Brochure Part I: Free Photoshop Tutorial
Master Professional Brochure Design with Advanced Photoshop Techniques
Essential Photoshop Skills You'll Master
Layer Management
Learn to work with adjustment layers, blending modes, and layer masks for professional results. Master the fundamentals of non-destructive editing.
Selection Techniques
Discover advanced selection methods including guide-based selections and pixel-perfect measurements. Create precise borders and shapes.
Text Effects
Apply warping, masking, and texture effects to typography. Create compelling headers that integrate seamlessly with your design.
Tutorial Learning Path
Foundation Setup
Start with guides and adjustment layers to establish your document structure and workflow
Advanced Techniques
Practice layer styles and blending modes to create professional visual effects
Design Integration
Combine multiple elements and textures to build a cohesive brochure design
Exercise Preview
This tutorial is the first part of a comprehensive brochure creation series. You'll work with multiple files and build elements progressively, learning professional workflow management along the way.
Creating a Professional Textured Background
We'll begin by establishing the base color and texture foundation using adjustment layers and blending modes—a non-destructive workflow that maintains maximum editing flexibility throughout your project.
From the Photoshop Class folder, navigate to the Kissimmee Brochure folder and open Kissimmee brochure.psd.
Go to File > Save As, navigate to the Kissimmee Brochure folder, and name it: yourname-Kissimmee brochure.psd.
If the guide we've placed at the document's center is hidden, go to View > Show > Guides to make it visible.
At the bottom of the Layers panel, click the Create new fill or adjustment layer button
and select Solid Color from the menu.Enter the following CMYK values for our warm, vintage base color:
C: 12 M: 31 Y: 62 K: 0
Click OK.
Double-click directly on the name Color Fill 1 and rename it bg color.
Open the file leather texture.tif.
Select all content by pressing Cmd–A (Mac) or Ctrl–A (Windows).
Copy the selection by pressing Cmd–C (Mac) or Ctrl–C (Windows).
Close the texture file and return to yourname-Kissimmee brochure.psd.
Paste the texture by pressing Cmd–V (Mac) or Ctrl–V (Windows).
Double-click directly on the name Layer 1 and rename it leather.
With the leather layer selected, change the blending mode from Normal to Overlay in the top-left of the Layers panel. The Overlay blend mode enhances contrast by lightening bright areas and darkening shadows, creating natural-looking texture integration.
The leather texture appears too prominent for our design. In the Layers panel, reduce the Opacity to approximately 70% for a more subtle, professional appearance.
Building a Custom Rounded Corner Border
We'll now craft an elegant border with rounded corners using selection subtraction techniques—a method that gives you complete control over corner radius and positioning.
Select the Elliptical Marquee tool
.In the Options bar, choose Fixed Size from the Style menu and enter 60 px for both Width and Height.
We'll subtract circular shapes from each corner to create rounded edges. Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) and click and drag to position the circle in the upper-left corner. Release when you see two intersecting pink Smart Guides, indicating perfect alignment.
Repeat this process for the remaining three corners. Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while clicking and dragging the circle into each corner, releasing when properly aligned.
In the Options bar, change the Style from Fixed Size back to Normal.
In the Layers panel, click the Create new fill or adjustment layer button
and select Solid Color.Choose white and click OK.
Double-click the name Color Fill 1 and rename it page border.
Click the Add a layer style button
and choose Stroke from the menu.- Configure the stroke with these vintage-appropriate settings:
- Size: 1 px
- Position: Outside
- Click the color swatch and enter these warm brown CMYK values:
C: 31 M: 61 Y: 100 K: 18
Click OK, then OK again to close the Layer Style dialog.
In the Layers panel, reduce the Fill to 0%. This technique removes the white fill while preserving the stroke, creating a clean border outline.
If the border appears to disappear at certain zoom levels, choose View > 100% to see the actual appearance—always verify your work at print resolution.
Designing the Header Typography
Now we'll create eye-catching header text using advanced typography techniques including text warping and texture masking—skills essential for creating compelling marketing materials.
Scroll to the top-left corner of your document.
Press D to reset colors with black as the foreground.
Select the Horizontal Type tool
.In the Options bar, set the font to Myriad Pro, Bold Condensed, 25 pt, and click the Center text button
.Click once near the top center of the left column to place your cursor, then type:
If It Weren't for Disston There Would Be No Disney!
Select all text and open Window > Character.
In the Character panel, set the Leading
to 26 pt for optimal line spacing.In the Options bar, click the Create warped text button
.In the dialog, select Arc from the Style menu and apply these settings for a subtle vintage banner effect:
Bend: +21% Horizontal Distortion: 0% Vertical Distortion: −2% (negative 2%) Click OK.
If visible, click the checkmark
in the Options bar to commit the text.Use the Move tool
to center the text at the top of the left column.To integrate the leather texture into our text, we'll create a layer mask from the texture itself. Click the Add layer mask button
at the bottom of the Layers panel.In the Layers panel, select the leather layer.
Choose the Rectangular Marquee tool
.Draw a selection that encompasses all the text plus additional margin for flexibility.
Copy the selection by pressing Cmd–C (Mac) or Ctrl–C (Windows).
Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) and click the warped text's white layer mask to enter mask editing mode. The document should appear completely white, indicating you're working within the mask.
Paste the texture by pressing Cmd–V (Mac) or Ctrl–V (Windows).
In the Layers panel, click the text thumbnail to exit mask editing mode.
Deselect by pressing Cmd–D (Mac) or Ctrl–D (Windows).
Zoom in to examine how the texture mask affects the text appearance—this technique creates realistic weathered text effects.
Adding Decorative Elements
We'll complete our header section by incorporating ornamental graphics that enhance the vintage aesthetic and provide visual balance to our design composition.
Open the file ornamentation.tif.
Select all by pressing Cmd–A (Mac) or Ctrl–A (Windows).
Copy by pressing Cmd–C (Mac) or Ctrl–C (Windows).
Close the ornamentation file and return to yourname-Kissimmee brochure.psd.
Paste the decoration by pressing Cmd–V (Mac) or Ctrl–V (Windows).
Double-click the name Layer 1 and rename it banner ornament.
With the banner ornament layer selected, change the blending mode from Normal to Multiply.
NOTE: The Multiply blend mode always darkens the underlying image. White areas become transparent, while darker colors intensify whatever lies beneath—perfect for integrating line art and decorative elements.
Select the Move tool
.Position the ornamentation centered beneath the text. Release when you see the vertical Smart Guide appear, ensuring perfect alignment.
Save your work by going to File > Save and keep the file open—we'll build upon this foundation in the next exercise.
Excellent work! You've successfully created a professional vintage brochure foundation using advanced Photoshop techniques. The next exercise will take these skills even further as we add complex imagery and typography. Stay focused—the upcoming challenges will truly test your growing expertise!
Key Takeaways