These days not a single piece of design can live without Photoshop. Even the slightest banner ad or a creative userpic is worked on in creative suite. This software is extremely popular all over the world. And each day hundreds of people buy a licensed copy of Photoshop. So what to do after you’ve installed your copy? Rush around the menu and various effects? No way, you need to find some tutorials that will teach how to use it. Today we’ve prepared for you a Photoshop tutorial timed to St. Patrick’s Day.

Upon completed on the tutorial you will learn how to create stylish banner unencumbered with design elements within minimal amount of steps.

This is a starter-intermediate level tutorial that’s full of really useful tricks and techniques. We are going to show you how combining simple things you will create a cool artwork. You’ll need any Photoshop version.

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Final result:

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1. Create new layer Ctrl+N, and fill it with green color using the Basket Tool (G), also you need to rename it, either some of the following effects cannot be applied to the Background layer.

2. You can visit the http://subtlepatterns.com/ website and download any texture you like, for our banner we decided to take Subtle White Feathers pattern. Open Blending Options >> Pattern Overlay and find the pattern you’ve downloaded previously. In Blend Mode choose Linear Burn.

3. Next thing you need to do is to add shadow. Open Blending Options >> Inner Shadow and choose options as on the screenshot.

4. Create new layer Ctrl+N and add gradient Foreground to Transparent, draw it from center to top.

5. Stretch the gradient layer for the full width of the canvas.

6. Add texture and blending mode type and texture to the layer with gradient as in Step 2.

7. Create an Adjustment Layer with Gradient Fill, round black/white button at the bottom of the Layers window. Pick the options as on the screenshot.

8. Now it’s time to make a frame for our banner. We’ve used a free grunge frame; you can pick any you find appropriate. Create a new layer and paste in the frame.

9. Add the Blend Mode Overlay, Opacity 20%.

10. Now it’s time to add some text. We’ve used the Ultra type. Create new layer and type some text.

11. Add the same texture, choose Linear Burn Blending Mode.

12. Add some shadow as on the screenshot, or play with sliders to choose some other options.

13. Create new layer Ctrl+N and draw a black rectangular.

14. Pick some grunge Eraser(E) tool from the list…

15. …and work out the edges of the rectangle.

16. Create new layer Ctrl+N add some text onto the rectangle, we’ve used a free Mathlete font.

17. Create new layer Ctrl+N and add some text below the rectangle. We’ve used the Ultra type.

18. Create one more layer Ctrl+N add some shapes, we picked the shamrock and a beer mug.

19. Pick some grunge Eraser(E) tool as in step 14…

20. …and work out those shapes.

Congratulations! You’ve finished the tutorial. Here you can download the original PSD to put some experiments on it.

SPEAK UP! Feel free to attach your examples in the comments.

Written by Alex Bulat

Some people say that every assignment starts from an idea, glad to disappoint you, everything starts from a cup of hot black coffee. Do you remember the movie Coffee and Cigarettes? People were sitting in a cafe and were having small talks diluted with hot black liquid. Same thing with us, copywriters - no talks, no works until the liven energy of this substance enters our guts. For my part, any type of copywriter work is associated with specific recipe of this drink. Feels like I'm a text-writing-coffee-junkie. Alex Bulat on Google+.

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