How to create a poster-like composition

There are times that you may want to create a banner, a flyer, or a poster but not know where to start. Although it may seem complicated, creating an interesting composition is fairly easy to do. When I create a composition, I usually use the following elements: a background color, a texture or pattern, and a picture for the main focus point. Text and additional pictures for the background or surrounding area are optional, depending on the effect you're going for and what you want to create. In this tutorial, we're going to look at how to create a poster composition for a fictitious coffee company in Adobe Photoshop CS4.

First open Photoshop and click File then New. For this example, I've chosen to create a 500 px by 500 px canvas with a transparent background. Once the canvas pops up, I clicked on the color swatch on the Tools panel on the left side of the workspace then used the color picker to choose a warm brown.



Then, use the paint bucket tool on the Tools panel and fill the area with the color you have selected. After doing this, click File then Open and navigate to the folder where you've saved the picture you want to use. If there is any extra space you don't want to keep, use the crop tool on the Tools panel to cut it out. Once you're done dragging the crop tool around the area you want to keep, hit the Enter key.



Next, adjust the size of the image. Press Ctrl + Alt + I to bring up the Image size dialogue box or click Image then Image Size along the top bar. Make sure the Scale Sizes and Constrain Proportions checkboxes are selected to ensure the quality of the image. For this project, I've chosen to make my image as wide as my composition canvas, so I changed the width to 500 px.



Select the image by pressing Ctrl + A or clicking Select and then All and then switch over to the composition tab. Paste the image by pressing Ctrl + V or clicking Edit and then Paste. You can use the move tool on the top of the Tools panel to drag or nudge the image where you want it.



I want to give my composition a geometric, blocked effect, so I used the rectangular marquee tool to select a portion of my image. Notice the "marching ants" marquee that appeared around my selection.



Next, cut the selection by pressing Ctrl + X or clicking Edit and then Cut. I wanted to change the opacity of just that one selection, so I need to create a new layer. To do this, click Layer then New then Layer. When the new layer dialogue box pops up, you can leave the default name or give it a more descriptive name.



Paste the selection in the new layer, then click the opacity drop down at the top of the Layers panel on the right side of the workspace. I've lowered the opacity of the side bar to 50%.



At this point, it's looking a little plain, so it's time to add a texture. Click File then Open and navigate to the folder where you've saved the texture or pattern you want to use. Then press Ctrl + Alt + I to bring up the Image Size dialogue box. Here, I want the texture to fill the whole canvas, so I make sure the height is 500 px.



Select the texture by pressing Ctrl + A and then switch over to the composition tab. Paste the texture into a new layer. Navigate to the Layers panel and find the texture layer, then use the pointer to drag it beneath all the layers except for the background color layer. Click the opacity drop down and lower the opacity to 50% to make it blend in more and to let some of the background color seep through.



Now it's time to add some text. Select the text tool from the Tools panel, then choose the font, font size, font color, and alignment. I've chosen to download a free font called Creampuff to give it a retro feel. If you don't see a font that suits you on the list of fonts available on your computer, there are many free fonts available for download and installation.



Type your text into the box, then select it and click the color swatch at the top bar to choose a color. I used the eyedropper tool to pick a brown color from the composition and then moved the color picker to a tint that's almost peach.



If you want to make changes to text spacing, such as the kerning (spaces between the letters) and leading (spacing between lines) then make sure the character window is visible. If it isn't, click Window and then select Character.



For the text and size I've chosen, the space between the apostrophe and the 's' is too large and noticeable. So I put the cursor between them and set the kerning down to -75 to adjust it. You can play with the kerning wherever you see spacing that is too big or too small.



For this example, I also wanted to have some vertical text to mix things up a bit. To do this, click on the little black arrow at the corner of the text tool to bring up a list of options. Choose the vertical text tool and then enter your text. Again, you can play with the kerning or leading if any of the letters look too far apart.



You can leave the text as it is, or add layer styles (by clicking the fx at the bottom of the Layers panel and adding options such as a drop shadow or a stroke). In the final product, I've added a 2 pt black stroke to the letters and a drop shadow. Here is how the final product looks:



Now that you know how to create an aesthetically appealing composition, you can help design your own banners and posters. For more assistance with designs, you can contact a web designer or a graphic designer for help with your concept. However, knowing how to create basic designs will help you convey your idea and what you want.

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