Graphics Zone - Photoshop 5 6

ANS Linklist

Photoshop 5 Course Part 6

by BarryHilton, Adult NetSurprise

Designing a Logo: Part Six
This week we will add arrow heads to both sides of our logo with a punch hole for our chain to attach to!

First we need to create a new layer... We want our layer to be above our Red Logo Border layer and below our chain links. To do this click on the 'red logo Border' layer on the 'Layers' menu to select it and then click the add layer button at the bottom of the 'Layers' menu.

Double click on your new layer and rename it 'Arrow'.

First change your foreground color to white by clicking on the small black and white boxes in the bottom left corner of the 'Color' menu, then click the small arrows in the top right corner of the 'Color' menu to make white your foreground color.

Now select the 'Line' tool from the tool menu, if you don't see the line tool you will need to click and hold on the 'Pencil' tool then select the 'Line' tool from the menu.

Go to the 'Line Options' menu and tick the box 'Arrowheads End', make sure that 'Arrowheads Start' is unticked. Also tick the 'Anti-Aliased' box and enter a value of 12 in the 'Weight' box.

Now click on the 'Shape' button on the 'Line Options' menu... On the menu that appears enter 'Height' 500%, 'Width' 500% and Concavity '10%'. Then click on the middle of the left side of your 'BONDAGE' text, just outside the red border, and drag your arrowhead to the left. You want to create a short line with an arrowhead which overlaps your chain. To see our example click here.

Now we want to duplicate our 'Arrow' layer, to do this just right click on the 'Arrow' layer on the 'Layers' menu then select 'Duplicate Layer' from the menu.

Next we want to move this arrow to the opposite side of our 'BONDAGE' text. To do this select the 'Move' tool then click and drag your arrow to the opposite side of your text.

Our arrow is facing the wrong way so we need to change its facing. To alter this click on the 'Edit' menu at the top of the screen then choose 'Transform' and select 'Flip Horizontal' from the menu. Now click and drag your 'Arrow' to approximately the same height as your first arrow and with the arrow head overlapping your chain.

To line up our arrow heads exactly first click on your first 'Arrow' layer on the 'Layers' menu to select it. We want to use a guide to align our arrow heads... To do this we need to turn on the 'Rulers' in Photoshop, go to the 'View' menu at the top of the screen and select ' Show Rulers' from the menu. Rulers will now appear at the top and left of your image.

On the 'View' menu at the top of the screen make sure that 'Snap to Guides' has a tick next to it to show that it is selected... If it doesn't have a tick select this option also.

Now to make a guide click and drag on the top ruler, dragging your guide downwards until it snaps into the middle of your arrow. The guide will first snap to the top edge of your arrow, but just keep dragging and it will snap again into the middle. If you make a mistake you can alter the guides position using the 'Move' tool from the 'Tool' menu, just move your mouse over a guide line and click and drag the guide to a new position.

Next select your 'Arrow copy' layer from the 'Layers' menu by clicking on its layer name. Then using the 'Move' tool again click and drag your arrow head until it snaps into the middle of the guide you just created. To see our example click here.

We need a small hole for our chain to pass through... First we need to select the 'Ellipse Marquee' tool. Then go to the ' Marquee Options' menu and change the 'Style' to 'Fixed Size'... And enter values of 12 'Width' and 12 'Height'.

Now click on your 'Arrow' layer on the 'Layers' menu to select it then click your marquee over your chain link and arrow head on your image, then press 'Delete' on your keyboard to cut out a hole from your arrow head! The hole should be positioned slightly lower than your top chain link so the the edge of the chain looks like it passes through your hole.

Repeat the procedure by clicking on the 'Arrow copy' layer and removing a small hole for your chain to pass through. To see our example click here.

Next we want to merge our two arrow heads into one layer. On the layers menu make all layers invisible except your two arrowheads by clicking on the small eye graphic to the left of the layer name.

Then go to the 'Layer' menu at the top of the screen and select 'Merge Visible' from the menu. This will merge your two layers into one.

Make all your layers visible again by clicking on the far left box next to the layer name where the eye icon was before.

Now we want to color our arrow heads to look like the metal on our 'BONDAGE' text... To apply a gradient fill to our arrow heads, first we need to tick the 'Preserve Transparency' box at the top of the layers menu. This will enable you to fill your arrows with a new color and keep them smooth and not jaggy.

We want to make our text a shiny metallic steel color, like our text, to make this effect... Select the gradient tool. Then from the 'Linear Gradient Options' menu select 'Copper' from the 'Gradient' menu. If you do not have the 'Linear Gradient Options' menu showing just click the 'Windows' menu at the top of the screen and choose 'Show Options' (Windows > Show Options). Now fill your arrows with the gradient by clicking at the top edge of your arrows and dragging the gradient line vertically to the button edge of your arrows.

Now we need to make our copper colored arrows a steel grey color... Click on the 'Image' menu at the top of the screen, choose 'Adjust' then 'Hue/Saturation' (Image > Adjust > Hue/Saturation). The Hue/Saturation menu will appear, make sure that you have 'Master' selected on the 'Edit' menu. Now slide (click and drag) the 'Hue' bar all the way to the left, this should give you a value of -180 in the text box and make your text a light metallic blue color. Then slide the 'Saturation' bar to the left to a value of -60.

Click on the 'Image' menu at the top of the screen, select 'Adjust' then 'Brightness/Contrast' (Image > Adjust > Brightness/Contrast). The 'Brightness/Contrast' menu will appear, to make our text brighter slide the 'Brightness' bar to +25 and the 'Contrast' bar to +7, then click OK.

To finish arrow heads we want to add a little texture. To do this select the 'Filter' menu from the top of the screen then 'Noise' then 'Add Noise' (Filter > Noise > Add Noise). The 'Add Noise' menu will appear, select 'Gausian' from the 'Distribution Options' and tick the 'Monochromatic' box. This will give us a random noise of similar shades to our arrow color. We just want a little texture so slide the 'Noise' bar to 4 value then click OK. To see our example click here.

To finish our arrow heads we need to bevel the edges like our 'BONDAGE' text and chain links. Right click on the 'Arrow' layer and choose 'Effects' from the menu.

Now while still using this menu change 'Drop Shadow' (make sure that 'Drop Shadow' has 'Apply' not ticked) to 'Bevel and Emboss'. Tick the 'Apply' box and enter the following values... Highlight: Mode 'Screen', Opacity 75. Shadow: Mode 'Multiply', Opacity 75. Style 'Inner Bevel', Angle tick the 'Use Global Angle' box (this should give you a value of 135), Depth 3, Blur 1 and Up selector marked.

Then click OK! This will bevel the edges of our arrows! To see our example click here.

Lastly we want to add some more rivets to our arrow heads... To do this we need to select and copy a rivet from our 'Rivets' layer. Click the 'Rivets' layer on the 'Layers' menu to select it.

Select the 'Marquee' tool (Click and hold on the 'Ellipse Marquee' tool and select from the menu) . Then click and drag the 'Marquee' to surround one of the rivets on your image. You do not need to be too accurate as long as the marquee surrounds one rivet and doesn't overlap any others. Then press 'Control and C' at the same time on your keyboard to copy the selection... and press 'Control and V' together on your keyboard to paste a new layer with only one rivet.

Click and drag on your new rivet an place it in one corner of your arrow head. Press 'Control and V' together on your keyboard again to add another new rivet layer... click and drag this layer to another corner of your arrow head. Repeat this until you have a rivet in each corner of your arrow heads. To see our example click here.

This week's To-Do Assignment:
Follow this weeks tutorial and add two arrow heads to your logo... You will now need to save your image as a jpg. To do this flatten your image file by clicking on the 'Layer' menu at the top of the screen and selecting 'Flatten Image'... DON'T FORGET TO SAVE YOUR IMAGE AS A PSD FILE FIRST... Then from the 'File' menu at the top of the screen choose 'Save As'. This will bring up the jpg compression menu, set the compression to 7 or 8 and click OK to save your image.