How to create Colorful Valentine’s Day card Photoshop CS5

We have another great tutorial available for our readers today. If you want to learn how to create Colorful Valentine’s Day card with shining heart, using simple shapes and gradients in Adobe Photoshop CS5, then this tutorial is for you.

Final Image Preview

Start working by creating a new

document (Ctrl+N) in Adobe Photoshop CS5 with the size 1280px by 1024px(RGB color mode) at a resolution of 72 pixels/inch. Use the Paint Bucket Tool (G) to fill with #42361E color the new background layer.

Create then a new layer and select the Soft Round brush from Brush Tool (B). Set Foreground color to#19194E.

Use this brush to paint as shown the left part of the canvas.

Next we’ll represent a small ellipse, using the Ellipse Tool (U). Foreground color is #2C32ED. Set theBlending mode for this layer to Lighten.

Insert the mask on the layer by choosing Add layer mask on the bottom part of the Layers panel and choose the Soft Round brush of black color (set Opacity to 15% in Options bar).

Paint in the mask using this brush to hide the central part of the ellipse as shown.

On the next new layer we’ll paint with the same Soft Round brush the circle’s surface, firstly applying theyellow color and then the blue one.

We’ve got the next result:

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click between layers containing the brushstrokes and the circle’s layer in the Layers panel to create a clipping mask.

We’ve got the next result:

Next we’ll represent one more ellipse of the color #8B9BAB, applying the Ellipse Tool (U).

Set the Blending mode for this layer to Overlay.

Create a new layer and select the Soft Round brush.

Use this brush to paint the top part of the ellipse with red color.

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click between layers containing the brushstrokes and the ellipse’s layer in the Layers panel to create a clipping mask.

We’ve got the next result:

Set the Blending mode for this layer to Overlay.

Select the Ellipse Tool (U) to represent the next ellipse of red color too.

Set Fill to 57% for this layer.

Insert the mask on the layer by choosing Add layer mask on the bottom part of the Layers panel and choose the Soft Round brush of black color (set Opacity to 15% in Options bar).

Paint in the mask to hide the bottom part of the ellipse the same way demonstrated below:

Create a new layer and select again the Soft Round brush.

Use this brush to paint the ellipses’ surfaces.

Set the Blending mode for this layer to Hard Mix.

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click between layers containing the brushstrokes and the ellipse’s layer in the Layers panel to create a clipping mask.

We’ve got the next result:

Create a new layer and apply on it the Soft Round brush of the color #ECEC42 (Opacity - 60%) to paint the ellipse:

We’ve got the next result:

Set the Blending mode for this layer to Hard Mix.

Create another new layer and apply here the Soft Round brush to paint it with the color #5F56F9 (Opacity - 20%)

We’ve got the next result:

Set the Blending mode for this layer to Dived.

Select the Custom Shape Tool (U) in the Tools bar, in the Options bar click the Shape to open the selection menu. Find Heart at the bottom of the menu, and then double-click a shape thumbnail to select it.

Click and drag to draw a small heart of black color.

Make a copy of the last made layer with the heart on it and use the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command to change the copy’s sizes. Set Fill to 57% for this layer.

Click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Inner Shadow.

We’ve got the next result:

Insert the mask on the layer by choosing Add layer mask on the bottom part of the Layers panel and choose the Soft Round brush of black color (set Opacity to 15% in Options bar).

Paint in the mask using this brush to hide the heart’s right side as it is demonstrated next picture.

Make a copy of the recently made layer and select the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command to change the copy’s sizes and apply different Inner Shadow settings for the copy.

Insert also the mask on the layer as we did with the previous example and select the same Soft Round brush to hide the heart’s right side. Set Fill to 45% for this layer and change the Blending mode to Pin Light.

We’ve got the next result:

Combine in a group all the layers composing the heart (press CTRL button to select the necessary layers and hold on the left mouse’s button while dragging the selected layers on Create a new group icon from bottom part of the Layers panel).

Merge Down all layers by selecting the group and then press CTRL+E. Use the Free Transform (Ctrl+T)command to make smaller the rasterized layer.

Now we have to draw several small hearts, using the same Custom Shape Tool (U). Change their shape and incline them a little with the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command.

Create a new layer under the heart layer and use on it the Soft Round brush to paint with #FE3C06 color as shown.

We’ve got the next result:

Set the Blending mode for this layer to Darker Color.

Select now the Ellipse Tool (U) to represent a small ellipse under the layer containing the heart.

Then use the same tool to represent one more ellipse which layer will be situated under the layer containing the black heart.

Create a new layer under the heart layer and select for it the Soft Round brush of blue color.

Use this brush to paint under the heart.

Set Fill to 70% for this layer and change the Blending mode to Linear Light.

Then insert the next new layer and use on it the Soft Round brush to paint with orange color the next zone under the heart.

Set the Blending mode for this layer to Linear Dodge.

Get back to the rasterized layer containing the black heart and click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Drop Shadow.

We’ve got the next result:

Insert the mask on the layer by choosing Add layer mask on the bottom part of the Layers panel and choose the Round Fan Stiff Thin Bristles brush of black color (set Opacity to 75% in Options bar).

Paint in the mask to add some scratches on the heart the same way demonstrated below:

Next we need to create some abstract lines. Open Adobe Illustrator and use here the Pen Tool (P) to represent two thin lines of the color #E9A721.

We’ve got the next result:

Using the Direct Selection Tool (A), select the lines and apply Object>Blend>Blend Options:

Select next Object>Blend>Make.

Select the lines and press CTRL+C to Copy. Get back again on the Adobe Photoshop and press CTRL+V toPaste as Smart Object. You can download our source file with lines here.

Set Fill to 29% for this layer and change the Blending mode to Linear Light.

Insert the mask on the layer by choosing Add layer mask on the bottom part of the Layers panel and choose the Soft Round brush of black color.

Paint in the mask using this brush to hide the lines the same way as it is shown below:

Make a copy of the last made layer containing the lines and remove the mask. Use the Free Transform (Ctrl+T)command to change the copy’s sizes as on the picture below. Change also the lines color by adding Layers Style > Color Overlay (the color is #D39720) or click on the Lock Transparent Pixel in Layers panel and paint the copy’s layer, using a Soft Round brush with #D39720 color.

Set Fill to 62% for this layer and change the Blending mode to Linear Dodge.

Insert the mask on the layer by choosing Add layer mask on the bottom part of the Layers panel and choose the Soft Round brush of black color to hide the lines as it is demonstrated below:

Create a new layer and use on it the Soft Round brush of black color (Opacity - 30%).

Use this brush to paint the canvas’s edges as shown:

Create a new layer again where we’ll apply the same Soft Round brush.

Use this brush to represent several colored spots of different diameters of the color #EC3839.

Insert the mask on the layer by choosing Add layer mask on the bottom part of the Layers panel and choose the Soft Round brush of black color (set Opacity to 15% in Options bar).

Paint in the mask using this brush to change the intensity of the spots to get the same result as on the picture below.

Click Create new fill or adjustment layer from bottom part of the Layers panel and click to Curves to adjust the curve shape as shown to make a little color corrections.

We’ve got the next result:

Happy Valentine’s Day!