How to Create Christmas Greeting Card with Blue Christmas balls in Adobe Photoshop CS6
If you want to learn how to create a greeting card for the holiday, then we have an awesome tutorial for you. We will learn how to create an abstract Christmas background using brushes then we’ll create Christmas ball using Ellipse Tool and Layer Styles in Adobe Photoshop CS6. Layered PSD file included. Let’s get started!
Final Image Preview
Start working by creating a new document (Ctrl+N) in Adobe Photoshop with the size 1000px by 1000px (RGB color mode) at a resolution of 72 pixels/inch. Use the Paint Bucket Tool (G) to fill with #FCEF8F color the new background layer.
Create a new layer and select from Brush Tool (B) the Soft Round brush.
Use this brush to paint the background as show with #5290C3 color.
On the next new layer (Create new layer) we’ll apply the same brush mentioned above to paint diagonally the middle part of the layer. The brush’s color should be #6B6D5D (set brush Opacity to 20% in Options bar).
Insert the message text for greeting card. Select the Horizontal Type tool (T). Select a font, size and color in the Character panel.
Click in the canvas and type ‘Merry Christmas’. Press Enter to apply the text.
Next use the Ellipse Tool (U) to draw the next circle, we’ll create a Christmas tree toy:
We’ve got the next result:
Click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Gradient Overlay.
Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.
Add Drop Shadow:
We’ve got the next result:
Next we’ll represent a highlight of white color on the Christmass ball, using the Ellipse Tool (U).
Insert the mask on the made layer by choosing Add layer mask on the bottom part of the Layers panel and choose the Soft Round brush of black color (set Opacity to 60% in Options bar).
Use this brush to paint in the mask to hide the bottom part of the highlight exactly as on the picture below it is demonstrated:
Create a new layer and select the same brush mentioned above of white color (set the brush Opacity to 15% this time). Use this brush paint the highlight element to make it more prominent:
Now we have to represent the ball’s support element, applying the Rectangle Tool (U) draw the next rectangle, which layer should be situated under the ball’s layers in the Layers panel:
Click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Gradient Overlay.
Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.
We’ve got the next result:
Let’s decorate now the support’s element, using the Rectangle Tool (U) draw the next rectangle, press Alt button or select Subtract from shape area (-) from Options bar and draw 4 ellipses using the Ellipse Tool (U) to cut the rectangle exactly as on the picture below:
Click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Gradient Overlay.
Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.
Add Drop Shadow:
We’ve got the next result:
Now we’ll represent the Christmas ball’s shadow. In this case use the Ellipse Tool (U) to draw the next circle of the color #304A48:
Go to the Mask Panel and set Feather to 20px (in case if you can find Mask Panel on the right side just activate it on main menu Windows > Masks):
Next we’ll represent the ball’s glowing, using the Ellipse Tool (U) draw the next circle of the color #17759E. The layer must be situated under the ball’s layers and above the layer containing the shadow in the Layers panel. Go to the Mask Panel and set Feather to 20px.
Set Fill to 80% for this layer and change the Blending mode to Color.
Combine in a group all the layers composing the Christmas ball, its shadow and glowing (press CTRL button to select the necessary layers and hold on the left mouse’s button while dragging the selected layers on Create a new group icon from bottom part of the Layers panel).
Make a copy of the group we’ve got and choose the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command to make smaller the copy, placing it the way from below:
