Merry Christmas tree design
November 6th, 2008 by ART-D Posted in Adobe Photoshop, Designing
In this tutorial, you will learn how to use custom shapes and Pen Tool in Photoshop CS3 to create Christmas illustration with stars in a few simple steps. Read on to learn more.
Final Image Preview
Start working by creating a new document (Ctrl+N) in Adobe Photoshop CS3 with the size 1280px by 1024px (RGB color mode) at a resolution of 72 pixels/inch. Use the Paint Bucket Tool (G) to fill with black color the new background layer.
Take now the Rectangle Tool (U) and draw a rectangle on the whole canvas. Click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Gradient Overlay.
Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.
We’ve got the next background:
Duplicate this layer and change the Opacity to 0% for copy.
Go to Layer Style and change the Gradient Overlay settings as shown.
Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.
We’ve got the next result:
Now take the Ellipse Tool (U) and draw the next ellipse, set Opacity to 0% for this layer.
Click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Gradient Overlay.
Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.
It’s the result you must get on this stage:
Select now the Pen Tool (P) and try to represent the contours of a fir tree, like on the next picture:
Select the Custom Shape Tool (U) in the Tools bar, in the Options bar click the Shape to open the selection menu. Find 5 Point Star at the bottom of the menu, and then double-click a shape thumbnail to select it.
Fill the whole fir tree’s inside space with selected shape, changing also their sizes using Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command.
One star should be situated on the fir tree’s top, click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Outer Glow.
This is the result you should get now:
Next we’ll select three types of snowflakes from Custom Shape Tool (U) like those from below:
Draw and place the snowflakes in an arbitrary way on our canvas, we may change their Opacity value on the Layers panel: Fill: 10%, 20%, 40%.
Choose again the Custom Shape Tool (U) in the Tools bar, in the Options bar click the Shape to open the selection menu. Find Registration Target 2 at the bottom of the menu, and then double-click a shape thumbnail to select it.
Draw and place this shape under the layer containing the top star, the same way situated below: Fill – 0% on this layer:
Click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Gradient Overlay.
Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.
We’ve got the next result:
Choose the Pen Tool (P), set the drawing mode on Shape Layers in Options bar and draw the next shape as shown on the fir tree, choosing the next colors:
We’ve got the next result:
The final result!
View full size here.
Tags: background, ball, brushes, card, christmas, cs3, December, design, new-year, ornament, Photoshop, snow, snowflake, winter, xmas
Josee
12/10/2009
well,I am new at photoshop and I find that it is a bit hard to fallow the instruction.Maybe I should start with something a bit easier!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
any suggestion
Liz
16/11/2009
You mention giving the layer an opacity of 0%, then highlight the fill area at 0%? Would be better if you could have a shot of how many layers used to complete this tutorial
Matt
17/11/2009
Nice tutorial, easier then it looks!
Kasto
17/11/2009
Ok, that thing with Elipse and Gradient tool just doesn’t work for me
Maybe I am missing a point, but I think it’d be much better to write it more closely.. I can’t get over that step and I am really sad about it..
davulcu
18/11/2009
Lack of information ! Totally useles, waste of time
lijuan
19/11/2009
Good, very good tutorial, but my English not very good, it seems too hard to learn the future….
renelli
22/11/2009
thanks for sharing this. I love your designs. =)
it seems that some people got frustrated, probably because they just don’t know how to follow instructions…oh well…very common.
Buffy23
22/11/2009
Great tutorial! It sure helped a lot!
Thanks. =)
View my christmas tree:
http://buffy23.deviantart.com/art/The-Red-Tree-144385699
Bianca
23/11/2009
Hi I just want to ask permission if I can use the photo, the green christmas tree used as an example
sara
28/11/2009
HellU! Great that you do this. But could you please be more spessific! Like, you don’t tell how to get the gradient editor up,etc. :S
sara
28/11/2009
Hellu, I’m getting crazy cus I WANT TO DO THIS :O But the tutorial isn’t good enough explained. :/ I don’t understand anyway… HOW DID YOU DO/FILL THE STARS!?
Sebastian
30/11/2009
Hi could anyone please help me on the big with the circle and the bars?
Mine just does not want to fade away at the edges!
If anyone could please, please help me with this contact me on sebstrug@hotmail.com
Thyaga
05/12/2009
Hi,
This is too good and simple. I tried it out. Everything came good but the shape of the tree using pen tool only little problem.
Anyway thanks for sharing this.
Peter
16/12/2009
It just requires a bit of patience while working on the steps although it would have been easier if the layers were also indicated!
Hannah
18/12/2009
Hi, I just had a few questions about the step where you put the ellipse and gradient. First is that my version of Photoshop doesn’t have the “Hard Mix” Blend Mode, so I just used “Color Dodge” instead. I guess that would work the equally well…? And second was that the outline of the circle didn’t go away after this. How do I make the line disappear? Thanks =]
MOHSEN FASSI
20/12/2009
i wish you merry cristmas and a happy new year to all people who use this page.happy new 2010………………………………..
beatifull tree of dreams…..from morroco with love for all…….
Slava
26/12/2009
Best. This is too good and simple.
Annette
06/01/2010
Good points, I think I will definitely subscribe!
. I’ll go and read some more!
DIPEN SINGH GOUTAM
02/02/2010
THANKS YOUR DESIGN Owl OF YOU
and i want to say something about you
you are as good as your thing
Tony
15/02/2010
Oh, very-very nice
Zam
14/07/2010
Tutorial not very comprehensive. very hard to follow.
Nancy
13/08/2010
thankss for such a nice tutorial, its really nice.
Meg
18/08/2010
This is the absolute worst tutorial I have ever read. You need to learn to speak proper English and make your steps understandable. Fill does NOT equal opacity! This is horrible! D:
Carri
01/11/2010
If you cannot follow this tutorial then give up Phototshop. Use the concepts and techniques and then design your own thing…..! Thanks for the great ideas.
Sevrin
22/11/2010
Hey Guys,
You guys are just being too cruel to the new guys. Seriously, there is a lot of things that an experience photoshopper had to follow. Also … just to be clear on a step, did you manually stamp each star into the tree?
ِيثم
27/11/2010
very nice And thanks
jain
01/12/2010
it’s really very nice n helpful
jain
01/12/2010
it’s really very nice n helpful 4 learners
thnx
Java Bee
02/12/2010
Awesome… i tried it… its great… i spiced it up with some other tricks u forgot to mention
Mateo
06/12/2010
when I download this ? J need them ..
hwang
07/12/2010
wow…. a Christmas tree glowing with many colored lights…
statquo112
11/12/2010
it might be better if the tutorial could include some tips on how to use the pen tool, especially the last step how do you make the shape roll around the stars
noname
14/12/2010
this tutorial is really good
and phuck the haters, you did really good job. im making a christmas card as part of some competition and your tut really helped to get a start. i still have some things to add to it, so i will elevate the tree and everything and add some christmas midgets or some cute stuff
this is what i’ve done so far
only thing i couldnt do is those stipes that go around the tree, i got ancient photoshop, lol
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/6014/contestcopy.jpg
Rachel
16/12/2010
Well, I am not new to Photoshop and I even find this tutorial HARD to follow!! The instructions aren’t thorough at all!
Meowzers
16/12/2010
Just change to fill instead of the opacity?
Justin
16/12/2010
for those who are having trouble with the big circle around the star, try increasing the gradient scale. Also I agree with most of you guys, this tut is not very well explained. and those who say it’s simple are either PS professionals or big time liars…!
Parasuniversal
16/12/2010
I used your style and give you props for posting it but the explanation was hard to understand and I found easier methods to do most of the stuff but props anyway… check out my website as I’ll be using it for my header.
Rose
22/12/2010
thanks! I will try…
antoni
24/12/2010
wow great job.. thanks friend
Tania
26/12/2010
its really very nice..thanks! happy new year 2011 to all people who use this page!
mirai
26/09/2011
Well I got it to work fine… perhaps too complex for newbies, but generally this isn’t that hard. Just plonking custom set shapes on a canvas and messing with fill, opacity and gradient. Pen tool is a nightmare at first though. you can skip that part
Donnell
20/10/2011
Wow! This one is even better than the last Christmas tree tutorial. I’m sold on this one.
Valet
21/11/2011
Im sorry, but I think your tutorials are very badly explained. Sometimes I couldn’t follow it at all, and Ive been using photoshop for 8 years now.
Hector Matias
28/11/2011
Megustaria tener ese Tuturiales
Sinisa
05/12/2011
how did you get white stars?
renee
10/12/2011
Where did you get that many custom shapes? I have about nine in my Photoshop, and none of them are stars or snowflakes…
Atataya
13/12/2011
Great tutorial psd Thank you.
Akhil
15/12/2011
Its helps many freshers in ps like me..great site…
Radha Krushna Nath
09/02/2013
Good, student can get enough knowledge from psd tutorial.