In my last post we discussed logos and typography, which are both important elements to graphic design. However, this is not the main reason why people choose to become graphic designers. What people enjoy doing the most is either editing photos, or creating works of art such as banners and posters. To stick with the earlier subject of tutorials, I have found and reviewed two more with more complex techniques.
Playing with Masks
Some of these programs I have mentioned can be expensive. That’s why my next tutorial suggestion is talking about Procreate, a graphics editor for the price of $9.99. The only requirement for Procreate is an iPad. In this tutorial Brad Colbow takes us through the wonders of maskings and clipping masks. With the use of masks we can have images show through the layers above creating wonderful effects.
Although you might not have Procreate due to not having an iPad, the concepts of masking apply across all photo editing software.
Creating magic with Photoshop
It’s fun enough creating designs from scratch, but it’s also beneficial to create designs using already existing materials. That is why I chose this tutorial from PHLEARN. In the tutorial Aaron Nace shows us how to take four separate images, and put it all into a single composition using Adobe Photoshop.
Another great part about this tutorial is when Aaron Nace mentions and labels the shortcuts to perform different actions. It can take a while to complete a project if you have to keep looking and clicking on the tools or actions you need compared to simply using the keyboard shortcuts. I’ll link some shortcut sheets on some of the popular design software.
Links:
- Procreate 5 Tutorial – Masks and Clipping Masks by Brad Colbow
- How to create a Simple Composite in Photoshop by PHLEARN
TBWTLITT 
2 thoughts on “Diving Deeper”