Tutorial Details
- Program: Photoshop
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Completion Time: 1/2 hour
Download Source Files
Oftentimes there’s a need for a quick but unique design. In this tutorial, I’ll be showing you a short but attractive way to create a graphic for backgrounds, wallpapers, greeting cards, designs, and all that other good stuff. You will learn a simple Photoshop trick that you can easily manipulate for your daily needs.
Step 1
First off, let’s start by creating a new document and applying the oh-so-obligatory clouds (Filter > Render > Clouds).
Step 2
Now that we have our base to work with, apply Mezzotint (Filter > Pixelate > Mezzotint) with type “Long Strokes.”
Step 3
Doesn’t look like much right now, but with the magic of motion blur
(Filter > Blur > Motion Blur), with an angle of 90 degrees and a
distance of 999 for the settings, everything will be better.
Step 4
Now add a new layer and overlay some color over it. Here I chose
the Rainbow Gradient using the Gradient Tool (G), but you can choose whatever suits you. When you have a layer of color,
set the layer mode to Overlay.
Step 5
If you feel like being creative, you can tweak some more by changing
the curves (Ctrl + M) to make the image either brighter or gloomier depending on
the mood.
Step 6
Now create a new layer. Then select the Marquee Tool (M), set it to
elliptical, and the Feather to 30, and select around the picture (use
the example below for reference). Then select inverse (Ctrl + Shift +
I), and fill (Edit > Fill) with black. Then change the Opacity to
75% so that it is a bit more subtle.
Step 7
Again create a new layer, and with the same Marquee tool settings as
above, select (use the example below as reference). Then change the
curve (Ctrl + M) to something like in the example. Afterward, change the Opacity
to 60% so that it isn’t blinding. Try to be creative and change the
settings to your taste.
Step 8
Now we are done with the background. You can choose to do whatever you want with it. But I’ll leave you guys with a simple example that you can easily do for generic jobs.
Reset the Marquee Tool to rectangular with 0 feather. Then create a horizontal
bar in the middle of the picture. Then fill it with white (Edit >
Fill) and lower the opacity to say, 50%.
Step 9
Now while still selecting the area, select the first layer (the
clouds + mezzotint + motion blur layer), copy it (Ctrl + C) and paste
it (Ctrl +V) in a layer above it, but below the Color Overlay.
Deselect, and apply Gaussian Blur to it (Filter > Blur > Gaussian
blur) with a setting of about 3.2 pixels.
Step 10
Going back to the top layer, duplicate (Layer > Duplicate Layer)
the white horizontal bar layer you created in step 8 and transform it
(Ctrl + T). Then make it slightly smaller height-wise, about 2px
from the top and the bottom.
Step 11
Finally, add a text on top of that layer and type in what your heart desires. Congratulations, you are done!
It’s a simple technique that can still produce eye-catching results!
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nice tutarial!! i got same brilliant result!!
this could be done using abuzeedo’s MSNBC effect tutorial, with a few changes in steps?
the effects are great
I just used this on a print design for a client. I combined it with other photoshop effects. My client loved it. This is perfect for certain applications. Nice effect!
This is amazing and very useful. Thank you for making this effect tutorial!
Good tasty.
this is my favourite background tutorial. it’s wicked colourful.
thanks for sharing
cheers
david
http://www.davidsmeaton.com
excellent
As an alternative to using a premade gradient, try using the gradient editor. for the best results, you can stretch the editor window out to the size of the project, and make colors change in areas of high contrast. The effect is it looks like the bars, or the gradient, changes with a purpose.
really quick technique!!! appreciate that!
Thanks for Posting.
Excellent Tut.
It may not be overly striking on its own, but as a background, it’s pretty aweseome, go have a look see XD
Great work!
Really a very simple tutorials and nice coloring…
thanx psd tuts.
Hi,
Thanks for this wonderful tut post i live the way you tech PS thanks a lot
checkout the tutorial on this site its awesome and quite different…….
http://dudestyle.blogspot.com/
Thanks for this great tutorial.
It can be of much use to anyone!
And how simple :o
Here’s my version
I made it a wallpaper
http://i35.tinypic.com/lw4l1.jpg
This is one of my favourites! I used it many times.
However, I tried today to create this effect in a 2,000 x 1,500 pixels canvas and got a kind of cloud blur part in the middle area (width spread). I never got this in other cases with smaller canvas I think. Do you believe this happens due to canvas size?
Thnx in advance,
Cloud No9
hello,
i’ve tried this walk through but i stuck at step 3. with large canvas (2880×1800) i simple cannot produce an acceptable result. the middle 1/3 of the image becomes cloudy blurred and not sharp-striped as the top and bottom. i it doesn’t help if i select smaller sizes and apply the motion blur effect on them.
for me it seems the only way to go (as the author noted in a comment earlier) is to cut the top or bottom correct part and stretch it to the whole image. but this is not a real solution. it’s said i cannot reproduce the end result in HD :(
with small canvas sizes (like 500×500 for example) it’s perfect
anyway thanks for the tut, it is always fun to explore the Photoshop through these tuts
ok, i take it back… with large canvases(and cloudy middle part problems) you can truly go with “select top part and stretch it to the whole canvas”. the result will be the right one and the HD version is achievable. lots of thanks! ;-)
Nice and easy tutorial, not everything has to be insanely off the wall ‘impressive’ – well done.
thanks for that motion blur trick
I have a spanish version of photoshop.. so… in spanish which would be the overlay style of the layer in spanish?? Im not shure
I like this one. And it said: Quickly build an abstract background of colored bars.
And that’s what it’s all about.
Easy, fast … and to ad a wow factor, you’d have to tweek it. :D
Very nice tut.
But I can’t apply the Filter > Pixelate > Mezzotint.
Pixelate is grayed out :(
Step seven doesn’t seem to work, seeing as the new layer is empty. Any ideas on what to do to fix this?
whata simple way to create great image. god job
i like the tutorial and the look. You can get the same effect using just the gradient tool and a light filter also though.
Created a wallpaper based on this tutorial. It’s ok I guess.
Thanks for the tutorial. :)
http://digitalchet.deviantart.com/art/Spectral-Tableau-WP-111413259
This is so cool. I will try it
I just make one header using this tutorial :)
Thanks again
I cannot get the same color result as you, I did the pasted the rainbow grandient and overlayed and that is not what I get!
I´m sry but it did not work in CS4 …
It won’t let me put the gradient over it…I’ve never had this problem before. I try to and it just fills it with a single color. I had all the stripes in gray, white, and black. I made a new layer and tried to add the gradient and it wouldn’t work. I filled the layer with white and it still wouldn’t let me do it. What’s going on with this thing? I have CS3…
Wow
this did not work….i followed steps exactly.
This site is very great and useful.
I familiar with this site very, very happy
I am an Iranian. I wish I speak Latin as well as all contents of text I could use.
But why limit it to learn the material.
But never forget that this site will not help me how to design.
Producer of all people from this site thanks
Excellent, Its Very nice and easy your explanation. thankyou, regards from Colombia
thankx. very good tutorials..
here is my result :D http://i30.tinypic.com/34s0y7c.jpg
This is great, thanks
Hmm, I don’t understand Step 7 because when I press “control” + M, I get a message from PS saying that it cannot be done because the layer is empty…
That is cool effect and so easy. g8 dude
:)
simple and nice, I think it would be the background for a more complex composition.
Thanks for sharing
and iam also don’t understand Step 7 because when I press “control” + M, I get a message from PS saying that it cannot be done because the layer is empty
If you get a blurry centre of the image apply the motion blur 4-6 more times. Then increase the contrast to 100% and you should get a decent result.
it seems that a lot of people want more complex tutorials- which makes sense for someone wanting to learn Photoshop- you will actually learn the most from the harder tutorials as opposed to the easier ones. The best designs are often times the simple, sleek, classic ones that are not cramped with excess weight. That doesn’t, however, always mean that they are going to be as simple to create as this one is.
Although this tutorial is made up of steps that are quite easy to complete- only having taken advantage of a very small number of the many tools, techniques, & filters available in, & possible with, Photoshop- the end effect is a solid, trendy design.
It is less about learning new or complex techniques, & more about the creation of a very simple, yet usable design. Which would make this type of tutorial more for designers that will know what to do with it, how to personalize it, etc, and less for those wanting to learn Photoshop…does that make sense? Iow- just because a tutorial is easy to complete, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is for “noobs”or “beginners”. On the other hand, you can sometimes come across rather complex, heavily involved tutorials that are great for learning obscure techniques & tools, more so than for the actual image you end up with when finished (in fact, some are actually plain tacky) :)
Simple and cool! Nice
Amazing tutorial man.
Simple yet Abstract and effective.
I loved it actually :))) so simple but it looks just amazing on my background :)
Very nice and quick tutorial… thanks!
I disagree with the naysayers that say this is a useless technique. While I am unsure whether you could make a good site design out of this, it could really make some good products in print!
This tutorial didn’t work, I did it 3 times exactly the way the steps said.!
Disappointed!