In this tutorial, we're going to go a bit retro. You'll learn how to create halftone patterns and creatively cut up an image of a model holding a boombox. You'll then use those cut elements to make your design. We use some layer styles to get everything to come together cohesively. The effects are fun, and you can apply these methods to other designs as well.
Step 1
Start out by downloading/purchasing our image from iStockPhoto: Boombox Image. Alternatively, you could apply these techniques to an image of your choosing and still follow along (or as in the download PSD you could just use the 'comp' that iStock lets you download).
I downloaded the largest image available for this photo. There is some reason behind this madness: we'll be using cut images from the large photo to place into our design. Using the large image will allow us to have larger speaker elements.
Make a copy of this large photo. Open up the copy and resize it to 500px wide and make sure Constrain Proportions is checked so the height changes proportionally. Save this file as .psd and name it boombox_final. This will be our canvas for this tutorial. Also, open up our original large image we downloaded as we will be cutting some images from it starting in Step 3.
Step 2
Let's prepare our boombox_final.psd document. First cut out the boombox image. Also cut out the top half of our model. Below is an image of the top half of the model cut out. You can see the boombox cutout in the preview of the layers palette as well as the layer order. We need to cut out these pieces so that we can place elements behind them as we build our design.
Step 3
Let's jump over to our large image. Grab the Elliptical Marquee Tool. Draw a selection that covers the right speaker. Then Command/Ctrl-Click and select Refine Edge. Use the settings in the image below.
Step 4
Turn on Edit in Quick Mask Mode (Q). Then go to Filter > Pixelate > Color Halftone. Use the settings below.
Step 5
Let's go back to Edit in Standard Mode (Q). Copy this selection.
Step 6
Now paste this cut out image of the speaker into the boombox_final design. And move it to the bottom left corner.
Step 7
Now we are going to follow the same steps to place some texture over the speaker. First make a small selection in our large stock photo. Then type Cmd/Ctrl-Click and select Refine Edge. The only difference in this setting is that we set our Feather to 15px. The rest is the same. Turn on Edit in Quick Mask Mode (Q). Then go to Filter > Pixelate > Color Halftone. Use the same settings as we did before only this time change the Max Radius to 10 Pixels. Then go back to Edit in Standard Mode (Q). Copy the selection, then paste it into our design and move it to the bottom left corner over the speaker.
Step 8
We're going to jump over to our large stock image again. Grab the Brush Tool. Give it a Master Diameter of 900px and a Hardness of 0 percent. Turn on Edit in Quick Mask Mode (Q). Click in the center of the image. Then go to Filter > Pixelate > Color Halftone. Use the settings in the image below.
Step 9
Let's go back to Edit in Standard Mode (Q). It should look like the selection below. Invert the selection by going to Select > Inverse. Copy this selection.
Step 10
Paste the selection into our boombox_final document. Give it a layer style of Lighten. You can see the white dots emerge in the bottom of our document. Place it so that it matches the image below. Then copy the speaker we placed before and move it behind our model, but in front of the large dots.
Step 11
Create a new layer in our boombox_final.psd design document. Turn on Edit in Quick Mask Mode (Q). Grab the Brush Tool. Make sure it's set to Master Diameter of 300px with a Hardness of 0 percent. Draw across the bottom of the image. Then go to Filter > Pixelate > Color Halftone. Use the settings below.
Step 12
Let's go back to Edit in Standard Mode (Q). Create a pink gradient and draw it from the left and angle down to the right to get a result similar to the image below. Reposition this layer in the Layers Palette just above the speaker behind the boom box. Set the layer style to Screen.
Step 13
Copy the gradient. Use the Free Transform Tool to reduce the size and reposition in the bottom right-hand corner over the larger pink gradient. Keep the setting to Screen. Then make another copy of this and free transform it by reducing and rotating it to fit in the top left hand corner. Do that one more time for the top right-hand corner.
Step 14
Let's copy some elements. I copied the texture in the bottom left corner and placed it behind the bottom right of the boombox. I also placed a copy in the top right. I made multiple copies of the speakers. Then I used the Free Transform tool to scale them. The image below shows where these copies were placed.
Step 15
Create a new layer. Turn on Edit in Quick Mask Mode (Q). Grab the Brush Tool. Make sure it's set to Master Diameter of 50px with a Hardness of 0 percent. We make our line follow the edges of some of the elements in our design. Then go to Filter > Pixelate > Color Halftone. Use the settings in the image below.
Step 16
Let's go back to Edit in Standard Mode (Q). Then fill our selection with a pink gradient.
Step 17
Set this layer to Vivid Light to achieve the effect below.
Step 18
Next we are going to make our text. Grab the Text Tool and write the word boombox in all lowercase. I used a font called Silom with -70 character tracking and 120pt type. I'll show the Layer Styles used to create the font effect in the screenshots following the image of the text effect below.
Step 19
Now we're just going to have some fun and copy some elements around the design until it looks cool. I copied the x and played with its Gradient Overlay colors. I placed a handful of them by the boombox and also up top. The gradients have different variations from pink to purple. I also used Free Transform to change the size and rotate the letters. I added a couple more speakers at the top left behind the large x. Then I copied the brush tool pattern we made a couple times and placed that over some elements top right and then top left. The final image is below.
Conclusion
Halftone patterns are a lot of fun, and like anything in Photoshop, they can be combined with layer styles to create some cool effects. Finding interesting areas of an image to copy and overlay your design. In this case we used a speaker. Try cutting out other parts of your next design to mix and match with various effects. Thanks.
Related Posts
Keep reading with more great tutorials and articles!
Enjoy this Post?
We'd love your vote!
Plus Members
Source Files, Bonus Tutorials and
More for $9 a month for all TUTS+
sites in one subscription.
User Comments
( ADD YOURS )Ryan February 8th
Cool look but the text can be better. Good tutorial overall.
( )Johnson May 16th
Yes, it is pretty good.
( )JPOG February 8th
This is a great one, been looking forward to a Halftone one.
( )kent February 8th
Oh my that is hideous.
( )eman April 16th
wow real nice and tactfull
( )JBL February 8th
Good one definitely.
( )Ignacio February 8th
I have learned a good technique from this tutorial, thanks.
( )Eli February 8th
Real cool effect, but it seems that halftone pattern gets a bit repetitive here.
( )Jon February 8th
Great article Sean. I’ve been looking for a good halftone tutorial. This is much better than what I have seen in the past. Thanks!
( )Andrei Constantin February 8th
Although the outcome is not a state of the art, many will agree that you can learn a lot from this great technique.
( )SnakeJake February 8th
Technique is awesome, but you have to learn when to put down that mouse. Don’t try to fill up all the empty space. I could do without the type too btw.
( )Tom February 8th
Nice tutorial how to work with this modern effect. Thank you.
( )Constantin Potorac February 8th
Great work.
( )Zubeir February 8th
Nice tut. Bad font.
Bit too much at the end.
I did learn some cool techniques though!
Thanks
( )Markus February 8th
Love it!
Great work Sean 
( )BogDinamita February 8th
i really really love it
( )Daley February 8th
I’m amazed at the amount of negative comments that appear on this site. This is a very informative and useful tutorial. Thanks for taking the time to do it Sean.
( )giackop February 8th
love it!!
( )Sean Hodge February 9th
Hey Guys,
Thanks for the feedback. Constructive criticism is always helpful. Keep it coming. Hope to see some improvements on what I’ve done here in the user community. There is always some great work in the Flickr group. Thanks.
( )B-Ren February 9th
Great tut, although I think the outcome is a bit overwhelming.
( )Jeremy February 9th
Very cool use of Quick Mask mode. I for one hardly touch the tool, but its great to see it used in such a creative manner. Not a big fan of the text either, needs some more thought regarding its placement/significance… Otherwise, great tutorial, and great work.
( )b00m February 9th
Nice, but colors can be better + text.
( )bratwurst February 9th
i think you created an outstanding tutorial here, take a bow.
( )John Kerry February 9th
i’m guessing kent has his own site where he posts his own tutorials? maybe he has one about how to do a “better” halftone effect? oh what’s that? he doesn’t? oh… hmmm, well… :/
( )thanks for the awesome tutorial sean!
Andrei Ivan February 9th
It’s really been a while since I’ve been wanting to incorporate halftone patterns in my designs… thanks for the techniques described here Sean, maybe this will finally get me moving
( )Inspiration Up February 9th
Nice and great tut.
( )The Maker February 9th
Good tutorial, but the text could be improved
( )alex February 10th
Great tutorial.
Even when some techniques may look familiar, there’s always something in this tutorials that pops great ideas to our heads and give us the inspiration we all need.
thanks for this one… I’m gonna try it right now.
( )ad February 10th
good technique .. at least until step 11. after that it just becomes overwhelming.. the end result was quite overdone. could’ve done with less pink halftoning, less speaker elements and better font.
( )reno February 10th
nice tutorial that Ive just applied to a composition for flash project - the final composition really needs more work though,…or should have stopped at step 17!.
( )Matt February 10th
pretty neat. colors and text are kinda off though. 8/10
( )Shanna February 11th
Thanks for all the great tutorials.
( )Shana February 11th
Great image - but the font used, could have been better - and the style on the font. The whole text thing just doesn’t seem to fit in.
( )Colin February 12th
this guy is awsome. bookmark his name and expect only quality work.
( )Chris Laskey February 12th
Thanks for a tutorial on Halftones. I’ve played around with them before, but always had issues getting it to look exactly like I wanted it. Picked up a few good tips, thanks Sean.
Cheers,
( )Mr_LeE February 12th
A few good techniques there..
But from all tutorials… on this site, you pick up the techniques and evolve them into your own art.
Something you can do from this tutorial here.
Good job.
Text needs fixing and colours rework.
Cheers
Mr_LeE
( )Jerry Tillman February 13th
This is great. The collages I do are usually shit, so this will be a real help.
( )LeftRight February 13th
Geebus. It’s not a tutorial on how to make the best poster. It’s the halftone for crying out loud. simple. give the guy a break
( )BlueFool February 18th
Cool.
( )charaze February 19th
wow!!! never thought halftones could make a good wallpaper..
( )yayas February 19th
wow……………keren
( )PraP February 22nd
Cool Friend. Really Interestiong
( )reyjohn February 22nd
weow its so great..!i love it..very nice,very atractive design….
( )web design cheltenham February 29th
brilliant article really indepth - i have a number of club projects I am working on and will try to apply this effect, stay tuned for a post with my examples on. cheers
( )PB March 3rd
Nice but it becomes overwhelmed by halftone dots and she ceases to be the focus of the picture. It’s almost as though you’re trying too hard to flex your special effect muscles. Overall very informative tut. though.
( )Jamie Neary March 5th
Nice tutorial for half-tone, but the text in the end product ruins the design.
( )Hellohello April 11th
how can i do those little balls right down- corner
( )Danny May 10th
Veeery nice halftone effect, gotta learn this one
( )Andrew May 16th
The point of the graphic is to show us the different flavors and styles you can create by manipulating certain aspects of Photoshop. The actual aesthetics of the image aren’t important for this specific application. So stop commenting on what you don’t like about the image and just appreciate the technique. Very good work Sean.
( )Mansoor July 24th
Thanks for Posting.
( )Excellent Tut.
Chenbot August 4th
Where’s the Lighten Layer Style? When I go to Blending Options and set it to Lighten nothing happens…
( )Greg Huntoon October 19th
This was a really nice tutorial, until the text was placed at the very end. Honestly, I’m not quite sure why the text was added in, because it does nothing but take away from the focus of the tutorial.
Great work on the half-tone effects. Impressive to be able to bring the old school back in a fresh way.
( )Simple Beep February 24th
Wow. That was an impressive tutorial. It is much, much better than any I have seen. Great job!
( )Although, I am a bit hurt by all the criticism of the font used. Have you no respect for your elders? You may think I’m wacko, but this font was the first one ever designed for the Macintosh; the name Silom is merely a rebranding of what it was for twenty years: Chicago. There’s a great article about it on Wikipedia (search “Chicago (typeface)”). This 1984 font fits well with the “kickin’ it old school” theme. I agree, the colours could have been toned down a bit, but leave Chicago alone!
Nayan Gor March 5th
Nice tutorial for half-tone
( )greasyfur March 14th
What’s wrong with the text? Constructive criticism please. How can we learn when you are not specific?
( )theonetche March 23rd
AWESOME
( )vigan VT April 23rd
how too download free this photo effect free tell mee please :S
( )SULAV May 3rd
THANK YOU!
( )I FINALLY GET TO KNOW HOW TO USE THAT PIXELATE.
Charly Mathai May 22nd
learned alot new techniques…
( )but not really impressed with the outcome….
but nice tutorial…
thankxx
slly June 9th
I’ve been trying to figure out how to do this; I never thought to use Quickmask. Thank you so much!
( )Diptej Saner June 20th
Wow, half tone was never attractive like this, i worked it worked on myself and its looking really nice…
( )I wish i could make a BIG poster and paste it in my room.
Thanks.