"it's 'worst-case
scenario,' except
you throw some
maple syrup in
and only talk
about the leafs."
where i help you
with all of your
graphic and
photoshop needs.
- est. june fourteen, 2020
for starters, i am using photoshop cc 2020. this tutorial will still work in in cs6.
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1. create a 512x800 pixel document. it's the standard wattpad book size. you can set your dpi at whatever you want; i just stuck with 72.
2. load your desert picture onto your document. resize it ( control+t ) to wherever you see fit. ( https://www.pexels.com/photo/desert-1731660/ )
3. put three adjustment layers on: black and white, curves, gradient map. for your gradient map, make sure you have black at the far left side. in the middle, put 0c376a, and on the far right, 5f9eeb. this should turn the desert a dark blue color.
4. switch back to your desert layer. select your rectangle marquee tool. select a part in the middle of the desert. copy it ( control+j ), and bring that layer to the top.
5. press control+i to invert it. this should turn it a light blue color.
6. create a solid color layer, set it to white, and clip it to the rectangle. at the bottom of your layers panel, there are a few different sections. click on the half white, half black circle. at the top, there is a "solid color." set it to white. then, right click on the layer, then click "create clipping mask." change the opacity to around 50%.
7. add a curves layer and clip it to your rectangle. adjust how you see fit.
8. reselect your rectangle. add a gaussian blur to it. at the top of your screen, go to filter>blur>gaussian blur. set it to 1.4.
9. copy your rectangle, add a white color overlay, and add another gaussian blur. go to the furthest-down rectangle copy and double tap on the layer. this should bring up the layer effects panel. go to "color overlay" and select white. right click and rasterize the layer style. then, add a gaussian blur at 5.2.
10. copy the rectangle again and add another gaussian blur. once again, go to the farthest-down rectangle. add a gaussian blur at 21.9.
11. copy the rectangle again and add another gaussian blur. do the exact same thing and set the gaussian blur at 129.5.
12. select all the rectangle layers, plus the clipped adjustment layers and group them. the easy way to do it it select the bottom rectangle and, while holding shift, click on your top curves layer. then press control+g.
13. add a mask to the group and erase the glow from the desert hill below the rectangle. this part might be a tad bit confusing. go down to where you found the "solid color" adjustment layer. in the row of icons, there should be a rectangle with a circle in the middle. click on it. then, while selected on the mask, use a black brush and erase the the rectangle from the desert hill and everything below it. ( watch the video for help )
14. create a new layer, add a black vignette, and set the layer to soft light. you can add a new layer by pressing "control+shift+n." using a soft black brush ( right click, set the hardness to zero ), go around the outside of the picture, adding a vignette. then, go up to your blending options. it's the drop-down menu at the top of your layers, next to the opacity slider. set your layer to "soft light." reduce the opacity if needed.
15. create a new layer, draw in white glow in front of your rectangle, and set the layer to overlay. set a soft brush to white and, right in front of the rectangle, add white to the desert hills. set the blending mode to overlay.
16. erase whatever extra glow the white layer produced. we really only want the white in front of the rectangle. if there's glow or any extra white from above the desert hill, just erase it.
17. copy the white layer and reduce its opacity. this is optional, i just wanted mine to have a little extra glow.
18. cut out a figure / whoever you want and add them to your graphic. this is for the little figure in front of the rectangle. i used mark scheifele. you can cut them out using whatever: the pen tool, lasso tool, quick select took, whatever. i personally used the "select subject" under the quick select took because it was the quickest. this cutout doesn't need to be perfect; they're going to be so small that no one's really gonna notice if half of their skate is missing and they barely have a blade to their stick. see? did any of you notice that? then, add your figure to your graphic.
19. resize your figure, put them in front of the rectangle, and do any type of adjustments you'd like. i added a curves layer and a gradient map, just so mark would look a little more natural in the scene. if you're going to do any adjustments, make sure to clip them to your figure.
20. add some shadows. double tap on the layer of your figure. go to "drop shadow," it should be at the very bottom of the layer effects panel. i kept my settings how they were: black, 75%, multiply, and whatever the angle was at. press "okay." on the very right side of your layer, you should see an "fx" symbol. right click on it and click "create new layer." then, go down to the drop shadow layer, press control+t, right click on the transformation box, and click "distort." this is the best way to move your shadows around. then, while holding on the very top square, pull down and towards you. this should make the shadow in front of your figure. ( refer to the video if you're confused. ) warp ( right click, warp ) it however you'd like to make it look more natural. i then set the drop shadow layer to linear burn because i liked the way it looked. you can do whatever you'd like, though. i then added some shadows under mark's feet. i just created a new layer and, while using a soft black brush with about 25% roundness, i just put some shadows under his feet.
21. add some final adjustment layers and touch ups. i added another curves layer, a color lookup ( 3DLUT: moonlight, set at screen, opacity at 50% ), and a black and white layer set to screen and 39% opacity. at this point, i would also suggest adjusting your previous adjustment layers, especially if your shadows are very dark and it's tough to see the detail. in addition, i added an outer glow ( found through the layer effects panel ) to mark to make it look like he was actually in front of a portal.
22. add your text. all the fonts i used for this cover were from the sequel100black font family.
and you're done! i know this might look daunting at first, but it's actually fairly simple. also, if you make this cover yourself, tag me in it so i can see! i'd love to see your beautiful creations :)
