Creating a Media Cover
Making a Media Cover
I’m a huge Alabama Crimson Tide fan and was inspired to create my own version of a media cover. Here’s how I did it!
Program: Photoshop
Translatable: Yes
Difficulty: Moderate
Steps: 12 or 13
This is mine. It is really big. So click the pic below to go to the correct sized version. Warning: Not dial-up friendly, though.
1) Create a new document in Photoshop. I recommend 8 ½ by 11 because that is the most realistic for a media cover. Make sure the background layer is white and don’t delete it. This greatly impacts the look of the cover.
2) Find and save the logo of your subject to go on the top (like the Alabama “A”) for me. Now, decide the color (preferably a color that your logo is or that you’re going to change it to) that will be the focal of your cover. For me it was crimson.
3) Choose 4-5 pictures of your subject. All should have at least a little bit of that focal color that you chose. And all should be rectangles or squares as they’re easier to work with.
5) Place your pictures on your blank document. Make sure each picture is it’s own layer. Adjust sizes so they fit. The aspect ratio doesn’t need to be 100% right because once all the adjustments are done it’s not that noticeable.
6) Duplicate the layers of all your pictures.
7) Set the lower layer of each picture to Luminosity at 35-50%. The important thing to make sure of is that the opacity’s make it so the photos look nice together. This should create black and white photos that have a lighter than normal look to them.
8) Set the top layer to Soft Light at 40-50% opacity. When choosing the opacity of this layer, it’s again important they go together. It’s also important to let your focal color show through without it having too much.
Now you have the background of your media cover. Next comes the symbol. You can create a brush from your symbol and use that or just drag the symbol into your project. For a simple symbol with not a lot of detail or color, the brush works best because then you can make it your focal color throughout. Dragging works best for more complex symbols because a brush will lose some of the detail.. I will give instructions for both.
For Creating a Brush:
9) Open your symbol but don’t drag it into your project. Use the magic wand or laso or some other tool to select your symbol.
10) With your symbol selected, click Edit>Define Brush from Selection, name your brush and click okay.
11) Now, in your project, create a new layer, choose that brush and make it pretty big. Set the opacity to something around 80% and apply the brush one time to the middle of your project.
12) Now, make the brush smaller but not too small. Adjust the opacity to somewhere around 30-35% and apply the brush to the corners. Don’t get the whole symbol in. It looks nicer if some of it doesn’t get on the page.
13) Now, you have your symbol applied. You may add some light additional text if you want to (like I did with National Champions).
For Dragging Symbol In:
9) Open your symbol. Use Magic Wand, Lasso, or something like that to select only the symbol.
10) Use the move tool to drag it into your image. Make sure it’s on it’s own layer and duplicate that layer twice.
11) Line the first layer up in the center and set the opacity to something like 80%. Line the other two up in opposite corners and set their opacities to 30-35%. Don’t get the whole symbol in the picture. It looks better with a little missing.
12) Now, you have your symbol applied. You may add some light additional text if you want to (like I did with National Champions).
Well that’s it. Let me know what you think.
I’m a huge Alabama Crimson Tide fan and was inspired to create my own version of a media cover. Here’s how I did it!
Program: Photoshop
Translatable: Yes
Difficulty: Moderate
Steps: 12 or 13
This is mine. It is really big. So click the pic below to go to the correct sized version. Warning: Not dial-up friendly, though.
1) Create a new document in Photoshop. I recommend 8 ½ by 11 because that is the most realistic for a media cover. Make sure the background layer is white and don’t delete it. This greatly impacts the look of the cover.
2) Find and save the logo of your subject to go on the top (like the Alabama “A”) for me. Now, decide the color (preferably a color that your logo is or that you’re going to change it to) that will be the focal of your cover. For me it was crimson.
3) Choose 4-5 pictures of your subject. All should have at least a little bit of that focal color that you chose. And all should be rectangles or squares as they’re easier to work with.
5) Place your pictures on your blank document. Make sure each picture is it’s own layer. Adjust sizes so they fit. The aspect ratio doesn’t need to be 100% right because once all the adjustments are done it’s not that noticeable.
6) Duplicate the layers of all your pictures.
7) Set the lower layer of each picture to Luminosity at 35-50%. The important thing to make sure of is that the opacity’s make it so the photos look nice together. This should create black and white photos that have a lighter than normal look to them.
8) Set the top layer to Soft Light at 40-50% opacity. When choosing the opacity of this layer, it’s again important they go together. It’s also important to let your focal color show through without it having too much.
Now you have the background of your media cover. Next comes the symbol. You can create a brush from your symbol and use that or just drag the symbol into your project. For a simple symbol with not a lot of detail or color, the brush works best because then you can make it your focal color throughout. Dragging works best for more complex symbols because a brush will lose some of the detail.. I will give instructions for both.
For Creating a Brush:
9) Open your symbol but don’t drag it into your project. Use the magic wand or laso or some other tool to select your symbol.
10) With your symbol selected, click Edit>Define Brush from Selection, name your brush and click okay.
11) Now, in your project, create a new layer, choose that brush and make it pretty big. Set the opacity to something around 80% and apply the brush one time to the middle of your project.
12) Now, make the brush smaller but not too small. Adjust the opacity to somewhere around 30-35% and apply the brush to the corners. Don’t get the whole symbol in. It looks nicer if some of it doesn’t get on the page.
13) Now, you have your symbol applied. You may add some light additional text if you want to (like I did with National Champions).
For Dragging Symbol In:
9) Open your symbol. Use Magic Wand, Lasso, or something like that to select only the symbol.
10) Use the move tool to drag it into your image. Make sure it’s on it’s own layer and duplicate that layer twice.
11) Line the first layer up in the center and set the opacity to something like 80%. Line the other two up in opposite corners and set their opacities to 30-35%. Don’t get the whole symbol in the picture. It looks better with a little missing.
12) Now, you have your symbol applied. You may add some light additional text if you want to (like I did with National Champions).
Well that’s it. Let me know what you think.