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In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a retro-style design or vintage collage style. We will use images from old ads, handwritten texts, patterns, and other things to give to our design a vintage look.
There are excellent designers that we can consider masters on this subject. One of them, in particular, is a Brazilian named Eduardo Recife. His work is fantastic and it’s totally worth checking his Web site out.
Step 1
The first thing to do is plan your design so you will have to have an idea of what you want to show with your image. It’s best to draw some concepts—it’s faster to do some sketches than to go straight to the computer (even though I am a terrible drawer)!
Step 2
With some drawings and ideas in mind, it’s time to go to the computer. Go to Photoshop and create a new document. Set the size to 600 x 800 pixels.
Step 3
Find some old paper. I used a Creative Commons–licensed image from Flickr. That’s going to be our background. Open the image in Photoshop and copy it to your design document. Resize it and change the opacity to 60%. Just make sure that your background is white.
Step 4
Choose the Rounded Rectangle Tool (U) and create a rounded rectangle with a dark yellow color like I did.
Step 5
Create a Layer Mask (Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All). After that, select the Brush Tool. Set the color to black and use some brushes to erase parts of the yellow rectangle. I used brushes from the "Grunge Brushes by Ardcor" and "BB Watercolor II" packs.
Step 6
Next, I found a Creative Commons–licensed image of a flying saucer from Flickr. In my UFO file, I just selected the spaceship, then cut and pasted it in my design. After that, using the Pencil Tool with brush size of 2 pixels, just draw some lines like I did.
Step 7
Next I’ll search for vintage ads. You can use Flickr, searching for Creative Commons–licensed photos, or stock photography sites like iStockphoto. Once I found my image, I cut the lady out using the Magnetic Lasso Tool (L) and pasted her into my design.
Step 8
Convert the lady’s layer to Smart Objects and apply a Smart Sharpen. If you are using the CS2 or lower version, just apply the filter.
Step 9
Next you’ll need an image of handwritten text. You can either make one yourself and scan it or search for one as described above. Once you find a good one, just copy it to your design. Make sure that the image has a white background, then just change the Blend Mode to Multiply.
Next we can add some vectors. I used some from a free Go Media Vector pack that you can get here.
Step 10
Now using the Pen Tool (P), create three triangles as shown below. For my design, that will give the idea of abduction.
Step 11
After you have the three black shapes, change the Layer Styles.
- In Advanced Blending, set the Fill Opacity to 0%
- In Color Overlay, choose a pink for the color and set the Blend Mode to Color Burn
- Using those brushes again, repeat the Step 5 and erase some parts of the shapes to make them look very old
Step 12
To give it more of that vintage look, you can add some patterns to your image. You can find lots of patterns on stock sites. One site that’s really cool is http://www.missjo.com.au/. They sell amazing vector patterns for a very good price. You can create your own pattern as shown below.
Step 13
Now you can add more elements. I added a city skyline, and using some brushes I deleted some parts of it like in Step 5.
Step 14
Again, add more elements of your choice. I added a plane to my design.
- Extract just the plane from the image and paste it in the design,
- Rotate the plane so it looks like it’s going up 309º. Try to hold Shift while you are rotating it.
- Using the Rectangle Tool, choose white and create a rectangle. Rotate it to 309º, the same as the plane.
- Duplicate the white rectangle, change the color to a dark grey, and flip it vertically (Edit>Transform>Flip Vertical).
- Create Layer Masks to refine the edges of the both rectangles in order to give a perspective.
Step 15
Repeat step 14 two more times and that’s it. You will have three airplanes.
Conclusion
Now you can add your logo and some more information. Even though it looks like we just throw elements together, this vintage collage style requires a lot of work to be executed well. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, and I look forward to seeing some of your designs!
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this is awesome. i love the high quality tutorials on here. thanks!
Holy crap, excellent tut with a great result.
Yay! step 5, fun tutorial
Wow! I LOVE the tutorials here and after searching other sites, I long for the high quality designs and in-depth tutorials!
Keep doing what you’re doing
FIRST
And might I say, beautiful Fabio. I love your work!
Hmmm, i really love the tuts here but this is definatly not one of the best. No offence i hope.
wow this is amazing, thank you!
Thanks for sharing the techniques, don’t you think round corners doesn’t fit in here?!
Hoho, nice !!!!
I really love this style
Excellent! this is something one should be sharing. I love this site for it high quality tutorial
Oh! Spiffy! Going to try this one before bed.
This isn’t awesome, but, I like it.
Once again, a fantastic tutorial. Many thanks for your hard work!
Fabio you are great!!!!
Nice. :p
Neat tutorial!
nice tut
thanks for you
OMG! Better and better! :b Thanks for sharing!? :)
very nice tut. will find it useful on some projects :)
wow another great tut… I like it very much- Thank you for sharing this one.
Hi people. A normal tutorial. But your blog is a great one.
I saw this picture on your flickr grup http://www.flickr.com/photos/loswl/2225069318/in/pool-613394@N22
I want to learn how to creat this effect.
Thx:)
i was looking for a tutorial like this for long time.
thanks a bunch
I LOVE Vintage style.
Thank u so much Fabio,u’re brilliant!
cool, I never knew about the refine edges thing. Thanks for another tutorial :)
I really love this one!!! Great!
Nice Tutorial. Its really fun. My sketches look about the same most of the time unless I spend lots and lots of time on them. Most of the time though its just getting the basic layout down on paper so you don’t loose the mental image. Or to work out some basic composition concepts. I’ll come back to this on the weekend to do this tutorial. Looks good. Thanks.
Nice, the tutorials on here are awesone. Thanks for the tutorial..
Greetings
I just discovered this site. I’m liking it. Keep up the good work.
Nice tut. Some good tips.
that’s awesome man, i just did one myself following the tut. it’s great stuff
tutorial was good, but not my style thanks :)
Very cool design, il really like the abduzeedo’s things…
oh, by the way, you’re great Fabio. I love your blog.
Someone know how can I send an e-mail to PSDTuts? I can’t find any link…
if anyone know how to do it please send-me an e-mail at gavani.design@gmail.com .
See you,
Fogolin
great post. i liked it…
Really great tutorial. It’s posts like this that helped bring digital into a community and an art form all its own.
What a great tutorial..thanks for posting this!
Wow.that’s pretty cool..!!
Que estilo tan cool, buenisimo
This helped me so much!
Holy smoke! That’s fantastic! inspiring work Fabio, thanks a bunch
Indeed. Tutorials here are awesome and really high quality. Thank you.
Umm… did you just show us how to steal a pattern that http://www.missjo.com.au is selling for $6?
Amazing tut!
Thanks for sharing it, helped a lot!
Great and very easy!
hey i am a photoshop dummy and i experienced a little diffuculty following your steps could you publish a more detailed tutor?
i messed it up with layers
Me too! I am having trouble with the pattern overlay in step 12. I am doing these tuts to learn more about Photoshop and I got the Plus but with this one all that downloaded was the final image…?
I think I am following the step 12 directions but I don’t see my pattern no matter what. I would like to see the layers. Anyone who writes these needs to include that.
What am I doing wrong in step 12? I see the pattern I defined in the drop down list and set everthing the way it is in the Tut. Where should this layer be? Help! So far what I did looks really cool.
easy to follow :) really nice tutorial. Thanx Again!
Like everyone else said – great fun and great result. Thanks :)
this is my inspiration
i am design student i know little bit photoshop after the reading of this tutorial
i am very much confident in photoshop ,plz publish these type of tutorials its very useful
for students
Thax a lot
this is great! :D
oh myyyyy LANTA this tutorial wassssss beautiFUL uhg i’ve learned so much and never been helped so much its insane in the membrain hahhh well thank you so freckin much love ya:D