Promitech Technologies

If I were forced to give up all but one image adjustment tool, I would keep curves. Hands down. The curves adjustment tool is an integral part of every professional’s knowledge base and image editing package.

Even if you’ve taken a good photo, chances are it can be improved or it needs to be adjusted to work in a collage or collection. Or even to just to intensify a mood. You can always make a good thing better – and curves is a one-stop-shop way to do that.

With curves you are able to:

• Adjust the over-all contrast or tonal range
• Adjust the local contrast or tonal range
• Adjust the color

Let’s jump in and find out how. It’s simpler than it looks.

Overview

The idea behind Curves is all about re–mapping values. A pixel starts out at a certain brightness, and you change it to be brighter or darker.

The curves box opens as a straight line because you haven’t made any changes yet. That means that the brightness values before and after are the same. You will effect a change by changing the shape of the curve.

The points from left (bottom) to right (top) affect: blacks, shadows, midtones, highlights, and whites. By altering the position in these regions will affect the corresponding tonal range of your image. Leaving the line in the center will leave the tones unchanged.

You begin altering the brightness values by clicking once somewhere on the line. This will establish a “point”; this point can now be dragged to a different place within the grid, which causes that tonal value to change, either lighter or darker depending on whether you drag it up or down. The reason it’s a curve is so that the change blends smoothly throughout the image. An abrupt change in value can be very noticeable. The increasingly gradual change of the brightness values on either side of the change permit a very smooth and believable adjustment.

It’s important to note, however, that you can’t increase contrast in one region without decreasing it in another. The curves tool redistributes contrast. Therefore think of the image having a contrast allocation or budget and you need to decide how to best spend it.

Also, the curves tool will preserve the tonal hierarchy (unless you use uncommon negative slopes). That means that the brighter parts of the image will stay brighter even after your conversion – just maybe not by the same amount.

Quick Tip

Keep effects on adjustment or separate layers to enable quick alteration or removal at any time during the color correction process. (Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves. Or at the bottom of the Layers panel.)

S- and Inverted S-Curves

Rollover Image

The S-Curve and the Inverted S-Curve are two curves most commonly used. The S-Curve adds contrast to the midtones while subtracting from the shadows and highlights. The Inverted S-Curve does the opposite.

Often in photography, it’s difficult to expose your image perfectly. Brightness or darkness in tonal ranges can benefit from optimization. The S-Curve is often useful in these cases – not to mention, quick and simple.

Empty Tonal Range and Histograms

Rollover Image

One very useful and important function of curves is to correct empty tonal ranges – in the histogram edges (blacks and whites) or gaps in between (shadows, midtones, and highlights). An under exposed image can be helped by pulling in the black and white points to correct the exposure.

Or if there are gaps in between the tonal peaks you can decrease contrast in specific parts of your image – thereby freeing up the contrast to be used in the more visible areas of your image.

Clipped Highlights

Rollover Image

Images containing a bright light source, such as the sun, can often be harsh or posterized (also called color banding). Posterization of an image entails conversion of a continuous gradation of tone to several regions of fewer tones, with abrupt changes from one tone to another. This can create an unrealistic look, and often a smoother transition to white is preferred.

Correcting Color Balance

All curves thus far have been applied to RGB values of luminosity. But they can also be used on individual color channels to correct color casts in specific tonal regions. Often the color in an image is correctly balanced, but due to reflection or a light source with a varying temperature or color, you may see unwanted tints in a tonal region. Changing the white balance or adjusting the overall color would inadvertently harm the other tones. So we can selectively increase or decrease the amount of a color cast in the red, green, and blue channels to achieve perfect balance.

Any adjustments upward of the diagonal line in the red channel increase the red in the image. Lowering, below the diagonal line, increases the cyan. The other channels are the same: Upward in the green channel, green; lower, magenta. Upward in the blue channel, blue; lower yellow.

RGB color images should be thought of as being comprised of a composite channel and three grayscale channels containing the values of the three colors – red, green and blue. This is shown in the example above of the red on the left, green in the middle, and blue on the right.

Window > Channels to see this on your image.

Rollover Image

You can see in the image above that there is a slight blueish cast in the color tone. Not to mention, the image is slightly washed out (improperly exposed).

As you can see, the sky is already quite white, so we won’t want to effect the highlights and above. By lowering the curve in the midtones and shadows, without effecting the highlights, we solve the exposure problem. Then we’ll get rid of the blue color cast: By lowering the blue in the low end, we eliminate the problem and the gowns go to black – as they should be.

Note

If precise color adjustments aren’t required, simple color balance correction might be easier (Image > Adjustments > Color Balance).

Blending Modes

Also, curves adjustment layers (Layer>New Adjustment Layer> Curves) can be set to make curves only apply to a channel – such as Color and/or Luminosity – which allows for further, varied control. Another benefit is that it can make your adjustments more subtle through use of the opacity controls for the layer.

Notes

Practice makes perfect. The more you use the tools and techniques available to you the better you’ll get, improve your photography, and have fun.

Here are some things to remember when using the curves tool:

• Minimize use of the curves tool, as anything which stretches the image histogram increases the possibility posterization.
• Avoid the use of the curves tool on an already altered image.
• Perform curves on 16-bit images when possible. (Image > Mode > 16 Bits/Channel)
• For extreme levels of color correction, consider applying curves using LAB mode.

February was a great month full of awesome tutorials, interesting articles and interviews, and stunning showcases for inspiration.

Quick Nav:

• Photoshop Tutorials
• Illustrator Tutorials
• Web/Blogging Tutorials
• Freebies, Inspiration, & Resources

Photoshop TutorialsSuper Easy Typographic Portrait in Photoshop

This tutorial, from Abduzeedo, will show you how to use the Displace filter and some Blend Modes to a great looking typographic portrait.

Create a Stylish Grunge Poster with 3D Typography in Photoshop

This tutorial shows you how to make a great looking grunge poster in Photohop. Blending modes, stock images and filters are used to create some cool effects.

How to Create a Somber Composition in Photoshop

In this tutorial, from PSDTuts+, you’ll learn how to manipulate stock images and other objects to create this amazing composition.

How to Give a Retro Look to Your Photos

The tutorial is perfect for Photoshop beginners who are looking to understand how to manipulate colors using adjustment layers and filters.

How to Make a Worn Vintage Beach Ad in Photoshop

In this Photoshop tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a worn out vintage beach ad in Photoshop. Brushes, color editing, filters, and masking are just some of the techniques used.

How to Create a Dark and Mysterious TV-Head Scene

This Photoshop tutorial will show you how to replace a person’s head with a television—and how to create a stormy sky using brush strokes.

Neon with Layer Styles

In this tutorial you’ll learn how to create a cool neon looking effect using basic techniques such as Layer Styles and a few brushes.

How To Create a Detailed Apple iPad Icon in Photoshop

With the news of the Apple tablet called the iPad, Chris Spooner, wrote this tutorial on how to create a detailed iPad icon.

Create a Professional Web 2.0 Layout

In this Photoshop tutorial you’re going to learn how to create a professional website layout. A lot of techniques are used and all of them are explained in great detail.

Design a Brilliant Product Advertisement

In this tutorial, you’ll learn the steps and techniques involved in creating a great looking ad that integrates the use of multiple images. Also Check Out: Abduzeedo’s Version.

Illustrator TutorialsCreate an Abstract, Textured Artwork in Illustrator

In this tutorial, you’ll use the Blend Tool, Paintbrush Tool and textures to create a stunning abstract piece of art.

Make Watercolor and Marker Style Portraits with Illustrator

This tutorial will teach you the techniques used to create digital portrait illustrations that have the unique feel of marker and watercolor.

Create A Briefcase Icon

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a briefcase icon with basic shapes and gradients. You’ll also learn some useful techniques that can be used for other projects.

Create An Editable Stitched Label Type Treatment

This tutorial, from Vectips, uses Appearance panel in Illustrator making it easy to edit the text and apply the treatment to other fonts and vector elements.

Create A Mouthwatering Chocolate Covered Strawberry

In this tutorial, you’ll learn tricks and techniques to create a chocolate covered strawberry but can also be used in an array of projects.

How to Design a Cheeky Koala Mascot Head

This great tutorial from VectorTuts+, will show you how to combine basic shapes, blending modes and smart coloring to create a koala illustration.

Learn Gorgeous New Shading Skills

This tutorial from Digital Arts, teaches you how to transform a pencil sketch into a beautiful, digital artwork using Illustrator and Photoshop.

Lego Bricks Typeface

This great tutorial on Vectordiary teaches you how to convert the beloved LEGO bricks into a cool looking typeface in Illustrator.

How to Create a Seamless Argyle Pattern in Illustrator

A great screencast tutorial from Colorburned that explains the steps needed to create a seamless arglyle pattern.

Web TutorialsShare Feedback with Twitter and the Bit.ly API

This tutorial from the guys of Build Internet will walk you through the creation of a customizable “Tweet this” link that integrates Bit.ly API and acts as a type of inderect polling system.

Tips for Designing Unique and Attractive Blog Posts

It’s interesting that as time goes by, more and more designers are “Art Directing” their blog posts. This article on Line25, gives some tips on how to do it right.

Also Check Out: The death of the Boring Blog Post?

How to Code up a Web Design from PSD to HTML

This is part two of a tutorial that created a website layout in Photoshop. In this tutorial, that design is now converted into HTML and CSS.

Design a Prettier Web Form with CSS 3

This tutorial, on Nettuts+, will teach you how to create a lightweight and beautiful form and help you learn and understand CSS3 effects that can really spice up a design.

The Principle of Contrast in Web Design

A well designed website has contrast to establish some type of visual hierarchy. This article, from Web Design Ledger, explains how contrast can be achieved in a website design.

Fundamentals for a Kick-Ass Creative Company

A great post from the guys at Build Internet that explains their answer to a simple question: What makes an awesome company on the inside?

How to Guest Post Properly to Build Your Readership

In this great guest post by James Chartrand on Fuel Your Blogging, you’ll learn how to get your guest articles accepted and how to make the best of the opportunity.

5 Bad Work at Home Habits: Are You Guilty?

Working at home can have many advantages. However, it also has its temptations. This article on Freelance Folder talks about the five most common pitfalls of working at home, why they’re bad, and how you can avoid or overcome them.

Freebies, Inspiration & ResourcesFree Medical Icons Set (60 Icons)

60 original medical icons in .png 32 bit in resolutions 32×32px and 128×128px. This set was designed by the user interface design agency Centigrade and released exclusively for Smashing Magazine and its readers.

NIXUS Icon Pack: 60 Beautiful Premium Icons

A great new icon pack here on Tutorial9 called NIXUS is great for corporate and creative situations or any other project.

Lighting Effects Pack – 50 Free Brushes and Images

This is a great freebie pack from Media Militia that’s filled with 50 different types of glowing light streaks. The pack is available as either Photoshop Brushes or images. Great for your personal or commercial projects.

Creative and Inspirational Wedding Invitation Cards

Ahh… the day of your wedding is a special one. What makes it even better is a beautiful invitation. This is a inspiring showcase of some of the best wedding invitations.

A Showcase of 50 Amazing Personal Blog Web Designs

A beautiful & inspiring showcase of blog designs that capture the personality and writing style of its owners.

A Showcase of Beautiful Typography in Web Design

An amazing showcase from Line25 of websites that use typography effectively to communicate their message.

50 Stunning Pieces of 3D Typography for Inspiration

Inspiration can be found in a variety of places, one of them being light art. In this round-up Matthew Kammerer did a great job in collecting some beautiful forms of light art.

Weapons of Mass Creation Interview: Fuel Brand Inc.

GoMedia had a chat with Adelle Charles & Joshua Smibert of Fuel Brand, Inc and talked about their background, goals, and views on the design industry. Very interesting interview complete with a video and conversation transcript.

Get Featured in Creative Bookmarks

If you’d like to be featured in the next volume of Creative Bookmarks, simply send us you’re tutorial, resource, or article link before the end of the month. If we think it’s a top notch link, we’ll be sure to share it with all of our readers!

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Learn How To Design a translucent 3D Frosted Glass Box based on the Safari Icon in Adobe Photoshop.

Quick Nav:

• Tutorial
• Download the PSD (Source Files)

Step 1: Setting Up

Make a new document with these settings:

Next, select the fill tool (G) and fill it with #626262. Now, we need to make a new adjustment layer. Make a brightness/contrast layer (Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast). Put it on these parameters.

We add this adjustment layer so as everything looks better in the later stages.

Step 2: Making the Circle

Select the circular marquee tool and use these settings:

Make a selection and fill it with #649ad2. Then, grab a soft eraser, on a low opacity, and erase some areas like this:

This is so that it looks more 3D, and later on, it’ll add a nice transparent feel to our icon.

When you’re happy, and you have a similar result to the one above, add these Layer FX to it, to make it look better.

You should now have something resembling this:

Step 3: Making the Circle 3D

In this step, we’re going to make the circle look 3D. The theory of this is simple. You think about where the light is coming from, then add shadows and highlights to fit your light source if you keep this consistent, then you’ll have a much better final result. Below is some light theory that should make it easier for you.

Lighting

Although this is not the best of diagrams, it shows basic lighting. If you stick to this, and have a constant light source, your piece will turn out far more striking and realistic.

OK, grab your circular marquee tool, set it to 10px Feather and make it 200px by 200px. There are many different ways of getting highlights/gloss and shadows. My favourite, and I think one of the best ways to get gloss is like this.

Change the layer mode to multiply

And then, with white as your foreground colour, add this Layer FX

Vary

You can vary this. When making your highlights, you can vary the opacity, or colour of the gradient you use. You can also vary the layer mode. Try changing some settings now, and see what happens!

Shadows are much easier to make, and in a way, more powerful. You can have more highlights than shadows, because shadows are more obvious. For a shadow, simply make a circle, you can vary this and the feather px. Then, you can set it to soft light, overlay or of course, normal, it really comes down to which one you like best.

With the shadows, you can make them very discreet, yet they still play a very important part in the eventual outcome of the icon. Highlights are less noticeable, so you can add more of them, but with shadows, they play a bigger part; and have more of an impact.

The worst thing you can do when shadowing is zoom in too far. When you do that, you can’t see the whole image, and so you can’t really tell if it looks right. Make sure that when shadowing, you can see the whole image, and you’re thinking about what you’re doing!

By now, you should have a well highlighted and shadowed 3D sphere, resembling this. Don’t worry if it looks a little strange at this point, it’ll all come together later on.

Step 4: Adding Detail

Now, that looks OK. I added some highlights on the right that add a lot; I used the highlight technique described above. In this step, we are going to make those really nice 3D looking lines. The way to do this is simple, which we’ll find out in a bit.

Select your pen tool and get a brush size of 3px wide. You want to use these settings for the pen tool.

Next, we want to start drawing paths like this:

Set your brush size to around 3 – 5pxNow, for PC users, press right click > stroke path, for Mac users; CTRL + click > stroke path. When you stroke paths, there are two types of stroke paths. With simulated pressures and without simulated pressures. Here is an example of both.

If it doesn’t work, you may need to reset your brushes here’s how to do that:

In the next step, we’ll work out how to make these lines aid the 3D look.

Step 5: Detailing the Detail

You probably have some white lines now, looking 3D, but not merging into the icon. Set the layers to soft light or overlay, you can also lower the opacity and/or the fill of the lines. You can also get a soft eraser to erase some areas to make it look more 3D.

If you look carefully, you will also see not only the very distinct circles, which I’ll tell you how to do later; but also the very faint ones. To make both of them, grab the circular marquee tool with these parameters:

You can then edit the layer styles. For mine, I simply set the opacity to 50%. But you could set it to soft light or overlay.

For the faint ones, but it below every ‘line’ layer, and set it to soft light or overlay and lower the opacity.

In the next step, we’ll make 3D paths, that really add to the image.

Step 6: 3D Paths

This is a really short step, but it adds a lot.

Firstly, get your pen tool open, and then follow these steps.

Experiment

Try out different paths and set some layers to soft light or overlay and lower the opacity.

Step 7: Making the Basic Box

If you want to have something to trace around, you can do so around here. But of course, if you want to make your own, go for it! When you’re tracing, use the pen tool, and make each side on a new layer. Then, fill the paths with white (#ffffff). Then add these layer FX to every side.

On the ‘front’ sides, set the fill to 15% and the ‘back’ sides to 10%. This’ll get it looking transparent.

In the next step, we’ll work on making it more 3D.

Step 8: Highlighting the Box

Remember that highlight technique earlier? Well, use that technique on paths like this. Make a new layer above each box ’side’ and then make a path accordingly. To make ’swirly’ paths, make two points, then; click in the middle of the path and drag it up/down left/right and it’ll make a nice path. Have a look at this example.

Then, select the right ’side’ layer and press CTRL + SHIFT + I or for Mac users CMND + SHIFT + I, then press delete. In the next step we will look at adding more detail into the box.

Step 9: Adding Details to the Box

In this step, there’s not going to be much writing, more annotated pictures. I am using the techniques for stroking paths, highlights and shadows that we looked at earlier to make the box, and anything you seen in these pictures.

Making Softer Shadows

If you want to make those soft shadows, get a soft brush (airbrush) around the size of 9-12px, stroke the paths and then lower the opacitysoft light.

Step 10: Making Everything Glow

That looks good, but… Not full of that striking glow. To get something to glow, it’s really easy. Simply get an airbrush, 100-300px and just paint on white. For background highlights, make new layers at the bottom and highlight there. For more centralised ones, do it on top, and maybe in a smaller brush.

To get a better glow-type look, adding lots of layers on 5-10% opacity will look much better than two or three on 40%. You can also add blue highlights to give it more of a glow.

Step 11: Finishing Details

The icon looks good, but it’d be nice to add a bit more shadow. Make a new layer at the top (behind your contrast one) and fill it with black (#000000) and set the fill to 0%. Then add these layer styles and you have a nice shadowed look.

And you’ll have a nice shadowed look to your image.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we’ve learnt about strokes, layering, shadowing, highlighting, layer FX, layer modes, opacity and fill. Put together you can make so many amazing things in Photoshop, so good luck; and make sure you check Tutorial9 frequently for tutorials!

I hope you enjoyed creating your own internet icon!

A large version of the final image can be seen here.

Download the PSD (or source files) Download the PSD (or source files)

This Free Icon Pack is for use in your personal and commercial projects, and can be used without attribution. It may not be redistributed.

NIXUS may be one of our top Icon Pack releases to date: 60 Premium Quality Icons—Absolutely Free. While many of our other Icon Packs are great for creative use, NIXUS proves to be compatible in both corporate and creative situations. You won’t find many other free icons packs with this kind of quality online.

Each icon comes in transparent .png format in 64×64px, 48×48px, and 32×32px.

Download NIXUS Icon Pack

In Part 1 of this tutorial, you designed a button sprite that will be coded with HTML, CSS, and JQuery in this part of the tutorial.

If you do not want to complete part one of this tutorial, you can download the source files created in that lesson here.

Step 1 – HTML

Different people will require a button for different purposes. The remainder of this tutorial will explain a simple scenario where the button functions as a simple download link. Create a link to an imaginary (or real) file for download:

<a href="path/to/download.zip" class="button"></a> Step 2 – CSS

Add the following CSS to your HTML document:

.button { width:570px; height:64px; /* Notice that the height is not the height of the whole sprite, but the height of one single button */ display:block; background-image:url(images/downloadbutton.png); /*path to the sprite*/ background-position: top; /* the background position (in combination with the height!) makes it possible that only the top of the whole sprite will be visible */ }

When you apply the CSS code above, you will only see the grey button, because it’s positioned on top and the height is 64px

Link hover button

.button:hover{ width:570px; background-position: bottom; height:64px; background-image:url(images/downloadbutton.png) no repeat; }

When you apply the CSS code above, you will only see the green button when you hover the download button, because it’s positioned at the bottom and the height is 64px

Demo: View Live Demo

Step 3 – Fading hover effect

This step is not necessary, but it’s an optional step. The transition will be smoothed with JavaScript. We’re going to use the popular jQuery library.

The original tutorial comes from this website. I’ll do my best to explain.

Step 4 – Add code between the head tags

Download jQuery. First we need to refer in the head to the .js file that we’ve just downloaded.

<script type="text/javascript" src="path/to/jquery-1.3.2.min.js"></script>

After that we can add the following code between the head tags.

<script type="text/javascript"&gt $(document).ready(function() { // Add the class 'button' just like in CSS with a dot in front of it $('.button').append('<span class="hover"&gt</span&gt').each(function () { var $span = $('&gt span.hover', this).css('opacity', 0); $(this).hover(function () { $span.stop().fadeTo(500, 1); //Change the number 500 to change the speed of the Fade In }, function () { $span.stop().fadeTo(500, 0); //Change the number 500 to change the speed of the Fade Out }); }); }); </script> How to deal with several buttons on one page

If you have several buttons on one page and you’d like to add the fading hover effect, you can give it a different class in the HTML and add this in the JavaScript above after the word .button and you need also to separate the words with a comma. (Example: ‘.button,.buttonTwo’)

Step 5 – Edit the CSS .button { position:relative; display:block; height: 64px; width: 570px; background:url(images/downloadbutton.png) no-repeat; background-position: top; } .button span.hover { /*notice the different class: span.hover*/ position: absolute; display: block; height: 64px; width: 570px; background: url(images/downloadbutton.png) no-repeat; background-position: bottom; }

View Live Demo to check the result.

Download the source files (PSD included) Download

This tutorial will show you how to build creative hover animations for buttons using sprites. The particular effect illustrated in this tutorial is inspired by the “Download” buttons on Tutorial9.net. Part 1 of this tutorial explains the design process in Photoshop. In Part 2 we will convert it to XHTML + CSS and as a bonus we will also use jQuery for a fading hover effect.

View Demo: Button Animation Demo

Skip to Part 2: Click Here (Demo files available for download)

Step 1 – Create the shape

Create a new document in photoshop fit to your needs. In this instance, I’ll be creating a 570px wide button. The height of the new canvas should be twice the height of the button needed (explained later, but for now just use the top half of the canvas).

We’re going to make a rounded button. Use the Rounded Rectangle Tool with a radius of 5px. Keep in mind that we will add a border and shadow, so leave some white space around the button.

Step 2 – Add layer styles

We will use a pretty basic color scheme for the initial state of the button. The surprise (I call it the wow-effect because of the contrast) will be added in the color scheme of the hover state button.

Note from Editor

The diagrams shown are not in English, but the diagrams will apply to English versions of Photoshop as well. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Drop shadow

Gradient overlay

Stroke

Step 3 – Highlights

Select the the shape of the button: Ctrl (Cmd for Mac users) + Click the Layer Thumbnail in the Layers Palette. Now add a new layer and fill the selection with the color #fafafa (use the Bucket tool). Select the selection tool and move the selection 1px to the right. Now click backspace and the selection will be deleted. Now you need to move the selection 1px up and delete the selection. The last step is to move the selection 2px down and delete the selection. What remains is a sleek highlight effect on the left side of the button.

Apply the same trick on the right side of the button.

Step 4 – Button text

Type the text "Send" or "Submit", or whatever you wish:

• font: Helvetica Neue Bold
• font-size: 35px
• color: #343434

Add also the following layer style:

Final image

Step 5 – Prepare the canvas for a sprite

We’re going to make a sprite of the buttons. Why sprites and not single images? Why combine all those images? Isn’t it quicker to have smaller images?

Using CSS sprites allows you to greatly increase your websites speed by using single image files that contain multiple graphics. In other words, when you have many images to be used, instead of having them as different individual files, we combine them into one. Therefore, the client computer only downloads one image for all the different graphics to be displayed.

Measure the height of the button. My example has a height of 64px. The link hover button will have the same size as the link button so my Photoshop canvas needs to have a height of 128px (= 2 x 64px). Use Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + C to change the height of the canvas.

Step 6 – The link hover button

Select all layers in the layers palette and place them in one group. Duplicate this group and move it down to the empty space. Now you have the same two buttons in the sprite.

Change the color of the copied text to #fffff and change the drop shadow:

Add the following layer styles on the copied button shape:

Drop shadow: don’t change it.

Gradient overlay

Stroke

Final touches

We’re going to add some gloss to the link hover button. Select the the shape of the button: Ctrl/Cmd + Click the Layer Thumbnail in the Layers Palette. And fill a new layer with the color #ffffff using the Bucket tool. Cut Away the bottom part with the Selection tool and change the opacity to 7%.

The final touch is changing the opacity of the highlights to 30% (which is already applied in the image above), because the original ones are too strong for the green button.

Final image

Save the image/sprite for web and you’re finished with the design part. It’s time to move on to the development part!

Continue: Continue to Part 2 »

Ending Design Note: Create your own buttons

Use colors that fit into your design. To create a simple 3D effect for the link hover button, you can also flip (the background of) the link button vertically. This works fine if you’re using a simple gradient.

Don’t use too many buttons like these on your website. If you wan’t to use several buttons on one page it’s better to create small buttons.

This Free Icon Pack is for use in your personal and commercial projects, and can be used without attribution. It may not be redistributed.

Inside this Icon Pack are 23 Free Vintage Stamp Icons, created exclusively for the viewers of Tutorial9 by Dawghouse Design Studio.

You can also Learn to make your own Vintage Stamps in a tutorial Jan wrote over at Dawghouse Design Studio.

Download Vintage Stamps Social Media Icon Pack

Happy belated new year Creative Bookmarkers! We’re well on our way into twenty-ten, and have a handful of outstanding resources to share from January.

Quick Nav:

• Photoshop Tutorials
• Illustrator Tutorials
• Web/Blogging Tutorials
• Freebies, Inspiration, & Resources

Photoshop TutorialsCreate a Clean Blue Portfolio Design in Photoshop

There are a couple of nice photoshop layout tutorials from around the web in January. First up is simple portfolio design by Tomas Laurinavičius.

How to Make a Vibrant Portfolio Web Design in Photoshop

To compliment the clean style, our friend and Tutorial9 contributor Ionut Ciursa has put together a tutorial for a more vibrant outgoing web layout.

Jungle 3D text in Photoshop
Jungle 3D text in Photoshop

Cool Photoshop tutorial that explains how to create a 3D text effect. The text is created in Xara3d and the letters are texturized in Photoshop. Plus+ there’s a free jungle wallpaper for download!

How to create a fantasy photomanipulation in Photoshop

Awesome tutorial that will show you how to combine stock images in Photoshop to make a fantasy photomanipulation. You’ll tinker with colors, mask and adjustment layers.

Abduzeedo 2010 Light Effects in Photoshop

This tutorial on Abduzeedo will show you how to create a light effect in Photoshop.You’ll learn how to use Blend Modes and Blurs to create a great looking poster.

Very Easy Heroes Eclipse in Photoshop – Screencast

This tutorial shows you how to recreate the solar eclipse image from Heroes in a slightly retro style using nothing but Photoshop.

How to Make a Professional Buddy Icon in Photoshop

To created a usable icon, it should be flexible to scale up or down. In this intermediate-level tutorial, you’ll learn how to make an awesome icon from scratch using Photoshop and its Pen tool.

How to Create a Fun, Red-Haired Boy Character

This tutorial, shows you how to make a boy character in Photoshop. You’ll learn how to take a sketch, use shapes, the brush tool, and other effects to create a great looking character.

How to Create a Serene Panorama from Multiple Photographs

This excellent tutorial on PSDTuts+, teaches you how to combine multiple stock photos into a beautiful scenery in Photoshop.

Design a Colorful Retro Futuristic Poster in Photoshop

An excellent tutorial by Chris Spooner that shows you how to make a bright and colorful retro futuristic poster in Photoshop.

Create a Fantastic Abstract Fan Poster

This tutorial uses layering, lighting, textures and some unusual techniques to create a fantastic abstract piece for the band Omega Code.

Illustrator TutorialsHow to Create a Cute Vector Bear T-Shirt Design

This tutorial shows you how to design a bear character and surrounding scenery using basic shapes, for use as a cool t-shirt design.

Create a Google Phone Styled Background in 6 Easy Steps

This tutorial from Vectips shows you how to create the “Nexus One” Google Phone background with a few simple steps using transparency modes to create cool lighting effects.

Create An Editable Metal Type Treatment

This tutorial uses the Appearance panel to create a metal looking type treatment that is fully editable when it is done.

Create a Set of Shiny Character Eyes

This tutorial teaches you how to create detailed vector eyes. Although the techniques used here are basic, the result looks great and can be used for all sorts of character designs.

How to Create Typeface Characters

This tutorial by Julian Dorado, shows you how to take different sections of the characters of a font and put them together, therefore creating all kinds of creatures.

Shakespeare Text Illustration Tutorial

This tutorial teaches you how to make a portrait of William Shakespeare in Illustrator using text.

Cafe Style Coffee Art in Adobe Illustrator

This tutorial shows you how to make a beautiful coffee illustration that was inspired by the book “1000 Restaurant, bar & café graphics”.

Web TutorialsThe New Hotness: Using CSS3 Visual Effects

This article on Smashing Magazine shows you how to use CSS3 visual effects to create impressive image galleries, animated music players and overlay images.

How to Make a CSS Sprite Powered Menu

This tutorial by the guys at Build Internet teaches you the process of building a navigation menu using a single CSS sprite image.

Create Custom Option Panels with Wordpress 2.9

This tutorial shows you how to create a custom options panel to insert analytic tracking codes. The latest version of Wordpress is used which means you’ll be able to transfer the skills you learn to other projects you may have.

How to Create a Cool Anaglyphic Text Effect with CSS

This tutorial on Line25 shows you how to create anaglyphs without repeating markup. The 3D effect might not work but the style is cool looking anyway.

How to Create a Theme-Switcher in 200 Seconds

This tutorial from NetTuts+ teaches you how to create a “color-switcher” in 200 seconds, using jQuery.

jQuery Animations: A 7-Step Program

This tutorial shows you how you can make a dull interface shine with some awesome jQuery animations.

Unconventional: CSS3 Link Checking

This great article by Doug Neiner teaches you how to use CSS3 unconventionally to check for empty links in your website designs.

Maybe Your Blog Needs to Fail

Usually, people view success as avoiding failure. However, Fuel Your Blogging makes the point that maybe failure is what your blog needs to succeed.

Freebies, Inspiration & ResourcesThe six fundamental ways of adding depth to your designs

Creativity Den gives us a crash course in depth in web design, complete with plenty of examples to boot.

Liquid Ink Pack

The Liquid Ink Pack is filled with 45 images, all at a high resolution. These images are for your personal and commercial use.

Radial Pack

The Radial Pack from Media Militia is a perfect addition to your resources folders with 50 different elements. You can download them as Photoshop Brushes or Vectors.

20 Fonts Ideal for Big and Powerful Headings

It’s important to choose the right typeface to compliment a website’s style. This article on Web Design Ledger, rounds up 20 fonts that are ideal for creating great headings.

30 Websites with Lovely Layout and Typography

I’m a big lover of typography and how it’s used in design. This is a great showcase of 30 websites showcasing beautiful typography and layout design from The Design Cubicle.

What? There is a Clique? Get over it.

This is an excellent article from the guys at Obox wrote. I also recommend you read the comments; the discussion is very interesting.

An Interview with Designer & Blogger Jon Phillips

Jon Phillips is the founder of Freelance Folder, Design Newz, and Spyre Studios. He’s a very interesting guy and I recommend you check out this interview with him.

27 Free Wooden Badges – Social Icon Pack

An awesome icon pack from Dawghouse Design Studio complete with 27 Wooden Social Icons created for the readers of Tutorial9.

Inspiration in Light Art: Photos, Videos, and Guides

Inspiration can be found in a variety of places, one of them being light art. In this round-up Matthew Kammerer did a great job in collecting some beautiful forms of light art.

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Inside this Icon Pack are 27 Free Wooden Social Icons, created exclusively for the viewers of Tutorial9 by Dawghouse Design Studio.

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In this tutorial, we are going to get creative with layering, lighting, and texture to build fantastic abstract piece. More specifically, we’re going to employ some unusual techniques to make a fan poster for the band Omega Code, but you’ll quickly see many different applications for what is taught here.

Before starting, it’s we must download and thank Moonchilde-Stock and SXC for their wonderful stock images.

Final Image Preview

Before you start take a look at the final image you will be creating.

Step 1 – Preparing the scene

Start by creating a new document. The canvas below is 1655×2132 and filled with black.

Step 2 – Creating the background

Create a new layer group called "Background". In this new group you will create the main elements that define the background. Start by creating a new blank layer. Make sure the Foreground color is black and Background color is white. Render some clouds by going to Filter > Render > Clouds.

Step 3

Next you need to apply a Radial Blur to this layer (Filter > Blur > Radial Blur) and apply a amount of 100 with Blur Method set to Zoom and the Quality to Best.

Step 4

Press Command + F (Ctrl + F on Windows) to apply the same filter again.

Step 5

Bring up Levels (Command + L or Ctrl + L on Windows) and adjust the settings to produce similar results as shown below.

Step 6

Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) set to 100% Feather and select several parts of the cloud render to delete (Remember: after making a selection, hold shift and create a new selection to add to the previous selection. Learn More About the Selection Tools). Delete this selection (Delete or Control+X). You may decide to feather this selection prior to deleting once more to make a softer deletion.

Step 7

Open this layers Blending Options and apply a Radial Gradient. Use the settings below to get a similar result.

Create a Blank Layer underneath this layer, and merge the layers together (Select Both Layers > Layer > Merge Layers). Set the layer to Linear Dodge and duplicate the layer (second layer must be Linear Dodge as well).

Step 8

Duplicate the layer again and this time apply a Twirl to this layer (Filter > Distort Twirl) with the angle set to 350.

Step 9

Create a black layer over the burst layers and add some noise over this layer (Filter > Noise Add Noise). Set it to 50% Gaussian and check Monochromatic.

Apply a Radial Blur over the Noise layer. Set it to Zoom, Amount 100% and Best Quality. Repeat this filter (Control + F).

Next bring up the Levels panel (Command + L or Ctrl + L on Windows) and apply 50 – 1 – 90 and erase the edges of the layer using the Eraser Tool (E) set to a soft brush. Set the layer to Color Dodge and 60% Opacity.

Step 10

In this step you will use a Nebula stock image. There are many to choose from, but I have chosen the wonderful stock image created by Moonchilde-Stock. Erase the edges of the image with a soft brush, and set the image to Linear Dodge and 80% Opacity.

Step 11 – Color Adjustments

You are finished with the Background Group.

Next you will create another Group called Adjustments. Inside this group create a new layer and using the Soft Brush (B) you need to add a spot of pink color #ff00f0, into a new layer a red color #fe3c00 and into another new layer an orange one #ff6c00. Each color should be in it’s own layer for easy adjustments.

Set each layer as follows: pink Linear Dodge and Opacity 21%, red Linear Dodge and Opacity 5%, orange Linear Dodge and Opacity 21%.

This is one of those steps that requires the best judgement of the designer. For this particular setup, these values made sense, but do as you see fit obviously.

Step 12

Create a new Solid Color Layer with the color #eca700.

Set the layer to Color and Opacity 24% to give the image a bit of a color cast.

Step 13

Repeat Step 12 but this time apply this color #00af3a and for the layer style again use Color and Opacity 11%.

Step 14

Repeat Step 12 but this time apply this color #001eff and for the layer stile again use Color and Opacity 16%. Also above all the layers and groups add the texture provided by SXC and set the layer to Overlay. Please note that this same effect could definitely be achieved by other means such as a levels adjustment layer if you’re comfortable using them.

Step 15 – Creating the Symbol

You are finished with the Adjustments Group. This next part of the tutorial focuses on the Omega Code symbol (but you’re free to create your own logo/symbol if you’d like). Create a New Group between the Adjustments and Background groups and name it Omega, this group will hold all the details and the Omega Symbol.

Create a new layer. Press Command + A (Ctrl + A in Windows) to select everything and press Command + Shift + C (Ctrl + Shift + C in Windows) to copy merged and then press Command + V (Ctrl + V in Windows) to paste into a new selection. Place the new layer inside the Omega group if it’s not already there..

Create a triangle shape and place it in the middle of the composition. You will use this shape just for reference.

Step 16

Make a selection around the black triangle (Ctrl + Click Layer in Layers Palette). For the moment, hide the triangle shape layer. Select the layer you have created in Step 15 (the merged copy of all other layers) and with the selection simply cut out a piece out of the merged layer.

Step 17

Show the triangle layer again, and be sure it’s rasterized (Right Click > Rasterize). Apply the following adjustments: Command + Shift + Option + B (Ctrl + Shift + Alt + B on Windows) with setting in image below.

Then set the layer to Soft Light. Duplicate this layer and set it to Multiply and 10% Opacity.

Step 18

Now you will have to create 4 more Triangles but these Triangles will have some cuts inside of them. To create the triangles you need to duplicate the triangle layer you have created back in Step 16, apply a black and white adjustment (Command + Shift + Option + B or Ctrl+ Shift + Alt + B on Windows) then use the Levels Adjustments to make it lighter (0 – 1.00 – 176).

Step 19

Create a smaller black triangle. Duplicate this triangle, and transform it so that there is an even smaller triangle within it (Note: Hold Alt + Shift while transforming to transform in proportion, and from the center). This triangle should occupy roughly 1/4th the area of the large triangle we applied the Black and White adjustment to in the previous step.

Step 20

Duplicate this black triangle 3 more times and place them like below.

Step 21

Make a selection around one of these triangles then select the big triangle and cut (Ctrl + X) a portion out of it. Paste this cut into a new layer, and delete the black small triangle layer.

Step 22

Repeat Step 21 for all the other triangles and deactivate the big triangle from step 18.

Note: Each of the small triangles should now be in a layer of their own.

Step 23

Apply the below Blending Option for all 4 triangles.

Step 24

Now use the Polygonal Lasso Tool and make a selection like below. Create a new layer and in this layer apply a Soft White gradient set to White/Transparent (a soft, large white brush may work just as well). Set the layer to overlay and Opacity 70%. The soft glow is not visible at the moment but as you proceed they will look very nice.

Note: Erase the edges with a Soft Brush.

Step 25

Keep on creating more glows, different sizes like in step 24.

Step 26

Same technique with the left side.

Step 27

And the bottom side. Keep layering the effect on top of one another to build up a powerful collection of highlights.

Step 28

Now you will use the same technique but this time create circle selections using the Elliptical Marquee Tool, invert the selections and then use the Radial Gradient. You will set these layers to Overlay and 88% Opacity.

Step 29

Next you will need to use the Pen Tool (P) and create paths on different locations over the 4 triangles. Then you will have to stroke those paths with a small white brush and set the layers to Overlay and Opacity so that the effect isn’t overwhelming.

Step 30

Use the Pen Tool (P) and create 2 white strokes 1px that will intersect and use the Eraser Tool (E) on the edges to fade them out softly. Then apply a soft white Outer Glow to it

Step 31

Duplicate, or create several more of these star elements to give your symbol a bit of polish!

Conclusion

We’re finished! Hopefully you’ve picked up a few new techniques and had fun while doing so. Please share any of your personal creations in the comments for others to see! You can view the final image below or view a larger version here.

Download the Free PSD Download the Illustrator Source File

As designers we are always looking for inspiration. Sometimes it is hard to find a source of inspiration outside of the internet and in the real world. Today I’ve brought to you a form of inspiration I love, light art.

Light art is defined by Wikipedia as a photographic technique in which exposures are made usually at night or in a darkened room by moving a light source or by moving the camera.

Quick Nav:

• Photo Inspiration
• Video Inspiration
• Tutorials

Photo Inspiration

Video Inspiration

Mount Hood, Highway 35 Time Lapse from blaine franger on Vimeo.

Stars and Planes from Sam Javanrouh on Vimeo.

Friday Night Lights from edvard brun on Vimeo.

Sprint “Light Trail” Dir. Snorri Brothers from Keith on Vimeo.

Light Animation from jyoti on Vimeo.

Light Ripple from Jason Eppink on Vimeo.

Tutorials

So you want to learn how to produce some awesome Light Art of your own? Here are a few tutorials:

Learning Light Painting from Abduzeedo

Christopher Hibbert discusses details ranging from basic information to the tools, camera settings, light, and technique. This post is a great resource!

Painting with Light

DIYPhotography outlines the camera, tripod, location, and what kind of light you will need to capture light art. The post goes into detail about different ways to capture light art and different areas you can experiment with.

Drawing in the Dark Photography Tutorial

This post gives you hints as to what ISO and shutter speed to use. The author also gives a few examples that he took as he learned the best way to tackle this method.

Your turn!

That’s a wrap. Now it’s your turn to go out and create your own light art. I hope you enjoyed the inspiration and if you have any of your own photos you’d like to share be sure to post them in the comments below!

In this Illustrator tutorial I’ll explain step by step how I created the "Delicious Coffee" illustration which was published in "1000 Restaurant, bar & café graphics" by Rockport Publishing.

The final image

This is what we will be creating:

 

Photo of the illustration in the book:

Step 1: Create a new document

Create a new document, since this is going to be a poster we need a large area to work with. Make it A3 size (297 x 420 millimetres or about 11,7×16,5 inches).

Step 2: Create layers, background and crop marks

Before we start, it is very important to keep everything organized. So please make a few new layers and name them: background, saucer, shadow, cup and smoke. Now select the background layer, grab the Rectangle Tool, draw a rectangle bigger than the page size and lock the layer so you won’t accidentally move it. I used #CAD980 for the nice fresh green color.

Now make sure you have no objects selected and go to Object>Crop area>Make to create crop marks for your document. It’s a nice little feature which will help you during the export of your file to a different format. It will adjust the document area to the crop marks and ignore any objects outside the artboard.

Step 3.1: Creating the saucer

Select the saucer layer and using the Pen Tool draw a line similar to the one in the picture, give it a white stroke with weight of 2 pt. It will be a basis for our saucer.

Step 3.2

Go to Effect>3D>Revolve, to transform the line into 3D shape. Use settings from the picture below. Additionally you will need to setup the light points, and their strength. In my project each of the three light points have the same Light Intensity and Ambient Light value.

Your shape should resemble this:

Step 3.3

To make the stripes at the rim of the saucer we first need to draw 3 rectangles of the same width and height, align them like in the picture below, group them and drag the group to the Symbol panel.

Name the symbol as Stripes set its type to Graphic and click OK. By doing this we convert our three rectangles into a symbol, to be able to map that symbol onto our 3d shape in the next step. (Colors used: #BD127C – magenta, #A8C653 – lime green)

Step 3.4

Select the saucer, go to the Appearance panel and double click 3D Revolve option. In 3D Revolve options panel select Map Art, go to surface 2 and select Stripes symbol from the drop down menu. The symbol will appear in the surface preview area. Click the Scale to fit button and check the Shade artwork option, so the lights we adjusted earlier will affect the mapped symbol.

The saucer is ready, it should look like the image below:

 

Step 4: Creating the cup

Now that we’ve created the saucer it’s time to create the coffee cup.

There are two ways to do it, you may draw the whole shape at once like I did, or you may take the "precision way" , and draw only half of the shape, duplicate it, reflect it, and join the two halves together.

Hide the saucer layer, select the cup layer, grab the Pen Tool and draw a shape like that, but don’t connect the highest and the lowest point.

 

Duplicate the shape by copying it (Edit>Copy) and pasting it in front (Edit>Paste in Front). Reflect the new shape vertically by double clicking the Reflect Tool, and checking the vertical axis.

 

Put the shapes close to one another so their end points overlap. Select the top points by dragging over them with the Direct Selection Tool, right click and select Join. Do the same with the two points at the bottom of the shape.

Step 4.1

Take the Ellipse Tool, and draw two ellipses just like on the picture below. The gray ellipse will serve as an inside wall of the coffee cup, give it a nice gray color: #EDEDED. The second one will simulate the coffee and it should have a really dark chocolate/coffee type of color: #1D1C1D

Step 4.2

Open the Pathfinder panel (Window>Pathfinder), select both ellipses that we just drawn and click Divide on the Pathfinder panel. The Divide command cuts selected objects in places where they overlap one another, so now you should have three separate shapes instead of two ellipses.

Since pathfinder automatically groups shapes press Ctrl+Shift+G to ungroup them. Then, select the bottom most shape and delete it, we won’t need it.

Your results should look like this:

Step 4.3

No we will use the gradient mesh tool to simulate the coffee foam. Select the coffee shape and convert it to gradient mesh by clicking Object>Create Gradient Mesh. Make it 6 columns, 6 rows with flat appearance.

Step 4.4

Now take the Lasso Tool, make a selection as indicated on the screenshot below and give it a light brownish color. My color is #694E56.

Step 4.4

Drag the indicated mesh points to the area outside the mesh:

You should get something like this:

Step 4.5

Now move the other points like this:

Tweak the mesh a little, adjust the colors, your outcome should resemble the picture below::

Step 4.6

The only thing our cup lacks now is the ear. Select the Pen Tool and draw the shape like in the picture below. Give it a light grey colour, like #EBEBEB. Remember to put it on the very bottom of the cup layer.

Now use the Pen Tool to draw a few highlights over the ear shape just like that (don’t worry about the highlights sticking out of the ear shape we will fix it soon):

Use the layers panel to bring the ear shape over the highlights:

Select the ear and the highlights, and press ctrl+7 or go to Object>Clipping Mask>Make. Your ear shape will become a clipping mask for the highlights, and will become invisible.

To make the ear visible again, find it on the layers panel and select it. Give the ear the same color as before (#EBEBEB). The effect should look like this:

Step 5: Adding detail to the cup

Since the basis of the cup is ready, it’s time to add some detail to it. We’ll start with the striped pattern.

To get started draw a long green (#A8C653) vertical rectangle, and duplicate it by holding the mouse button with Alt and Shift while you drag it.

With the duplicated rectangle still selected, press ctrl+D about 40 times to flood your screen with rectangles Fill every other rectangle with bright pink color (#B94284).

Step 5.1

Group all the rectangles, copy the main coffee cup shape and paste it in front (ctrl+F).

Now select the shape and the stripes and go to Object>Envelope Distort>Make with Top Object.

Select the pattern, go to the layers panel and put it below the coffee shape, and the inside of the cup. Next, go to Effect>Warp>Fisheye, set the Bend parameter to 50 and click OK.

Keep the pattern selected and go to Effect>Warp>Twist. You will be notified that "This will apply another instance of this effect". Just click "Apply New Effect" because this is what we need to apply the second effect. Select the Horizontal option, and set the Bend value to 40.

Now you can obviously see that the pattern is getting outside the cup, this is an undesired effect. To get rid of it we need to "lock" the pattern inside a clipping mask.

Once again copy the cup shape and paste it in front.

Select the shape and the pattern and press ctrl+7 to put the pattern inside the clipping mask.

Now create a white ellipse covering the top of the cup. It will cover the unnecessary parts of the pattern and give the illusion that our cup has thick edges.

Find the ellipse on the Layers panel and put it inside the clipping mask that we created in the previous step.

The effect should look like this:

Step 5.2

In this step we will use the blend tool to give the cup some shading. Start with selecting the clipping path of the cup and the ellipse that we just made.

Copy the shapes, paste them in front and click Divide on the Pathfinder panel. After doing this you will see a new group on the Layers panel. Expand the contents of the group and delete the first two objects.

Now select the only shape that’s left inside the group and hit ctrl+shift+G to ungroup it. Copy it and paste it in front (ctrl+F), then scale the copy down and move it up over to the edge of the cup.

Fill the bigger shape with black and the smaller shape with white. Double click on the Blend Tool and choose "Smooth Color" from the Spacing list. Now while having the Blend Tool and both shapes still selected click on the black shape and then on the white shape to obtain shading effect like on the picture below effect:

This is certainly far from what we want our image to look so we have to tweak some settings

Select the blend, set its blend mode to Multiply and bring the Opacity down to 25. It should look like this:

Step 6: Creating shadows

This step is fairly simple.Turn off the cup layer, select the shadow layer and draw a shape resembling a shadow of the cup. Fill it with black. It should be similar to the one on the picture below. Pen or Pencil are the best tools for the job.

Change the shadows opacity to 15% and go to Effect>Stylize>Feather. To slightly blur the edges of the shadow.

Now turn on the cup layer and position the shadow so it aligns well with the cup.

Step 6.1

Turn off the cup layer again. This time we will draw a shape that will be used as a dark shadow directly underneath the cup. Take the Pen Tool and draw a thick line just like in the picture below. Lower its opacity to 85%.

Turn the cup layer on and position the shadow properly underneath the cup. You will probably need to tweak points and handles on the curve to make it look good.

Step 7: Adding steam

Select the Pen Tool or the Pencil Tool and start to draw a steam-like organic object. Be creative There is no automatic way to do it, you just need to imagine the shape and draw it.

The best way to do this is to start from the bottom and draw every "branch" as a single shape. You can connect everything later by using the "Add" option in the pathfinder.

Step 7.1

Lower the opacity of the smoke object to 70%, copy it and paste it in the back by using ctrl+B or Edit>Paste in Back. Offset the copy a little to the left and lower it’s opacity even more, to about 30%.

Step 7.2

The shape in the back is barely visible right now. We need to take care of that by making the shape in the back thicker. Thicker, not bigger so scaling the shape is out of the question.

Select the shape, go to Effects>Path>Offset Path and enter 6 px in the offset value field, leave the other options unchanged.

Step 8: Background

To make the striped background, draw two really long lines with 0.75 pt white stroke outside of the artboard, and rotate each of them 45 degrees.

Step 8.1

Select the Blend Tool and click on both shapes to make a blend from them. After this double click on the Blend Tool in the tools panel. From the Spacing list select Specified Steps and enter 100. The lines will be duplicated 100 times to form a striped pattern.

This is the end of the tutorial. In case you had any problems with following the steps feel free to contact me.

Download the PSD (or source files) Download the Illustrator Source File

As lovers of technology many of us spend time at one place: our desk! There are an amazing assortment of designer desks around. In this post I’ve gathered some of the coolest, geekiest, and most interesting desks I could find!

Studio Desk

This desk by Blue Lounge offers many amazing features to anyone with a passion for their technology. It provides a clutter free envrioment with many neat features such as a power strip inside the back portion of the desk to help consolidate wires. This desk retails for $599.95

IDesk

The IDesk is created by Marius Bauger at sublevel.us. Check out more of this desk at idesk.sublevel.us.

OneLessOffice

The OneLessOffice Series showcases not only a desk but much more. This metal work of art can be found at Heckler Design.

Milk

What desk collection would be complete without Milk? Of couse I had to include this desk. If you haven’t seen it before then be sure to head over to Milk.dk to see more of the Milk awesomeness.

MUJI

For those minimalistic fans out there this desk is for you! The MUJI at MoMa is a beautiful aluminum desk.

iMac Table

Ok, so this one may look a little too much like elementary school. It is still interesting to see different desks made for Macs and PCs alike that take on new ideas. This one is by SmartDesks.com.

Also

This is an interesting concept for a desk! If you rotate it then it turns into a chair. More details here, at Behance.

Domestic Workstation

Laser cut and bent sheet metal put together cause perfect harmony? In this desk they do. Mike Devereaux designed the Domestic Workstation.

Rainbow

The Rainbow Desk designed and made by the furniture artist Allan Lake.

VU.VU.VU

This desk is just jaw dropping. So what if I don’t have a desktop? This modern computer desk is called VU.VU.VU.

White

This beautiful white desk is completely from plexiglass and is crafted by Bastian Greim.

LUNA

This desk is a little heavier in compairson to our others. LUNA Office Desk is from LUNA office collection designed by Pininfarina.

Fredrick

This beautiful desk from Ikea offers a cable shelf in the back to keep cords organized.

Glass Galant

This Galant line desk from Ikea showcases a beautiful glass top desk with metal legs. I’d be tempted to turn my desk into a whiteboard!

Mungle

The Mungle Office Desk is designed by the Greek designer Dimitrios Tsigos.

Hacked Ikea iMac Computer Desk

Gérard from The Netherlands developed his own unique solution to a problem he had with his desk space by hacking together a few pieces from Ikea into a clever spot for his iMac.

In this tutorial I am going to show you how to create a surreal time-themed photomanipulation using Photoshop. The name of this photomanipulation is "Time Guardian" and it was originally created by Mariusz Karasiewicz (aka FISHBOT1337). I want to take this opportunity to thank him for collaborating with me on this tutorial.

Quick Nav:

• Tutorial
• Download the PSD

Materials Needed:

• Desert 1
• Desert 2
• Iron mask
• Clock
• Bronze Hand
• Gearing Brushes
• Galaxy Brushes
• Bird Brushes
• Sky
• Tree texture
• Celtic Rune Charm Pack

I would like to thank the great photographers and artists for giving me permission to use their images: Rene Asmussen, night-fate-stock, vividlight, jdbartlett, Mind-Illusi0nZ-Stock, Amor-Fati-Stock, ewark, lpdragonfl, Andrew C., Sage-Dreamer, redheadstock.

Before you use any stock images from these photographers, please make sure that you read their stock rules and respect them. They have worked very hard to create all these stock images.

Step 1: Create a new document and add the sky

Go to File > New (Ctrl+N) and create a new document in Photoshop. Then download this sky stock image, open it in Photoshop and move it into your first document using the Move Tool (V). Then go to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl+T), hold down the Shift key and resize this image. Name this layer "sky", hit Ctrl+G to put it inside a group and name the group "background."

Step 2: Add a small galaxy on the sky

Create a new layer inside the "background" group and name it "galaxy." Then download these brushes and install them. Select the Brush Tool (B), chose one of those galaxy brushes, set the foreground color to #8c8c8c and create a small galaxy on your sky. Then set the blend mode of this layer to Color Dodge 25%.

Step 3: Add the first desert stock photo

Download this desert stock photo and open it in Photoshop. Double-click on the background layer to unlock it, then use the Magic Wand Tool (W) to select the sky and delete it. Move this image into your first document using the Move Tool (V). Hit Ctrl+M to open the Curves window and use the settings from the following image. Name this layer "desert 1."

Note: You can also use the Eraser Tool (E) and a soft brush to erase some parts of the sky from this photo.

Step 4: Duplicate the "desert 1" layer

Duplicate the "desert 1" layer (Ctrl+J), and then go to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal. Use the Move Tool (V) to move this layer to the right side of your document and name it "desert 2."

Step 5: Add the second desert stock photo

Download this desert stock photo and open it in Photoshop. Double-click on the background layer to unlock it, select the sky using the Magic Wand Tool (W) and delete it. You can also use the Eraser Tool (E) and a soft brush to erase the top area of the desert. Move this image into your document using the Move Tool (V) and go to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal. Double-click on this layer to open the Layer Style window and use the settings from the following image for Gradient Overlay. Name this layer "desert 3."

Note: Arrange the image from this step in a way that makes visible the hills of the other two desert photos beneath it.

Step 6: Add the iron mask

Download this iron mask stock photo and open it in Photoshop. Use the Pen Tool (P) to separate the mask from the background and then use the Move Tool (V) to move it into your first document. Go to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl+T), hold down the Shift key and resize this layer; right-click on the image, select Flip Horizontal and then hit Enter. Name this layer "iron mask" and put it inside a group (Ctrl+G). Name the group "iron mask" too.

Step 7: Add a Gradient Overlay layer style to the iron mask

Double-click on the "iron mask" layer to open the Layer Style window and use the settings from the following image for Gradient Overlay.

Step 8: Mask the bottom area of the iron mask

The bottom area of our iron mask should be buried in the sand. To make this happen, make sure that you have the "iron mask" layer selected, and then go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All. Select a black soft brush (B) and paint with it over the bottom area of your iron mask.

Step 9: Add a Levels adjustment layer

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels, check the "Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask" option and use the settings from the following image to make the iron mask brighter.

Step 10: Create a shadow for the iron mask

Ctrl-click on the thumbnail of the "iron mask" layer to select it, then create a new layer and fill it with black. Put this layer beneath the "iron mask" layer, then go to Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical. Move this shadow at the bottom of the mask. Then go to Edit > Free Transform, hold down the Ctrl key and transform the shadow like I did. Blur this layer (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur) and then use the Eraser Tool (E) and a big soft brush with the opacity of 20% to erase some areas of this layer. Keep in mind that the shadow should be darker at the bottom of the iron mask and brighter at the other end. Name this layer "shadow."

Step 11: Add a sign on the iron mask’s forehead

Create a new layer, set the foreground color to #cca899, select a soft brush (B) with the diameter of 100px and click once in the middle of the iron mask’s forehead. Name this layer "forehead light" and set its blend mode to Overlay 75%. Then download the Celtic Rune Charm Pack, open the "Rune-Ger.jpg" image in Photoshop and use the Pen Tool (P) to separate the sign from the background. Move this sign into your first document using the Move Tool (V) and put it above the forehead light. Name this layer "forehead sign" and set its blend mode to Overlay.

Step 12: Add two scars to the iron mask

Download this tree texture and open it in Photoshop. Move the image into your first document, use Free Transform (Ctrl+T) to resize the image and put it on the right cheek of your iron mask. Set the blend mode of this layer to Soft Light and use the Eraser Tool (E) and a soft brush to erase the areas of this texture that you don’t need. Then duplicate this layer (Ctrl+J), go to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal, use Free Transform (Ctrl+T) to resize this layer and put this scar on the other cheek of your iron mask.

Step 13: Create some lights coming out of the iron mask’s eyes

Create a new layer, select a white soft brush (B) and use it to create some lights that are coming out of the iron mask’s eyes. Name this layer "eyes light" and set its blend mode to Soft Light 85%.

Step 14: Add a bronze hand

Create a new group and name it "hand." Then download this bronze hand stock image and open it in Photoshop. Use the Magic Wand Tool (W) to separate the hand from the background and use the Move Tool (V) to move the hand into your first document. Go to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl+T) resize this image and rotate it. Then select the Eraser Tool (E) and erase the bottom area of your hand to make it look like it’s buried in the sand. Name this layer "hand."

Step 15: Make some color adjustments to the hand

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves, check the "Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask" option and use the settings from the following image. Set the opacity of this layer to 80%.

Step 16

Add three more adjustment layers (Color Balance, Channel Mixer and Levels) using the settings from the following image. You can create all these layers from the "Layer > New Adjustment Layer" menu.

Step 17: Add a texture to the hand

Chose one of these rock textures that you like, or find another one on the internet, open it in Photoshop and move it into your first document using the Move Tool (V). Then use Free Transform (Ctrl+T) to resize this image and rotate it. Make sure that this layer is above all the other adjustment layers, then right-click on it and select Create Clipping Mask. Name this layer "texture" and set its blend mode to Soft Light 30%.

Step 18: Use the iron mask as a texture for the hand

Duplicate the "iron mask" layer from the "iron mask" group (Ctrl+J). Then move this new layer above the hand’s texture layer, right-click on it and select Create Clipping Mask. Set the blend mode of this layer to Soft Light.

Step 19: Create a clock needle

Download these Gearing Brushes and install them. Create a new layer, set the foreground color to black and use one of the brushes which you have downloaded to create a clock needle coming out of one of the hand’s fingers. Double-click on this layer and use the settings from the following image. Name this layer "clock needle."

Step 20: Color the hand in orange

Ctrl-click on the "hand" layer to select it. Then create a new layer and fill it with the color #d57426. Name this layer "orange hand" and set its blend mode to Soft Light 70%. Then use the Eraser Tool (E) and a big soft brush to erase the bottom area of this layer.

Step 21: Create some gears

Set the foreground color to black, create a new layer and use the brushes which you have previously download to create some gears inside the hand. Double-click on this layer to open the Layer Style window and use the settings from the following image. Then use the Eraser Tool (E) and a small hard brush to erase the area of the gears that you don’t need.

Step 22: Adjust the lights and the shadows of the iron mask

Double-click on your hand layer to open the Layer Style window and use the settings from the following image for Gradient Overlay. Then use the Burn Tool (O) and the Dodge Tool (O) to create the lights and the shadows. Experiment with the Range and Exposure settings from the option bar to get the effect you want.

Note: when you have the Dodge Tool or the Burn Tool selected you can use the Alt key to quickly shift between them.

Step 23: Create a shadow for your hand

Create a shadow for your hand using the same process which you have used for the iron mask.

Step 24: Add some clocks

Create a new group and name it "clocks." Then download this image and open it in Photoshop. Use the Pen Tool (P) to separate the clock from the rest of the image. Then move the clock into your first document using the Move Tool (V). Go to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl+T), hold down the Shift key and resize this image. Then use the Eraser Tool (E) and a grunge brush to erase some areas of this clock.

Repeat this step to add more clocks to your image. Change the size of each clock and rotate them. Take a look at the following image for reference. Select all your clock layers and merge them together (Ctrl+E). Name this layer "clocks."

Step 25: Add a shadow to the clocks

Double-click on the "clocks" layer to open the Layer Style window and use the settings from the following image for Drop Shadow.

Step 26

Create a new layer and fill it with black. Set the blend mode of this layer to Linear Dodge (Add). Then select the Brush Tool (B), select a brush with the diameter of 2-3px, select a nice orange color and create some random lines around your clocks. Take a look at the following image for reference.

Step 27: Add some birds

Download these brushes and install them. Then create a new layer and use those brushes to create some small birds on your sky. Name this layer "birds."

Step 28: Final color adjustments

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.

Step 29

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 38%.

Step 30

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

Step 31

Create a new layer, select a big soft brush (B) and paint with yellow in the left side of your image and with blue in the right side. Then set the blend mode of this layer to Color 25%.

Final Result

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and that you learned something new. What we have obtained is a photo-manipulation with some ruins in the desert; the clocks, the gears and the clock needle make everything to gravitate around the time theme.

 

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This Free Icon Pack is for use in your personal and commercial projects, and can be used without attribution. It may not be redistributed.

Inside this Icon Pack are Twenty 3D Social Media Icons, created exclusively for the viewers of Tutorial9 by Dawghouse Design Studio.

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So many great links this month! It was such a great month to research and read in the creative community. So without further ado, here’s Creative Bookmarks December.

Quick Nav:

• Photoshop Tutorials
• Illustrator Tutorials
• Web/Blogging Tutorials
• Freebies, Inspiration, & Resources

Photoshop TutorialsHow to create amazing light effects in Photoshop

Sebastiano from the new wegraphics.net has quite a few useful techniques up his sleeves. In this photoshop tutorial he shows us how to create very stylish smoke effects that envelop their surroundings.

Light effect wallpaper in Photoshop

Lighting effect tutorials are pratically a dime a dozen now, but this article bears some great resemblance to the famed work from Scott Hansen of ISO50, and deserved some sharing.

Monitor Icon Design

Richard Carpenter shares a simple method for putting together a monitor icon in Photoshop using basic shapes and essential lighting tips.

Blend a Planet Transparently into a Photo Manipulation

A great tutorial on PSDTuts+ that teaches you how to use blending modes effectively to create an excellent photo manipulation.

How to Create an Envelope Icon in Photoshop

For those of you wanting to get into icon design, this is a great tutorial for you. Using some fairly simple techniques, the tutorial walks you through making a slick envelope icon.

Creating a Modern, Glossy Mouse Icon in Photoshop

The new Magic Mouse design is just sexy. This tutorial on PSDTuts+ helps you create an icon out of it.

How to Design a Print-Ready Flier with Photoshop and Illustrator

A great hybrid tutorial that teaches you how to integrate 3D text, made in Illustrator, into a great looking print-ready flier.

Create a Watercolor-Themed Website Design with Photoshop

Although I’m personally not a fan of “Watercolor Themed” things, this is a great tutorial that helps you create a website mock-up that keeps in mind the code that will follow.

Unveiling Photoshop Masks

Having trouble wrapping your head around masks? This article from Smashing Magazine puts you behind the mask and shows you everything you need to know to begin your training as a non-destructive editing master.

How to Create Cityscape Concept Art

This tutorial, on PSDTuts+, helps you make an urban scene using 3D scene as the foundation. Then, polishing it up in Photoshop.

How To Design a 3D Wooden Box in Photoshop

A great tutorial by Asher Abbasi that teaches you how to create a realistic wooden box icon in photoshop.

How To Create a Sleek Audio Player Interface in Photoshop

Personally, I love interface design tutorials. This one is an excellent example of one, teaching you how to create an audio player interface with some cool Photoshop tricks.

Digital Bokeh in Photoshop

A great video tutorial that will teach you how to create an amazing bokeh effect in a matter of minutes.

Minimalistic Poster Design in Photoshop

This great tutorial on Abduzeedo teaches you how to make a minimalistic poster using some stock photos, blending modes and filters.

Illustrator TutorialsTurn a sketch into a Crazy Santa illustration

This tutorial will show you how to create a Crazy Santa illustration from sketch using Adobe Illustrator. Great tutorial to keep as reference for the Holidays in 2010.

Draw a funny snowman in Illustrator

We’re pretty thrilled with the recent tutorials from aiMonkey.com. Their tutorial on designing a snowman in Illustrator is a great Illustrator Tutorial for starters, and produces fantastic results.

Create a Code-Style T-Shirt Design for Website Promotion

A great tutorial on VECTuts+ that walk you through making a promotional T-Shirt for PHP enthusiasts in Illustrator.

Use Illustrator to Create a Fun, 3D, Character Logo

In this tutorial, David Laplante, shows you how to integrate 3D text and a custom illustration into a fun looking logo.

Create Colorful, Layered Paper Type in Illustrator

Is winter getting you down? Do this tutorial! It’ll walk you through making some very pretty, custom type with a variety of vivid colors and illustrator effects.

How to Create a Curious Owl in Illustrator CS4

Awesome icon designer, Andrea Austoni, teaches you how to create an owl using mostly basic shapes and effects in Illustrator.

Geometric Flower Effect Logo in Illustrator

This tutorial, based on an actual logo design, shows you how to create a flower effect in illustrator to make a logo that’s full of color.

Web TutorialsCreating Your First PHP Application

This three part tutorial is intended for readers who know the very basics of PHP and Object Oriented Programming (OOP) and would like to create a basic web application.

How to Brainstorm
Brilliant Ideas for Your Blog

Brainstorming is one of the most powerful creative techniques ever devised. When used properly, it can produce more and better ideas than any other process. It’s based on the concept that two heads (or three, or four, or more) are better than one.

The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Design and Converting it to HTML and CSS

This is the last entry in the series of posts that have taught you how to take your mockup design in Photoshop, to a fully coded website.

Use Sprites to Create an Awesomeness-Filled Navigation Menu

This tutorial by NETTuts will teach you how to use CSS sprites and JQuery to not only increase your website’s performance, it’ll also show you how to make your navigation menu look good in the process.

How to Build a Shopping Cart using CodeIgniter and jQuery

Most big blogs have this feature to showcase the picture, bio and homepage of their writers. This tutorial on Line25 teaches you how to implement the same feature on your blog.

How To Display Your Twitter Status in a Unique Design

An excellent tutorial on Line25 that shows you how to display your latest tweet with the use of some Javascript and CSS.

Styling an Individual Article

“Art Directing” or designing a custom page for each article, is a very popular trend that I hope is here to stay. Although the great, Jason Santa Maria pioneered the idea, Chris Coyier from CSS Tricks teaches how to “Art Direct” in this video tutorial.

Is Your Content Lagging?

Has your blogging effort decreased? Do you noticed you’re not as enthusiastic to write? This article gives some helpful tips on how to change that feeling.

Writing User Friendly Content

The content is of upmost importance on a site. If it can’t be understood and interpreted, it really doesn’t matter how UX friendly your site is. This article, by Matthew Kammerer, gives some helpful tips on how to create user friendly content.

Please Create a Unique Site and Avoid the Same Old Crap

72nd Ave. makes the point that the internet is flooded with people that follow trends and don’t create new and unique things. Check out this article and their site and you’ll notice, they practice what they preach.

Freebies, Inspiration & Resources330 Free Letter Pressed Icons

A freebie from the Creative Nerds that comes with over 100 letterpressed icons in three different Photoshop files. Available for your personal or commercial projects.

Rust Textures Pack

Another great freebie from Media Militia! 21 images are included in the new Rust Textures Pack and all of them are high quality for your personal and commercial projects.

Drips and Spray Paint Pack

The Drips and Spray Paint Pack from Media Militia is a perfect addition to your resources folder. You can download them as Photoshop Brushes or high resolution PNG’s for your personal and commercial use.

108 Mono Icons: Huge Set of Minimal Icons

Jason Cho created these beautiful and easily customizable icons. The pack comes with 108 different icons that are available for your commercial and personal use.

An Awesome Caravan of Winter Themed Artwork

Winter is here and with it many designers come up with stunning artwork. This showcase, by Callum Chapman is an excellent collection of winter themed ads that are sure to inspire.

Go Bananas with 50+ Vector Illustrations that Monkey Around

“Monkeys, chimps, apes, or any kind of knuckle dragging animal, as a group, are a fun illustration subject.” I started to laugh when I read that. Check out this excellent showcase of monkey inspired illustrations.

40+ Vintage Posters to Inspire Your Next Designs Color Palette

Brian Hoff from The Design Cubicle rounded-up some retro colored posters that are sure to give you some great ideas for your next project.

Ask the Expert – Typography Talk with Brian Hoff

I’ve recently become a big fan of Brian Hoff and his work. This is a great interview on The Design Observer where he talks about how to use typography effectively in print and web design.

Get Featured in Creative Bookmarks

If you’d like to be featured in the next volume of Creative Bookmarks, simply send us you’re tutorial, resource, or article link before the end of the month. If we think it’s a top notch link, we’ll be sure to share it with all of our readers!

Email & Other Subscription Options

Happy Twenty-Ten Folks!

We’ve made it through 2009, and what a fantastic year it’s been for us. In the past 12 months, we’ve grown by over 400%, have enlisted many new talented contributors, and have helped tens of thousands of new designers around the world.

We’re very proud of what’s been accomplished, and have everyone here to thank for it. Without the wonderful contributors here at Tutorial9, our friends from around the web, and the loyal support of our viewers none of this would be possible…so we say both Thank you, and Fantastic Job.

Our Gift to You

It’s been a tough year for many of us. The state of the economy has tragically caused millions of people to lose jobs, and while we all hope for the best it’s still uncertain for many how to pull through.

The recession has also been troubling for many great charitable causes around the globe. With less people being able to give this year, international and local charities have had trouble meeting their needs this past year.

In response to the economic climate, and the great support you’ve given us over the past year, Tutorial9 is donating $1,000 on behalf of the incredible design community we’ve cultivated over the past year and a half.

We’re donating this money to Save The Children, an organization that helps create lasting change for children around the world. With government awarded grants, the United States Agency for International Development will typically provide $1-4 for every dollar used by Save The Children—potentially giving back up to $5,000 that can be used to help kids around the globe.

It’s not much, but we’re more than happy to give back thanks to all you’ve given us.

You can Help Make a Difference Too!

It’s 100% understandable that many people can’t give back right now, and for them we have high hopes that the new year brings new and exciting opportunities. If you are in a position to give though, right now charities could use a little extra push.

Whether you can give time, some extra cash to your favorite organization, or even donate to Save the Children… Every little bit helps.

Thanks, and Happy New Year!

Thanks for another great year folks! <3

We wish you all the best in 2010, and look forward to an even better year than 2009. Thanks again for all of the help so far, and for your continued support into the new year.

<3,
Tutorial9

In this tutorial you will learn how to create a snowman with an elegant stovepipe hat and rely thereby heavily on Photoshop’s versatile layer style functions.

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Step 1: Creating a New Document

Create a new document with 1000 on 1000 pixels and a white background.

Step 2: Setting Up Basic Guides

Because it makes it easier to draw shapes in the right proportions we’ll set up some basic guides. Activate the rulers (Ctrl + R) if you don’t have them already activated and set their unit to pixels (right-click on one of the rulers to do so), then add guides at the following coordinates:

• Horizontal axis:
  • 420px
  • 450px
  • 500px
  • 550px
  • 580px
• Vertical axis:
  • 250px
  • 300px
  • 350px
  • 500px

Step 3: Getting Started

Start by selecting the Elliptical Marquee Tool (Shift + M) and hold down the Shift-key to create a 160px high and wide circular selection. The bottom of your selection should touch the guide at 350px, whereas its sides should touch the 420px guide to the left and the 580px guide to the right.

Step 4: Adding a Gradient

Create a new layer (Ctrl + Shift + N) and name it “Hat Bottom” and select the Gradient Tool (Shift + G). Choose #303030 and #000000 as your gradient colors, select Radial as Gradient Style and leave the other settings on their default. Now create the radial gradient from the center of the circle (you should add another horizontal guide at 270px) to its border.

Step 5: Transform the Circle

Deselect Everything (Ctrl + D) and go to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl + T) in order to transform your newly created circle. Small it down until it is only 100px high (its top should touch the 250px guide now).

Remark:

In case you are wondering why we didn’t create an 160px on 100px ellipse directly and applied a gradient then, there is a simple explanation: If we would have chosen the just mentioned method we would have ended up with an ellipse with a circular gradient, whereas, with our method, we got an ellipse with an elliptic gradient, way better.

Step 6: Adding a Rectangle

Now select the Rectangle Tool (U) and draw a 100px wide and 90px high rectangle. Its bottom should touch the center of our ellipse (at the 300px guide) and its sides the 450px and 550px guides. Name the shape “Hat Body”.

Step 7: Duplicating the Ellipse

Duplicate the “Hat Bottom” shape by right-clicking on the layer and selecting Duplicate Layer (Ctrl + J) and go once again to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl + T). Reduce its height to 50px while holding the Alt-key and 100px for its width (keep your finger still on the Alt-key). Rename the layer as “Hat Body Bottom”.

Step 8: Finishing the Basic Hat

Duplicate the layer you just created and move it 90px up (so that its center touches the top of the “Hat Body” shape). You also have to move the layer itself above the “Hat Body” layer in the Layers Palette. Now we already have a basic hat (although it’s admittedly still ugly).

Step 9: Styling the Hat

Time for some layer styles. Right-click on the “Hat Body” layer and select Blending Options. Go to Gradient Overlay and use the settings shown below.

Step 10: Copy the Styling

Right-click on the “Hat Body” layer and select Copy Layer Style. Then right-click on the “Hat Body Bottom” layer and select Paste Layer Style. If you want to you can deactivate the guides (Ctrl + for a moment and have a look at the hat (not so ugly anymore, is it?).

Step 11: Creating the Ribbon

Time to create the hat’s red ribbon. Reactivate the guides in case you hid them (again Ctrl + and create two new horizontal ones at 230px and 290px. Now select the Rectangle Tool (U) and create a 100px wide and 40px high rectangle. Its bottom should be at the 290px guide and the sides at 450/550px. Give it a red color for now, so it stands out a little better.

Step 12: Evolving the Ribbon with the Path Selection Tool

Now you have to use the Path Selection Tool (A). Click on the newly created shape (the path’s outlines should appear now) and select the Ellipse Tool (Shift + U). This next step might be a little bit complicated if you are new to Photoshop, but after a few tries you should definitely be able to figure it out. Move the cursor (still with the active Ellipse Tool) over the intersection of the vertical 450px guide and the horizontal 230px guide, then hold down the Alt-key and start creating an ellipse. Now let go of the Alt-key, but not of the mouse button. The ellipse will jump back to its original start point and you only have to create a 40px high and 100px wide ellipse. It will touch the 270px guide at the bottom and once more the 450/550px guides at its sides. By holding down the Alt-key at the beginning of the creation of the ellipse we subtracted the elliptic shape from our rectangle.

Step 13: Finishing the Ribbon Shape

Now you move your cursor over the intersection of the horizontal 270px guide and the vertical 450px guide. This time you have to hold down the Shift-key while you start drawing an ellipse. Once again, let the Shift-key go, but keep the mouse button pressed. Finish drawing the ellipse so that it is 40px high and 100px wide. Because we held down the Shift-key this time, we added the ellipse to our rectangle. Now the ribbon shape is ready and you can name it “Ribbon”.

Step 14: More Styling for the Hat

Some major styling is next on the list and you can deactivate the guides (Ctrl + . Hide the ribbon shape we just created by clicking on the eye-icon at the left of the corresponding layer in the Layers Palette. Right-click on the “Hat Body Bottom” layer and select Blending Options. Keep the Gradient Overlay we already applied, but also add a Drop Shadow, Inner Glow and Stroke with the values shown below.

Step 15: Styling the “Hat Top”

Now apply an Inner Shadow and an Inner Glow to the “Hat Top” layer as shown in the image below.

Step 16: Styling the “Hat Bottom”

Then apply an Inner Shadow, Inner Glow and Stroke to the “Hat Bottom” layer. The hat looks already pretty good now, doesn’t it?

Step 17: Styling the Ribbon

Finally unhide the “Ribbon” shape by clicking where the eye-icon used to be and apply the layer styles as shown below. The Gradient Overlay is a little bit more complicated, but the image shows everything to the last detail.

Step 18: Adding a Shadow to the Hat

We’re almost done with our hat. Create a selection around the “Hat Top” layer by holding Ctrl and clicking on the representative thumbnail next to the layer in the Layers Palette. Create a new layer (Ctrl + Shift + N) and name it “Hat Shadow”. It is important that the layer is placed under the “Hat Top” layer, but over the “Hat Body” layer. Select the Fill Tool (G) and fill the selection with black.

Step 19: Completing the Hat

Now create a selection around the “Hat Body” layer by Ctrl-clicking on its layer thumbnail. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and select 7 Pixels as radius. Deselect the selection (Ctrl + D) and move the “Hat Shadow” 2 Pixels down by pressing the Down-key twice. Select every layer besides the background layer and group them together (Ctrl + G). Name the group “Hat”.

Shadows and Glows with Gaussian Blur:

Even though Photoshops Layer Blending Options are an easy way to add shadows or glows to layers of your design they have their limits. With the help of a basic shape and the Gaussian Blur Filter you can create more versatile and individual shadows and glows that can add that last bit of realism to your work.

Congratulations, you just created a (finally) beautiful stovepipe hat. A good time to refill your hot chocolate. If you would stop now you would have a great hat icon.

Step 20: Starting with the Snowman

Time to move on to the snowman himself. Select the Ellipse Tool (Shift + U), hold down the Shift-key and create a circle of 160 x 160 px. Center it somewhere below the hat. Name the layer “Head” and apply the Blending Options shown in the following image.

Step 21: Creating the Snowman’s Body

Duplicate the “Head” layer and increase its size by 50px with the help of the Free Transform Tool (Ctrl + T) so that you get a circle with 210 x 210 px (hold down Shift + Alt in order to resize the circle equally on each side). Name this circle “Middle”. Then duplicate the “Middle” circle as well and increase its size once again by 50px, so that you have your biggest circle “Bottom” with 260 x 260 px. Position the three circles appropriately as shown below. Keep in mind that the “Head” layer needs to be the highest in the Layers Palette, followed by the “Middle” layer and finally the “Bottom” circle.

Step 22: Grant the Snowman Eyesight

Let’s give the snowman a face, starting with the eyes. Create a small circle with the Ellipse Tool (Shift + U), name the layer “Eye” and duplicate it. Place them nicely on the snowman’s face. Now apply the following Blending Options to one of the eyes and copy/paste them to the second one.

Step 23: Adding the Nose

For the nose we’ll have to create our first own custom shape with the help of the Pen Tool (P). Draw a shape as shown in the image below. Create a new layer and go to the Paths Palette. Right-click on the path you just created and select Fill Path. Once you filled the path you can delete it by hitting the Delete-key.

Step 24: Styling the Nose

Select the “Nose” layer (you should also name it like that) and apply the Blending Options shown below. Depending on how you drew your shape you might have to vary the 55°-angle of the Gradient Overlay (make sure that the lightest part of the gradient runs along the middle of the nose).

Step 25: Adding Texture to the Nose

Let’s give the nose some texture. Make a selection around the nose layer by Ctrl-clicking on the “Nose” layer thumbnail, create a new layer and use the Fill Tool (G) to fill it with white. Go to Filter > Render > Fibers and generate a set of fibers as you see fit (you can use the values below as a reference). Set the Blending Mode of the layer to Multiply and its Opacity to 10%.

Step 26: Giving the Snowman a Mouth

We have a nose and eyes, but our snowman is still mute. That’s why we have to create another small circle with the help of the Ellipse Tool. Duplicate the circle 4-5 times and place them in a mouth-like composition (as shown below). Make sure that the circles are placed below the “Nose” layers in the Layers Palette.

Step 27: Styling the Mouth

Now apply the Gradient Overlay shown below to one of the circles and copy/paste the style to each of the circles. The face is complete and you can place all the layers belonging to the face in a “Face” group in the Layers Palette.

Step 28: Creating Some Buttons

It’s time to give our snowman some buttons for his invisible jacket. Create another circle, this time a little bit bigger than the eye and mouth circles, and duplicate it twice. Place them according to the image below. Copy the Layer Style from one of the “Eye” layers and apply it to all three buttons.

Step 29: Drawing a Scarf

In order for our snowman to stay warm he needs more than just his hat. By creating a shape as shown below with the Pen Tool (P) we make a first step towards a warming scarf. Create a new layer and place it between the “Head” and “Middle” layers of our snowman’s body. Go once again to the Paths Palette and fill the path.

Step 30: Adding the Second Scarf Path

We have to create one more shape with the Pen Tool in order to complete the scarf. Recreate the shape shown below, create a new layer (it needs to be placed above the first “Scarf” layer, but still under the “Head” layer) and fill it as well.

Step 31: Styling the Scarf I

Right-click on the first “Scarf” layer and go to the Blending Options. Apply the styles as shown below, then copy and paste them to the second “Scarf” layer.

Step 32: Styling the Scarf II

We have to make some minor adjustments to the layer styles we just copied to the second “Scarf” layer. You see below what you need to change. The colors and positions of the Gradient Overlay stay exactly the same, only the angle and scale change.

Step 33: Adding the Hands

Our snowman is almost complete. We’ll quickly add a set of hands by duplicating the “Head” layer and scaling it down with the Free Transform Tool. Name this layer “Right Hand” and place it on the body of the snowman. Now you have to duplicate the “Right Hand” layer, name it “Left Hand” and move the layer itself below the “Middle” layer in the Layers Palette. Arrange the “Left Hand” layer so that a part of it looks out from behind the snowman’s body.

Step 34: Creating the Snowman Shadow

The final steps are here. Create an elliptical selection with the Elliptical Marquee Tool (Shift + M) at the bottom of the “Bottom” layer as you see below. Create a new layer, place it below the “Bottom” layer and fill it with black.

Step 35: Finishing the Shadow with Gaussian Blur

Deselect Everything (Ctrl + D) and go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Type 40px as value for the radius and arrange the shadow nicely.

Step 36: Conclusion and Final Image

Congratulations, you completed the snowman and his elegant stovepipe hat. Thereby you didn’t only get to know Photoshop’s flexible Layer Blending Options, but also how to work with paths. If you want you can add an icy ground with a reflection of the snowman to give it the last kick. Be proud of yourself and get yourself your final hot chocolate.

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This Free Icon Pack is for use in your personal and commercial projects, and can be used without attribution. It may not be redistributed.

Today we share a free icon pack by the designers over at IconShock inspired by The Winter Holidays including Christmas and the New Year: 5 Icons in total including a present, ornaments, Santa, a Christmas Tree and Fireworks.

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In this tutorial we will learn how to create a candy cane like text effect with the help of some simple Photoshop techniques.

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Materials Needed:

• Candice typeface
• Candy Pattern (optional)

Step 1: Some words about the font

Download the typeface Candice from here.
You’ll also find instructions on how to install the font in case you never did that before.
Feel free to use another font if you like to, but Candice is really a nice fit for our text effect as well as it is completely free.

Adding resources to Photoshop

When adding resources like fonts, patterns, brushes or gradients in the Photoshop presets folder, Photoshop needs to be restarted in order for the newly added content to appear.

Step 2: Creating a new document

Create a new document in Photoshop. You are free to choose whatever dimensions you see fit, I personally chose 2000 x 1000 pixels for this tutorial. Let the rest of the settings on their default values.

Step 3: Adding a gradient

Select the Gradient Tool (shift + g) and set the color settings to #4ba614 and #008c00. Select circular as the gradient style and create the gradient from the center of your image to its top.

Step 4: Adding some text

Now it’s time to use the font you downloaded earlier. Select the Type Tool (t) and choose Candice as a font. Set the font-size to 500 pixels (or a value appropriate to your image dimensions) and type a text of your choice.
Because we’re making a candy-like effect I typed “Candy”.

Step 5: Centering the text

Afterwards select your background and text layer together by clicking on them in the layer palette while holding the ctrl-key (command if you are using an apple). Make sure you have the Move Tool (v) selected. Now you can center your text layer vertically and horizontally by using the align buttons in your options palette, which is by default placed on top of your workspace.

Step 6: Creating a custom pattern

Now we are going to create a custom pattern that we will apply to our text later. You can also skip to Step 11 and directly download the pattern here, but I recommend you to create the pattern on your own because this technique comes in handy in many situations.
Create a New Document (ctrl/cmd + n) and set the dimensions to 200 x 200 pixels.

Step 7: Adding and rotating a rectangle

Select the Rectangle Tool (u) and create a rectangle with 400 pixel width and 35 pixel height. Transform the rectangle by pressing Ctrl/Cmd + t while it is selected and rotate it 45° while holding the Shift-key down (like this, the rectangle rotates only in 15°-steps). Center the rotated rectangle on the background as we did in Step 5 with our text.

The shift-key in Photoshop

The shift-key is a one-key wonder in Photoshop. Hold it while resizing a layer and the layer grows and shrinks symmetrical, rotate a layer in 15°-steps and draw perfectly straight lines with the Pencil, Brush and Pen Tools. And that’s just the top of the iceberg!

Step 8: Apply a gradient

Right-click on the rectangle-layer and select Blending Options. Go to Gradient Overlay and set a gradient with the colors #cc0000 and #b50000. Set the gradient angle to 135°, use linear as style and apply the gradient.

Step 9: Multiply the rectangle

Copy your rectangle layer by pressing Ctrl/Cmd + j. Select the Move Tool (still v) and make sure you have the freshly copied layer selected, hold down the Shift-key and press 5 times left and 5 times up (by holding down the shift-key while moving layers with the arrow-keys you make steps of 10 pixels. That means we moved our layer 50 pixels to the left and 50 pixels up).
Copy the copied rectangle (Shape 1 copy) and repeat the process.
Select the original rectangle again, copy it and press 5 times right and down while holding the shift-key. Copy the newest rectangle and repeat the process.
Now you have 5 rectangles, each with a width of 50 pixels and a margin of 50 pixels to the next rectangle(s).

Step 10: Define the pattern

Go to Edit -> Define Pattern… and name the new pattern “Candy pattern”. The pattern will automatically appear in the last pattern-set you used.

Photoshop patterns

Patterns are an amazing and powerful aspect of Photoshop. You can easily create huge backgrounds with only a few kb-big files, an aspect that is especially interesting for web designers.
There are thousands of different patterns free available, but you get the most out of patterns if you learn how to create them yourself. There is a great tutorial on veerle’s blog.

Step 11: Applying blending options to the text

Go back to our original image and right-click on the text-layer. Go to Blending Options and apply the styles displayed in the image below. Use the newly created Candy Pattern as pattern overlay.

Step 12: Almost there

Select the Ellipse Tool (shift + u) and create an ellipse that covers about the upper third of your type. Make sure its color is white.
Rasterize your layer by right-clicking on it and selecting Rasterize.

Step 13: Playing with selections

Ctrl/Cmd-click on your text-layer to create a selection around your text and press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + i to invert your selection. Make sure your ellipse-layer is selected and press Delete. Only the parts of the ellipse that overlapped with the text are left.

Quick selection abc

The most important keyboard shortcuts when working with selections are:

• Ctrl/Cmd + a = Select everything
• Ctrl/Cmd + i = Invert current selection
• Ctrl/Cmd + d = Deselect everything
• Ctrl/Cmd + left-click on layer = Create selection of layer-content

Step 14: Adding a layer-mask

Now create a Layer Mask on the ellipse layer and select the Gradient Tool (shift + g). Set the gradient colors to black (#000000) and white (#ffffff) and the style to linear. Hold down the Shift-key to create a perfectly straight gradient from the highest point of your text to its lowest. Once the gradient is applied to the layer mask you’re done.

The final Result

Congratulations! You just added a candy like effect to a text!

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