Mix Cool Retro Curves Into Your Photographs

May 6th in Effects by Fabio

I'm a huge fan of James White's work. I love the way he plays with geometric elements and colors. It gives a retro feeling to the design, but at the same time he uses a modern approach. In an interview, he mentioned that he uses a Flash script to generate the vector shapes. Then he does the rest of the job in Illustrator and Photoshop.

Well, inspired by James's designs, I decided to figure out my own way of creating that type of effect in Photoshop. In this tutorial, I show you how to mix cool retro geometric shapes into your photos.

Author: Fabio

I am a Brazilian designer living in Porto Alegre (south of Brazil). In 2003, I founded a web design studio called ZEE, with Fabiano Meneghetti, an architect and friend of mine. It's a small studio now, with 4 people working basically with web.

Final Image Preview

Before we get started, let's take a look at the image we'll be creating. Click the screenshot below to view the full-size image. As always, the full Photoshop file is available via our PSDTUTS Plus membership.

Click

Step 1

Download the image at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/876777. Then place it in a new document in Photoshop. I used 1440px by 900px document size.

Step 1

Step 2

Go to Layer>Layer Style>Color Overlay. Use Soft Light for the Blend Mode. Apply a Brown color (#8b5c01).

Step

Step 3

Next, we'll create a brush that will be used to make the shapes. Select the Rectangle Tool(U) and create a black rectangle. Then go to Edit>Transform Path>Skew. After that, go to Layer>Rasterize. Use the image below for reference.

Step 3

Step 4

Right-click on the thumbnail of the layer and choose Select Pixels. Then go to Edit>Define Brush Preset, and create a brush. Rename it to PSDTUTS. After that go to the Brushes Engine (Window>Brushes) and edit the PSDTUTS brush we've just created. Use the settings below.

Step 4

Step 5

Create a new layer and go to Layer>Layer Style. Let's apply some styles to the layer. We will use Gradient Overlay, Drop Shadow, and Inner Shadow. After that, with the Brush Tool(B), click a couple of times to create some shapes.

Step 5

Step 6

Right-click the layer on the Layers Palette. Choose Copy Layer Style. Then create a new layer. Right-click the new layer again. Now select Paste Layer Style. After that, with the Brush Tool, click a couple more times to create additional shapes.

Step 6

Step 7

Repeat Step 6 again two more times.

Step 7

Step 8

Select all layers we used to create the geometric shapes and go to Layer>Merge Layers. Then go to Edit>Transform>Rotate. After that resize the layer as shown below.

Step 8

Step 9

Now go to Edit>Transform>Warp. Start moving the mesh in order to create a wave form. The idea is to make the lines pass in front and behind the legs. This adds to the dimensionality of the effect.

Step 9

Step 10

With the Polygonal Lasso Tool(L), create a marquee selection of the leg you want to stay in front of the shapes. Then select the shapes layer, and go to Layer>Layer Mask>Hide Selection.

Step 10

Step 11

Create a new layer above the shapes layer and right-click on it. Then select Create a Clipping Mask. After that, select the Brush Tool (B) and a basic brush with 0% hardness. We will create a highlight on the shapes layer. Click once where you want to start the line. Then while holding Shift, click where you want to finish the line. This will create a straight line with the Brush Tool. The Blend mode will be Normal with 60% Opacity.

Step 11

Step 12

Repeat Step 11, but this time use black, and from another position. Change the Opacity to 40%.

Step 12

Step 13

Create a new layer in front of all layers. Fill it with white. Then go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise. Use 4% for the amount. After that, change the Blend Mode of the layer to Multiply.

Step 13

Step 14

Place another image in front of the other layers but behind the Noise layer. You can find the image I used at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/982364. Then resize the image and change the Blend Mode to Multiply.

Step 14

Conclusion

One of the best features in Photoshop is the Brush Engine. We can create lots of effects using it. In this tutorial we used it to create rectangular shapes similar to those seen in James White's work. You can even use rounded corners or different shapes. Play with the effect and have fun.

Conclusion

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User Comments

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  1. Duc Hieu May 6th

    1st comment. Thats wassup its beautiful ^^


  2. psygn May 6th

    Excellent tutorial! :)


  3. Corey May 6th

    Cool style! Cook tut! Rainbows on the crotch can be quite ticklish!


  4. Coconut Pete May 6th

    Have been waiting for this one, thanks so much awesome tutorial


  5. alberto May 6th

    very nice tut


  6. michael f May 6th

    thats a showstopper for sure


  7. Marc From Philly May 6th

    Fab job dude!


  8. Cameron Rad May 6th

    Another great tutorial published by Fabio (a.k.a: abduzeedo)


  9. Brian May 6th

    And here I’ve been using illustrator like a sucker.


  10. Antonio May 6th

    Muy ingenioso!!!


  11. goldenthunder May 6th

    You rock Fabio! Thank you so much - way cool!


  12. Adam May 6th

    I saw this the other day on the Flickr group and was wondering how this was done. Great Stuff!


  13. Summer May 6th

    Thank you very much for your tut! forever awesome tut! :)


  14. ARC May 6th

    thanks
    amazing work


  15. Nate May 6th

    Thanks Fabio, really nice tutorial.


  16. ASET May 6th

    Fabio you really rock!
    I’ve been waiting for this tut!


  17. Danny May 6th

    Awesome old look! I love it :D


  18. kamel May 6th

    tutarials are getting short on psdtuts.com :(


  19. Qbrushes May 6th

    inspiring indeed. thanks


  20. virgel May 6th

    great great.. youre one of my amazing idol..


  21. Kloche May 6th

    Eeeek! I am a huge fan of james white work and I love fabio’s tuts. So I am in heaven right now


  22. Miška May 6th

    Awesome and simple. WOW. ;)


  23. Jonathan Solichin May 6th

    Wow that’s amazing! Ingenious indeed. I was wondering how this was done. Thanks!


  24. Grant Friedman May 6th

    Nice work Fabio!


  25. Adhietologyx May 6th

    im big fan fan james white too…..

    great tuts….


  26. xavier May 6th

    Excellent!
    As usual :.)


  27. Bye Tom May 6th

    Wow, this was totally what I needed. I´ve always wanted to know how to do that.

    Huge thanks!


  28. Joefrey Mahusay May 6th

    Great tut Fabio. I already seen this on your site. :D


  29. Salva May 6th

    amazing fabio


  30. D. Carreira May 6th

    Thanks for this! That’s a cool effect!

    David Carreira


  31. Aminur Rahman [aka Tom R] May 6th

    nice, effect can be useful in covers and so on. cheers


  32. Geert May 6th

    Amazing to see what you actually can do with brushes!


  33. BogDinamita May 6th

    ooh yeah


  34. arnaud May 6th

    WooOOOOoow thanx you very much fabio ! we all wait this tuts !


  35. Sam May 6th

    That is a really cool effect! Thanx!


  36. Johan May 6th

    Nice and easy. Thanks!


  37. Constantin Potorac May 6th

    This is a very great combination Fabio. Nice effect and very nice final results.


  38. giackop May 6th

    yeah.. it’s way too cool.. fabio you are a genius..


  39. Ben Griffiths May 6th

    Excellent tutorial, thanks!


  40. Daniel May 6th

    very nice tutorial Fabio ! as usual ;) thanks so much !


  41. champ May 6th

    Very cool effect! I never imagined a custom brush could do so much.


  42. Steve Forbes May 6th

    Awesome tutorial man, really simple but so effective! I really need to start experimenting with brushes more :)


  43. bintek May 6th

    Nice tut Fabio, Thanks for sharing. :)


  44. Has.n May 6th

    Finally!! Thanks a lot Fabio!!!!! I very happy hahahaha!!!


  45. Majesticskull May 6th

    Very nice! Thanks!


  46. Daniel May 6th

    Cool effect…

    Thanks ;-)

    Daniel


  47. Frederik May 6th

    Sweet tutorial, since I saw that guys work I really wanted a way to do it, thanks a lot!


  48. Lenni May 6th

    Great Tut…

    Thx at mr. psd tut…

    Greets from Germany


  49. Constantin Potorac May 6th

    As long there is Fabio around to keep these great tutorials coming I am happy :))


  50. Noam Smadja May 6th

    super effect! i love the tuts here… shame i cant allow myself a PLUS Account :(


  51. Philip L May 6th

    very nice effect… although I don’t think the end result of this tutorial looks that great, the technique itself is golden.


  52. Sam May 6th

    I love this piece! AMAZING!


  53. Grafi-Boy May 6th

    WoW Thats AweSome Thx For This LeSSon :)


  54. BroOf May 7th

    And another great Tutorial! Very usefull!


  55. JPH May 7th

    Very cool - thanks.


  56. Stefan May 7th

    Looks great. Thank you.


  57. Timmy May 7th

    fantastic! Love it.


  58. craZed May 7th

    Thanx dude :)


  59. Grafiko May 7th

    very nice effect, thx .


  60. Nick May 7th

    totally awesome! thanks!


  61. Mohammad May 7th

    Great , thanks !


  62. Christian Mejia May 7th

    I am starting to really dig the retro effects being used on these tutorials, but I pray there isn’t an overkill on them like there was on the grunge effect scene.


  63. TuanAnh May 7th

    OMG! Its so Cool!
    I LOVE PSDTUTS yeah!


  64. Don-Yool May 7th

    Nice. ^^


  65. jeff May 7th

    Great Job!


  66. Web designer May 7th

    soooooooooooooooooooooo nice

    thanks


  67. Alec May 7th

    Awesome tutorial! Just one little question.. On second step on step 4, i cant get trough. My lines wont flatten out, so the 3d effect wont come. They just point upp and down as always, why? Got cs3 extended.


  68. Laura May 7th

    Fantastic Amazing! Cool idea!


  69. Lamin Barrow May 7th

    Awesome you have finally posted this tutorial Fabio. Thanks very much!!


  70. ZaFaR May 7th

    Very cool and look good Interesting! Thank for sharing.


  71. Wouter May 7th

    Well done


  72. enndi May 7th

    great job… dude¡


  73. Debbie May 7th

    Alec, it happens the same to me, I don’t manage to get that perspective result on the brush options palette you get on the fourth step.

    Fabio, thank you and keep the great work :)


  74. Martin May 7th

    Alec, your result will be same. I had the same experience in CS3. I just continued anyway and got the correct end result.

    Excellent tutorial


  75. adub47 May 7th

    I’m stuck at step 4…all my presets are locked and I cannot figure out how to unlock them…any ideas?


  76. adub47 May 7th

    Never mind…got it…


  77. Snorri3D May 7th

    Simple and great LOVE IT!


  78. Rax May 7th

    Amazing effect…


  79. amy May 7th

    guys.help me.stuck at step 4.cant make a black rec change to brush.did u use adobe cs3?sorry.i’m the beginer^^


  80. amy May 7th

    guys.help me.stuck at step 4.cant make a black rec change to brush.did u use adobe cs3?sorry.i’m the beginer^^
    p/s:reli like diz pic but i cant make it.waaa~~nice job anyway.


  81. Reean a.k.a Loveless May 7th

    Heee2X….great job dude! Thanks for sharing (again). God bless you!!!


  82. LOSWL May 7th

    Most Awesome tutorial!!, who knew PSD had so much power!! :o)


  83. MJ May 7th

    Wow. Very beautiful & creative


  84. The Mafalian May 7th

    Always The Best Tuts, Thanks
    Keep Posting


  85. mrvé May 8th

    Wow! :)
    Nice tut..


  86. Nate May 8th

    Im having a problem with step 10 with the polygon lasso tool. Im use to using the pen tool for selections but I thought I would give it a try this way. It’s only that I’m not really being successful. Is there a trick to getting a good selection or is it that you have to be very very precise with your mouse? Any help would be appreciated.


  87. madewira May 8th

    simple tutorial, but amazing result :D
    great!


  88. Maulik Soni May 8th

    Why don’t you mention the Photoshop applicaiton version number at the top of the article. There are some features describe in the article does found in older version of photoshop. Its a simple one line at top. Ex. Photoshop Version : CS3

    This will help the reader whether the article is useful for him or not, because he has older version of photoshop.


  89. Nightfirecat May 8th

    Cool, but I didn’t like the step where the rectangles were darkened… And also, the noise on top of the picture seemed a bit unnecessary, but the making of those rectangles and adding the texture was amazing! I love this, and I’ll be sure to use effects like this one more than once.


  90. Helmy May 8th

    Great explanation on the tutorial. I love it . Easy to understand, and shows very elegant design. Thanks bro


  91. alex bax May 8th

    thats good1


  92. BenRulz May 8th

    great tutorial…really enjoyed doing it …. came out pretty well too…. woo woo..!!
    thnk u for sharing..!


  93. xcorrect May 8th

    Love it but step 12 is not working to me :) no shine there nothing worring about the clipping mask


  94. Soelberg May 9th

    What The Fuck, just figured out that I hadn’t commeted this awesome tutorial.. It’s so neat and so simple, just how I like it.. This is really what I picture when im thinking about PSDTUTS.. I really love this tutorial, it’s simplicity with like a million opportunities.. Thanks for this awesome tutorial Fabio ;p - Keep up the extremly awesome work


  95. Dor May 9th

    That’s one hell of a tutorial! Nice one


  96. Andrew D May 9th

    Wow this is great!


  97. Matt McRae May 9th

    Im having the same problem on CS3 Extended at step 4, it won’t go into perspective???


  98. glsmaster May 9th

    Awesome tut… looks a little hard but it really don’t. ;)


  99. stigma May 9th

    Simple Great…


  100. analog May 10th

    Could you plz upload the brush…it’s hard to get it right


  101. Baris May 10th

    Very excelled Tutorial. Now I can push up my pictures. :D


  102. Sam Barracca May 10th

    Amazing tutorial, but I’m having problems ar Step 4 as well. Any insight on this would be great. Keep up the great work! =]


  103. GreenSaints May 10th

    Hi,

    I was getting troubles with Step 4 on CS3 and I think I worked out why.

    I wanted to make this into an A1 poster (841×594mm) and the reason why my rectangle wasn’t made into a brush was because the brush size can only be 2500×2500px.

    If you make the document size the size as the tutorial says (1440×900px) it works - well for me anyway! :)

    Hope this helps

    p.s. AWESOME Tutorial! Love your work as always :D


  104. nartmidias May 11th

    super obrigado muito bom!


  105. Rom May 11th

    i love it
    thank you


  106. Jonathan Connolly May 12th

    Great tutorial. I will definitely implement this into some of my work. Thanks


  107. rikky May 12th

    Great Post.Thanks Bro!


  108. Ahmer May 12th

    Gr8 work…thanks alot…keep it up dear


  109. coockoo May 13th

    I did step 4 but how come my brush engine is deactivated unlike the window shown on your step 4 image.

    Any help please :)

    thanks!


  110. Rachel May 13th

    wow awesome~~~ thanks dude


  111. vidya May 13th

    nice tutorial…………….


  112. Chaz May 14th

    great tutorial, definitely something i could use in the future.


  113. ADYBAH4iK May 14th

    Great tutorial! Thank you!!!


  114. TH May 14th

    Another great tutorial! Thanks!


  115. anhedonia May 14th

    nice!!!! i loved this stuff.


  116. Arlene May 15th

    Wow! Thanks =)


  117. Engage May 15th

    Nice tutorial!


  118. mamoun al bibi May 15th

    Great idea :D


  119. Deepak May 16th

    Great tut…amazing !!!


  120. Jake Teton-Landis May 17th

    I think by far the best part of this tutorial was the brush creation bit, it achieves most of the effect and its fantastic!


  121. Jamx May 20th

    Hey can someone tell me how to get step 12 to work? I create a clipping mask but when I try to use the brush tool nothing shows up. Any help?


  122. Felix May 23rd

    Nice Tutorial. Here is what i made : http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg26/banano01/duo.jpg


  123. Ryan May 25th

    WOW! This is AMAZING! I am only 11 years old, and I created something BEAUTIFUL! Kudos to whoever wrote this tutorial :c) thnxx a bunch

    -Ryan


  124. anon May 26th

    “I did step 4 but how come my brush engine is deactivated unlike the window shown on your step 4 image.”

    make sure your brush tool is selected

    still not sure how his brush has a 3d perspective on the 2nd part of step 4.


  125. Marina May 29th

    Hey, my Photoshop doesnt have the warp tool on edit>transform….is it CS3?


  126. p01nt May 29th

    Please share the gradient.


  127. Aaron June 5th

    I’m also not sure how his brush has a 3D perspective, but I’d love to know.


  128. Panther June 6th

    Very inspiring. Thanks for this tutorial, can’t wait to see more!


  129. Ian Castro June 8th

    On step 3, I can not rasterize my layer. I use the rectangle tool 1st, make the rectangle, skew it, then fill the path with black. Then I try to layer>rasterize, the option is grayed out.

    I don’t know if I will comeback and check this soon because I’m quite busy this week, emailing me the solution will be a great help though.

    iancastro@cox.net

    thanks.


  130. Markos June 11th

    :O Awesome


  131. John Smith June 11th

    Ok what the hell. Can anyone explain why in Step4, in the Shape Dynamics section, I cant get the lines to tilt towards me? I have CS3, and im following the steps exactly, but the lines only face straight up and down…


  132. Gav June 12th

    Fantastic tutorial! Did have a few problems to begin with but worked those out. Just can’t for the life of me figure out how you got the brush angled in part 2 of step 4??

    Anyone have any ideas?


  133. Amanda June 13th

    Haven’t been able to finish the tutorial due to some of the features I don’t have with Adobe CS. Going to try again later on my other computer, which has CS2. I was hoping you could add some additional help for folks with older versions?