If you need to use road signs on your designs for print like for posters, catalog prints or flyer prints,this tutorial will hit the post. Feel free to use a different shape ordifferent text depending on the kind of road sign you want to create.For the sake of this tutorial however, we will be making a dead end roadsign.
In this tutorial we will help you create your own glossydead end road sign icon using Adobe Photoshop. This can be applied toyour specialized theme designs to make understanding a little bitfaster, especially for other trails of thought or messages not worthgoing to. So read on and discover how you can do this.
1. Justopen up your Adobe Photoshop and create a new document. Set thedimensions the way you like, and use a 300ppi value for the resolution.This is printing resolution level. If you want something for theInternet, or in devices, use a 72ppi resolution.
2. With our new document open, let us create the base shape for our roadsign. Luckily for you, Adobe Photoshop comes with a myriad of standardshapes that you can use already. To use this first click on the customshapes tool button.
3. Next, look at the options bar, and click on the button to “shapelayers”. Then, click on the drop down menu for the custom shapes andlook for the triangle shape. Note that if you do not see all theseshapes, click on the right arrow at the top right of the frame and click“All”.
4. Now, first select the color of your triangle. A yellow would be a goodbase for now. Then, simply click and drag your mouse across the canvassor work stage. Make sure to hold down the SHIFT key as you do these toget a properly proportioned triangle.
5. Now, double click on this new shape layer to get into its blendingoptions. First check the “Inner Shadow” option. Then use these optionsfor the values.
6. Now we should have a triangle with some cool inner shadows.
7. Now we will make the border. Click on the picture thumbnail of this triangle layer in the layer view.
8. Then, create a new layer by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+N. Once you have a new layer, go to Select -> Modify -> Expand.
9. Increase the selection area by around 10-12px and then press ok.
10. Then fill this layer with a grey color for now and send the layer to the back.
11.Double click on this “border” layer we are creating to get to itsblending options. Tick on the “gradient overlay” checkbox and applythese values.
12. Also tick the stroke checkbox and add a 1 pixel grey stroke.
13. You should now have our basic sign shape.
14. Next we will add the gloss finish. To do this, first create a new layer by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+N. Name this layer “gloss”.
15. Next, select the area of the original triangle again by holding downthe CTRL key and clicking on its layer’s thumbnail. Afterward, this timego to Select -> Modify -> Contract.
16. Modify the selected area to be reduced by 3 pixels.
17. Now, fill in the contracted layer with a very light yellow color, almost white.
18. Next, use the elliptical marquee tool and cut way the bottom part of the light yellow are in a curved fashion.
19. Then, reduce the opacity of this layer to 40%.
20. Now, we just type in our sign. Use a solid and clean font style. SansSerif fonts are recommended for signs, but of course use what you wanthere. Just use the Type tool to add the text.
21. Now, go to the blending options for the text and click on the gradientoverlay box. Use a black, dark grey, white, dark grey and then blackgradient. Set the opacity to 40%, the style to linear and the angle to-117 degrees.
22. Finally, just to add a touch of realness, add a drop shadow in theborder layer by double clicking on it and adding the drop shadow option.Adjust the distance and size as necessary.
Great! Now you know how to create a nice glossy type dead end icon for your designs. Congratulations!
Hope you enjoy the tutorial! Swing by PrintPlace Tutorials to find more of this.