Photoshop Manic - Easy Photoshop Training: October 2009

Create a clean elegant wordpress theme design using adobe photoshop.

Step 1

Create new document 1360px x 1500px 72dpi. Background color: #000, ( Black )

Note: Width is 960px out 1360. Leaving 200px on each side. So What I am saying is leave 200px space on both sides of your layer and the middle should come out to 960px.

Step 2

Select the paint brush( select brush with blur edges ) tool and create 4 circles. Circle 1:#308fab, Circle 2:#3f2e49, Circle 3:#58303d, Circle 4:#78372e,

Step 3

Now Lets stretch our image. Go to edit>>free transform and make image bigger. Then move image upward when completed

Stretch downward

Step 4

Ok so we will now add a nice effect to our background. Select on layer with four colors and go to Filter>>Noise>>Add Noise.

Amount:30%, Distribution:Gaussian, and select Monochromatic.

Noise Settings

Step 5

Go to Filter>>Blur>>Motion Blur

Select Motion Blur

Angle:90, Distance:225.

Motion Blur Settings

Step 6

Now select the rectangle tool and create a rectangle at the very top ( About 50px high ) and change the layer opacity to 35%

Rectangle tool/box

Note: Whenever I create dummy links I always have links on one text line so once you have the type tool selected Double click and one line should appear then

type the words.

Select the type tool and create 4 links. Home, About, Contact, Services. ( 4 spaces after each word, hit spacebar 4 times after you type a word that way you do not have to make

indiviual links )

links

Step 7

Now we will create a search form. Select the rectangle tool Color:#232224, then draw a box across the top right leaving room for a button. Then add the following text,Looking for something

For our search button select the rounded rectangle tool and create a small rectangle to the right of our search form background.

Now right click on search button layer>>Blending Options>>Gradient overlay.

Left color:#040404 , Right color:#292928;

Now let’s add the following text to our search button. Search

Step 8

Select the rectangle tool Color:#000. Now create a box 960px across the layout and about 325px height. Then change the layer opacity to 35%

Featured box

Step 9

Now lets add a featured image, width:590px x height:295px;

Step 10

Select the type tool. Now you create a heading title of your own or use my current heading title.Font:Size:23px, Arial, Bold.

Create heading

Then create an post information link. Select the type tool and type the following.Posted by Marcell on 10.16.09 in Tutorials

Post Information Look

Now write the excerpt. I used dummy text. Google search Lorem Ispum

Excerpt

Step 11

Now we will create a button. Select the rectangle tool Color:#000; Now draw a rectangle button. Right click on layer>>Blending options>>Gradient Overlay Left Color:#1b1b1b,

Right color:#0e0e0e

Duplicate the button layer. Then select the paint bucket tool ,Color:#373737, and fill the second black layer button.

Duplicate the first button layer. You should have 2 black button layers and 1 grey button layer.

Move buttons close together to give it that illusional look. ( zoom in to get best results )

3 buttons

btn example

Step 12

Select the type tool and type following.Read More. Font: Myraid pro, 29px, bold,. Now right click on text layer>>blending options>>Inner Shadow then copy current settings.

Step 13

Select the rectangle tool, color:#000, Then create a rectangle under featured section to bottom. Layer opacity 35%.

Create Main background

Step 14

Now we will create our post area. First thing we will create are our thumbnails. Create a thumbnail Width:275px height:164px,

Create Thumbnail

then right click on thumbnail layer>>Blending options>>Stroke.

Add a stroke

Note:I do not cover the post area as well since it is the same as the featured area

Step 15

Copy current post area from image below. It is almost the same as the featured box. You can do it champ!. For the line I used the line tool, 1px Color:#3b2221

Create Post

Step 16

Duplicate post area 3 times.

Step 17

Now we will create our sidebar. Google search rss icons( Icon used in tutorial is from Wefunction ) Then place a rss button at the top

of the sidebar. Now select the type tool in type the following, Subscribe Rss Email Feed. Font:Arial, 15px, bold

Sidebar rss

Step 18

Now we will add some sidebar widgets to our layout. Duplicate the read more button from the featured box and change the text to Sponsors. Drag box down to sidebar. Now Google search 125 ads or create

your own and place it into the layout.

Sponsor widget

Step 19

Duplicate the the read more button once more and change the font to Popular post. Then select the text tool and create a heading( Font: Arial, 14px, bold ). Then create a description for

the post or known as the excerpt( Font: Arial, 10px ). Select the line tool Color:#3b2221 and create a line that seprates each post. Once you have the first popular post article completed

duplicate the group 2 times.