Create a Retro is Future Poster in Photoshop

Tutorial #05

Create a Retro is Future Poster, using different mask techniques and creating a custom typo.

A few days ago, I did a wallpaper called Retro is future but the end product wasn’t really good for a tutorial so I did a poster using the same techniques and model, you’ll create the typo and the effects giving a nice retro look to the poster.

Part 1 – Model

Step 1 – Stock Image
Thanks to katanaz-stock.deviantart.com I can use this model in the tutorial, you can download the stock image here . Open the file in photoshop and stay on it.

Step 2 – Background
Double click on the layer and click Ok, name this layer Model then create a new layer named Background and fill it with white, Edit – Fill – White, place this layer beneath the Model layer.

Step 3 – Left Side
Now duplicate the Model layer, name the new one Left Side and hide the original one. We’re going to erase all the parts we don’t want on the model. First go to Select – Color Range and select the white part and click Ok, then press delete to erase the selection and deselect Ctrl+D.
Tip: it’s better to hide the Background layer so you can see what you’re erasing.

Next, take the Rectangular Marquee Tool and make a selection of the right side, delete the selection so you’ve got just the left side of the face.

Select the Eraser Tool with a soft rounded brush of 300px and erase the shoulders and neck, you should have something like this.
Finally create a layer mask on the Left Side layer, Layer – Layer Mask – Reveal All and with the same brush we used before select the Brush Tool (B) with a black color erase to edges to give a fading aspect, make sure you’re on the layer mask while using the brush.

Step 4 – Right Side
Duplicate the original Model layer; name the new layer Right Side and place it on top, hide all the other layers. Go to Image – Adjustments – Threshold and play with the cursor, to have the same amount of black has me, choose 95 and click OK.

Go to Select – Color Range, like before select some white on the image, click OK and press the delete button, then with the Erase Tool take off the shoulders and the necklace.

Save the model file as a PSD file so you can use it later.

Part 2 – Poster

Step 5 – New Document
Create a new document in photoshop with a transparent background, mine is 1040×1500px to match the website dimensions, you can make it bigger or smaller it doesn’t matter.

Step 6 – Model
Fill the background layer with white and name it Background, then drag the Left Side and Right Side layers in the new document from the document we saved earlier and place those two layers in a new group Layer – New – Group, name it Retro Model, select the group, resize and place the model with the Free Transform Tool Ctrl+T.

Step 7 – Layer Style
In this we’re going to add some layer style at the model and create a Flash shape. Select the Right Side layer and go to Layer – Layer Style – Gradient Overlay, enter these values:

Step 8 - Flash
Create a new layer still in the Retro Model group and name it Flash, select the Polygonal Lasso Tool and create the shape you like, I choose a Flash. Fill the selection with white and create a Gradient Overlay layer style.

Duplicate the Flash layer name the new one Flash Blur and add a Gaussian Blur Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur of around 2-3px. Change the blending mode to Overlay.
Select the Brush Tool with a 300px soft rounded brush and go on the Layer Mask of the Left Side layer, erase a little bit of the edges so it fades better in the background.

Step 9 - Background
We’re done with the model, let’s create the background, create a new layer name it Gradient Frame Pink/Black and fill it with white then add a Gradient Overlay layer style to it.

Create a new layer name it Black Frame, go to Select – All then Select – Transform Selection and reduce the width to 96% and the height to 98% fill the selection with black. Keep the selection and go back to Select – Transform Selection put 99% for the width, 99,5% for the height and delete the selection, create a new group name it Frame and place the 2 layer we just created, place this group under the Retro Model group.

Step 10 - Texture
Download the texture here and open it in photoshop, drag it on the document and resize it with the Free Transform Tool Ctrl+T, change the opacity of the layer to 50% then place the texture layer in a new group named Textures and change the opacity of the group to 30%.
Go to Select –All, then like we did previously Select – Transform Selection and change the width to 95% and the Height to 97%, press enter and create a layer mask with the selection on the Textures group.

Step 11 – Text
Let’s create the text, create a new layer and make a rectangle selection with the Rectangular Marquee Tool, fill it with black, duplicate the layer, this time select a triangle with the Polygonal Lasso Tool and delete the selection. You can now create all the letters with those two layers, duplicate the original layers each time and rotate to make the letters. You will have a lot of layers, we will merge them later.

Step 12 – Gradient
Place the text like you want and merge all the text layers in one, call this layer RETRO IS FUTURE, and place it in a new group with the same name. Create a Gradient Overlay layer style on the Retro is Future Layer; put the same setting shown in Step 7 for the Gradient Overlay but put 135° for the angle.

Step 13 – Sparkles
Create a new layer name it Sparkles, then download the brush here, to load it in photoshop just double click on the brush file. You should have it in the list of brushes, take a size around 9-15px with a white color on the sparkles layer put some sparkles where you like.
Duplicate the Sparkles layer when you’re done with the brush tool and name the new one Sparkles Blur, apply a Gaussian Blur to it, Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur.
Duplicate the original Sparkles layer, name the new one Sparkles Gradient and apply a Gradient Overlay to it. Place those 3 Layers in a new group named Sparkles.

Step 14 – Lines
Create a new layer, select the Rectangular Marquee Tool, make a selection and with a soft round brush and the white color draw a soft line, then deselect. Now just put soft lines where you want, using the Free Transform Tool to scale and resize, add some Gradient Overlay to some of the lines. When you’re done just place all the lines layers in a new group.

And we’re done, I hope you liked this tutorial, for any question send me an email or eave me a comment, you can download the PSD file for this tutorial.

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