Creative christmas cards
November 6th, 2008 by ART-D Posted in Adobe Photoshop, Designing
Today, I’m going to show you how use custom shapes and Layer styles in Photoshop CS3 to create a creative Christmas illustration. Let’s get started!
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. Take now the Rectangle Tool (U) and draw a rectangle on the whole canvas as shown.
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:
Next we’ll represent the snow hills, use the Pen Tool (P), set the drawing mode on Shape Layers in Options bar and to draw the next shape as shown.
Click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Inner Glow.
Add 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:
Select the Custom Shape Tool (U) in the Tools bar, in the Options bar click the Shape to open the selection menu. Find Tree at the bottom of the menu, and then double-click a shape thumbnail to select it.
Drag to draw the tree having the color #003274.
Make seven copies of the tree’s silhouette and select the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command to change the copies’ sizes, placing them the same way demonstrated below:
Using the Custom Shape Tool (U), let’s draw a lot of snowflakes, having different sizes:
We’ve got the next result:
Continue representing the snow hills, selecting the same Pen Tool (P) draw tha next shape having the color #A7FEF6.
Click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Inner Glow.
We’ve got the next result:
Draw another shape using Pen Tool (P).
Click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Inner Glow.
Add 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:
On a new layer (Create new layer) we’ll select the Soft Round brush from Brush Tool (B), set Opacity to 20% in Options bar.
Use this brush to represent the shadows on the snow hill as shown.
Post Pages: 1 2
Tags: background, brushes, card, christmas, cs3, December, design, new-year, Photoshop, snow, snowflake, snowman, tree, winter, xmas
AARON MANIO
04/11/2009
Hi, Just want to ask, where and how I can add to the custom shape in my Photoshop
jo
17/11/2009
this is impossible to do
Dirty
20/11/2009
Not impossible at all, you just have to know a little about photoshop. And you select the custom shape tool under the square that is set to “rectangle tool” by default. Click on the rectangle tool and hold down and the custom shape tool will come up.
Jeanette
07/12/2009
Thank you so much for the tutorial. Took me awhile but I made it to the end and did turn out alright
jeanette
daddy
08/12/2009
this is easy but how are you supposed to make the snowman?
Miss Asa
10/12/2009
Where can I put my own photos in the card? Can I change the snowmans face to my childrens faces?
Jozef
11/12/2009
Happy new year 2010
Maria
14/12/2009
Great tut!!! Thanx!!!
Adriz
17/12/2009
x fin lo terminee!!!…muy wueno el tutotrial =)
graxiazz…flicz fiestaz x)
ptite_Chipie
28/01/2010
Il est super et le rendu aussi! bravo….. et pas compliqué du tout si l’on maîtrise les techniques de base……..
Je me suis régalée à le faire…..
Kuleza
22/04/2010
I enjoyed this tutorial.
Bob marley
26/10/2010
It would have been Good if my computer did not spas up
dashkin
26/10/2010
thanks for the fun!
elisabeth
29/10/2010
Thanks.. It was a good tutorial:)
Radim
12/11/2010
Nice tutorial. Image isnt much original, but I like this
Shagun
29/11/2010
its a nice tutorial,useful and enjoyable
Ganesh Shetty
02/12/2010
Thank u for nice tutorial ….
check my creation here
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=178560845489515&set=a.176829062329360.43343.100000068024285
Kyle
05/12/2010
Awesome Tutorial. I just did this and learned a lot!
Meowzers
07/12/2010
This tutorial was great!
john marston
15/12/2010
i used this tutorial and i personally conclude that this website doe snot help the ole kind folke of these parts so i concurr that you shud nawt use this website for any of yur christmas needs
Arlenne Geraldibne Paola González de la Rosa
17/12/2010
It’s so awesome!!.
I love the snowman!. <3
criss guzman
17/12/2010
good tuto someone tells me what it is called the brush you used for this tutorial please
Omgitzkara
24/12/2010
Great and Easy tutorial ((:
angel abraham
30/12/2010
Gracias por compartir el tutorial me gusto mucho.
Artem
30/12/2010
Lol! It’s useful l. I’ll try to do my own card.
rajesh
17/06/2011
I LIKE IT!!!
vhinz
17/11/2011
Its cool!!!
Okralsd
06/12/2011
this is the best photoshop thing ever! i can’t believe it. I used it and it was amazing i can’t believe it. THIS it the best thing EVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrr HOLY COWS! it is sooooooooo good
Okralsd
06/12/2011
how do u make da snowmanÉ
jakob
09/12/2011
did it work?
Collin Dranow
13/12/2011
my snowman looks like sheesh yall
dan
13/12/2011
a video tut would be much more useful…..
especially for new users
jakob
14/12/2011
This sucks! It is impossible
Collin Dranow
15/12/2011
gtfo faggit
Hugh Jass
16/12/2011
pretty nice tut
mirei
21/12/2011
How can I put the blue shadow of the snowmans belly on the right side? thx