Project 25 Page 1 ` JAZZ POSTCARD Reset all tools! Create the Background 1. Create a new RGB document, 4.25 in. wide by 5.75 in. high at 100 dpi with a white background. 2. Click the foreground color swatch to bring up the Color Picker. Locate the area near the bottom of the swatch that lists RGB. Set Red at 50, Green at 65 and Blue at 135. Click OK. 3. fill the background layer with the blue color you just created (you should know how by now you ve done this step many times). 4. Click the New Layer icon to add a new layer. Name the new layer Star Field. 5. Reset the default colors, and then fill the new layer with black. 6. From the Filter menu, find the submenu and Add Noise. Change the Amount to 100, and make the noise Gaussian and Monochromatic. (see below). Click OK. 7. From the Filter Menu, select Stylize>Diffuse. Click the Darken Only Button. Click OK. 8. Press Control-F twice to run the Diffuse filter 2 more times. Press Control-L to display the Levels dialog box. Move white Input Levels slider to about 70 so the stars become visible in the image (see above). Click OK. 9. Set the layer Blending Mode for the Star Field layer to Lighten. The sky turns blue. 10. Add a new layer. Name it Gradient. Place it above the Star Field layer in the Layers Palette. 11. Click the foreground color swatch. Set Red to 140, Green to 0, and Blue to 100. Click OK. 12. Click the Linear Gradient tool. Set the gradient to Foreground to Transparent, and click the Reverse box. 13. Hold down the Shift key, and start a gradient about one-fifth of the way down the image. Hold the Shift key to constrain the gradient to vertical. Extend it all the way down to the bottom of the image. If you wish, activate the rulers by choosing Show Rulers from the View menu (or press Control-R).
Project 25 Page 2 Create a Water Texture 1. Create a new layer called Water. Position this layer above the Gradient Layer in the Layers palette. 2. Press the D Key, and then the X key to change the foreground color to White. 3. Select the Rectangular Marquee tool. On the Options toolbar, set Style to Fixed Size, Width to 425 pixels, and Height to 135 pixels. 4. Click on the image, and position the marquee at the bottom of the image. Fill the selection with White. 5. Select Noise>Add Noise from the Filter menu. Set the Amount to 400, and make the noise Gaussian and Monochromatic. 6. Select Blur>Motion Blur from the Filter menu. Set the Angle to 0 and the Distance to 40 pixels. 7. Select Adjustments>Auto Levels from the Image menu to allow Photoshop to automatically adjust the highlight, shadow, and midtone areas of the image. Click OK. 8. Click the Colorize and Preview check boxes. Set the Hue to 240, Saturation to 50, and Lightness to -45. Click OK. 9. Deselect what is selected. Notice that the water does not look quite right on the left and right edges of the canvas. Choose Canvas Size from the Image menu. Click the Relative box and set the Width and Height values to -50 pixels (make sure you set the values for pixels, not inches). Leave the placement grid (Anchor) in the center. (See below.) Click OK. 10. Click Proceed/OK when the clipping warning dialog box appears. 11. Save the document as a Photoshop document named Project 25 jazz.psd in your home drive.
Project 25 Page 3 Add Artwork 1. For the next step, you will need to find (and or create) a file similar to the Palm tree below. Once you have the palm tree, reopen your project and proceed with this tutorial. 2. Select the Move tool from the Toolbox, or press the V key. Hold down the Shift key and drag the palm tree layer into your document. 3. Using the Move tool, reposition the palm tree within the layer as shown below. Line it up on the right side of the image with no space showing at the top or the right. Retain as much of the tree trunk as possible. 4. Make certain the palm tree layer (Layer 1) is above the Water layer in the Layers palette. Change the Blending mode for the palm tree layer to Multiply. 5. Save the image. Create a Sailboat Silhouette 1. Open the image ship_silo.psd located in the Photoshop Projects folder. 2. Use the Move tool to drag the top layer from this file to your postcard document. Position the ship on the horizon line. 3. Set the Blending mode to Hard Light to blend any edges left over from the original background. Create Reflections 1. Add a new layer to the image. Call it Shoreline. 2. Position this layer just above the Water layer. 3. Use the Lasso tool to draw a rough land shape that is sloping into the water on the right horizon (see below left). Don t worry about the shape overlapping the water; we ll delete the overlapping image area later in the project. 4. Fill the selection with Black. Deselect. 5. Move the Shoreline layer under the Water Layer as shown. The water now covers the lower part of the shoreline (see below right).
Project 25 Page 4 6. Duplicate the Shoreline layer; accept the default name, Shoreline copy. 7. Select Transform>Flip Vertical from the Edit menu. 8. Move the Shoreline copy layer above the Water layer. With the Move tool, reposition the image immediately below the land. 9. Lower the Fill to about 44%. Draw a selection marquee as shown, and press the Delete key to remove any part of the shoreline reflection that shows above the waterline. Deselect the selection area. 10. Apply a Motion Blur filter of about 5-10 pixels to make the reflection look as though it s on the water. Simplify the Image 1. The file has so many layers that it is getting rather large. We need to simplify the image. 2. Add a new layer at the top of the layer stack. Accept the default name. 3. Hold down the Alt key, and select Merge Visible from the Layer menu. Continue to hold down the Alt key until the new layer is filled with all of the other visible layers. (Watch the icon in the layer stack to view the process.) 4. Link all the other layers, but do not link the new layer. Using the pop-up menu, make a new group from the linked layers. Accept the default name, Group 1. This action simplified the document, but enables you to return to the layered file if necessary. Add Type 1. Select the top layer of your document, Layer 2 (the merged version of the image). 2. Change the foreground color to White. 3. Click the Type tool near the trunk of the palm tree. 4. Set the font to Signet Roundhand (or similar to final illustration) and the Alignment to Right. The font size is not critical at this point; about 14 pt. works well. Enter the important information you decide When (date & time), where (location) and contact info (web site, email or reservation phone #) (no bold) Example (do not use the example info be creative): Ride the Jazz Boat Friday & Saturday Evenings 8:00 p.m. Midnight Reservations 800.555.1234 5. Use the typographic controls to modify the type until you are satisfied with its appearance. Use your own judgment as to point size, leading, and kerning (if needed). The example shows one idea but you may have another. Do not be afraid to experiment with the design. 6. Drag to reposition the type as shown in the graphic beneath Step #8 on the next page.
Project 25 Page 5 7. Open the file named headline_copy.psd from the Photoshop Projects folder. Use the Move tool to drag the shape layer (Jazz at the Beach) onto your postcard. Hold down the Shift key as you drag the layer to the center of the document. Close the headline_copy.psd file. 8. Add the layer effects, the (F) symbol at the bottom of the layers palette, as shown (Drop Shadow, and Bevel and Emboss). Adjust them to suit your preferences. Lower the Fill percentage. IF you lower the Fill instead of the Opacity, the effects are not changed; as the Fill percentage is lowered, you can see the color of the sky start to show through the white shape layer. With the fill set to 13%, the white headline begins to take on the color of the layer below. As the fill has been lowered instead of the opacity, the layer effects still show at 100%. 9. Open the file moon.psd from the Photoshop Projects folder. Load the selection provided using the Moon channel. Copy and paste the moon into your document. Use the Move tool to position it at the upper left. This adds the finishing touch to the card. Close the moon.psd file. 10. Another finishing touch is to make a reflection layer for the ship. Open the layer group, and make a copy of the Ship layer. 11. Drag the new layer up the layer stack until it is visible (just above the composite image, layer 2, in the example). 12. From the Edit menu, select Transform to flip the layer vertically. Use the Move tool to position the layer as shown. Lower the Fill to 33%. 13. Note: text and vital information and graphics that are too close to the edge of a document run the risk of not being printed or reproduced. Make sure you re vital info/graphics are inside the safe margin.
Project 25 Page 6 14. Save your work