How to create abstract kaleidoscope poster in Photoshop CS5
March 17th, 2011 by ART-D Posted in Adobe Photoshop, Designing
In today’s tutorial, we will combine basic colours, shapes and brushes to create eye catching kaleidoscope poster in Photoshop CS5. Layered PSD file included. Let’s get started!
Click here if you want to see some fantasy poster design inspiration.
Final Image Preview

Inspired from Psychedelic Crystalls by Filipp Ryabchikov.
Start working by creating a new document (Ctrl+N) in Adobe Photoshop CS5 with the size 1920px by 1200px (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.

Now we shall create an kaleidoscope pattern by selecting firstly the Rectangle Tool (U) and represent a square of white color. Then choose the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command to turn the element over on 90 degrees.

Set Fill to 0% for this layer and click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Drop Shadow.

Add Inner Shadow:

We’ve got the next result:

Insert the mask on the layer by choosing Add layer mask on the bottom part of the Layers panel and choose the Soft Round brush of black color.

Paint in the mask using this brush to hide the layer edges the same way as on the picture.

Set Opacity to 30% for this layer in Layers panel.

We’ve got the next result:

Make a copy of the last made layer and select the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command to place the copy as on the next picture it is shown:

Make another copy of the rhombus’s layer and select the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command to place the copy as on the picture it is demonstrated. Set Opacity to 100% for this layer and change the Fill to 19% in Layers panel. Remove also the Drop Shadow style.

Make a copy of the earlier made rhombus’s layer and put it above all the layers using the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command. Set Opacity to 100% for this layer and change the Fill to 54% in Layers panel.

Combine in a group all the earlier made kaleidoscope elements (press CTRL button to select the necessary layers and hold on the left mouse’s button while dragging the selected layers on Create a new group icon from bottom part of the Layers panel). Select the group in Layers panel and press Ctrl+E to Merge Down into a single layer all group layers. Make copies of the rasterized layer, placing the copies in a line.

We’ll compose the next row, but this time with a little displacement.

We’ve got the next result:

This way we have to fill with the kaleidoscope elements the entire canvas.

Combine in a group all the layers containing the kaleidoscope pattern (press CTRL button to select the necessary layers and hold on the left mouse’s button while dragging the selected layers on Create a new group icon from bottom part of the Layers panel).
Insert the mask on the layer by choosing Add layer mask on the bottom part of the Layers panel and choose the Soft Round brush of black color (set Opacity to 30% in Options bar).

Paint in the mask using this brush to hide the canvas edges.

Post Pages: 1 2
Tags: abstract, background, brushes, colorful, cs5, design, effect, free, Illustration, kaleidoscope, Photoshop, poster, psd, psychedelic, shape




























Balloon
17/03/2011
Great tutorial. This would make a great website background as well.
Evans
21/03/2011
“Brilliant!” is the word, great tutorial it will surely come in handy thanks!
shoot
21/03/2011
wow…. its wonderfull… thanks for the tutorial and psd file
DeMoN
22/03/2011
Amazing! Thanks for this tutorial!
Lee Fuller
25/03/2011
the effect is brilliant.. thanks for the tutorial..
babs
09/04/2011
it’s pretty, but it’s not really a kaleidoscope image, is it?
Dan
17/04/2011
Thank you so much! I will use this for a project of mine!
Andy Lau
26/04/2011
It’s easy but amazing~Good~
Jack
02/05/2011
How did you add the color in the PSD?
Mikari
05/05/2011
I’m wondering about the same thing as Jack… How do you add the colours to it ?
Brett Widmann
13/05/2011
This was a really fun tutorial! Thanks for sharing.
Jay
02/06/2011
This tutorial is really awesome. The final product made me think that this would involve some very difficult steps, but it is an easy and effective way to make a great looking background.
Moksha
04/06/2011
cool way to make nice abstract effect.
thanks for tutorial
afmrp
06/06/2011
I have a question, what size have to be the square ?
Thank you !
jhumar
11/06/2011
i’ve got a question… it says here that “using CS5″
is there other way how to make this on older versions or we can make these stuff with the old ones????
admin
12/06/2011
@jhumar
you can make these stuff with the old versions of Photoshop
Cathy
01/07/2011
How to apply the color ? Please tell us so it may be very helpful for various projects
Sanjiv
11/10/2011
Superb. inspiring.
Pandian
12/12/2011
It’s easy but amazing~Got output~
Igor
18/05/2012
Hi! I have a small problem when i make the Square and do the shadow and the inner shadow I just have a small white line on the bottom of my square what am I doing wrong?
james
21/12/2012
Great design but I got lost after the second step
Can you help me please
thanks
Tony
12/01/2013
magnificent put up, very informative. I’m wondering why the opposite experts of this sector don’t notice this.
You must proceed your writing. I’m sure, you have a great readers’ base already!