As an artist, you need to have extreme imagination and creativity to create an amazing masterpiece. One way to execute this is to expand your assets and visual elements that will turn your concepts into reality. Before, most graphic designers relied on text, color combinations, and basic shapes to craft their outputs. But now, the emergence of unique and one-of-a-kind types of illustrations has changed the game and provided a different flavor to numerous visual communication materials.

Illustration types tell stories through the arts that represent things that can be imagined, seen, identified, and remembered by people. These elements can be rough sketches, random drawings, character assets, paintings, illustration styles based on images, and more, all falling under the category of fine arts. 

Utilizing these types of illustrations is now essential in outsource graphic design, as they assist in making the general outcome more appealing and striking to the eye. In essence, graphic design is turning all your creative vision into actual content, whether it be textual or a pure mixture of visual assets. Therefore, elements like illustration types do have a critical role in graphic design.

Generally, the market for graphic design worldwide is now roughly $45 billion, which is enough to tell how critical it is to the endeavors of various industries. Additionally, interesting trivia about graphic design tells us that people can digest and interpret images at a rate of  60,000 compared to words or text. That’s the main reason why humans prefer to see visual content, including illustrations, to feed their imagination, comprehend the messaging of a single post, and arrive at their own conclusion rather than plainly reading material.

Difference Between Illustration Types and Styles

The scope of illustrations in graphic design is wide and often interchangeable. One case is distinguishing the difference between illustration types and illustration styles. The first one is known as the kind of elements that you are using in your art. Illustration types can be 3D designs that make your output appear to simulate how real-life objects move and look. From here, you can easily say that the types of illustrations vary depending on how you want your work to come to life.

On the other hand, illustration styles are the process by which you will generate these illustrations. Particularly, it is your creative approach to designing your projects. Your style can be realism, line art, charcoal illustrations, typography, commercial art, watercolor illustration style, photography, where you fuse them with other graphic design approaches such as editing, enhancing, carving-based design, or even to remove bg out of your images and practicing any scientific method of creativity.

Simply put, illustration types and illustration styles go hand in hand, and both of them are necessities in your creative ventures. The former are the kinds of elements you incorporate into your work, while the latter deals more with your process in making your work.

The Benefits of Using Illustrations in Graphic Design

Integrating different types of illustrations into graphic design results in many benefits, such as the following: 

• Explain abstract ideas. Sometimes you have ideas that you believe are better left abstract or open to many interpretations. At this point, illustrations are a great help because you can play with them, mix and match them with your creative vision, and let their complexities give people a new perspective when it comes to the arts. Emotions such as happiness, pain, and fear can be more clearly expressed through the use of illustration types. Just do not be intimidated by the vast choices of designs where you can start working. Always keep in mind the emotion or meaning you want to share with your viewers, and from there, you can find the value of your creative output, even if it is complex or in abstract form.
• Uniquely convey messages. In contrast to the first benefit, illustration types can also transfer your messages clearly when you intend them to serve as a medium for your audiences. Since humans perceive visual content faster than text, you can maximize illustration styles in your projects. You can use illustrations to signify love, joy, and other emotions. Besides, you can also use illustration as a stand-in for text to veer away from making a word-crowded material. Remember, people want something visual; they do not want to read.
• Add hierarchy to your outputs. Aside from colors and text, illustration types can add visual hierarchy to your output. These illustrations can draw a line between what matters most to your viewers and what is least important. You can separate texts and objects through illustrations. You can also use them in your call to action to capture attention and retain it.
• More aesthetically pleasing. If you want to stand out among your competitors, it is better to package your brand with better visuals. Illustration types can support you with this agenda since they can strengthen your branding in a way that gathers more people to advocate for you and choose you. People love seeing spectacular displays, so better start doing it now with your social media posts, logos, business icons, websites, and other publicity deliverables.
• Attention grabber. Summarizing the previous benefits will lead us to conclude that illustrations undeniably capture the attention, awareness, and brand recall of your audiences. These unique elements you can put into your work can reach the people who matter once you execute them properly alongside other visual components. It is still important to utilize illustrations carefully and purposefully. Do not abuse their capability to take you to greater heights. You still need to research, consult colleagues, and uphold the basic techniques.

Different Illustration Types in Graphic Design 

Now is the ideal time to learn some specifics about illustration types. Thus, here are the most well-known types of illustration in graphic design you did not know you needed.

A. Vector Graphics

Vector graphics are digital images generated from computers or smart technologies through a series of instructions or mathematical equations that systematically position points, lines, curves, shapes, polygons, and angles in a two- or three-dimensional space.

One of the best advantages of vector graphics is that they are used by graphic designers to have designs that are modifiable, meaning they can be easily resized, changed, and shared. This type of illustration has the inherent ability to mathematically specify every component, making it possible to produce images that you can scale down for different purposes, such as posters, company cards, or giant out-of-home billboards.

Other benefits of vector graphics are that you can collaborate with other artists because you can transfer them easily to a smaller file size and convert them to other formats such as ai for Adobe Illustrator files, DFX for Drawing Exchange Format files, svg for Scalable Vector Graphics, and WMF for Windows Metafile. Vector graphics are also ideal for drawing and precise path editing.

Some of the most famous vector graphics ever produced are from Yukio Miyamoto, who is considered the king of vector art. He is great at making this type of illustration in Adobe Illustrator, where he makes amazing book covers and artwork. He utilizes mesh tools and other editing features to perfect his projects so they appear 3D, despite being just 2D illusions.

Another famous vector graphic is made by Tom Whalen, a passionate comic book and poster artist. He draws inspiration from the DC universe and Marvel, where he combines designs, images, and text and arranges them coherently. His trademark includes gradients and flexible designs.

B. Raster Graphics

If a 2D output is what you are aiming to produce, then raster graphics are the type of illustration for you. Raster Graphics represent two-dimensional images in graphic design. This illustration type is viewable on paper, digital imaging, computers, and other display channels.

Raster graphics, commonly known as bitmaps, are graphics for computers that are made out of a pattern of pixels. Raster pictures may reproduce intricate, colorful images, including delicate color gradients. Also, Raster graphics make up the majority of photographs on the World Wide Web. Alongside vector graphics, it’s one of the two basic visual types for graphics programs. Raster images are commonly used in digital photos, but they are also ideal for paintings, emblems, and other types of imagery. Raster graphics enable you to dig in and view all the individual pixels that make up the image as a whole. Some of its file types include GIF, PNG, JPEG, BMP, and TIFF.

Compared to vector graphics, raster graphics can have complex, abundant, and multicolor blends. Raster graphics can also give color gradations that are compatible with common editing software like Photoshop. This illustration type is comparably larger in size, but you can compress it anytime. Another benefit of this illustration is that you can highly incorporate it with painting and detailed editing.

Since most images are on the internet, the best examples of raster graphics are available on various platforms, such as Behance. This hub of creative work serves as a home for artists to share their raster graphics and other illustration styles. Many graphic design projects are accessible on social media; in fact, even the simplest memes, entertaining GIFs, and creative posters are examples of raster graphics that you might not know about.

C. 3D Graphics

If you are leaning towards graphic design that imitates real-life objects or characters, then 3D is the one you need to learn and master. These 3D computer graphics, often called as CGI effects, are three-dimensional types of illustration that centralize geometry information.

Technically, 3D graphics apply a scale of X, Y, and Z, which stand for width, height, and depth, respectively. From hereon, elements or visual objects can be built using 3D CAD and graphics software. They can be scaled up or down, rotated, and examined from all directions because they are 3D entities.

Mostly, we can see these 3D graphic designs in film, high-end video games, film, 3D billboards, art, and commercial projects. This illustration type allows animation of various characters with special effects, which give viewers a totally different visual experience. You can create this in different software, such as Blender and Maya.

The power to captivate people’s attention, project larger-than-life images, and model real-life objects like the real thing are only a few of the benefits of this type of illustration. Although it is more challenging to make, the results deliver impeccable effects to your brands as people can view your produced elements from different angles, giving a more immersive experience and being visually arresting, making 3D graphics a good ROI and an interesting design innovation to try and capitalize on.

A famous 3D artist named Antoni Tudisco is known for his unique approach to graphic design. This artist born in Hamburg loves to impart long-lasting impressions to his audiences by making luxurious-looking and awe-inspiring backdrops that brands like Nike, Sony, Versace, and Google used in their respective campaigns, music videos, and fashion shoots.Antoni  Tudisco

Moreover, the advertising landscape has embraced some recent trends right now, including the 3D Naked-Eye graphic materials that are being displayed in several cities, such as Shibuya, Japan, Piccadilly Circus in London, and Times Square in New York, where numerous famous brands hop into

Conclusion 

As part of the graphic design team, it is your task to widen the horizons of your creativity and explore as many visual components as you can in your art. The presence of these illustration types is merely one way to start furthering your skills and enhancing your work. Besides, these presented illustration styles will unquestionably build your credibility in the industry and help you become more playful and imaginative, which many artists failed to exemplify. Again, 3D assets will help your outputs cut through the noise as they have impactful effects. Raster graphics can also aid you in your digital content creation, while vector illustrations can spice up your projects in different ways. 

Yet, after all, you must remember that the process of graphic design and the integration of these types of illustration offer you abundant possibilities to define your artistry. So you better begin exploring them now because your audience always waits for something new, fresh, and original. You have got this!

The post Exploring Different Illustration Types in Graphic Design  first appeared on Designbeep.

What is the best way of creating clouds?

When it comes to creating clouds in Photoshop, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. While some photographic effects will render clouds realistically, for artwork within a fantastical setting, you may want to consider taking a more abstract approach and strategically blending colors and shapes together with one of these free photoshop brushes.

Reasons You Need to Know about how to create clouds in Photoshop

When you know the essentials of Photoshop it’s a matter of learning as much as you can by different kind of tutorials, if you like photo montage. The sky is the limit.

Fully mastering the clouds effect in Photoshop can take some practice, but once you get the hang of creating clouds it can become a highly valuable skill in your arsenal of deployable techniques.

Let me break it down for you why you need to know how to add clouds realistically. 

1.  To Add realism to Your Images

If you want your images to look as realistic as possible, then you need to know how to create clouds in Photoshop. By adding clouds to your images, you can make them look like they were taken on a bright, sunny day. Additionally, clouds can help to add depth and dimension to your photos.

2.  To Enhance the Mood of Your Images

In addition to adding realism, clouds can also help to enhance the mood of your images. For example, if you want to create a feeling of calm and serenity, then you would likely want to add some light, fluffy clouds to your image. On the other hand, if you want to create a feeling of drama or suspense, then you would likely want to add some dark, menacing-looking clouds. It will change the look of the entire sky.

3.  To Improve Your Editing Skills

One of the primary reasons you need to know how to create clouds in Photoshop is to improve your editing skills. Photoshop is a powerful editing tool that can help you to make a variety of changes to your photos. However, it can be difficult to know how to use all of its features. Learning how to create clouds in Photoshop can help you to better understand how the software works and how to use it to its full potential.

Making cloud effects can be tricky, and cloud brushes are a popular choice to help you get the look you want. However, a cloud brush tool isn’t always the best solution. By taking a step-by-step approach, you can quickly learn how to add clouds without relying on cloud brushes. It might take some practice and experimentation before you find your ideal cloud effect, but with patience and perseverance, you can craft beautiful clouds that fit your project perfectly.

Step-by-Step Instructions to create clouds in the best way

Open up your Photoshop and let’s dive into this tutorial! 

The first step is to find an existing image of a blue sky that you would like as the background layer. Be sure to select something you find aesthetically pleasing, as it will form the foundation for the sky effect you’ll be creating. Usually I get my pictures from Unsplash.com. Once you have selected your sky image, you can move on to the next step in this tutorial: adding those dreamy clouds.

STEP 1 – Create your own brush

• Open the brush settings and go to ‘General Brushes’.

• Choose the soft round brush from the brush palette.

• Go to the brush settings and use this (more or less) for your brush preset regarding ‘Shape Dynamics’ and ‘Scattering’. You can play a bit with the brush tip shape but to start, these are good brush settings.

• Save your brush as ‘Cloud Brush’ 

You can already use it and create clouds in photoshop BUT shall we add some more fun to it?!

STEP 2 – Make cloudy letters and combine it with the cloud brush

• Make a type layer and place your text in black. 

• Right-click on the layer and ‘rasterize type’.

• The next step is to go to Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to more or less 3.5 pixels.

• Then you go to ‘Ripple’ (Filter > Distort > Ripple) and set it to around 55%.

• Make a new layer.
• Take your cloud brush that we’ve created in STEP 1. Make it the same black colour (at 35%) as the text and trace the text with your brush tool.

• Select the text layer and your cloud trace layer

• Right-click and convert to ‘Smart Object’.

• Go to your ‘Smart Object’ and right-click. Go to blending options. See in the screen shots below what I’ve used as blending options.

Bevel & Emboss

Inner Shadow

Inner glow

Satin

Outer Glow

Drop Shadow

STEP 3 – Make a cloud layer mask

• Create a new layer.
• Set your front colour to white and the back layer to black.
• Go to ‘Filter’ then ‘Render’ then ‘Clouds.

• Duplicate this layer and give it another name.
• Hide the first cloud layer for now.
• Right-click on the only visible clouds layer and ‘Create Clipping Mask’.
• Set the blend mode to ‘Lighter color’.

In the image > adjustment > layers you can always adjust it.

• Make the top cloud layer visible again and put the blend mode to ‘Screen’.
• Adjust the brightness and the contrast with the levels adjustment.

• One of the last steps is to erase some clouds where you don’t need them. See the following screenshot of the setting that you need to choose. When it’s set, you can erase what you don’t need with the black brush tool. In case you’ve erased too much, you can switch to the white brush tool and get the clouds back.
• The very last thing I did is manually add clouds at the beginning and end of the text with the cloud brush I made in the beginning.

Wrapping up and my experience with creating clouds in photoshop 

It seems like a long tutorial but it doesn’t take long to actually make these clouds in photoshop. It definitely will help you to create amazing images. We hope you’ve learned about the different ways to make and add clouds and that you are as enthusiastic as us about Photoshop and all it’s possibilities!

Author Bio:

Inge Waterschoot is the CEO of sharonandinge.com. She is a creative powerhouse, always brainstorming new ideas to keep her businesses moving forward. She loves snowboarding, yoga, and any beach sport – anything that allows her to be active and enjoy the outdoors.

She likes to think of herself as a bit of a thrill seeker, always looking for the next great adventure.

The post The Best Way to Create Clouds in Photoshop first appeared on Designbeep.

Giving your images the perfect combination of white balance with Photoshop is simple to achieve with some of the powerful picture editing tools available. Before we go for the photoshop tutorial for fixing the white balance in photoshop, let’s know a bit about it.

What is White Balance?

It is a photo retouching process for adjusting the light and color cast of an image to make the image color more natural looking. The color balance of an image can be changed to allow colored and true color objects to appear which is often called “color temperature.”

Most professional cameras have manual control over white balance so that you can get almost perfect balanced photos directly from your camera. By using the camera white balance control, you will reduce the amount of changes you need to make to the picture later and save your precious time for post processing but this doesn’t mean you can escape post processing.

You may be able to change the hue balance in batches by Photoshop if you narrow down the post-processing job by using camera control. Nevertheless, in photoshop it is always possible for the best overall color balance to edit a single picture.

Why is Light Balance Important?

With white balance settings on your camera, you can make sure that you capture images as close as possible to real color irrespective or level of lighting. The gradient balance adjustments will help to avoid the odd tinting or shaping of colors on your entire picture and improve its brightness or realism by setting them correctly.

White balance or color cast makes your images more believable and create long lasting impressions on the audience. Always give attention to your black, white or mid-tones if you want a realistic shot. These color variations can cause interesting results. So you would like to apply this to particular areas afterwards, not impacting the entire picture.

So which camera should you use to get the best white balance? Or what are the best camera settings to get perfect white balance directly from the camera? You will find a lot of not only photoshop video tutorials but also blog articles to learn the camera settings.

Now let’s get into the focus point of this article which is fixing the white balance in photoshop.

Adjust White Balance in Photoshop

Bringing your desired color correction as close as you can directly from the camera is always good, but adjusting the color cast in Photoshop using the color correction method of photo retouching service is more easy and accurate. In image post-processing you will often find that you want to change the color temperature and color balance.

This is because of the use of a constantly evolving scene and your camera’s Automatic White Balance doesn’t quite have it right so you’ll need to change the light. So if we bring down, to fix the color cast in photoshop then we must know that, the best way to do the color correction is by using the tool curves. So where will we find this image editing tool?

It is embedded into the Adjustment sub-menu which you will find on the top menu bar inside in the primary menu called “Image”. So, Image>Adjustment>Curves is our destination for today’s image editing tutorial. Before we start editing our image with this tool we need a minor but important selection to do.

After inserting the image into photoshop and selecting the curve menu we will see a window called curves dialog box with a graph like image and some options appear on the screen. If we notice, we will see three eye drops(a total black one, a gray like one and a white one) like options just under the graph like image.

These three eye drops are the main to fix the white balance and get the desired one. Let’s know how to set these eye drops in their perfect place,

– Setting the White Point
Here we will select the white like eye drops also known as highlights eyedropper. With this eyedropper we will set a point that has maximum light in the image.

– Setting the Gray Point
After setting the white point it’s time to set the mid lit point or the gray area of the image. Click on the gray eyedropper and select an area which has a good but balanced or medium amount of light and colour. Then click on that area to set the gray point.

– Setting the Black Point
The last one is black eyedropper and we will set it to the darkest point of the image. So click on that shadow covered area to set the black point.

After the selection process is over, you will see automatic changes of color in your image. This is done by the software itself. The adobe photoshop is built in a way that it can recognize and do some minor but effective changes into your image automatically.

But the automatic color correction if you feel you need to tweak it a little bit more just use the curve. From the dialogue box press and hold the little box in the curve box at the bottom left corner, and pull it up. This will bring a little more light into your photo. We also can increase the visibility by pushing the box vertically upwards.

Tweak until you are happy with the outcome and if you find that sweet spot just press OK.

Final Thoughts

The importance of color in an image is undescribable. Accurate and attractive color can portray the true scene of your image. No matter how professional a camera you buy, it will lose your pocket only. You won’t get the freedom of making your image eye catchy unless you use photoshop and do it manually.

However, with photoshop you will need an expert hand also where we, Tradexcel Graphics can help you with guaranteed solutions for any image editing service including this white balance fixing.

The post How to Correct White Balance in Photoshop first appeared on Designbeep.

But first… If you found yourself here and you’re all “Wait, what the f*ck is letterpress?” Let us
explain.

Let’s start with what NOT to do, shall we?

1. No photos. We have lots of options where photos can really shine, but letterpress doesn’t play nice with photos or images.

2. No gradients. Keep your design and text to solid colors. You can always incorporate foil or metallic ink if you want that extra pop.

3. No hairlines. Width of lines should be .25 point or thicker.

4. No tiny type. All text should be 6 point or larger. Also, remember to outline your type before submitting your final design.

5. Keep it to 1 or 2 colors.

6. No transparencies. All colors should be at 100% opacity.

Now that we’ve gotten the bossy stuff out of the way, let’s talk about the simple steps to creating
a letterpress worthy design.

STEP 1: Create a New Document in Adobe Illustrator

At this point, you need to know if you want a standard size, square, custom, or die-cut business
card. For this tutorial, we’ll be using a horizontal standard size business card – 3.5” wide x 2” tall.
We need to take cut and bleeds into account (we will get into this in Step 2), so add .125” (or 1/8
of an inch) onto both the width and height measurements. Make sure your document is set to
CMYK and click CREATE!

STEP 2: Set Up Your Guides

We’re going to insert two sets of guides – cut guides and “safe area” guides. If you don’t have
your rulers visible pressing “ctrl + r (PC)” or “cmd + r (Mac)” will do the trick. Drag one set of
guides to .0625“ (or 1/16 of an inch). These are your cut marks. Drag another set to .125” (or 1/8 of
an inch). These represent your “safe area”. Keep all design elements within the inner-most “safe
area” guides. The diagram below respresents how your artboard should look at this point.

STEP 3: Create Your Design

Again, check to make sure your document is set to CMYK Color Mode. You can now start laying
in your design elements. Remember the six “DONTS” from before, and it should be smooth
sailing!

Once your design is complete there’s just one more step needed before you can save and send
your design to us.

Outline all text. You can easily select all text by pressing “ctrl + a (PC)” or “cmd + a (Mac)”. Then,
in your top Type menu click “Create Outlines”.

STEP 4: Put a Fork In It!

If you’re happy and you know it, it’s time to save and send: File > Save As. Set your Format to
Illustrator EPS, click Save, and you’re DONE!

Need a more detailed step-by-step process to designing business cards? Learn how here!

The post How to Design a Letterpress Business Card in Adobe Illustrator first appeared on Designbeep.

Why 3D Modelers Should Know Photoshop?

Our answer to anyone who asks this is why shouldn’t they learn Photoshop? We think every self-respecting artist should know their way around photoshop and every good 3D modeler should know about its 3D modeling capabilities. Sure you may not want to use Photoshop for 3D modeling because there are other more powerful pieces of software like 3DS Max, Blender, etc. But Photoshop’s 3D features are not meant to replace these types of professional software. Though much of the graphics you see is designed partially if not entirely in Photoshop. Professionals use it for everything from texture editing to finalizing a mockup.

All versions beyond CS3 Extended allows users to open 3D files directly in the software and some features can be directly edited like lighting and textures. Though later versions have enhanced capabilities putting it nearly on par with commercially available 3D specific software. Sure, Photoshop can’t edit a 3D model by itself, it does help to create materials, lighting, and textures. Tools like the Brush Tool helps to paint directly over a 3D surface.

Now that we have piqued your interest in using Photoshop for 3D modeling work let’s get into which tutorials should be worth checking out.

How to Create an Apple Watch in Photoshop?
Photoshopstar has an excellent tutorial which walks Photoshop beginners through creating an Apple Watch. The process uses a mixture of 3D tools within the software, as well as layers and numerous other techniques to produce a photorealistic 3D model. One of the primary reasons for us recommending this tutorial above every other is because it is beginner friendly. Even if you have never used 3D software before, you can follow through and pick up a number of useful skills along the way. Though we will encourage people, who follow the tutorial to experiment once the model has been completed because there are many cool things which can be done.

Create a Vintage TV in Photoshop
Photoshoptutorials’ excellent tutorial on how to create a vintage TV set helps newbie Photoshop users get to grips on the basics of its 3D tools. It walks people through every step of creating a realistic looking, yet cute TV which for the most part looks as though it was built using professional 3D software. However, it is entirely done in Photoshop as the tutorial explains.

The primary reason why we recommend this tutorial is because it helps teach people the basics of creating textures. As a 3D modeler, the one reason why you would want to import a model into Photoshop is to create textures. Photoshop makes creating textures easy and quick. So, learning it can help take you a long way.

Create an iMac with Magic Mouse
Design.tutsplus’ tutorial is a great way to get into 3D modeling using only Photoshop. Now let’s make one thing clear the tutorial isn’t meant for seasoned 3D modelers who are already using a professional piece of software. However, they too can use the tutorial to learn how Photoshop can be used to model. While the tools are limited compared to dedicated 3D software, they are still extremely powerful.

We recommend the tutorial to anyone who wants to start 3D modeling. Photoshop makes modeling easier which makes it a good launchpad for beginners. You will learn how to use the mesh tool to sculpt the model, i.e. the iMac and Magic Mouse. If anything it works to open your eyes to the possibility that Photoshop holds for 3D design professionals.

How to Create a Realistically looking DSLR Camera Tutorial
Design.tutsplus’ yet another tutorial is a step more advanced compared to the iMac and Magic Mouse tutorial we mentioned above. It goes in depth when it comes to teaching people how to sculpt advanced shapes. Plus, it also goes into things like texturing. Seasoned 3D modelers will want to pay attention when working through this tutorial mainly because texturing is worth learning.

Texturing is the cornerstone of 3D modeling and Photoshop makes that job easy. The tutorial will help newbies learn all the basic tricks when it comes to creating realistic textures. However, the only drawback to the tutorial is that it will take you a while to work through it. Even seasoned designers will require 3 hours from start to finish.

Retro Style Game Controller Design in Photoshop
Yet another tutorial by Design.Tutsplus and this time around the tutorial takes you deeper into Photoshop’s 3D modeling capabilities. It is, for the most part, a comparatively short tutorial, but many people new to 3D modeling may take longer since some aspects are difficult. Especially getting specific shapes to look exactly as it does in the pictures is difficult. Though it is one of the most essential tutorials for both beginner and advanced 3D modelers. If anything it highlights how powerful Photoshop can be when it comes to 3D modeling.

Conclusion

While we have listed a certain number of tutorials in order of their difficulty, you can choose any one of these you are comfortable starting with. Designing 3D models should be fun, and nobody understands that more than our 3D design company. We love designing, and we have all learned the art of 3D modeling because we found it to be blissful. That said there could be some frustration associated with learning the ropes, but it is all well worth it. Plus, tools like Photoshop are so good and easy, that it can help just about anyone design what they want, in a comparatively short period of time.

The post Best Photoshop Tutorials For 3D Modelers first appeared on Designbeep.

This article isn’t here to show you how to be a perfect illustrator. Instead, it’s here to highlight a bunch of tips and techniques you could incorporate into your work. All illustrators have good days and bad days. A true master is defined by the ability to create consistent results. Below are some tips which we hope will help you to develop a consistent practice as an illustrator.

Creating a palette

Before you start working on an illustration, you’ll probably plan your colors. You’ll have your dominant color selection, your secondary colors and a couple of accent colors to add interest to your designs.

You’ll also use a range of different stokes in order to produce your design. Some of these strokes will give you broad impact and others will be used to create texture or shading.

Mark off the different colors and strokes you will be using in order to create a consistent palette. You could also add the different brush strokes and capping that you will use when you begin to work. This will help you to work more efficiently and assist you with developing consistency throughout your illustrations.

Adding shading

Shading gives your illustration depth and detail, allowing it to emerge from the screen with substance. This is never easy when you’re presented with a palette of flat colors. By selecting a consistent range of colors to use for both shading and highlighting, you’ll have everything you need at hand when adding detail to your illustrations.

Your shading color should be an opacity of the stroke you’ve selected, and represent the darkest version of that color. This will help you to add depth.

Monitoring your stroke widths

When you plan you’re illustration, your brush strokes will play a crucial role in achieving the results you want. Your stroke widths will create the overall feel of your illustration. By planning the level of detail you’d like, you’ll be able to assess the different strokes and sizes that you want.

Creating a palette for your brush strokes will help you to keep them consistent as your illustration starts to emerge. This will help your illustration to develop consistency. When you can control your strokes, you’ll be free to work on the details or shadings within your illustration. Turning off scale strokes will enable you to keep your strokes consistent throughout.

Make use of Pathfinder

If you’re not interested in using your pen tool to draw and map out your illustration, you could always use Pathfinder. Pathfinder will assist you with merging and forming shapes until you get the design you want. You can then cut out your design and use it in its newly emerged form.

Pathfinder is an extremely powerful tool if you don’t enjoy drawing. It allows you to create the shape you need without having to design it from scratch.

By learning how Pathfinder works, you’ll be able to manipulate shapes which take you in the design direction you most want. If drawing does not appeal to you, then Pathfinder could be the most powerful tool you own.

Learn the shortcuts

By learning the shortcuts you’ll be able to work more efficiently. Many people don’t set out to learn the shortcuts in Illustrator. Instead, they learn them along the way until they seem to be an intuitive way of working.

Although there are many different shortcuts and the instructions can feel intimidating at first, they will eventually become second nature. As every illustrator works differently, it might be helpful to use the shortcuts for your most frequent tasks.

By getting to know your way around Illustrator and how you can use it most effectively you’ll be able to concentrate more on your designs and less on the software. The computer program which provides a barrier between you and your work will all but disappear. You’ll be able to enjoy all the efficiency a digital design program brings.

Select your style

Once you’ve elected to work on a commission, your first step will be to select the style you’d like to bring into your work.

You might already have an idea of the atmosphere you’d like to create or the colors you’d like to use. However, you could begin by creating a mood board of inspiring designs before you begin. Find images which inspire you and put them together to form a collection. You can then examine these choices and see how they have constructed their designs. You could also draw on aspects of their designs and incorporate this into your overall plan.

If you have an idea of what you’d like to do, it is time to create a plan. Have a look at the meanings you’d like to recreate and the brand you want to represent through visual imagery. Once you have your basic concept you can experiment until it starts to take the shape you would like best.

Follow the brief

Although you might be able to provide an illustration which goes beyond your client’s imagination, you will still need to follow your brief. Working together in collaboration will ensure that your clients get what they need while you still have the opportunity to use artistic interpretation.

If you have a very tight brief, you’ll know from the outset exactly what your client requires from you. This can provide you with a roadmap which will result in an effective result.

Take into account the various elements your client is looking for and work out how to fit them into your clients’ needs while still using your creativity to influence the end result.

Use a drawing pad

Using a mouse will place a barrier between you and your designs. This will have a huge impact on your results. By acquiring a drawing pad and pen, you’ll be able to work naturally. Although they might look intimidating, a drawing pad is actually very easy to use. If you practice, you’ll be able to use it in no time at all. It will feel as familiar to you as drawing on a page. There is a wide range of drawing pads and pens which will suit both your needs and your budget.

Focus on your outline

Before you color in your drawing, you’ll need to ensure that the basic structure is as you want it to be. Your drawing or sketch will provide the basic framework of your concept. Until this is correct, it will be impossible to move on. Getting your basic sketch right might take up a lot of time. If you’re working on a tight deadline give yourself enough time to work on your sketch before you plan out your colors and brush strokes.

Use layers to your advantage

If you’re a new designer, you may fear to make a mistake in your design. You might also be familiar with the eraser tool. However, you don’t have to keep erasing any mistakes you make. Digital art is formatted in layers. By using multiple layers you’ll be able to paint over any errors that you make.

As you use layers to improve upon your work, you’ll notice that you become increasingly efficient. You’ll also start to see your confidence grow as you produce the results you want time and time again.

Draw on photo references

As an artist, you’ll focus on detail. However, most people do not have a photographic memory. As a result, a photograph will be your best friend. When you use photographs as a reference point, you’ll be able to access all the details you need in order to produce an incredible image.

Start collecting a range of different reference photographs to store on your computer. This will give you to have a range of different choices when you need inspiration for a design.

You can also use your photo collection to learn about color, light and anatomy. This will help you to learn how the foundations of your designs fit together in real life.

Just keep drawing

If you want to be a great illustrator remember that practice makes perfect. Malcolm Gladwell estimates that it takes almost ten years of constant practice to fully master a skill. The more you draw, the more you’ll be able to expand your knowledge, gaining more complex skills as you go along.

The more you practice your drawing, the more you’ll see your talent develop. Eventually, your drawing will feel like second nature to you. You’ll train your arm and your hands to create the movements you want and you’ll be able to put all of your goals into practice.

You can also familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of digital programs so that you can use them intuitively. Don’t let digital design intimidate you. Once you’ve got the hang of it you’ll open up a whole new world of opportunity.

Summary

So there you go! No matter where you are in your illustration career, follow these tips and you’ll soon develop a consistent practice which will bring you the results you want.

The post How To Design Better Illustrations first appeared on Designbeep.

Step 1 – Button surface

First, we will want to create the button’s surface. To do this, go to the Tool menu and select the Ellipse Tool or click (L) on your keyboard. While holding the Shift key, click and drag the mouse to draw a perfect circle.

Next, while the circle is still selected, choose a red color for your button form the Color or Swatches Panel. Make sure you have the Stroke option set to none.

Next, using the Text Tool, write out your logo’s text you want to use within the red.

Tip: Single words such as “Easy” or “Yes” work best for visual clarity, although other text or designs may also work well. Experiment after you have completed the project to see what works.

Step 2 – Chrome Base

Next, we will create the chrome base for the button. Select the circle you have already created with the Black Selection tool, then go to Edit > Copy. Now we will past it in place, behind the original by going to the Edit menu and selecting Paste in Back.

Next, while the second circle is still selected, hold down the Alt (Option) Key on your keyboard, then scroll the mouse wheel to scale the size to be slightly larger than the original circle.

Next, apply a chrome gradient to the newly created circle. You can find this in the Swatches Panel under Gradient in the Metal section.

After this is applied, select the chrome gradient layered in your layers panel, go to Edit > Copy then Edit > Past in Back. Now you should have two gradient layers in your layers panel.

Select the second gradient circle with the Black Selection tool then scale its size to slightly larger than the previous gradient circle while holding the Alt (Option) key on your keyboard. Once the second gradient circle is in place, adjust their direction to match the example below, by going to the Gradient panel and selecting the Reverse Gradient option.

Step 3 – Shading the button

First, select the red circle, then go to Effect menu > Stylize, then Inner Glow, change the color to Black.

Turn on preview mode to watch the changes in real time for the next part. You will want to next adjust your blend mode to multiply, and tweak blurring as necessary to get it looking right.

Next, we are going to select the red circle and copy it by going to Edit > Copy, then paste it in place in front of the original by going to the Edit > Paste in Front.

While the copy is still selected, hold down the Alt (Option) Key, then scroll the mouse wheel to scale the size to be slightly smaller than the original circle.

Finally, with the newest circle still selected, go to the Appearance panel, and remove the Inner Glow.

Step 4 – Adding further shading to the chrome base

Now, select the Arc Tool from the Tools menu and create an arc that divides our button in half like so.

We will be using the same arc twice during logo button design, so while the arc is already selected, go to the Edit menu and select Copy, for later use.

Now hold the shift key to select the arc as well as the two chrome circles with the Black Selection Tool. Go to the Window > Pathfinder, then select Divide.

This will turn the two chrome circles into four objects that have been divided by our arc as well as bring these objects to the foreground.

Next, select the bottom half of the first chrome circle and using the Gradient Panel, reverse the direction of the gradient to create the mirroring effect.

Now, select all chrome circles with the Black Selection Tool and send them to back by Right Clicking > Arrange, then choose Send to Back. After this step, your logo should look like the below screenshot:

Step 5 – Adding gloss to the button face

To do this, you will need to first select the innermost circle that in the Gradients panel enter the below settings.

Now press Control + F on the keyboard to paste the arc on top of it in the same position as the last step.

Hold the shift key to select the circle and arc together, open the Pathfinder panel and select Divide like we did in step 4.

Next, using the direct selection tool click anywhere on the art board to deselect, reselect the lower half of our now divided circle, and remove it by pressing the Delete (Backspace) key on your keyboard.

Though our keyboard backspace actually stopped working during this and we found this super handy guide on how to fix your backspace key issues. Anyway back to the guide.

Next, select the remaining upper portion of the circle, press the (G) key on our keyboard to select the Gradient tool, then adjust the angle and depth of the gradient to match your lights sources direction.

Finally, go Window > Transparency to open the panel, select the Transparency option and change it to Screen, then reduce opacity at this point for further realism.

It’s That Easy!

Past this, it’s up to you what you want to do with this project. Additional filters or gradient effects, masking options and other effects are yours to add to your newly created “easy Button”.

The post How to Make Your Own Easy Button Logo with Adobe Illustrator first appeared on Designbeep.

If you have Workly imported on your web page (~1k only), RoughJS will automatically offload all processing to a web worker – freeing up your main UI thread. This is great when creating complex drawings using RoughJs like maps.

[gpp_button color=”blue” url=”http://roughjs.com/” title=”hand drawn graphics” icon_left=”cloud-download” target=”_blank” size=”medium” display=”inline”]Rough.js[/gpp_button]

[gpp_button color=”black” url=”http://designbeep.com/category/resources/” title=”free tools” icon_left=”external” target=”_blank” size=”medium” display=”inline”]View All Free Tools[/gpp_button]

The post Rough.js – Create Hand-Drawn and Sketchy Like Graphics first appeared on Designbeep.

Micron.JS is easy to adapt and can bring interactions to life using html5 data attributes or a chain of JavaScript methods.

You can easily add an interaction to the DOM element with data attributes. You can add the click interaction to every element whether it’s Button, SVG or a Paper.

[gpp_button color=”blue” url=”https://webkul.github.io/micron/” title=”css animation” icon_left=”cloud-download” target=”_blank” size=”medium” display=”inline”]Micron.js[/gpp_button]

The post Micron.js – Create CSS Animations Controlled by JavaScript Power first appeared on Designbeep.

First of all, we want to separate the most romantic text actions for adding the romantic touch into your text layers:

 
Also, we want to distinguish romantic photo actions with heart, flowers or sparkling patterns which are aimed to convey the romantic ambiance in each detail:

Also, use some color changing actions or actions with sunlight look. You can use this action for any romantic image or design.

 
The last but not the worst category we want you to turn your attention to is the best wedding romantic actions! These actions will provide you with the general image improvements, including the color balance, lightening etc.

The post Love Day In Action – 15 Photoshop Actions Full Of Love And Romance first appeared on Designbeep.