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Tutorial Assets
We are going to use some royalty-free images. You'll find them inside the completed PSD files. You can use it to compare with your final work. We are also going to use the free font Alef from Google Fonts.In the process, we will use Adobe Bridge to browse asset images. Remember to update your Adobe Photoshop, because we are going to use the latest features from version CC 2014.
1. Preparing the Canvas
Step 1
First, we will start by making a new file (Control-N) for our brochure. Select the preset International Paper with size A5.
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Step 2
Hit Control-R to reveal the rulers on the top and left side of the canvas. These rulers will help us to identify the cursor's position and to place design elements accurately. Right-click the ruler and then select Millimeters to change its unit.
Step 3
Activate the Marquee Tool. Make a new rectangular selection measuring 11 mm × 11 mm on the top-left corner of the canvas. To make a perfect rectangular selection, drag the cursor while holding the Shift key.
Step 4
Click and drag the ruler onto the selection edge to make a new guide right at 11 mm horizontally and 11 mm vertically.
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Step 5
Do the same in the lower right corner of the canvas. Draw a 11 mm × 11 mm rectangle in the lower right corner and create new guides around it.
2. Add a Background
Step 1
Open the stock photo available inside the source files. This photo was provided by deathtothestockphoto. Click File > Save As and then save this as a PSD file. Select Photoshop in the Save as Type option. We save this in a PSD format (not JPG) for easier modification in the future.
Step 2
Drag the PSD file onto the canvas we have created in Photoshop. We drag to place the file in the canvas. Remember that we don't intend to copy the image and then paste it, but we intend to link the file in the canvas. We can call this canvas a container file.
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Step 3
After the image file is placed inside the canvas, you will see a bounding box. You can resize the image file dimensions by dragging its handles around. No need to worry about making a mistake while transforming it. Since the image file is saved as a Smart Object, you can always redo or apply another transformation without destroying the image quality.
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Step 4
Hit the Enter key to confirm the transformation process. If you're still not satisfied with the result, apply another transformation by hitting Control-T. Now, take a look at the Layers panel. The background layer that we added previously has a small icon in the lower right corner. This icon indicates that the layer is linked to another file.
3. Add Content
Step 1
Let's add a footer into our design. Open the logo file available with this tutorial. The logo file comes from deathtothestockphoto. It is an EPS file, so you should open it in Adobe Illustrator to retain its vector capabilities. Select one of the logos. Copy it by hitting Control-C.
Step 2
Make a new file in Adobe Illustrator (Control-N).
Step 3
Hit Control-V to paste the logo.
Step 4
Save the logo file in the same folder as our brochure.
Step 5
Let's go back to our brochure PSD file. Place the vector logo into the canvas using the menu File > Place Linked. In the next dialog box, select the file. Open it as a Smart Object with Crop To Bounding Box selected.
Step 6
Change the size of the vector logo. Place it in the bottom right corner of the canvas.
Step 7
Activate the Type Tool and then click and drag to make a new text box. Fill it with two or three short paragraphs, followed by the company website address in large text. For the font type, use Alef from Google Fonts.
Step 8
Add another text box on top of the canvas. Use the same font for consistency. Set its font size to be bigger, since this is the brochure's main title.
4. Edit the Linked Smart Object
Step 1
For now, we have two Smart Objects, in the logo and the background. We are also aware that the Smart Object layer is linked to the original file. Let's try to modify them and see what happens.First, change the background content. Activate the Smart Object background. Open the Properties panel. Click Edit Contents. You can also directly double-click the layer to edit its content.
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Step 2
The background layer will be opened as a separate PSD file. The next thing that we are going to do with the background is to edit a portion of the photo to add more contrast in the text. Take a look at the following image. The black text is very close to the window.
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Step 3
Hit Shift-Up Arrow to move it upwards.
Step 4
Select the lower part of the image using the Marquee Tool.
Step 5
Hit Control-T and then change its size until we have a cleaner table surface.
Step 6
Erase unneeded areas using the Eraser Tool with a soft, big brush.
Step 7
We're done editing the background layer file. Save and then close it. The brochure's background is automatically updated.
Step 8
Let's try another way to edit the background layer. Close the brochure file. We know that the background layer is linked to a PSD file. So, why don't we edit the PSD file directly? In Adobe Bridge, double-click the background PSD file to open it in Photoshop.
Step 9
Grab another image from deathtothestockphoto—you will find it with the source files of this tutorial. Paste it to our PSD file. Save the PSD.
Step 10
Let's open the brochure file in Photoshop and see what happens next.
Step 11
In the Layers panel, you will find an exclamation mark icon inside the background Smart Object layer. This icon warns us that there's a problem with the layer. In Properties panel, you will also find a similar exclamation mark icon.
Step 12
We know that the content of the linked file is already updated. We can instruct Photoshop to update the data layer by clicking Layer > Smart Object > Update Modified Content.
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Step 13
Click the Edit Contents button to edit the file.
Step 14
Perform a transformation (Control-T) into the new image.
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Step 15
To add contrast in the footer, add a simple rectangle at the bottom. Use the same color as the color of the logo.
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5. Different Color Scheme
Step 1
We have changed the background image. Now, let's change the color scheme. In this version, the color of the logo and the text will be inverted. First, we want to add a simple rectangle for the text background. Use the Shape Tool with the Shape option selected in the Option Bar. Set the Fill to#231f20
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Step 2
Change the text color to white.
Step 3
We also want to edit the vector logo and change its color.
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We can also browse for files associated with the logo vector and then open them in Photoshop.
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Step 4
Select all the background shapes.
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Step 5
Let's return to our brochure file. We now have an inverted logo that matches our current color scheme.
6. Organizing the Files
Step 1
By linking files, instead of embedding files, we use several connected files in our design project. Of course, we don't want one of them missing. Therefore, we need to organize them carefully. Make sure you put all of them in one folder. As you can see below, they are all placed in a folder named brochure package.
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Step 2
Let's see what happens if one of the linked files is missing. Remember that currently we have two files linked to the main PSD file.
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Step 3
Right-click the main PSD file and then select Show Linked Files. A warning message appears, and reminds us that there are files missing.
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Step 4
You can always use the earlier method with Smart Objects, which is to embed the files. Embedding means you place the image data directly in the container file.
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7. Linking One File to Several Design Files
Step 1
In this tutorial, we have linked two files, PSD (Photoshop) and AI (Illustrator), to a brochure file. Actually, you can also link those files to another file for a multiple design project, for example linking the vector logo to a business card file.
Step 2
This way, we can simply edit the vector logo, and the result will automatically be updated in both container files, brochure and business card. In this case, we change the text logo from a to s.
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