First, open Photoshop and the files you want to use in your ad. I always use stock photos for my designs; I've chosen to use one from MorgueFile. Once you have chosen your photo, make any size adjustments (by pressing Ctrl + Alt + I) or cropping (by choosing the crop tool from the Tools panel on the left hand side of the workspace) you need before you get started. Once you have that done, you should create a layer from the background by going to the top bar and clicking Layer then New then Layer from Background.
Next, I wanted to change the colors, so I started by adding a black and white adjustment layer. To do this, go to the top bar and click Layer, New Adjustment Layer, then Black & White.
Go to the Adjustments panel on the right hand side of the workspace. Play with the color settings to make different colors darker or lighter. I used the following settings: Reds are 75, Yellows are - 17, Greens are 60, Cyans are 36, Blues are 17, and Magentas are -127.
I wanted to add some color to it to make it kind of pop, so I decided to add a gradient that fit the shadows and highlights of the photo. To do this, click on Layer, New Adjustment Layer, and then Gradient Map.
Double click the gradient preview bar in the Adjustments panel to bring up the gradient map dialogue box. Here, you can click on the stops (the tabs along the bottom of the gradient) to change the colors. Double click on the stop under the black half of the gradient and change the color to something like #230858, which is a dark purple. Then click on the stop under the white half of the gradient and change the color to something like #fbbd8b, which is a yellow-orange. Finally, you can add a stop in the middle by clicking under the gradient preview bar for an intermediate color. I've chosen #60c0a1, which is a blue-green.
The colors are a little too bright, so to tone it down, we can turn the opacity down so more of the black and white shows through and mutes it. To do this, navigate to the Layers panel and click on the opacity dropdown. You can make yours whatever value you feel looks best. I've chosen to make mine 65%.
I like to keep my layers as organized as possible when I know I'm going to have a lot of layers, so I decided to create a group to keep the adjustment layers in. To do this, go to the top bar and click Layer, then New, then Group. When the dialogue box pops up, you can assign a name and even a color to the group. I've named mine 'Colorize layers.' Once you have the group created, drag the layers you want to include on top of the group. You can collapse the contents or show them by clicking on the arrow next to the folder.
Now, open a texture you'd like to use. There are many free textures available online; I've chosen to use a chalkboard-like texture from Grunge Textures. You can get the smallest one for free. Once you've opened it, press Ctrl + A to select it and then copy it and paste it onto your other document. You may need to adjust the size; to do this, press Ctrl + T to transform it. While holding down the Shift key, drag one of the corners either out or in to make it the right size, then click the checkmark at the top of the workspace.
We're going to cut some pixels out of the texture, so it's a good idea to make a duplicate layer just in case. To do this, go to the top bar and click Layer then Duplicate layer. Once you've done that, go to the Layers panel and click on the eye symbol next to the duplicate layer to hide it. It's only there so if you don't like what you've done, you can easily go back.
Switch back to the first texture layer and turn the opacity down to 60%. This is so you'll be able to see the other picture and know where to cut pixels. Then, select the rectangular marquee tool from the Tools panel (it may be beneath another marquee tool, in which case, you can click on the black arrow at the corner of the tool button for more options). Change the feathering to something like 5 px to give it a nice, soft edge, then draw a selection around the area you want to cut. And, once you are satisfied, you can press enter.
Group the grunge texture layers by clicking Layer, New, then Group. Make sure to drag the layers onto the group to include them. Then, open up a web browser and go to your favorite search engine to find free paint splatter brushes. There are many well-made resources like this that you can find online; choose a set that best suits you and download it. Then, select the brush in Photoshop (you may need to open the brushes window to see it, in which case you should click Window then Brushes). Choose a large size and a color (I've made mine 1004 px in white). Create a new layer by clicking Layer, New, then Layer, and click on the left corner of the document (or anywhere you think looks best).
Using the same brush as before, change the color to something like #cd34df (a hot pink) and create a new layer. Click slightly up and to the left of the first paint splatter, so the new one is mostly on top of it. Then, making sure the new paint splatter layer is selected, go to the bottom of the layers panel and click the fx. Go up to Blending options and, once the dialogue box pops up, click on Stroke. Change the size to 1 px to give it a more subtle outline.
Now select the white paint splatter layer and click on the fx at the bottom of the layers panel again. Choose Blending options and click on Drop Shadow. You can play with the settings to see what you like most; I've chosen to change the angle to 150 degrees, the spread to 3, and the distance to 8. I've also changed the contour to Cone - Inverted.
Create a new layer and use a different paint splatter brush (something softer and more like spray paint) to lightly brush white around the bottom left corner and one or two of the sides. Just make sure to be subtle about it. Change the opacity of the spray paint layer to 80% to make it more subtle. Once you're done, make sure you group the paint splatter layers.
Go back to your web browser to find a suitable grunge text. Again, there are many free fonts available. I've chosen to use the grunge font Base 02. Once you've downloaded it, extracted the files, and installed it, click the text tool on the Tools panel and use the drop down along the top bar to choose the font you installed (if you don't see it on the list, you may need to save what you've done so far in PSD format and then restart Photoshop). Also choose a color and a font size - I've made mine 80 pt and white. Drag the text box and then type your text; you can always use the move tool to adjust its placement.
Next, click on the fx at the bottom of the Layers panel, then Blending options. Click on Stroke and change the size to 1 px, so it will have that same, subtle effect and be legible without being overwhelming.
I also wanted to add a drop shadow, so click on Drop Shadow and leave the current settings (just make sure the angle is 150 degrees). The only thing we need to change is the contour, which I've changed to be Ring - Double.
Click on the text tool again and change the font size to 36 pt. Then drag a second text box near the model's face; this draws attention to the text. Type in your text and make paragraph breaks wherever you feel is appropriate. You can also use the move tool to adjust its placement.
Change the font size to 80 pt and the font color to something like #cd34df. Making the font a different color will draw attention to it and make it pop - something you want especially if you're calling attention to a sale. Type in the text; you may find that the lettering is too far apart and the gap is too noticeable. To fix it, we can change the kerning. Click on Window at the top bar and make sure that the Character panel is visible.
Put the cursor to the left of the gap and then click on the kerning arrow in the Characters panel (it looks like an A and a V with two arrows pointing horizontally). Change the value to something like -100, then repeat for the right side of the gap.
Use the move tool to adjust the placement of the lettering until you're satisfied and group the text layers. Then save your work as a PSD and also as a JPEG for your website. To optimize it for the web, click on File then Save for Web & Devices. This will pull up the Save for Web & Devices dialogue box; choose JPEG from the dropdown and leave the default settings.
Now you know how to create an ad or banner for your website using Photoshop CS4. The techniques discussed in this tutorial can be applied to many different designs and ads. If you want additional help with designs, however, call a graphic or web designer.
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