photoshop-tutorials

Creating and Defining Seamless Polka Dot Pattern

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:54:11 +0100

I will show you how to create and define seamless polka dot pattern with three different color combination. I will give you also a tip for one color and two color combination.

1. Open a new blank document of 900x300 pixels with 300dpi. I used this size for the benefit of 12x12-inch layout.

2. Then turn on the grid. Go to Edit>Preferences>Guides, Grids, and Slices. From this option, set Gridline every .1 inch with 1 subdivision. Click OK.

3. Grids will become visible. You can hide and appear it by pressing CTL+'. Get now the center. If the ruler is not displayed, turn it on by pressing CTRL+R. Drag a vertical and horizontal guide.

4. This time create a new layer and rename it as color1. Click the Brush tool from the tool palette and set the size to 170 with 100% Opacity and Flow. With the color1 layer selected, make a single click on the center.

5. Click the Rectangular Marquee tool from the tool palette and select the right bottom of the circle. Create a copy of this part by pressing CTRL+J in your keyboard.

6. After pressing CTRL+J, it is automatically created a copy in a separate layer, rename it as color1_right-bottom. With this layer selected, click the Move tool and move this to the upper left which is the opposite side.

7. Do the same thing in the three sides of the circle. Make sure when making a copy, select first the color1 layer.

For the left bottom:

For the upper right:

For the upper left:

8. Be ready with your 2nd and 3rd color. Create new layer for 2nd color and another layer for third color. Drag again ruler guides in 150, 300, 600, and 750. Click the Brush tool with a size also of 170 and with your chosen color, select the color2 layer and make a single click on the center of the 150 guide. And for your 3rd color, click on the center of the 750 guide, as shown:

9. Select the color2 layer. With the Rectangular Marque tool, select the bottom part of the color2 circle. Make a copy of this part by pressing CTRL+J and move this to the upper part of the guide 600.

10. And for the upper part of the color2, do the same in the opposite side.

11. This time select the color3 layer. Do the same process with the color2 layer but in the opposite side as shown:

**Note: Please make sure when making a copy, you are on the respective layer.

12. Almost done. We can now delete the background if we want to have a transparent seamless, or set your background. Now, hide the guide and grid by pressing CTRL+H. To define it as pattern, go to Edit>Define Pattern and set your pattern name. Click Ok. Then open a 3600x3600 document. Click the Create New Fill or adjustment layer button at the bottom of the Layer palette, choose Pattern.

You can see if there is something wrong with your alignment because it will not appear perfect. In that case you can go back to your file and set in the proper alignment. In this sample, I used a very light background to blend with my 3-color combination of polka dots.

So what about polka dots with single color? The process is the same of what we have done in the color1 layer. In the example below, I used 400x400 and used with one color. Just make a copy for each quadrant and move them accordingly. You can see the respective number with its corresponding copy:

For two color combination, either change the inner circle or change the color of the four corners. Just make sure that the color of the four corner images are the same. This one example below will produce two color combination:

You can set your desired polka dot size or spaces between them depending on your needs. This tutorial will serve only a basic guide. If you have a better and easiest way of doing this, I would appreciate if you able to share it with me, too.

Whatever you produce from this tutorial will be absolutely yours. For a while here are the some samples from what I have made out of this tutorial:

Read my blog post about this tutorial: HERE

Simple Blinking Animation

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:55:09 +0100

1. Open a new blank document of 200x200 pixels with 72dpi and make your own necessary elements for your banner, e.g. background, images, text. Here are layers of my elements which we will use for this tutorial. I aligned these elements according to my desired position.

2. So we have five layers to work with. To start the animation, open first the Animation window. Go to menu Window>Animation. And by default, this window will display:

3. What we do next is to set layers in accordance with the desired blinking process. Click the duplicates selected frames icon and this is referred to as the frame #2.

4. Click on the first frame to select it. We set all the layers visible. This means that on the first display, the banner shows up with complete elements.

5. Now, select the second frame. On the Layers palette, turn off the visibility eye for the two text layers. Meaning they are hidden and will not show up in the second frame.

6. Duplicate the second frame by clicking again the duplicates selected frames icon. Turn on the visibility eye for the lower hidden text layer while the other remains turn off. This means that on the third display, this text layer will show up.

7. From the third frame, make a duplicate for the forth frame. This time turn on the visibility eye for the hidden layer. You can see now that all layers are now visible.

8. Duplicate the forth frame for the fifth and last frame. This time turn off all the three text layers showing only the background and the image.

9. So, we are done setting up all the frames needed. This time we set for the time delay for each frame. The frame delay time can be set by clicking the small arrow down as being shown below. From the options, click Other. You can select from the time options but if you prefer other time not listed in the options, choose Other. On the window display, type 1.5; it means the time delay for the first frame is 1.5 second. Set the frame delay for 1.5 second for rest of the frames.

10. Ok, now let us try to play the animation. Click the Plays Animation button.

....and look what we have now! This could be a good start. You can now make your own, too for your blogs and websites.

11. We're not done yet. We have to save our work, of course. Go to File>Save for Web & Devices. On the window, make sure that the GIF is selected. Click Save. Then save now in your filename.

DONE! This simple animation tutorial in Photoshop only shows the basic. With the same basic steps, here are some of my finished rotating banners and blinkies:

Making Paper Clips

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:59:27 +0100

1. Make a new file. Go to File>New and make a 200 x 200 pixels with a 300 resolution.

2. Make a new layer. Click the Create a new Layer button at the bottom part of the Layer palette. Then, select the Custom Shape Tool . The custom shape setting tab is located at the top of the screen. Select the Shape Layers. Click the custom shape picker and choose Objects or you can choose All. Choose No Style and you can choose your own color.

3. Drag now you mouse over the screen and make your desired size of the clip. And as you can see there is a light green line around the clip. That is a path. Hide it by pressing CTRL+H or you can rasterize the layer by right click and choose Rasterize Layer.

4. Now, lets add style to the clip. Click the Add Layer Style button at the bottom of the Layer Palette and choose Bevel and Emboss. Use the default setting for Bevel and Emboss.

5. Add shadow. Lower the shadow opacity to 25.

6. There it is! A paper clip. Remember: You must save your clip file in .png form.

7. Just duplicate the layer by CTRL+J if you want to have more clips and you can change its color by the adjustments in Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation. I have an example with the use of this clip in the polaroid pictures.

Clipping A Photo

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:00:13 +0100

1. Drag the frame and photo in one document. I named the frame as “frame stand” layer and the picture as “photo”.

And if placed below the frame stand, definitely it is like this:

3. Since we are working to look the picture as if it is inserted in the frame. The Photo layer must be at the topmost. Then select it and lower its opacity for a while. I lower it to 34%. It will look like this.

Don’t worry we will restore it later. This is only for the purpose of easy selecting the area in frame to be overlapped.

4. With the frame stand layer active, select the Rectangular Marquee tool and select this part.

Then right-click anywhere inside the selected area and click the Layer via Copy.

The selected area becomes a layer and named it as “overlap1”. Bring this layer all the way to the top. Now, going back to the photo, select it and return its opacity to 100%. So pretty realistic, isn’t it?

5. Now for the upper part of the frame, do the same procedure. Make the frame stand active, select the area of the frame to be overlapped and right-click, select Layer via Copy. Named this as “overlap2” and bring this layer also the topmost.

On Mobile Effect

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:00:48 +0100

1. Open the images. Drag the first photo onto the mobile image. Just hold click and drag. Just make sure the Move tool is active.

2. Fit the photo into the screen of the first mobile. Press CTRL+T. Then press Enter if you are done.

3.
Add a little inner shadow. Click the Add Layer Style button at the
bottom of the Layer palette and select Inner Shadow. Set the opacity to
25 in n angle of 150.

4. Now for the second photo, we will the same thing. Drag the photo. Since the second mobile is a slant one so we must transform the image by holding the CTRL key while dragging or bringing the small square in corners of the image to each corner of the mobile screen. And press Enter when you are done.

5. Add also Inner shadow. And there we are, on mobile!

Textured Flowerette

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:01:40 +0100

1. Make a new document of 200x200 pixels with 300 resolution.

2. Select the custom shape tool . And make the following setting:

3. Drag your flower on the screen to your desired size. And if you notice there is a thin line around the object. It is the path. Just right click the layer and select the Rasterize Layer.

4. Go to Filter>Texture>Texturizer. Set the following adjustments:

4. Let us now add style. Click the Add Layer Style button and choose Bevel and Emboss.

5. Set the style to eMBOSS with depth of 60 and size of 3. Click OK.

6. Add new layer. Click the Add New Layer button. Then select for the Elliptical Marquee tool . And make a small circle at the center of the flower. Fill it with green. Do the same texture with the flower.

7. Add style. Go to again to Bevel and Emboss Layer Style and set he following adjustments:

8. Add shadow.

9. The final result...If you want to have more of this, just press CTRL+J to duplicate layer and change its hue in Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation.

Create Your Photo Puzzle

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:02:23 +0100

1. Open your photo.

2. Go to Filter>Texture>Texturizer

2. In the texture window, you can see the small arrow pointing to the right, as being encircled below. Click that small arrow and click the LOAD TEXTURE.

3. The Load Texture window will open. Then browse for the Photoshop installation folder. Mine is saved in this folder: c:\\Program Files\Adobe\PhotoshopCS3\Presets\Texture. Then look for the Puzzle.psd, select it and click open.

4. After making the following adjustments, click OK.

DONE!

Making a Corkboard

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:03:06 +0100

1. Open a new file of about 3600x3600pixels. Go to File>New.

NOTE: I will not use the whole workspace. It's just I prefer to work in a much bigger workspace.

2. Create new layer and name it as "cork". Select the Rectangular tool and set the foreground to #9d8a74 and drag according to your desired size of the cork.

3. Add Noise. Go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise. Set the Amount to 20, Uniform selected and check Monochromatic. Click OK.

4. We will now create a frame for this cork. Create again new layer and name it as "frame". While the frame layer is selected, press CTRL+click on the cork layer. This will select the whole size of the cork. With still the Rectangular Marquee tool, drag inside the selection to subtract it. But make sure you click the subtract from selection option. Set the foreground to #6a4242 and press ALT+Backspace to fill it. Then press CTRL+D to select it.

5. This time click the Polygonal Lasso tool and select first the upper part of the frame then add the selection in the lower part just like in the picture below.

6. While the upper and the lower part of the frame are selected, go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise and set the Amount to 20. Click OK.

7. Go to Filter>Blur>Motion Blur. Set the angle to 0 with a distance of 30. Click OK.

8. Do not deselect yet the selection. Instead press CTRL+Shift+I to inverse the selection. This will select the vertical parts of the frame.Do the same thing the upper and lower part setting. Add noise of 20 and motion blur with a distance of 30 also but this time change the angle to 90.

9. Press CTRL+D now to deselect. We will now add some style.

Bevel and Emboss:

Drop Shadow:

10. And by adding some shadow effect, here is the final result:

How to Make Weaving Cadres

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:06:58 +0100

1. I prefer to work in a 3600x3600 template with 300dpi. I will remind you that make sure you are saving as .psd as you go along with your work.

2. First, I have to change my background color to gray or to any color you want. After that, set and show grids. Go to Edit>Preferences>Guides, Grids and Slices. Do the following settings for Grids. Then show the Grids. Go to View>Show>Grid or press CTRL+' in your keyboard. And if you want to hide the grid, just press again CTRL+'.

3. Now, create a new layer and name it as "cadres". By using the Rectangular Marquee tool , make a cadres like the one below. Use the grids as your guide.

Then click the Add layer style button at the bottom of the Layer palette and choose Outer Glow. Do the following settings: Click OK when you are done.

4. Create a separate layer for this outer glow. Right click on the layer name and choose Create Layer. Choose the Cadres's outer glow layer and click the Eraser tool and erase the glowing shadow inside the cadres.

5. Then group the cadres layer and the cadres's outer glow layer. CTRL+click on each layer name to select them and click the small arrow on the right of the palette and choose New Group from Layers and name this group as 1.

6. Duplicate this group three times making them 4. Move the one (group 2) to the right and transform the other two groups (groups 3 and 4). Use Edit>Transform>Rotate 90CW. Then position them like in the screenshot below. Use again the grids as your guide in positioning these cadres. Make a consistent spacing so that they may look even.

The numbers 1~4 indicate their respective group layer names.

7. For the next step, move/drag the group 2 above the group 3. Now, let us hide the grid (CTRL+') so that we cannot get confused. Select the group 1, click the reveal arrow and choose the cadres layer. Then click the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the Layer palette. After this, choose the Rectangular Marquee tool and drag a selection like the one below:

8. Then press Delete. Do not deselect yet, instead invert the selection, press CTRL+Shift+I in your keyboard. If you deselect it already, just reselect (Select>Reselect). After inverting the selection, go to cadres's outer glow layer and click the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the Layer palette. (..hope you can follow). It is then automatically deselect. This look good now. Have you got it?

9. Minimize now your group 1. Select the group 3 and reveal it. Select the cadres layer and do the same thing as we did in the group 1. Click the add layer mask button, drag a selection, and press Delete.

Invert the selection (CTRL+Shift+I). Go to cadres's outer glow layer and click the add layer mask button and you will arrive at the result like this for the group 3.

10. Minimize now your group 3. Select the group 2 and reveal it. And again for the third time, select the cadres layer and do the same thing as we did in the group 1 and group 3. Click the add layer mask button, drag a selection, and press Delete.

Invert the selection (CTRL+Shift+I). Go to cadres's outer glow layer and click the add layer mask button and you will arrive at the result like this for the group 2. Wow, we are almost there. We are doing great.

11. For the next step, since we are concern now about the Group 4 and Group 1. It must appear that the bottom part of the Layer1 must be overlapped the Group 4. We cannot move the Group 1 above the Group 4 because it will conflict to the rest of the group layers.

So, what we gonna do now is first let's go back to Group 1, maximize the group and select the cadres layer. Make sure that you have clicked the thumbnail layer, the one being encircled below. Then drag a selection like the one in the screenshot. After that make a right click anywhere inside the selection and select the Layer Via Copy from the options.

This will create another layer. Then move this via copy layer all the way to the topmost layer.

Do the same thing in the cadres's outer glow layer. Make sure first that you have clicked the thumbnail layer and make a selection also and make a layer via copy and move the layer also to the top below the via copy layer of the cadres.

Zoom your image.This really looks terrible, isn't it? But it is ok. We will fix it. And by the way, please ignore the double "via copy" pointing in the Layer2 in this screenshot..it is a human error!

12. Eraser tool to the rescue. Make sure that you select the Layer 2. Then start erasing the messy part that the arrows are pointing except on the parts being encircled, we need that shadow effect.

13. When you are done, minimize the group 1 and select now the group 4 and reveal it. Select the cadres layer and do the same thing as we did in the groups 1, 2, and 3. Click the add layer mask button, drag a selection, and press Delete, invert the selection (CTRL+Shift+I). Go to cadres's outer glow layer and click the add layer mask button.

Let us now take a look what we have for our final result. You can hide now your background and save it as .png so that you can use it over and over again in different layouts.

Removing Image Background

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 07:19:49 +0100

1. The clothes pin in this image is the one i will going to extract from its background because I am going to use this pin in my Scrapbooking freebie. This is my own capture. I used here my 6-megapixel CANON PowerShot A540. I just cropped it making a size of 150 x 291pixels. Open image in Photoshop CS3. This is the Background Layer.

2. Duplicate this by pressing CTRL+J in your keyboard. You can hide now your background layer by clicking its visibility eye beside the thumbnail layer. Click the Pen tool from the tool palette and choose the Paths from the options toolbar.

3. Start selecting the clothes pin. Click around the object in changing form like curves and straight lines.

4. After you have reached the starting point, close the selection and this will form a path around the object. Then switch now the palette to Paths and click the Load Path as a Selection at the bottom of the Paths palette. This will make a selection. If the selection is not inverted, press CTRL+Shift+I in your keyboard.

5. Then press Delete and deselect by CTRL+D. This will now be the image.

6. This looks ok but I prefer to retouch it a little bit. Click the Add New Fill or Adjustment layer at the bottom of the layer palette and choose Levels.

..and do the following settings: Click OK when you are done.

7. Let us now see what we have here:

Before After

Save the extracted object as .png. You can now add some shadow to this clothes pin and reuse it over and over again to your designs and layouts.

Check this scrapboking layout I have made using this clothes pin: