In this photomanipulation tutorial I will show you how to combine some stock photos to create an epic battle field in Photoshop. Register for a VIP account to get ALL the resources from Grafpedia and 12 months of free updates.

Resources

Below are the resources I used to create the photomanipulation. Please read and respect the rules of every stock item before using it in any kind of project. The artists who created them worked a lot and we have to respect their work.

• Land
• Castle by patronus-stock
• Sky
• Tree
• Girl by dazzle-stock
• Knight by tursiart
• Horse rider by Grinmir-stock
• Planet brushes by Lady Victoire
• Star brushes by Rabieshund
• Abstract glow brushes by ro-stock

Final Result Preview

Here is the image that we will create. Click on it to see the full-size version.

Step 1

Open a new document in Photoshop (Ctrl/Cmd + N). My document is 1280px wide and 800px high. Download this image and open it in Photoshop. Move the image into your first document and use Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T) to change the size of this image. Name this layer “bg”.

Step 2

Duplicate the “bg” layer (Ctrl/Cmd + J) and name the new layer “land”. Add a mask to this layer (Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All) and use a black brush (B) to erase the top area of the photo (the sky and the castle). See the image below for reference. Then hide the “bg” layer.

If you haven’t worked with Photoshop masks before, let me explain how they work. If you know what Photoshop mask are, you can skip this paragraph. When you create a mask, you can paint with a brush on it (or any other drawing tool) to erase/reveal different areas of the layer linked to that mask. When you paint with black on a mask, that painted area will be erased from the correspondent layer. The white area of the mask represents the visible area of the linked layer and gray represents transparency. Why not use the Eraser Tool instead of masks? Well, with masks you can always go back and modify the visible/invisible area of a layer simply by painting with black or white. The modifications made with Eraser Tool (E) are definitive. That’s one of the biggest advantages of using Photoshop masks.

Step 3

Those trees from the right hand side of the image don’t look good at all and we need to get rid of them. I’ll show you how to do this.

First, use the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) to create a selection like the one you see below. Then make sure that the “land” layer is active and hit Ctrl/Cmd + J. This will create a new layer with the selected area of the “land” layer. Name the new layer “land 2″.

With the “land 2″ layer selected go to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal. Select the Move Tool (V) and move the “land 2″ layer in the right hand side of the document.

Step 4

Now we will use a mask to erase the right hand area of the “land 2″ layer.

Go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All. Then select a black soft brush (B), make sure that the mask is active and paint with your brush over the right hand area to remove that straight line. Select the two land layers and hit Ctrl/Cmd + G to group them. Name the group “land”.

Step 5

Download this image and open it in Photoshop. Then use the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) to select the sky. Hit Ctrl/Cmd + C to copy your selection, then go back to your first document and hit Ctrl/Cmd + V to paste it. Go to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T), hold down the Shift key and change the size of this image.

Name this layer “sky”, put it inside a group (Ctrl/Cmd + G) and name the group “sky” as well. Then put the “sky” group underneath the “land” group.

Step 6

Now we will do some color adjustments to the sky. Make sure that the “sky” layer is selected. Then go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance, tick the “Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask” option and use the settings from the following image.

Step 7

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation, tick the “Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask” option and click OK. Then tick the Colorize option and use the settings from the following image.

Step 8

Download some star and planet brushes and install them in Photoshop. Set the foreground color to white, create a new layer, select one of the brushes you downloaded and use it to create some stars. Continue to add more stars and planets on your sky. Use each brush in a new layer. Then group all these layers and name the group “stars”. Set the opacity of each layer to 70-90%.

As you can see in the image below I added a big planet in the middle of the image and lots of stars around it to give the image a surreal look.

Step 9

Download this castle photo and open it in Photoshop. Then use the Pen Tool (P) to extract the castle from the background. Select the Move Tool (V) and move the castle into your first document. Use Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T) to change the size of the castle and place it in the middle of your image, on the top of the hill. Name this layer “castle”, hit Ctrl/Cmd + G to put it inside a group and name the group “castle” as well.

Step 10

Add a mask to the “castle” layer (Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All). Then select a black hard brush (B) and use it to erase the bottom area of the castle to make it look like it’s really there. Also, erase the area of the castle that covers the front rocks.

Step 11

Download this girl photo and open it in Photoshop. Then select the Pen Tool (P) and separate the girl from the background. Use the Move Tool (V) to move the girl into your first document. Then go to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T), change the size of this layer and flip it horizontally. We’ll try to make the girl look like she’s floating in the air.

Name this layer “girl”, double-click on it and use the settings from the following image for Outer Glow. Put this layer inside a group and name the group “girl” as well.

Step 12

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance, tick the “Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask” option and use the settings from the following image.

Step 13

Create a new layer. Then select the Brush Tool (B), select a small white soft brush (B) and use it to draw some random lines like you see in the following image. Name this layer “lights”, right-click on it and select Convert to Smart Object.

Then go to Filter > Blur > Radial Blur and use the settings from the following image. Set the blend mode of the “lights” layer to Overlay. You can also add a mask and erase some areas of the light if you think it’s necessary.

Step 14

Now we will use the Brushes panel to create a new brush. Select the Brush Tool (B) and select a small soft brush. Then open the Brushes panel (Window > Brushes) and use the settings from the following image. To save your brush, click on the ‘Create new brush’ button from the bottom of this panel.

Step 15

Create a new layer and name it “sparks”. Set the foreground color to white and use the brush you created at the previous step to draw some sparks around the girl. Put this layer inside a group (Ctrl/Cmd + G), set its blend mode to Color Dodge and name it “sparks”.

Step 16

Now we will add some trees around the castle. Download this image and open it in Photoshop. Go to Select > Color Range, click on the white background of the image and then click OK. This will select the white background. However, we need only the tree, so we’ll have to inverse the selection. Go to Select > Inverse. Then copy the tree (Ctrl/Cmd + C), go back to the first document and paste it.

Name this layer “tree” and use Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T) to change its size. Put this layer inside a group and name it “tree” as well. Add a mask to the “tree” layer and use a black soft brush to erase its bottom area.

Step 17

Now we need to do some color adjustments to the tree. First, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance, tick the “Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask” option and use the settings from the following image.

Then go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation, tick the “Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask” option, then tick the Colorize option and use the settings from the following image.

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast, tick the “Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask” option and use the settings from the following image.

Step 18

Continue to add more trees to your image, but use a different size and location for each one. Take a look at the following image for reference.

Step 19

Download these brushes and install them. Set the foreground color to white, create a new layer and use some of those brushes to create a subtle fog. Name this layer “fog”, set its opacity to 10% and put it inside a group. Name the group “fog” as well.

Step 20

Download this photo and open it in Photoshop. Then use the Pen Tool (P) to separate the knight from the background. Move the knight into your first document using the Move Tool (V). Then go to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T) and change the size of this layer.

Name this layer “knight”, add a mask to it and use a black brush (B) to adjust different areas of the layer like the horse’s legs or the top of the knight’s weapon. Put this layer inside a group and name it “knight”.

Step 21

Make sure that the “knight” layer is active, then go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance, tick the “Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask” option and use the settings from the following image.

Step 22

Now we will add a shadow to the knight. Ctrl/Cmd-click on the thumbnail of the “knight” layer to select it. Then create a new layer and fill the selection with black. Hit Ctrl/Cmd + D to deselect.

Name this layer “shadow”, right-click on it and select Convert to Smart Object. Then go to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T), hold down the Ctrl/Cmd key and modify the transformation box as you see in the image below. Add a 2px gaussian blur (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur) to this layer and set its opacity to 35%.

Step 23

Download this photo and open it in Photoshop. Use the Pen Tool (P) to separate the horse rider from the background and then move him into your first document using the Move Tool (V). Name this layer “horse rider”. Then go to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T) and change the size of this layer.

Hit Ctrl/Cmd + G to put this layer inside a group and name it “horse rider” as well.

Step 24

Select the Burn Tool and use the settings from the following image to make some areas of the horse rider darker. Then hold down the Alt/Option key to switch to the Dodge Tool and make some area of the horse rider brighter.

Step 25

Add a mask to the “horse rider” layer and use a black soft brush to erase the bottom area of the horse’s legs.

Step 26

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance, tick the “Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask” option and use the settings from the following image.

Step 27

Add a shadow to the horse rider using the same process that you used for the knight.

Step 28

Now all we need to do is add some color adjustment layers to make the image stand out. You can experiment with these adjustment layers by yourself, or you can use the exact same ones that I used.

You can add the adjustment layers from the menu (Layer > New Adjustment Layer) or by clicking on the ‘Create new fill or adjustment layer’ button from the bottom of the Layers panel (the half-black-half-white circle).

Create a new group (Layer > New > Group) and name it “adjustments”. Then go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map and use the settings from the following image. To create the gradient I used the colors #2288ae and #dcb620. Set the blend mode of this layer to Overlay 10%.

Step 29

Add a new Selective Color adjustment layer and se the settings from the following image. Set the opacity of this layer to 60%.

Step 30

Add a new Gradient Map adjustment layer and use the settings from the following image. Set the blend mode of this layer to Soft Light 60%. To create the gradient I used the colors #320958 and #eeb814.

Step 31

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance and use the settings from the following image. Set the opacity of this layer to 60%.

Step 32

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Black & White and use the settings from the following image. Set the blend mode of this layer to Soft Light 30%.

Step 33

Add a new Selective Color adjustment layer and use the settings from the following image.

Step 34

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance and use the settings from the following image. Set the opacity of this layer to 50%.

Step 35

Add a new Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and increase the Saturation by +15.

Final Result

Below you can see the final result of this tutorial. I hope you you enjoyed reading it. You can download the .psd file by registering for a VIP account. You will also get ALL the resources from Grafpedia and 12 months of free updates.

Feel free to share your comments below and let us know what you think about this tutorial. See you soon with a new one.

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In this tutorial I will show you how to use Photoshop to create an animated leaderboard banner.

I will explain how the Animation (Timeline) panel works and how to use it to create great animations with little effort. Let’s get started !

This tutorial can be used if you want to promote your website on psdtuts.com for example.

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Final Image Preview

This is the banner that we will create.

And here is another version with a different size.

Note: For this tutorial I used the Animation (Timeline) panel, which is available only in Photoshop Extended. 

Step 1

Create a new document in Photoshop with the leaderboard size (728 x 90px). Grab the Paint Bucket Tool (G) and fill the background with the color #2f2f2f.

Step 2

Go to the top of the Grafpedia homepage and make a print screen (or copy this image). We want to capture the stars so we can use them in our banner. 

Open a new document in Photoshop and paste the screen capture (Ctrl/Cmd + V). Then grab the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) and make a selection of the stars like you see in the following image. Hit Ctrl/Cmd + C to copy what you have selected. 

Step 3

Go back to your first document and hit Ctrl/Cmd + V to paste your selection. Name this layer “stars”, right-click on it and select Convert to Smart Object. Then go to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T), change the size of this layer, rotate it and put it in the left side of your image. 

Step 4

Duplicate the “stars” layer (Ctrl/Cmd + J). Then go to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal and move this layer in the right side of your banner. 

Step 5

Select the Type Tool (T) and write the words ‘Find only on’ in the top middle area of your image using the color #aca6a6 and the font Myriad Pro. Double-click on your text layer and use the settings from the following image for Drop Shadow. Hit Ctrl/Cmd + G to put this layer inside a group. Name the group “info”. 

Step 6

Use the Type Tool (T) to write the word ‘Grafpedia’ underneath the first line of text using the color #ebe5e5. Double-click on this text layer and use the settings from the image below. 

Step 7

Select the Rounded Rectangle Tool (U), set the radius to 6px and create a rounded rectangle underneath the text using the color #413e3e. Double-click on this layer and use the settings from the following image. 

Step 8

Select the Type Tool (T), copy the following text and paste it into your Photoshop document. Set the color of this text layer to #dad5d5 and center it. Then open the Character panel (Window > Character) and use the settings from the following image. I used the font Myriad Pro Semibold Italic with the size 20px and the space between text lines of 30px. 

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Use the Move Tool (V) to put the first text line in the middle of your rounded rectangle. Now if you hold down the Shift key and hit the up arrow three times the text will move up with 30px and the second line of text will be in the middle of the rectangle. 

Step 9

When we will create the animation, we will make the text that is inside the rounded rectangle to move up. However, we want the text to appear only inside the rectangle. 

To do this, first hit Ctrl/Cmd + G to put your text layer inside a group. Name the group “text”. Then hold down the Ctrl/Cmd key and click on the vector mask of the “Shape 1″ layer to select the rounded rectangle. Make sure that the “text” group is active and go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection. Now if you move the text layer around you will notice that it doesn’t appear outside the rounded rectangle. 

Make sure that the first line of text is in the middle of your rectangle. 

Step 10

Hide the “info” group for the moment. Then create a new group and name it “call-to-action”. 

Select the Type Tool (T) and write a call-to-action text using the color #f1eaea. Add a shadow to this layer using the settings from the following image. 

Step 11

Select the Rounded Rectangle Tool (U) and create a rounded rectangle using the color #82b437. Double-click on this layer and use the settings from the following image. Name this layer “button”. 

Step 12

Select the Type Tool (T) and write the words “Click here now” on your button using the color #e7f3d5. Double-click on this text layer and use the settings from the following image. 

Step 13 – Animating the banner

We have finished creating all the layers. Now we can start creating the animation. 

First, open the Animation panel (Window > Animation). I will use the Timeline Animation panel (and not the frame animation). It is available only in Photoshop Extended. Then make sure that your both groups from the Layers panel are visible and set their opacity to 0%. 

In the image below I explained some of the features of the Animation panel. 

Step 14

Go to the “info” group from the Animation panel and click on the Opacity stopwatch to add the first keyframe. The opacity of the “info” group is 0% at the moment. Now move the Time Indicator at 00:15f and set the opacity of the “info” group to 100% from the Layers panel. A new keyframe will be added automatically because you have changed the settings of this property. 

Now if you play the animation, the opacity of the “info” group will gradually go from 0% to 100%. 

Step 15

Move the Time Indicator at 01:00f and click on the Position stopwatch of the text layer from the “text” group to add a new keyframe. 

Step 16

Move the Time Indicator at 01:10f. Then make sure that the text layer from the “text” group is active. Select the Move Tool (V), hold down the Shift key and hit the up arrow three times to move the text 30px up. A new keyframe will be added automatically. 

Step 17

We want the text to stand still for a period of time before it moves again. To do this, move the Time Indicator at 02:00f and click on the keyframe button from the left side of the Position stopwatch to add a new keyframe. Now the position of the text will not change between 01:10f and 02:00f. 

Step 18

Repeat the previous three steps to change the position of your text layer until you get to the last line of text. You can see in the following image how my Animation panel looks so far. 

Step 19

Move the Time Indicator at 06:10f and click on the keyframe button from the Opacity property of the “info” group to add a new keyframe. Then move the Time Indicator at 06:20f and set the opacity of the “info” group to 0%. 

Step 20

Now we want to make the “call-to-action” group visible. Make sure that the Time Indicator is at 06:20f and click on the Opacity stopwatch to add a new keyframe. 

Move the Time Indicator at 07:00f and set the opacity of the “call-to-action” group to 100%. 

Step 21

Move the Time Indicator at 09:20f and click on the keyframe button of the “call-to-action” group. The opacity of this group will remain 100% until it reaches this keyframe. 

Now move the Time Indicator at 10:00f and set the opacity of the “call-to-action” group to 0%. 

Step 22 – Saving the animation

We have finished our animation. You can click on the Play button to see it. 

To save our banner and use it on the web, go to File > Save for Web & Devices. Then use the settings from the following image and click on the Save button. 

Final Result

Here is the final result of this tutorial. I hope you enjoyed it and you learned some new things. 

Creating banners with different sizes

You can use the same technique that I presented in this tutorial to create banners with all kind of dimensions. Bellow you can see another banner that I created with the size 200 x 125px. 

Your opinion

Share your thoughts in the comments below and let us know if you enjoyed this tutorial and if you want more like this one.

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In this tutorial I will show you how to combine some textures, vectors and Photoshop techniques to create a colorful wallpaper with light effects.

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zip size ~30 MB

Before we begin, I’d like to thank the artists who created the resources I used in this tutorial. Below are the download links for you. Please make sure that you read and respect the rules of the stock images from deviantArt. Let’s get started!

Resources

• Stars – by fune-stock
• Bokeh texture – by dyingbeautystock
• Galaxy texture
• 49 Vector Ornamental Stars
• Circular Arabesque Vectors

Step 1

Create a new document in Photoshop and fill the background with black using the Paint Bucket Tool (G). Then go to Layer > New > Group to create a new group and name it “bg”. Create a new layer inside this group and fill it with the color #1f0959. Name this layer “bg” and set its opacity to 50%.

Step 2

Create a new layer inside the “bg” group. Then select a soft brush with the size 50px, set the foreground color to #b52a66 and draw some random lines on your image.

Step 3

Right-click on the layer you created at the previous step and select Convert to Smart Object. Then go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur and use the settings from the following image. Name this layer “color” and set its opacity to 30%.

Step 4

Duplicate the “color” layer by dragging it over the ‘Create a new layer’ button from the bottom of the Layers panel (or right-click on it and select Duplicate Layer). Then go to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T), hold down the Shift key and make this layer smaller.

Double-click on the new “color” layer to open the Layer Style window and add a Color Overlay using the color #ffd200. Set the opacity of this layer to 20%.

Step 5

Download this galaxy image and open it in Photoshop. Then use the Move Tool (V) to move it into your first document. Go to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T) and change the size of this image. Add a Motion Blur filter to this layer using the settings from the following image. Name this layer “texture” and set its blend mode to Screen 25%.

Step 6

Create a new group and name it “stars”. Create a new layer inside this group and fill it with black. Right-click on it and select Convert to Smart Object. Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise and use the settings from the following image. Then go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the radius to 0.2px.

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels, tick the “Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask” option and use the settings from the following image. Then set the blend mode of the “stars” group to Screen.

Note: to reduce the number of stars even more you can add a mask to the “stars” layer and paint with a black soft brush (B) over some areas of the image.

Step 7

Download this image and open it in Photoshop. Use the Move Tool (V) to move it into your document inside the “stars” group. Then use Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T) to change the size of the image. Name this layer “stars 2″ and set its opacity to 20%.

Step 8

Now that we have the background we can start creating some light effects. Create a new group and name it “light effects”. Create a new layer inside this group and use the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) to make a selection like the one from the following image. Then drag a white to transparent gradient (G) from the top of the selection to the bottom. Hit Ctrl/Cmd + D to deselect.

Use the Eraser Tool (E) with a big soft brush to erase the left and right side of the white gradient layer. Then set the blend mode of the “light effects” group to Color Dodge.

Step 9

Hide the layer that you created at the previous step for the moment. Then create a new layer inside the “light effects” group. Select a white soft brush with the size 50px and draw with it some random lines. Right-click on this layer and select Convert to Smart Object. Go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur and use the settings from the following image. Then go to Filter > Other > Maximum and set the radius to 3px to get a really nice effect. Name this layer “lights”.

Step 10

Duplicate the layer that you created at step 8. Make this layer visible and put it above the “lights” layer. Then go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise and use the settings from the following image. Go to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T), hold down the Shift key and rotate this layer with -45°.

Step 11

Duplicate the layer you created at the previous step. To do this, select the Move Tool (V), hold down the Alt/Option key, click on the image and drag the cursor. Set the opacity of this layer to around 30%.

Continue to click and drag to duplicate the layer as many times as you want. Then set the opacity of each layer between 20-60%. Take a look at the following image for reference.

Step 12

Select the Brush Tool (B) and select a hard brush with the diameter 35px. Then go to the Brushes panel (Window > Brushes) and use the settings from the following image to create a new brush. To save it, click on the ‘Create new brush’ button from the bottom of this panel.

Create a new layer inside the “light effects” group and set the foreground color to white. Then use the brush you created to draw some white circles from the upper left corner of the image to the lower right corner.

Right-click on this layer and select Convert to Smart Object. Then go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur and use the settings from the following image. You can also add a mask to this layer and paint with black over the corners of the image to erase the light effect from there.

Step 13

Select the Type Tool (T) and write any word you want using a bold font (such as Myriad Pro Black Semi Extended).

Step 14

Double-click on the text layer to open the Layer Style window and use the settings from the following image.

Step 15

Go to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T) and rotate the text layer with -45°. Then use the Move Tool (V) to move it in the middle of your image.

Step 16

Create a new group and name it “small text”. Then select the Type Tool (T) and add more words to your image. Set the Fill to each of these text layers to 0% and use the same layer style settings that you used at step 14 (you can just copy the layer style from the previous text and paste it to these layers). Then use Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T) to rotate each text layer with -45°.

Step 17

Download some star vectors and open the .AI files in Adobe Illustrator. Select some stars and change their color to white.Then copy the stars (Ctrl/Cmd + C), go back to Photoshop and paste them (Ctrl/Cmd + V).

Use Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T) to make these layers very small and move them around your image. Put these layers inside a group (Ctrl/Cmd + G), name the group “vector stars” and change its blend mode to Color Dodge. Set the opacity of each star layer to 60-100%.

Step 18

Create a new group, name it “big stars” and set its blend mode to Color Dodge 70%. Then select a vector star from Illustrator and change its color to white. Copy the vector shape and paste it into your Photoshop document. Go to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T) and change the size of the star. Duplicate this layer a few times and use the Move Tool (V) to arrange the stars. Set the opacity of these layers to 50-70%. As you can see in the following image I putted the stars in the upper left corner of the image between two lines of light.

Step 19

Create a new group, name it “small stars” and set its blend mode to Color Dodge 50%. Then repeat the previous step, but this time make the stars smaller and put them beneath the first ones. You can also add a mask to this group and use a black to transparent gradient (G) to erase the left and right side of the group.

Step 20

Download this bokeh texture and open the image in Photoshop. Then go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Black and White. Use the settings from the following image to convert this image into black and white. Create a new layer, go to Image > Apply Image and click OK.

Step 21

Move the image from the previous step into your first document. Go to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T) and change the size of the image. Then put this layer right above the “texture” layer, right-click on it and select Create Clipping Mask. Set the blend mode of this layer to Overlay and name it “bokeh”.

Step 22

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Black and White. Use the settings from the following image. Then put this layer above all the other ones and set its blend mode to Soft Light 10%.

Step 23

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map and use the settings from the following image. Set the blend mode of this layer to Soft Light 20%.

Step 24

Now we will make the image sharper. Create a new layer above all the other ones, go to Image > Apply Image and click OK. Convert this layer into a smart object. Then go to Filter > Other > High Pass and set the radius to 1.2px. Set the blend mode of this layer to Hard Light 35% and name it “high pass”.

Final Result

Here is the final result of this tutorial. I hope you enjoyed it and you learned some new things. As you can see, it’s very easy to create a beautiful image in Photoshop using stock vectors and textures. Stay tuned for the next Photoshop tutorial here on Grafpedia.

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In this tutorial you will learn how to create an romantic Valentine’s day postcard.

You will also learn how to create a nice 3D box with a pattern applied to it in different perspectives.

I am sure someone will be happy if will receive a card on valentine’s day.
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Create a new document with the following size: 800 x 800 pixels
Set the foreground color to #f40003 and the background color to #550000. With Gradient Tool I will add a radial gradient over my background layer.

And here is the result.

In the following steps I will show you how you can create a 3D box with a nice pattern applied to each side of the box
I will create a shape with Pen Tool. For this shape I have used the following color: #7c0101

I will add a simple layer style

After that I will create another document with the following size: 33×33 pixels. I will select Custom Shape tool, and from the default presets I will choose the heart shape. I will add a heart over this small document

As you can see from my previous image I will add a simple 1 pixel stroke.

I will go to Edit > Define pattern. I will choose a name for this heart pattern and I will click on OK

I will switch to my valentine’s day card document, and with Pen Tool, I will create the left side of the 3D box.

I will add the following layer styles

This is how my left side of the box will look like

Now I will duplicate the left side, and I will go to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal. I will move the shape to the right, but as you can see something is wrong. The small heart pattern is not aligned properly.

So if you wonder how to fix this small issue, here is the trick. Go back to the small document, and select the layer with the small heart.
Go to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal

From this document create one more time a pattern, and add this patter to the right side of the box. As you can see the pattern look very good right now.

With the same technique I will create a nice reflection for this box. Please note that you need to create another two patterns from the small heart document. this time you need to flip the heart vertically, and after that you can flip the heart horizontally. You can see how your patterns must look like in your pattern panel.

Here is how my reflection will look like

Select both layers ( with reflection ) and press on CTRL+E. This shortcut will merge the layers into a single one and in the same time the new layer will be rasterized.
I will select Eraser Tool, and with a smooth round brush I will delete the bottom part of the reflection layer.

With Pen Tool I will create the top side of the box.

For this layers I will add the same layer styles

Here is my result

Under these two layers I will add another shapes. Both shapes will serve us as a shadow. You can use a dark color, and then you can lower the layer opacity to 20 %

At the bottom of the layout you will find a download link. This button will allow you to download the PSD file for this tutorial, and also a set with Photoshop brushes.
Load the brush set in Photoshop because we will need it for the following steps.
Select Pen Tool, and create a path like mine

Make sure you have the Path panel open ( window > paths ). Right click on the path and choose duplicate Path.
Press on CTRL+T, and then go to Edit > Transform Path > Flip Horizontal Move the path to the right side until you compose a heart

Make sure you have the path selected in your path panel. Create a new layer ( press on CTRL+Shift+Alt+N ), and then bring the brush panel to make some changes, like in the following image

After you have the same setting as mine press on the ” Stroke path with brush ” button from the bottom of the Path panel.

Make sure your foreground color is set to white, and then press on the small button.
This should be your result

Select the other path and press one more time on the small button. Your result should be similar with mine

Now you need to make some changes to your brush panel. From the Scattering settings make sure you check the ” Both axis ”

Select each path one by one and press on the small button ” Stroke path with brush ”

I will create a new layer, and with Brush Tool I will make some drawings until I fill the bottom part of the box with tinny stars

With Pen Tool I will create another path

One more time I will press on ” Stroke path with brush ” button

Now download the following set of brushes, and load them in Photoshop
27 hi-res Photoshop hearts brushes
Create a new layer right above the background layer, and make some random drawings with a heart brush you like. You can use your own scattering, and shape dynamics settings.

Near the edge of the document I will add another hearts. This is my final result. I am sure someone will be happy to receive a similar greeting card.

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