How to Create a Christmas card in Photoshop

November 22nd, 2009 by ART-D Posted in Adobe Photoshop, Designing

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how a Christmas card can be designed with Photoshop. You will learn, how to create Christmas ball, draw snowflakes, customize brushes etc. Let’s get started!

Final Image Preview

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4
Create a new document (Ctrl+N) in Photoshop with the size 1920px by 1200px (RGB color mode) at a resolution of 72 pixels/inch. Using the Rectangle Tool (U), let’s represent a big rectangle reserved for background of the card we want to have.

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4
For this rectangle we’ll use the Layer style > Gradient Overlay by clicking on this layer on the Layers’ panel to open the Layer Style dialog box.

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4
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.

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4
We’ve got the next background:

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4
Create new layer and select Soft Round brush from Brush Tool (B).

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4
We need to customize our brush in Brushes panel (F5), select the Brush Tip Shape. Click and drag any of the sliders to change the Size, the Hardness and brush Spacing as show. The Preview window displays the changed brushstroke.

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4
Go to Shape Dynamics:

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4
Also set the Scattering settings:

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4
Change the Foreground color to #CE0000 and using our brush represent the snowflakes:

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4
On the next new layer we’ll apply the earlier brush, but of bigger diameter and the same color to represent the background of the picture to be.

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4
On the central part of the document we’ll insert the year 2010 using Horizontal Type tool (T). Select a font, size and color in the Character panel.

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4
Click in the image and type the year. Press Enter to apply the text.

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4
Set Fill to 40% for this layer and select Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and click to Outer Glow:

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4
We’ve got the next effect:

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4

Next step we’ll download a set of brushes for in Adobe Photoshop, named: Floral ornaments . Create a new layer and go to Brush Tool (B), select the next brushes from downloaded set.

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4
Change the Foreground color to white and using brushes represent the next ornaments:

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4
Create a new layer and select Soft Round brush used before and white color to use it on the picture’s edges:

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4
Set the Fill to 60% for this layer.

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4
Create a new layer, using here the same brush of white color to apply it again around the picture:

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4
Choose now the Ellipse Tool (U) to draw a Christmas tree ball:

How to Create a Christmas card in Adobe Photoshop CS4

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  • ashwin

    29/11/2009

    nice tutorial

  • igner

    02/12/2009

    nice tutor :D

  • adrian

    02/12/2009

    Hello, for the guy who explained the Christmas card making : I am sorry but you don’t have any idea about how to explain to someone how to work on a task in Photoshop. Your explanation is awful ! It’s imposible to make this card, by your explanation. I tried with Photoshop 7.
    Please be so kind use your ideas in a better way for others.

    Thanks.

    Adrian

  • Chris

    05/12/2009

    How do you download the brush?

  • graeme

    06/12/2009

    tbh the post above is crap. its easy to follow and if you have any basic knowledge of PS, the steps are easy to follow.

    good tut.

  • Sumit

    07/12/2009

    This tutorial is nice….I like it. It is not too easy but can be worked on provided some concentration is there…the above comment by Adrian is so much not true.

    Best,
    sumit

  • tutorial blog

    08/12/2009

    thank for post

  • cojogo

    09/12/2009

    Not bad thanks..
    And to Adrian read, have patients and practice.
    all good things crash with bad operators

  • Dom

    09/12/2009

    I was thinking of buying a few cards on Zazzle but I definitely will use your tutorial to create my own cards! You did a great job and many thanks for the help.
    Have a merry christmas!

  • Michael Garmahis

    10/12/2009

    This tutorial is featured on Top 50 Christmas Photoshop Tutorials

  • Chris

    14/12/2009

    please can someone tell me howto download the brushes

  • shravni

    14/01/2010

    nice tutorial

  • Saiful Alam

    14/01/2010

    It’s helpful for graphic students. Good !!

  • SRINATH

    23/01/2010

    nice tutorial and how to download brush
    and how to create a greeting card to girlfriend

  • Sejal

    15/02/2010

    pls will anyone tell that do we need to but the brushes or just download them!…pls help me!

  • Sejal

    15/02/2010

    buy*

  • khaing nyein thu

    17/03/2010

    Nice tutorial………