as it’s a bit brighter than the right. Paint on the right and the middle to show some light.

Step 11

To make the left darker, create a new layer and use a soft brush with
the color #8f939d to paint on there. Change this layer mode to Multiply
100%.

Step 12

Use a Color Balance adjustment layer and alter the Midtones settings to make the sky more purple:

2. How to Add the Stars

Step 1

Place the star image over the main document and change its mode to Linear Dodge 100%.

Step 2

Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to desaturate the effect.

Step 3

Use a Levels adjustment layer to decrease the effect’s brightness.

Step 4

Click the second icon at the bottom of the Layers panel to add a mask to
this layer. Use a soft black brush to clear the stars on the ground and
reduce the effect’s visibility in the sky’s area.

3. How to Import the Planets

Step 1

Open the planet texture. Check out this tutorial to know how to make a
planet. Drag the planet into the main canvas and place it onto the top
middle. Duplicate this layer twice and scale them down, and then arrange them on both sides of the big one.

Step 2

Add a mask to the two small planet layers and make them fade out into the sky.

Step 3

Double click the big planet layer, choose Inner Shadow and Outer Glow.
Set the color of shadow to #f4f5f6 and color of glow to white.

Step 4

Select these planet layers and hit Control-G to make a group for them.
Set this group’s mode to Normal 100% and use a Hue/Saturation adjustment
layer within the group to desaturate the planets.

Step 5

Make a Color Balance adjustment layer to change the planets’ color. On
the layer mask, use a soft black brush to reduce the magenta effect on
the small planets.

Step 6

Add a Curves adjustment layer to darken the planets. Paint on the lower parts of
the planets towards the middle light of the background.

Step 7

Use another Curves adjustment layer to bring more light to the lower of
the planets. Paint on the higher areas of the planets so they won’t be
affected by this adjustment layer.

Step 8

Create another Curves adjustment layer to make the planets, especially the big one, hazier and blended more into the sky.

4. How to Create the Background Mountains

Step 1

Isolate the mountains from the sky and add them to the left of the landscape. Lower the opacity of this layer to 70%.

Step 2

Duplicate this layer and flip it horizontally (Edit > Transform >
Flip Horizontal). Move it to the right side and change its opacity to
90%.

Step 3

Add a mask to each of these layers and use a soft black brush to remove
the areas on the ground and decrease the mountains’ opacity on the
background.

Step 4

Make a group for the mountain layers and use a Curves adjustment layer to change their lightness to match the landscape’s one.

5. How to Add the Rock

Step 1

Cut out the rock from the background and place it in the middle of the
background. Use a layer mask with a medium-soft black brush to erase the
bottom and blend the rock with the existing ground.

Step 2

Use a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and reduce the Saturation value to -66.

Step 3

The rock looks too bright compared to the background, so add a Curves adjustment layer to darken it.

Step 4

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

Step 5

Create a new layer, change the mode to Overlay 100%, and fill with 50%
gray. Use the Dodge and Burn Tool to paint bright edges for the contour of the
rock where it should be illuminated by the background light, and also paint
more details for the rock.

Step 6

Use
another Curves adjustment layer to make the contour of the rock softer
and hazier. Paint on the rest to keep its contrast and shadow.

6. How to Do the Basic Adjustments

Step 1

Make a Gradient Map adjustment layer on top of the layers and pick the
colors #a58869 and #94ece5. Change this layer mode to Soft Light 90%.

Step 2

Add a Curves adjustment layer to make the edges of the landscape darker. Paint on the middle to make it brighter than the edges.

Step 3

Create a Photo Filter adjustment layer and pick the color #1200ec:

Step 4

Make a Color Balance adjustment layer and alter the Midtones and Highlights settings:

Step 5

Add another Curves adjustment layer to bring more light to the middle.
Paint on the edges so they won’t be affected by this adjustment layer.

Step 6

Make another Curves adjustment layer to increase the contrast for the
whole scene. The selected areas show where to paint on the layer mask.

7. How to Make the Light Effect

Step 1

First, create a new layer and use a soft brush with the color #b1c0d9  to
make a spot on the canvas. After that, change the brush color to
#cddbf3 to make a smaller spot on the middle of the previous one.

Convert this layer to a Smart Object and use the Free Transform Tool
(Control-T) to make it longer and much thinner.

Add a mask to this layer to make the line fade into the rock and look like a gap.

Step 2

Make a new layer and use a soft brush with the color #f5f7fb to make a
light spot on the existing one. Use Control-T and a layer mask to make
the light spot appear like a subtle ray.

Step 3

On a new layer, use a soft brush with the color #cddbf3 to paint a
highlight in the middle. Change this layer mode to Overlay 100%.

Duplicate this layer to make the light stronger.

Step 4

To make a light flare, take the Rectangular Marquee Tool to grab a
square and set the Feather Radius to 2. Use a large soft brush with the
color #cddbf3 to spot on the right side.

Hit Control-D to deselect and use Control-T to make it much thinner (convert this layer to a Smart Object before transforming). Move it to the light gap area.

Use a layer mask to remove the top and bottom, making it mostly visible on the left of the light gap.

Step 5

Use a small brush with the color #ff89aa to paint along the light line. Set this layer mode to Hard Light 100%.

Step 6

Use the same brush to paint around the light gap. Change this layer mode
to Soft Light 100% and mask it off so the red effect appears very
subtle.

Step 7

Make a Vibrance adjustment layer on top of the layers to complete the final effect.

Congratulations, You’re Done!

I hope that you’ve enjoyed the tutorial and learned something new for
your own projects. Feel free to share your results or leave comments in
the box below. Enjoy Photoshopping!

Post pobrano z: How to Create a Fall-Themed Wedding Invite in Adobe InDesign

Fall is such a romantic and atmospheric time of year to get married. These autumnal invitations pay tribute to the earthy colors and falling leaves that lend the season its cosy mood. 

The invites are quick and simple to create, and we’ll set up the cards in InDesign. Perfect for beginners to the software, this is a great all-round introduction to print design. You can also add optional metallic foiling to the cards, to give an extra touch of luxury to the design. 

If you’re short on time and looking for a quick fix, you can find tons of stylish invitation templates to suit every wedding theme and style over on Envato Elements and GraphicRiver.  

What You’ll Need to Create Your Invite

We’ll be using Adobe InDesign to set up the main layout, and dipping into Illustrator for editing the leaf graphics, so make sure you have access to both of these programs. You’ll also need to download a few fonts and graphics to give you a foundation for creating your invitation:

• Autumn leaves vector
• Textured paper background
• Jacques Francois font
• England Hand font 
• IM FELL FLOWERS 2 font

Save the images to a folder you can easily find, and install the fonts onto your computer. 

One thing that many people forget about when they are trying to design their own wedding invitations is the envelope! Envelopes come in a variety of standard sizes, whereas invites can vary widely in size, so it’s always a good idea to pin down your envelope size first, before you size your invitation.

We’ll be setting up the invitation card at a standard size of 109 mm by 154 mm. To accommodate this, you’ll need to buy envelopes which are 4.75 in by 6.5 in when folded and closed. These are sometimes known as ‘6 Baronial’ envelopes.

1. How to Set Up the Invite in InDesign

Step 1

Open up InDesign and go to File > New > Document. 

Keep the Intent set to Print and Number of Pages to 1. Uncheck the Facing Pages box. 

Set the Width of the page to 109 mm and Height to 154 mm. Add Margins of 7 mm and a Bleed of 5 mm. Then head up and click OK.

Step 2

Expand the Layers panel (Window > Layers) and double-click on Layer 1 to open the Layer Options window. Rename the layer Background and click OK.

Choose New Layer from the panel’s drop-down menu (at top-right). Name this second layer Paper, and click OK.

Create a further two new layers, firstly Typography and finally Leaves at the top of the sequence.

Lock all the layers except Background, and click on this layer to activate it.

2. How to Create an Autumnal Backdrop for Your Invite

Step 1

You can create the gradient backdrop for your invite using any pairing of colors you wish. To create the colors as used in the invite example here, expand the Swatches panel (Window > Swatches) and choose New Color Swatch from the panel’s drop-down menu. 

Name the swatch Cream and set the Type to Process and Mode to CMYK. Set the percentage levels to C=9 M=16 Y=30 K=0. Then click Add, and OK.

Create a further two new CMYK swatches:

• Forest Green: C=75 M=45 Y=68 K=33
• Burgundy: C=31 M=100 Y=76 K=46

Step 2

With the Background layer still active, take the Rectangle Tool (M) and drag across the whole page, extending the shape up to the edge of the bleed on all sides.

From the Swatches panel, set the Fill of the rectangle to Forest Green.

With the shape selected, head up to Object > Effects > Gradient Feather. Set the Angle to -90, and move the dark gradient stop about halfway along the slider.

Step 3

Select the shape and Edit > Copy, Edit > Paste. Then Right-click on the copy and choose Transform > Flip Vertical.

Position the flipped copy over the top of the original and switch its Fill to Burgundy. 

Step 4

Lock the Background layer and unlock the next layer up, Paper. 

Use the Rectangle Frame Tool (F) to drag across the whole page, and go to File > Place. Choose the paper background image you downloaded earlier, and click Open. Allow it to fill the whole frame. 

Step 5

With the image frame selected, go to Object > Effects > Transparency. Set the Mode to Multiply and reduce the Opacity to 90%. 

3. How to Format Elegant Typography for Your Invite

Step 1

With the rulers visible (View > Show Rulers), drag a guideline down from the top ruler to 52 mm.

Take the Type Tool (T) and drag to create a text frame that extends from the left-hand margin to the right-hand margin. Type in ‘Please Join’, and allow the baseline of the text to sit on the guideline.

From either the top Controls panel or the Character panel (Window > Type & Tables > Character), set the Font to England Hand, Size 11 pt and set the text to Align Center. Set the Font Color to Cream from the Swatches panel. 

Step 2

Create a second text frame below the first, typing in ‘Name 1’ in uppercase letters, and setting the Font to Jacques Francois, Size 13 pt and increasing the Tracking (space between all characters) to 110. Set the Font Color to Cream, as before.

Copy and Paste this name text frame, moving it below with a gap in between and adjusting the text to read ‘Name 2’.

Set a text frame between the names reading ‘and’, setting the Font to England Hand.

Set another text frame below ‘Name 2’, reading ‘to celebrate the occasion of their wedding’ and set in England Hand, as before.

Step 3

Create a text frame below the previous. Place your type cursor in the frame and set the Font to IM FELL FLOWERS 2. 

Then go to Window > Type & Tables > Glyphs, and select a decorative glyph from the panel, like the leaf style pictured. Double-click to insert it. You can insert two opposite-facing glyphs to create a balanced divider.

Step 4

Build up the second section of text, which will include the date (set in Jacques Francois) and the time (set in England Hand).

Then Copy and Paste the decorative divider text frame below.

Step 5

You can add a third section of text with details of the event location towards the bottom of the page, set in Jacques Francois. 

Include a ‘PTO’ note at the bottom if you would want to include any more details on the reverse of the invite.

4. How to Add Autumnal Leaves to Your Invite

Step 1

Lock the Typography layer and unlock the top layer, Leaves. File > Save your InDesign document and minimize the window for a minute.

Open up the autumn leaves vector in Illustrator. Isolate one of the leaves in the illustration and set the Fill to a solid black swatch. Then Edit > Copy the leaf. 

Return to InDesign and Edit > Paste the leaf vector directly onto the page. Rotate and scale it into roughly the position shown at the top-left of the page.

Adjust the Fill color of the leaf to Cream*.

*If you want to set up your cards for applying metallic foiling instead, skip forward to Step 3 below.

Step 2

Copy and Paste the cream leaf, rotating it and making it smaller. Position it to the bottom-right of the first leaf.

Build up other pasted leaf vectors in a sort of criss-cross pattern across the top of the invite…

…until the top of the card is filled with falling leaves. 

Your invitation design is finished—great job! You can skip ahead to Section 5 below to find out how to export your design. However, if you want to add an extra touch of luxury to your cards, you may want to consider setting the leaves, text or both in metallic foil once printed. Here’s how…

Step 3

To do this, first identify which layer or layers you want to apply the foil design too. Let’s say you want to apply the foil to the leaves in the design, for example. 

Unlock the layer, and then create a new swatch from the Swatches panel. Name the swatch FOIL SPOT, and set the Type to Spot. Set the levels below to 100% Magenta.

Apply this FOIL SPOT swatch to the elements you want to be pulled out in foil. 

Then select all the foil elements and go to Window > Output > Attributes. Check the Overprint Fill box and/or Overprint Stroke. 

And you’re done! 

5. How to Export Your Invitation for Printing

Head up to File > Export, and choose Adobe PDF (Print) from the Format drop-down menu at the bottom of the Export window. Click Save.

In the window that opens, choose Press Quality from the Preset menu at the top.

Then click on Marks and Bleeds in the window’s left-hand menu. Check All Printer’s Marks and Use Document Bleed Settings, before clicking Export. 

You can send your exported PDF straight off to the printers—awesome work!

Conclusion: Your Finished Invitation

You’ve created an elegant, autumnal-themed invitation that will be perfect for fall weddings. In this tutorial we’ve covered a broad range of print design skills, including:

• How to set up an invitation template in InDesign, complete with a bleed and organized layers.
• How to create a colorful, atmospheric backdrop for the layout.
• How to format typography to an advanced level in InDesign.
• How to bring in vector graphics to your work and edit them to create a unique design.
• How to set up your design for optional foiling, and how to export your work for professional printing.

Great job—that’s a lot of skills to add to your design arsenal. If you’re on the hunt for more wedding-related fonts, templates and stationery, you’ll find items to suit every wedding style on Envato Elements and GraphicRiver.