Free Graphic Designing Course || Lecture 7 || Understand Blending, alignment

Graphic Design Course: Lecture 7 Overview

Recap of Previous Lecture

• Disha Tundan introduces the seventh lecture, highlighting that the previous session focused on designing a social media post using layer masking techniques.

• The design involved merging two backgrounds (sky and ground) and incorporating a car layer to create an appealing visual.

• Copy for the design was generated using ChatGPT, including headings, subheadings, CTAs (Call to Action), and offers.

Alignment Techniques in Photoshop

• The current lecture will cover alignment methods in Photoshop, starting with aligning text elements in the center of the design.

• Disha demonstrates selecting multiple layers (heading, subheading, CTA, logo) for alignment adjustments.

Aligning Text Elements

• To left-align selected layers, users can select each one individually or use the properties panel for paragraph alignment options.

• A shortcut (Ctrl + A) is introduced for selecting all elements on the canvas; Ctrl + D is used to deselect.

Practical Application of Alignment

• Demonstration of how to apply left alignments across selected layers and how it affects their positioning relative to the page edges.

• Options available include left align, center align, right align as well as top and bottom alignment within the canvas.

Distributing Layer Spacing

• Users can distribute spacing evenly among selected layers by utilizing a specific option in Photoshop's interface.

• An example shows checking pixel distances between elements to ensure uniformity after distribution adjustments.

Finalizing Design Elements

• After aligning layers centrally on the page, Disha emphasizes creating new canvases and duplicating layers using Ctrl + J for efficiency.

Centering Multiple Layers

• Selected layers can be centered together or aligned according to user preference—left corner or top/bottom positions are also demonstrated.

• The importance of aligning elements based on design needs is reiterated; this flexibility allows designers to achieve desired aesthetics effectively.

Exploring Social Media Post Designs

• Disha begins searching for examples of social media posts while discussing various alignment styles observed in existing designs.

How to Align and Transform Text in Photoshop

Aligning Text

• The speaker demonstrates how to left-align text by selecting all layers and applying the alignment according to the design.

• Center alignment is also discussed, with a focus on adjusting font sizes for better visual appeal, such as reducing it to 24 or increasing it to 150.

• The process of distributing spacing among selected layers is explained, emphasizing the importance of uniformity in design.

Rotating Text

• To rotate text, select all layers and use the shortcut Ctrl + T. This allows for easy resizing and rotation adjustments.

• The speaker highlights that rotating elements can enhance design aesthetics, showcasing examples from previous designs.

Understanding Blending Modes in Photoshop

Introduction to Blending Modes

• The concept of blending modes is introduced, explaining their role in combining images effectively within a layer.

• Various blending modes are listed including normal, dissolve, darken, multiply, color burn, lighten, screen, etc., each affecting how layers interact visually.

Practical Application of Blending Modes

• Changing a layer's blending mode from normal to screen illustrates how background colors influence visibility; lighter backgrounds reveal more detail.

• Demonstrates how different blending modes (like hue or saturation) affect image appearance based on underlying colors.

Using Texture in Design

Finding Suitable Textures

• The speaker discusses using paper textures as backgrounds and explains how changing the blend mode can enhance texture visibility without losing essential details.

Analyzing Social Media Designs

• A search for social media posts reveals common design elements like tiered paper textures used creatively alongside other visual components.

How to Create Designs Using Textures and Images

Finding and Downloading Textures

• The speaker discusses searching for a "tear paper texture" background on various websites, emphasizing the availability of multiple resources.

• A specific tear paper textured background is identified, with instructions to download it for use in design projects.

• The speaker shifts focus to finding a "traveler photo," specifically one depicting a traveler on a mountain.

• Instructions are provided on how to paste the selected image into the design workspace and adjust its size using the crop tool.

Working with Images in Photoshop

• The process of extracting downloaded textures is explained, including opening them in Photoshop for design creation.

• The speaker mentions changing the resolution of images before copying layers for further manipulation within Photoshop.

• Techniques for transforming images using keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl + T) are demonstrated, along with color overlay adjustments to achieve desired aesthetics.

Adding Elements and Finalizing Design

• Discussion includes adding logos and text elements such as city names or contact information to complete the design layout.

• The search continues for additional elements like wooden table backgrounds, showcasing methods to find suitable images online.

Color Adjustments and Layer Management

• Instructions are given on converting layers into smart objects and selecting specific parts of an image using selection tools.

• Techniques for adjusting color balance and hue saturation are discussed, allowing customization of image colors according to project needs.

Summary of Key Learnings

• A recap highlights how to effectively search for textures and images online while utilizing Photoshop's features like alignment, blending modes, and layer management.

• Future videos will explore more sites for element sourcing and delve deeper into design inspiration techniques.