Here I

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Here I’ve got this bottom shape layer on Screen. You’ll note that on Shape Layers when they are selected they show the vector boundary and when you deselect you can see them as they are. It kind of annoys me to keep clicking onto another layer to fully see the effect but that’s ok. You could also create fill shapes or paths (taught in the Basic Photoshop Program).

Go back to that tentative purple lens flare layer. Change the B Mode to color dodge and lower the opacity down a bit. You’ll want to do what looks best for your attuned intuition (because that’s exactly what I’m doing). In fact, all I’ve done is kept coming back to this tutorial to just keep adding improvements that I know would make it look better. If you’re new to Photoshop, it’s a great turning point when you can reach the level where you instantly can think of ways to improve and image. Get used to thinking like this and be aware of design everywhere around you. I’m always ‘breaking apart’ design. It will help keep you sharp.

Goodness! How on earth did I produce this?! This is straight from scratch ladies and gents. I’m surprising myself. This is only my first design in this genre (and I recorded it live without knowing exactly where I’d end up). Imagine what you can create now that you have this priceless knowledge!!

Maybe I’ll get into Anime design..there’s lots of different genres to become effective in as a graphic designer. I like to be diverse as I possibly can and am open to being influenced from all genres including fantasy, web design, advertising, corporate, industrial, fine art, movie posters, flyers, photo touchups, techno/euro, magazine spreads, product packaging, logos, publishing, corporate advertising, etc. even the genre I invented C-Poster and NUera. As a Photoshop Designer, try not to restrict yourself to just one genre of design especially if you do have a sound knowledge of Photoshop itself. There’s just too much that you could do (and offer your design services to clients for).

Here I’m taking my online clone ‘persona’ avatar and doing something with it.

Using the tragic wand to get a selection, cutting it and then changing the blending mode to a linear dodge. This creates a nice hardcore white out effect. You could also try it on difference; I didn’t know I could have grey hair so soon.. isn’t this guy handsome though? (He’s on the frontpage of Photoshopdesigner.com)

All this is just another option which I can keep in the .psd file and turn off with the eyeball if I don’t want to see it again. Feel free to get crazy with ideas that you think of that might lead you into a new direction that could be inline with your ‘feeling’ for the project.

Often times you’ll have a vague vision but as you go along you ‘feel’ what will work for you and instantly you’ll know if it will help to complete that vision. This is when you know you’re getting somewhere as Photoshop Designer.

If you want to try something else..go ahead and create another blank new layer on top of the layers palette. Now choose a gradient (something close to the color theme) and swipe it. Here I’ve got the diamond gradient tool and you can see the effect it leaves. Where did the rest of the design go? You should know by now...B Modes baby! Find something you like. Note how the layer is disbursed as a diamond gradient, darkening where there is black fill on the layer seeping through.