Hi Everyone,
If you have read my previous column:
it will have hopefully taught you how to work with some of the tools in
"Adobe Photoshop Elements".
Here in this column, I am going to try and give you some ideas on the basic background and starting with a black background with some gradient on it (as taught you in my last column) and how you can further enhance that.
The size again is going to be:
1600 pixels wide by 980 pixels deep.
OK so here we are with the basic start just gradient on black:
OK so lets curve the sides again using the Blur tool as in the last tutorial:
How about some lighting effects to jazz up the sides as before:
OK that's better!
So how about a watermarked effect in the black area?!
To do this first select an image to use for this and open it up in Adobe Photoshop Elements as you did the pictures used in the last tutorial column and duplicate it and then close the original:
OK now we need to find out what size the watermark image is and to do this you click on the actual image to select that for the one to explore the dimensions of, and then you click on "Image" on top taskbar and then select "Resize" to open up this dialogue box so that doing this....
Brings up this:
The dialogue box states that the moon / watermarking image is:
1024 pixels wide
x
758 height
Your AP BG is :
1600 pixels wide
x
980 pixels height
So this watermarking image will sit nicely in the centre of your basic BG work area, and so you simply drag the image over onto the BG working area and then close the copy to the right as that will no longer be required and so that you have your interface looking like this:
Now for the clever bit.....
To turn the moon picture into a watermark you first of all need to click on the image so that it looks like this:
*Note - The image now has its corners and border marked*
Now, ONLY the moon image is going to be affected by what you do next....
To make the watermark from this you click on "Enhance" (top task bar) and then select "Brightness /Contrast" then select "Brightness /Contrast" again like this:
This brings up a dialogue box like this:
You need to slide the two slider controls to alter the brightness and contrast so that you virtually fade the moon picture into the black back drop behind it like this:
I slid the two sliders so that the "Brightness" was set at: -77 (minus 77) and the"Contrast" was set at -62 (minus 62). This fades the moon image in such a way as to virtually blend into the black backdrop but not obsucre the text you will write over it on the page you use it for. I clicked on "OK" button once done with this.
Now you need to flatten the image (as I showed you how to in the last tutorial/column so that you can work on smoothing the edges of the moon picture into the black backdrop making them seamless.
OK, after flattening the image you then re-open the "Brightness" and "Contast" dialogue box as I have just explained how to above and this time you will be altering the "Brightness" and "Contrast" of the whole background and this time I slid the slider bars across so that the "Brightness" was set at -6 (minus 6) and the "Contrast" was set at: +48 (Plus 48). Like this:
(Click "OK" on the Dialogue box when done)
Then save the image as both a JPEG file and also a PSD file
Can you see how the moon image edges are no longer visible and the moon image forms a nice un-obnscuring watermark in the black backdrop .... in this saved JPEG file:
Not bad eh?!
OK, now how about playing with texture?!
First off, open up the JPEG version of this BG (as above).
Then duplicate the image as I told you to in my first tutorial and close the original, this means you never lose that original copy.
OK how about some surface texture for your basic BG?... Here is how:
Firstly click on "Filter" (top taskbar) and then select "Texture" and finally select "Texturizer" like this:
This brings up this dialogue box:
I wanted a nice gentle "Canvas" surface effect so I slid the slider bars in this texturizer dialogue box so that "Scaling" was set at 55% and "Relief" was 3 and "Light Direction" was set to "Top" and "Canvas" was selected in the drop down box.
Then I clicked "OK" and saved the image again, and as with before I saved this image as both a JPEG file and a PSD file and this is the saved JPEG with the Canvas surface effects:
Nice effect don't you think?!
You can now add left side pictures and smudge them as I taught you how to in my last tutorial/column.
But duplicate the JPEG vcersion of this before doing so!
It is amazing what beautiful effects you can create in Adobe Photoshop Elements isn't it!?
Makes a lot of difference to the finished result too and your pages on AP.
You can view all of these images used above as enlargements by clicking on them to enlarge them in an album named "AP Column 2 Graphics" in my Photobucket account. Here is the page showing all of the above images in my photobucket album of them:
Please feel free to copy this page into a word document and all of the images in the Photobucket album and if you want to use any of the images in any of these albumsin my Photobucket account feel free to do so they are all at:
More images are uploaded daily and albums are added daily too, so keep checking in.Use any you want to.
Also feel free to use any of my deviant Art Images in several galleries at:
You can download free trial versions of all Adobe Products like Adobe Photoshop Elements from the Adobe web site at:
Adobe Photoshop Elements at:
Adobe Free Downloads at:
I hope that this column/tutorial will be of some help to you too, happy designing!
Thanks for reading and have fun designing!
Artistic Hugs, Thanks Millions & Best of Luck to you all in all contests!
Kaz.
Kazytc
xx xx
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