If you want to advertise in a directory like the Yellow Pages, or even in the
classified section of your local newspaper, you might want to do something a bit
more interesting than just plain old text in a box. Adobe PhotoShop provides the
tools for you to create your own eye-catching advertisement with filters and layering,
and then change it into 'halftone', the correct format for printing in a newspaper or
free directory.
Part 1: begin your design
It is important to remember, before you start designing your advertisement, you must
get all the correct sizes and specifications from the publication you are printing in.
Tell them you are creating your own advertisement design and they will inform you of
the size, pixelation and line numbers you will need to apply to your advertisement.
Firstly, begin with a new canvas and the exact size of your advertisement space.
Select 'New' from the 'File' menu
Type in a name, such as 'AD'
Change the size to the specifications of the publication
Change resolution to 300 pixels/cm
Select 'RGB' mode
Click 'OK'
A blank canvas will appear the exact size of the advertisement you will be placing.
We now want to add some texture as a background for our advertisement. Experiment with
different filters until you find something that appeals to you, and which will grab
people's attention.
Select 'Render' from the 'Filter' menu
Choose 'Clouds' option
Select 'Render' from the 'Filter' menu
Choose 'Lighting effect'
Move arrows to alter the effect of the spotlight
Click 'OK' and see the effect
Repeat this process until you are happy with your textured effect. Instead of using
this as a background, we are going to cut the text of our advertisement from its design,
to create a layered effect. This is a nifty little trick that makes your design look
more exciting than just writing text over a background.
Click and hold on the 'Text tool'
Select the dotted 'T' icon
Click anywhere on the main canvas
Change the font, size and format, and then type in your text
Move the highlighted text where you want it to be placed
Press 'Ctrl' + 'C' to copy the text area
Select 'Paste' from the 'Edit' menu
Choose 'Deselect' from the 'Select' menu
Click on the eye icon to turn off the background layer
The cut-out text will appear on a new layer
Topper's tip: experiment with different textures and filters
Part 2: text and image tricks
We've already used some filtering tricks to create some background and text graphics,
but now we need to pull these skills together using other PhotoShop features to develop
a complete advertisement image.
Click and hold the 'Text tool'
Select the 'Vertical' dotted text tool
Click on the 'Background layer'
Change font, size and format and type in your text
Click 'OK'
Move the highlighted text box to an area of choice
Press 'Ctrl' + 'C' to copy
Press 'Ctrl' + 'V' to paste
In the 'Layers palette' you should have three layers: your background and two text
layers. If you want to see the two text layers, click on the eye icon next to the
background layer. This icon turns the layer on or off, and should reveal the two blocks
of text made up of the background texture graphic we created in Part 1. Use the 'Move'
tool to manoeuvre the text where you want it. Now we need to add a graphic to catch
people's interest to your advertisement.
Select 'Open' from the 'File' menu
Select your graphic and open it
Select 'All' from the 'Select' menu
Press 'Ctrl' + 'C' to copy
Click onto the main image
Press 'Ctrl' + 'V' to paste the graphic onto the advertisement
Select 'Transform' from the 'Edit' menu
Choose 'Scale' and drag the image to the size you want
Press 'Return' to remove pixelation
At the moment, the text we created blends in with the background layer, as they are
made of the same graphic effect. Before we remove this layer, we are going to add
another background layer, and apply some filters to contrast with the text and central
image so the whole add catches the attention.
Click on the layer you want to substitute
Click on the 'Background layer'
Select 'New Layer' icon at bottom of the layers palette
Select 'Render' in the 'Filter' menu
Choose 'Clouds' option
Select 'Texture' in the 'Filter' menu
Choose 'Texturiser'
Select a texture you are happy with
If the text still doesn't stand out, we can create highlights or borders around the
text to emphasise each word. When selecting the area you want to highlight, remember
to select the space between the letters such as 'O', 'R' and 'A', otherwise the effect
won't work universally.
Click on a text layer in the 'Layers palette'
Select the 'Magic wand' tool from the toolbar
Click anywhere on the main image
Select 'Inverse' from the 'Select' menu
Select 'Stroke' from the 'Edit' menu
Click 'OK'
Select next text layer from the 'Layers palette'
Select 'Magic Wand' from toolbar
Repeat the process for this layer
Topper's tip: Use filters and layers to create your image
Part 3: prepare for publication
We have nearly finished the graphics and text for our advertisement. We are going to
alter the central image slightly using a graphic layer, then we shall prepare the whole
advertisement for print.
Click on the graphic layer in 'Layers palette'
Select 'Multiply' in 'Layers palette' menu
Right-mouse click on the graphic layer
Select 'Effects'
Unclick 'Apply'
Select 'Bevel and emboss'
Click in the 'Apply' box
Click 'OK'
Select 'Flatten image' in the 'Layers palette'
Click 'OK' to discard the unwanted background layer
The final changes have been made to the central image, and we now need to save the
whole advertisement in the format used by both newspapers and directories. These are
generally the accepted formats, but there might be variations, so do check with the
printers or newspaper before sending in your advertisement.
Select 'Mode' from the 'Image' menu
Select 'Grayscale'
Click 'OK' to discard all the colour information
Select 'Mode' from the 'Image' menu
Select 'Bitmap'
Change the pixels according to the specifications of the publication
Select 'Halftone screen' in 'Method' options
Click 'OK'
Check specifications for 'Frequency', 'Angle' and 'Shape'
When happy click 'OK'
Topper's tip: check the print specifications before saving your image
