ForwardTwo

Hey PSU Comic! I decided to make a tutorial series just for you guys. It’s nothing special, at least not yet; I’m starting off simple, with blending modes and whatnot.

I’m assuming you know the (very) basic functions of Photoshop, like the text tool, and the move tool. Other than that, I’ll explain everything in detail.

PS: This is what the final image might look like, if you follow exactly by what I say. This is a tutorial that you don’t have to, and I leave you to experiment with what you like.



Ok, so let’s get started!

Open up Photoshop, and open a new document. Set the image proportions to whatever you want; just make sure it’s big enough for experimentation.
Now, let’s start with a colored background.



Select the paint bucket tool, and choose any color. Just click on the stage, and wallah. Colored background.

Create a new layer, by clicking the “Create a New Layer” icon in the layers panel; it’s a small square with a sort of fold coming out from the corner.
Now, click and hold the Paint Bucket button, and select the gradient tool. Make sure your colors are set to black and white, or possibly black to grey. Then apply the gradient to the new layer, you’ll see a black and white (or grey, if that’s what you opted for) gradient.



Now move your handy dandy mouse over to the layers panel, and click that drop down that says “Normal”. Remember, the trick to learning Photoshop is by experimentation. Try different styles out, and see which one you like best. Remember, try to keep the colors moody, but calm at the same time. Complimentary usually works for a soft or tonal composition. Contrasting colors can create a very pop-art effect at times. My personal blending options for gradient layers are usually overlay, Multiply, or Soft Light. Try them all out though, see what works best.



Now that our background is done, let’s add some text. Select the text tool, and add some text to the middle of your screen. Right click the text layer (In the layers panel), and select “Blending Options”. Choose what works best for you, here was my set up. I added a drop shadow to the text, and another gradient and overlaid it onto the text itself.





Go to Ye ole’ Google and search for some textures. Personally, I love paper textures. They always give my work a nice final messy effect, and I love it. Open the image in Photoshop, right click on the background layer, and select duplicate layer. In the drop down box that comes up, choose the document that you were working in, and hit OK.


You should now have this (Gigantic) texture in your document. Resize it using the free transform tool (CTRL+T). Make sure that snap is on by clicking view, Snap. Also, rotate the texture by holding shift, so that it always fits in your document with a straight rectangle. Free transform the texture to how big you want it, but make sure it covers the entire image.



Now select a blending style for this texture, just experiment. I used Multiply for this one. You should now have a pretty spiffy picture. Right click one of the layers, and select flatten image.



Now all your layers will be gone, and you’ll be left with a Background layer.


Now, for a final pop, do another gradient layer just like in the beginning of the tutorial, and experiment. Different blending styles do different magic! So try EVERYTHING!



Wallah! It’s complete! Go to file, Save, and select whatever the hell you want to save it as. Make sure to set the quality to 12 if you’re saving as a .jpg.



There you have it! My next tutorial should be coming soon, if you guys want it.