Download Freebie

Step 1

Start with a good sized blank Illustrator document with RGB selected for the document color base. Something around letter size (11″ wide x 8.5″ high) should work just fine.

Also, to really give it that vintage look, center a document sized rectangle with a vintage yellow color like the image below (R 237, G 234, B 188).

Step 2

Drop in some text or a vector object sized to approximately 4.5″ wide x 4″ high and change the fill color to White. You can later adjust the size to fit your specific needs but for now keep your art size similar to the listed dimensions.

Step 3

Now let’s make our way over to the Appearance Palette (Window > Appearance). With your vector object selected, click the second button from the left at the bottom of the Appearance Palette to “Add New Fill” and set the color to Cyan (R 0, G 174, B 239).

Step 4

Let’s nudge this new fill around a little bit and give it some shape. With your new fill highlighted in the Appearance Palette go up to the top Illustrator menu and follow Effect > Convert to Shape > Rounded Rectangle. In the dialog box that pops up, click the Relative radio button and set both the Extra Width and Extra Height to 0.3 in, now change the Corner Radius to 0.5 in and click OK. This will be the base shape of our effect.

Step 5

We still need a little adjusting to get the correct shape, so with the same Cyan fill still selected in the Appearance Palette go back up to the top menu and follow Effect > Warp > Bulge and enter 5 in for the percentage of bend.

Now, we’ve got the correct shape…

Just click and drag the Cyan fill below the White fill in the Appearance Palette.

Step 6

Time for another fill and this one’s going to be Yellow (R 255, G 242, B 0). With the Cyan fill still selected click the same “Add New Fill” button on the Appearance Palette, this way your new fill will go right above the one we just created and don’t worry if you didn’t see anything happen, it’s just hiding behind the White fill.

Step 7

Let’s move the new Yellow fill by using the Transform effect under Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform.

See I told you it was hiding behind there! Anyway, this will give us the “out of registration” effect when completed.

Step 8

Within the Appearance Palette, click and drag the Cyan fill on top of the small page icon on the bottom of the palette to duplicate it.

Change the color of the new fill to Magenta (R 236, G 0, B 140) and drag it directly above the Yellow fill. Your Appearance Palette should look exactly like the one in the picture below, with everything in the same order.

Step 9

With the new Magenta fill selected, hop over to the Transparency palette (Window > Transparency) and change the blending mode to Multiply.

Step 10

Select to White fill at the top of the palette and change its blending mode to Exclusion within the Transparency Palette as well.

Step 11

We need to enhance the “out of registration” effect a little more so select the Cyan fill and move it left -0.1 in and down 0.05 in by using the same Transform effect from step 7.

Step 12

Something’s missing? Texture… that’s it. With the Cyan fill still selected, we’ll add some texture with the Grain effect found under Effect > Texture > Grain. Let’s go Intensity at 5, Contrast at 67, and Grain Type set to Horizontal.

Step 13

Well that’s a little better but we need more! Select the Magenta fill and head up to Effect > Texture > Texturizer. Choose Canvas for the Texture, set the Scaling to 100%, the Relief to 2, and bring the Light in from the Top.

Final Result…

Drop in a texture on the background. Use the vector splatter download from my freebies and you have the completed effect.

Download Project Files

Just In Case…

Here’s a screencast video of each step!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Please note that this is my first official attempt at a full length video tutorial. Originally I thought producing a tutorial video would be faster than taking lots of screen shots and writing out each step in the post but it seems I was WRONG. Anyway, let me know what you think of the new format as I’m on the fence about how to go about the next tutorial, screen shot post or video…

Download Project Files

Click here to view the embedded video.

Vintage Label Freebie

Simple banner vector from an old beer label. Download file(s).

Step 1: Create a new Photoshop document 18 pixels wide by 18 pixels high at 72 pixels/inch. Make sure to set the background contents to “Transparent”.

Step 2: Fill Layer 1 of the new document with solid black. Edit > Fill.

Step 3: Select the Move Tool (M) and hit the left arrow on your keyboard seven times and then hit the up arrow on your keyboard seven times.

Step 4: Create a new layer above Layer 1 (Layer > New Layer) and fill it with solid white. Edit > Fill.

Step 5: Select the Move Tool (M) again and use your keyboard to move the solid white fill left 7 pixels and up 7 pixels.

Step 6: Select the entire image. Select > All.

Step 7: Crop the image to remove the excess areas outside of the artboard. Image > Crop. You now have two 11 pixel by 11 pixel squares to play with.

Step 8: Select the Move Tool (M) one final time, and nudge the white square 2 pixels to the right and 2 pixels down.

Step 9: Set the opacity of the white square layer (Layer 2) to 14%.

Step 10: Set the opacity of the black square layer (Layer 1) to 60%.

Step 11: Define your new pattern. Edit > Define Pattern.

Step 12: Close the pattern document.

Step 13: Create another new Photoshop document.

Step 14: Fill the background layer of your new document with medium red (R 117, G 0, B 0). Edit > Fill.

Step 15: Create a new layer to hold your pattern. Layer > New Layer.

Step 16: File the new layer with your grid pattern. Edit > Fill.

Step 17: Set the opacity of the pattern layer to 25%.

Step 18: Add a gradient fill layer above the pattern. Layer > New Fill Layer > Gradient. Choose the black to white gradient fill (usually third one from the left).

Step 19: Finally, set the blending mode of the gradient fill layer to “Multiply” and the opacity to 65%.

Final Result…

Extra: Play around with the Transform tools and Distort filters to give your pattern some perspective.

Vector Splatter Freebie

Some actual paint splatters I traced in Illustrator for use on a t-shirt design. Download file(s).

Vector Shotgun Freebie

A leftover shotgun vector from a recent project. Download file(s)…

Photoshop Halftone Text Effect

Step 1: Create a new Photoshop document.

Step 1

Step 2: Fill the background layer with red.

Step 2

Step 3: Add some text and set the fill color to silver (R 222, G 220, B220).

Step 3 - Text Settings

Step 3 - Silver Text

Step 4: Arch your new text. Layer > Type > Warp Text.

Step 4 - Warp Settings

Step 4 - Warped Text

Step 5: Now it’s time to add a few strokes following the step in my previous tutorial Photoshop Text Outline Effects. The first outline stroke should be a nice rich maroon (R 90, G 19, B 21) and applied with the Stroke layer style.

Step 7 - Outline Stroke #1 Settings

Step 7 - Outline Stroke Color

Step 6: Add the second outline stroke using the Outer Glow layer style.

Step 6 - Outline Stroke #2 Settings

Step 6 - Outline Stroke #2

Step 7: Add the third outline stroke using the Drop Shadow layer style.

Step 7 - Outline Stroke #3 Settings

Step 7 - Outline Stroke #3

Step 8: Duplicate the current Photoshop document. Image > Duplicate.

Step 9: Add a new fill layer at the top of the layers palette in the duplicated document. Layer > New Fill Layer > Gradient. When the Gradient Fill dialog box opens, be sure to choose the Black to White (3rd from left) basic gradient setup.

Step 9 - New Fill Layer

Step 9 - Gradient Fill

Step 9 - Finished Gradient Fill

Step 10: Convert the image mode to Grayscale. Image > Mode > Grayscale.

Step 10

Step 11: Convert the image to a halftone bitmap.

Step 11 - Bitmap Mode

Step 11 - Halftone Settings

Step 12: Select the entire bitmap image (Select > All) and then copy (Edit > Copy) and paste (Edit > Paste) it into the original document. You can now close the duplicated document without saving.

Step 13: Make sure the new layer of halftone dots is at the top of the layers palette.

Step 13

Step 14: Select the Dots layer and create a clipping mask with the text layer below. Layer > Create Clipping Mask.

Step 14

Step 15: Set the blending mode for the Dots layer to Multiply and the opacity to 15%.

Step 15

Done: Download sample file(s).

Final Result

Alternative Looks