summer camps card

Step 1

Start by creating a new file (File > New, CTR+N), make it 700 pixels wide and 880 pixels high:

Step 2

In this step we are going to reproduce a very simple background. We’ll use the Gradient Tool (G) for this. Create a new Layer (Layer > New > Layer, CTR+SHIFT+N) on top of the first Layer, and name the Layer ‘Background’. Set up the following Gradient (please note the locations of the squares):

Drag it from bottom to top (Holding SHIFT will help you doing it vertical) and you should end up with something like this:

Step 3:

Now you’ll add some texture to this background. Create a new Layer and name it ‘Texture’. You can download the texture here, on cgtextures.com. Move the texture to the layer you just created, and set Blending Mode on Overlay and Fill to 30%.

Step 4:

Now create a new Layer (CTR+SHIFT+N), name it Background Lighting and select the Brush Tool (B). Select a big soft edged Brush with a low opacity (Master Diameter: around 200-500px, Hardness: 0px, Opacity around 10-25%)), or a random soft grunge Brush around the same size (I chose the latter). You can download an excellent soft grunge brushset from here on Shanebobs Deviantart. Load the brushes by clicking the small arrow in the Brush toolbar, then again on another small arrow (which is pointed to the right), and then ‘Load Brushes’. Browse to the location where you downloaded them and open them.

Start brushing the middle with white (#FFFFFF) and the corners with black (#000000), and you might have varation in your Brush Sizes (When brushing: to increase your Brush Size, use ], to decrease use [ ). You should end up like this:

Step 5:

Now that the background is growing decent, it is time to add some details. Create a new layer on top (by now you should know the hotkeys ) and name it ‘Twirls’. Time to use another excellent brush set: My Arabesque Set from Luizalenora. Download it, and load it in Photoshop, and brush some ‘twirls’ in the middle. I used the 368px and 400px sized ones which can be found relatively in the beginning of the brush set. You should have something like this:

Step 6

Now it is time to add some sunrays to the picture. Create a new Layer and name it ‘Sunrays’. Another brush set will be used (don’t worry, we’ll use even more sets). However, we could recreate this effect easily using the Polar Coordinates filter, but we’ll use the fast way - brushes - here. Download the Risingsun Brushes, from JavierZhX. Load it into photoshop. Brush in the middle, using the following brush (with 100% opacity and #ffa700 as color):

First, remove the lower rays of the sunray using the Eraser Tool (E) (as shown in the picture below). Don’t forget to erase! Then duplicate the Layer 2 times (Layer > Duplicate Layer, CTR+J ). Below you can see the position of the sunrays:

Step 7

Now select the lowest Layer of the 3 ‘Sunrays’ Layers (if you did everything right this layer is called ‘Sunrays’). Set the Fill of this Layer to 60%. Then apply the Gaussian Blur Filter (Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur), using the following settings:

Now select the middle Layer of the 3 ‘Sunrays’ Layers (called ‘Sunrays Copy’), and set the Fill of this layer to 60%. You should now have something like this:

Step 8

Maybe you were already wondering where the last ‘Sunray’ layer was for. Select this layer (’Sunrays Copy 2′) and set the Layer’s Blending Mode to Overlay and the Fill to 80%. Now make a selection of this layer, by doing CTR+Left Mouse on the Layer (or Select > Load Selection > Ok):

Hit D to reset the Fore- and Background colors to black and white, then X to swap these colors. Select a white to black Radial Gradient (G):

Drag the Gradient from the middle of your Sunrays to the top. Since the Layers Blending Mode was already on Overlay you should end up with something similar to this:

Step 9

No sunrays without a sun. Create a new Layer and name it ‘Sun’. Select the Elliptical Marquee Tool (M), and use a fixed size of 385 x 385px:

Draw a circle somewhat above the middle and fill it with #ffa100 (Right Mouse on selection and Fill > Color… > Select Color > Ok or with the Paint Bucket Tool (G) ). Duplicate this Layer (Layer > Duplicate or CTR + J ).

Step 10

Oooh.. step 10 already.. Great, now the same trick is used as with the sunrays. Select the lowest Layer of the sun Layers (’Sun’) and apply Gausian Blur (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur):

Now you should have something like this:

Step 11

Hmm.. the sun is already looking nice but can have something more. We’ll add some details! Create a new Layer and name it ‘Sun2′. Time for the next Brush set (Whaaaat.. another one!). Download the Vector Brush Set the from JavierZhX. Load it into Photoshop and Brush once using the following Brush (300px, color:#ffcd00):

Brush in the middle of the sun you already have. We use the same trick as in step 9 and 10: duplicate the layer, and use a 8px Gaussian Blur for the lowest layer. You’ll should now have something like this:

Step 12

This is the last step of the background, after this the background is finished. Create a new Layer and name it ‘Splat’. Make sure that the Foreground color is white. Now we’ll use the last brush set. Download the Spazz Splatter Set from Spazz24. Load them into Photoshop. Now Brush with random brushes from that set somewhat below the middle, untill you got something that looks similair to this:

Step 14

Ah, you did like step 13, aint it? Let’s continu with the real work! You got 12 Layers now, and it might be a good idea to group them. So either create a new group (Call it ‘BG’ for example) and move your the layers in, or select all the 12 layers and hit CTR + G. The next Layers and steps will be in another new group (I called it House & Palmtrees).

Step 15

For the following step(s) we need 2 stock photo’s. One is from my old school, and one from a palmtree. I’ll save you the pains of tracing and cutting them out: You can download the (transparent) .psd here and here, or just click the thumbnails below and ‘Save As’ the big picture for the .png.

Now open the downloaded pictures. Make sure the ‘House’ picture is placed in the new Group (House & Palmtree), and move it in the middle. Name it’s Layer ‘House’. Put the palmtrees in a new Layer called ‘Palmtrees’, and place them next to the house, as shown below:

Step 16

Now we are going to add some more emphasis on these pictures. Right-click to the ‘House’ Layer, Blending Options. Use Stroke:

Paste the Layer Style of the ‘House’ Layer to the ‘Palmtrees’ Layer: Right Click on the ‘House’ Layer, and click ‘Copy Layer Style’. Then Right Click on the ‘Palmtrees’ Layer and Paste Layer Style. Easy, isn’t it?

Step 17

The contrast and brightness of the two pictures need some adjusting. Now CTR+Click the ‘House’ Layer Thumbnail (Or Select > Load Selection > ok) so that the ‘House’ is selected and add a new Curves Adjustment Layer:

Move the curve like this:

Do the same for the ‘Palmtrees’ Layer, having a curve like this:

Step 18

In a new group (I called it Front) create a new Layer (I called it Front_Brush). Brush with a small sized splatter Brush (The Brushes from step 12), using the Brushtool (B), on the bottomside of the ‘House’. Use Different Opacities with a red color (for example: #8b1a09), untill you have something like this:

Step 19

Now CTR+Click the Layer Thumbnail of the Front_Brush Layer so that it is selected and add a Color Balance Adjustment Layer, using the following settings (Shadows and Highlights are on default settings):

Step 20

Create a new Layer and call it ‘Front_Stars’. Now take the Star Brush (it is in the standard Brush Set), the color you choose here is not important since that will be overrided by the Blending Options we’ll use later. Start Brushing at the same location as in Step 18, and make sure the brushed ’stars’ are in different sizes. Like this:

Step 21:

We are going to give our stars a really nice color. Right-Click on the ‘Front_Stars’ Layer, Blending Options, and add the following Blending options:

Duplicate this Layer, the Blending Options are copied along. Select the ‘Front_Stars’ Layer (this is the bottom one of the ‘Stars’ Layers), and apply Gaussian Blur of 8px (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur). Now you should have something like this:

Step 22:

The party poster is pretty far now, but we could additionally add some text! For this we need one custom font which can be download from dafont.com: Hurricane. Place it in your dir:\windows\fonts\ folder to install it. Of course you are free to choose your own text, but I don’t think something as winterparty would fit well ;)!

I created a new Group and called it Fonts Header. All the following layers will be in this Group.

Now we don’t start with the first layer, but we’ll first make the fonts, since we need that for the rest (you’ll see). Now insert your text somewhat in the middle of the image. I used 3 Textlayers for this, the middle text uses the Font Gill Sans MT Bold 88pt, the other two are Hurricane 48pt:

Step 23

It looks okay, but we need some more color. Let’s add the following blending options:

You learned to copy Layer Styles in an earlier step, so it should be easy to copy it to the other Text Layers Now. For the two smaller fonts (Hurricane), i unchecked the Blending Option ‘Inner Glow’, by collapsing the ‘Fx Button’ and hiding the ‘Eye’:

Step 24

Create a new Layer and call it White_Font_BG. Set it’s fill to 75%. This Layer must be underneath all Font Layers. Now with some twirled brushes from the My Arabesque Set we used earlier, Brush first some twirls in white. Use different Brushes from the My Arabesque Set for this.

Now, the most areas just beneath the text need to be white: Select the font layers by CTR+Click on one of the Font Layers Thumbnails, extend the selection by 5px (Select > Modify > Extend) and fill this using Right Mouse > Fill > Color (#FFFFFF). You should apply fill in the White_Font_BG Layer ofcourse. Do this for all the Font Layers. Cover up the remaining holes with a standard white Brush, so that the area under the fonts is white. Hide the Font Layers and you should have something like this:

It is more clear what is done with the ‘Stroke’ that is added in step 25:

Step 25

This is the final step: add the following Blending Options to the White_Font_Bg Layer:

Now Unhide the Font Layers again. Congratulations! You finished this tutorial. The outcome is shown in the top. I hope this tutorial gave some insight in how resources like brushes, textures, pictures and fonts can be used to create a great party poster!

Download the .PSD file here.

NOTE : ALL CREDITS FOR THE ORIGINAL TUTORIAL MAKER :)

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