9

Step 10

Then you can either move your group around so it looks like half of a “V” shape, or you can make a diagonal selection and mask out that region as well so you end up with something like this. You can do this editing on your mask layer by selecting it. Just remember that whatever is in white will show up, and whatever is in black will be invisible.

10

Step 11

Once you’re satisfied with your masking, go ahead and duplicate the group and flip it by hitting ctrl/cmd + T, then right clicking and hitting “flip horizontal”. Now you should see something like this.

11

Step 12

This is a checkpoint. Your layers should look similar to this. Now to save you space and memory, and make sure your computer doesn’t get bogged down by the size of the photoshop document you can duplicate this layer to make a copy, turn off the visibility (in the layers menu… it looks like an eye… click it!) and then flatten your new copy so it becomes a flat layer.

12

Step 13

Now double click on your flattened layer to open up the layer styles, and jump down to gradient. We’re going to do a rainbow gradient so create something similar by just choosing basic a basic red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple and place them however you choose.

13

Step 14

As soon as your satisfied with your gradient, duplicate the layer with all the styles and simply drag it downwards a tad.

14

Step 15

Duplicate the layer you just moved down (total of 3 “V” shape layers now) and on this duplicate, set the blending mode to “soft light” Now you’ll start to see some highlighed areas.

15

Step 16

Duplicate the top layer that you just put in screen mode. Remove the layer styles, we just want it to be white. Now set the layer blending mode to “Linear Dodge” or “Add”. Now you should see major highlights like below.

16

Step 17

The highlighting is very intense though, so we need to take it down a notch. We’ll do this by making a layer mask on the layer set to “Add” mode. Create a mask by clicking the mask button in the layers menu and using a large soft brush with a lowered opacity, perhaps somewhere around 25%, paint blotches here and there similar to this pattern below. This just makes the light look more random.

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39 responses to “How to Create a Colorful Retro Poster in Easy Steps”

  1.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    step 9 isn’t clear to me how to cut out that half piece from that shape???

  2. Mukul Avatar
    Mukul

    Great tutorial!

  3. Sucks Avatar
    Sucks

    your instructions are awful and unclear every single step is a nightmare to complete.

  4.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    I got lost pretty much step 8 then i tried to follow until step 16 then gave up as you make it quite complicated.
    “Duplicate the top layer that you just put in screen mode. Remove the layer styles, we just want it to be white. Now set the layer blending mode to “Linear Dodge” or “Add”. Now you should see major highlights like below.”
    At what point did you change a blend mode to screen mode on one of the layers? I didn’t see any step for that.
    The tutorial may be ok for regular users but for novices, it’s just confusing.

  5.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    DON’T TRY THIS TUTORIAL. SPENT TOO MUCH TIME BEFORE GETTING STUCK ON STEPS 19/20. THERE IS A MISSING STEP OR ERROR AND THE PSD DOWNLOAD LINK IS BROKEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  6.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    Its hard to follow.

  7. Maidul Islam Avatar
    Maidul Islam

    wow ,its nice post.

  8. Maidul Islam Avatar
    Maidul Islam

    it’s a great work,thanks for sharing………………

  9. nomarP Avatar
    nomarP

    wow this sucks why

  10. Sandal Shukla Avatar
    Sandal Shukla

    Sir I am unable to understand the step no 20 as after invert the color from white the black the result is quietly different so plz help me.

  11. Grayson Avatar
    Grayson

    On step 9 I masked it and it did not create a triangle I do not know how you got to step 10

  12. mark Avatar
    mark

    how do you invert colours from white to black in step 19?

    1. Photoshop Tutorials Editor Avatar
      Photoshop Tutorials Editor

      Press Ctrl/Cmd+I

  13.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    This is hard!

  14. riz Avatar
    riz

    the instruction are really confusing , how many layers are we making, mine pic doesn’t even look like your’s

  15. lahiru Avatar
    lahiru

    wow very nice.
    THANK YOU !

  16. Ethan Avatar
    Ethan

    I don’t understand step 16 ._.

    1. Photoshop Tutorials Editor Avatar
      Photoshop Tutorials Editor

      Select the top layer then duplicate it by pressing Ctrl/Cmd+J. Remove the layer styles by going to Layer > Layer Style > Clear Layer Styles. Now, in the Layers panel, change the blending mode to “Linear Dodge” or “Add”. Hope this helps!

  17. Luis Avatar
    Luis

    Hey nice tutorial, and nice retro effect!
    This is what i do following your tutorial. And adding some other complements.
    http://prototype-da.deviantart.com/art/ArcHon-Retro-Lines-403478125?ga_submit_new=10%253A1380338295

  18. Sakanan Avatar
    Sakanan

    my layer doesn’t look like yours in step 12. I don’t know why.

  19. paul Avatar
    paul

    Sadly you totally lost me at 21.

    1. Aevion Avatar
      Aevion

      Step 21 is simply a repeat of step 20. You just duplicate that top layer one more time and then change the opacity from 50% to 100%.

  20. bill Avatar
    bill

    yo whadup your thang worked greaaat pardner.aye the feirce wind gods blow and wail outside yonder window

  21. Rupali Avatar
    Rupali

    First of all, thank you very for this tutorial. With the help of this, our presentation looks more shiny. Thank you.

  22. BAMWESIGA HILAY Avatar
    BAMWESIGA HILAY

    This is wow but need more knowledge on forming layers
    thx

  23. roshana Avatar
    roshana

    i did this work in photoshop CS but it did’nt work completely. very hard because i could’nt group it neither turn it to 40 degree or delete it…..so hard

  24. Marwa Avatar
    Marwa

    Wow!

  25. nik.m Avatar
    nik.m

    Which layer do you duplicate on step 20? The one with the “Linear Dodge” blending mode, the one with the mask or the one with the inverted mask colors?

    i duplicate the layer in which we inverted the colors (step 19), but i, on step 21, get a completely different result than you do.

    Any help please?

    1. Aevion Avatar
      Aevion

      On step 20 you should be duplicating your top layer

  26. Vijay Choudhary Avatar
    Vijay Choudhary

    It’s Superb! <3 Loved It :)

    Here is My Result :

    1. christine Avatar
      christine

      you know i cant do that

  27.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    i cant understand step 9 -.-

  28. Pppyhhh Avatar
    Pppyhhh

    Excellentay

  29. Quach Minh Avatar
    Quach Minh

    Thx!! easy and nice
    Author is good

  30.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    GOOD

  31. akhil sharma Avatar
    akhil sharma

    Too complicated procedure to create Colorful Retro Poster, actually it was confounding way to make it sans instances.

  32. mmmmmmmm Avatar
    mmmmmmmm

    mmmmmmmmmm

    1. mani Avatar
      mani

      pls mention the tools too

  33. akshadha Avatar
    akshadha

    Beautiful <3

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