Starting the actual process for greeting card

Okay I have posted up my earlier draft previously. Now I'm going to start on the actual A4 size for the greeting card. First I will divide the card into 3 separate pieces. Something like this:

I used distinctive colors to make it easier for viewing. I used the rectangle tool to create 3 boxes which I aligned with the ruler tool to make them of equal sizes.

On the Box1 layer, using the Eclipse Marquee Tool I created a circle and by using an adjustment layer I changed the level to brighten it up. (view image below)


In Box1, I used a custom brush to create the Nippon rays. By using the Dissolve blending mode option, I created a dissolving effect on the rays. The rays represent the nation of Japan as well as sunny weather.


I changed the rays on Box1 back to a normal setting to make it stand out more. From another image, I used the Quick Selection Tool to select the image of the shrine and paste into my existing project. I then used the Filter > Cutout option to adjust it.


On Box2, I changed the foreground color and I used the Eclipse Marquee Tool to create a circle and brightened its Levels layer. Using the Soft Light blending mode, I added a few custom brushes with different colors to Box2.

Then I loaded a custom background to use as a texture. I rotated its position by 90 CW. Using the transform tool I flipped it horizontally. Create a layer and change its blending mode to screen. That will make the dark edges go away. After that, merge the layers and copy and paste the background into the existing project. I changed the blending mode to Color Burn.

Next up, the right side of the card. This part is for the greetings. I decided to divide the part into two equal parts to be in uniform with the left side of the card. Hence, we have 4 squares in the card which also resembles the 4 seasons in Japan.

I opened up an image of a tree with red leaves that I took from my recent trip to Japan. Using the Filter > Cutout tool, I adjusted the original image. I then copied and pasted the image into the existing canvas. I then set the opacity level to about 67% where the image is just slightly visible to become the background.

For the bottom right image, I opened up another image I took from Japan. I gave it a Filter > Cutout adjustment. I then imported it using the same method as before and lowered down its opacity level.

I opened an image of a sleeping Buddha and used the Quick Selection Tool to select the Buddha statue. I then adjusted it using the Filter > Poster Edges tool and moved it into the lower left box.


Now for the greeting text. I used a custom font (Karate) taken from http://www.urbanfonts.com/fonts/japanese-fonts.htm. The greetings used in the card were 100% original. The Karate font gives the card a more Oriental, and specifically Japanese feel. The above texts on both boxes are black to give it uniformity. Light colors were used for the bottom text to give it contrast and juxtaposition.

Voila! Here is the final outcome.

Rough idea/sketch for greeting card

Konnichiwa! =D
I decided to go with a Japanese-themed style for my greeting card. I got the inspiration from my obvious surroundings. (I'm currently in Kyoto! Banzai!!!)

This is just a basic draft of what I'm going to do, will update more as my progress furthers. Okay, till the next time! Sayonara!

*waiting to board JR Train at Saga-Shoggoku-Mae station, Kyoto

Finally! Retouched E-Wallpaper Design

This is my final end product. I changed the shade of green of the background, made the FOM building black & white, put in more pictures in the picture frame and made other minor changes. Oh ya! Added drop shadow (luminosity) to the text. Be sure to comment! I will post the tutorial steps later. ZZZ


/SFK

The making of... FOM's Open Day 2010 Wallpaper

Step 1: Creating the background

Select a lime-ish color as your background to establish the main color of the background. Then, select the Eclipse Marquee tool and make a large circle in the center. Once done, create an adjustment layer and brighten up the levels. It should look something like the left side:

Open up an image of the FOM building and use the Polygonal Lasso Tool to select the building. Once selected, move it to another canvas.

Use the eyedropper tool to select the background color from the other canvas and use the Paint Bucket tool to change the background color of your new canvas.

Now to insert some 3D text. First of all you need to type in the text. Create a new layer then merge them together. Next, go to Transform > Perspective and pull on the edges of the text to make it a bit slanting to the side. Now to the layer and press Alt to duplicate the layer. Do this multiple times, to give it a 3D shape. The more you press, the more layers it will create. Now you have 2 layers, one of your text and one of your 3D text. Right click on your text and go to Blending options. Here you can change a lot of options for your text. In the image below I have chosen the Gradient feature.


Now we want to add texture to our background. I downloaded a custom background from http://www.sxc.hu/photo/424649. Then I loaded the brush metal image to use as a texture. I rotated its position by 90 CW. Using the transform tool I flipped it horizontally. Create a layer and change its blending mode to screen. That will make the dark edges go away. After that, merge the layers and copy and paste the background into the existing project. I changed the blending mode to Darken.


To make the background even more interesting, I added a couple of brushes to it. I used some custom brushes which I downloaded from www.brusheezy.com (view image below)


Next up: Inserting MMU logo into composition

First I opened up the MMU logo in a separate file. Select area around logo and copy (Ctrl+C) into canvas. Resize as necessary. Place in manner wanted then set Blending Mode to Screen. Then insert some text at its side for more information about MMU.



Creating a custom photo album:

First to create the boxes, select the Rectangular Marquee Tool and set the feather to 0px. Set the style to Fixed size. Then set the box to a size which you require and click on the canvas. Press Alt + backspace to fill it with any color of your choice. Click Ctrl + A to select entire project and use the Align Tool to center it.

Next, create a new layer. This is for the boxes that we are going to insert inside this photo album. Select your desired size and color. With the box layer selected, align it to the left using the Align Tools above. Create a new layer for a new box. Repeat this process until you have all the boxes that you want. Use different colors to differentiate each box.


In order to make each box hold an image, we must first convert it into a Smart Object first. Right click on the layer > Convert to Smart Object. Perform this on every box that you want to hold images.

To create a drop shadow on the photo album, select the layer and go to Layer Styles > Drop Shadow. You can play around with the settings. Mine were as follows: Angle 90 deg, Uncheck Global Light, Distance 10px, Size 25px, Opacity 50%. Apply the Stroke feature to have some sort of border around it. Again, play around with the settings to suit your liking.

Press Ctrl + click, > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection on each box to give it a layer mask so the image later on will stay in the box.


To insert the image, right click on the layer box and choose Replace Content.


Transform images and make adjustments accordingly.


Previously I had inserted the text, now I want to add an outer glow to it to make it more outstanding.


I then changed the text to Fixedsys, to give it more of a digital feel because this is promoting MMU. I also changed the color of the FOM building to black & white to give a more strong juxtaposition. I also gave the background color a darker shade of green to represent money, because this is the Faculty of Management.

So that's it! That is a step-by-step tutorial on how I created my wallpaper. Thank you!

/SFK

Final E-Wallpaper Design!

Finally! It's done! Initially I thought of putting in rollover images and inserting a link, but I'm too tired. This will have to do. Please send in a comment or two, yeah?

I chose to use lime green as the background color because it is bright and will capture immediate attention. Green is also commonly used to represent money, the main goal in business. I used some brushes I got from http://www.brusheezy.com


Checkout http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVLcKrigUO0 for a video tutorial to create your very own cool background!

I will post up the tutorials on how I created my e-wallpaper soon. Good night!

/SFK

update: Latest e-wallpaper design

Something went wrong with the custom background I tried to do.. have to redo later! :(

/ SFK

Assignment 1 initial test

Just played around while waiting to doze off...

I love colors!

Guys, as I was surfing for cool color palettes to use, I found this cool site! It has probably all the colors you'd ever want to use in your project. Try it out! I personally like this one:

http://www.colourlovers.com

Week 2: Review (Photo Retouching)

For the class exercise, we were taught the basics of retouching photos. Refer to Image A, we have an image of a swimmer. Let me guide you throughout the process of creating the final outcome.

Image A

Using the Clone Stamp tool, select an area of the sea while holding down the Alt key. Notice that the cursor changes. Then, hold down right click whilst 'removing' the swimmer and the text. (see image below)


This is what it should look like:

You can use the Blur Tool to smooth out any jagged edges.

Add in the text as needed, and voila! It should look like this:

Next, create a new adjustment layer so we can manipulate the color of the sea. Adjustment layers allow you to make changes and go back to the same dialog box anytime and modify the adjustment. It also makes a record of what adjustments you have done. (see image below)

*click for a larger view

Select the adjustment layer and use the settings as below. (refer to image below)

*click to enlarge

This is the final outcome. (view image below)

This is however, a rather basic tutorial. Feel free to comment and exchange ideas on how to make it better. Cheers!

/SFK

Updated! with Face Tutorial

Well, I finally had some free time to update my blog. Just bear with my ramblings for a while, yeah? ;) Just thought I wanted to share my process of creating my banner.

Inspiration:
I'm into hardcore and punk music so naturally black and white images came into the picture.

Step 1:
Create new file; size: 640x480 pixels. Crop image and paste in the new file created. (see image below)


Once cropped, I altered the image using several tools:

Brightness/Contrast (Image>Adjustments)
Cutout (Filter>Artistic)
Film grain (Filter>Artistic)


Then I added some text and voila! The end result is the one currently in use. Thank you for your time! p/s: Remember to use layers for different parts of your project!


/SFK

Here is the first tutorial that we were required to do: An image of a face using computer components:

Week 1

Supposed to come out with an e-wallpaper as the first assignment.
Monday 2/11 submit face design using computer components.
Monday there's no class in the lab but online.