This is a Photoshop tutorial on how to create a beautiful photo film strip, as seen in Apple’s iLife package design (’06 version) and DigitalMash website. The warp tool will be used to create the twisting effect (so, you need Photoshop CS2 or above to complete this tutorial). With the completion of this tutorial, you will be able build a photo strip with your own photos or artwork. Don’t miss out this fantastic feature!
1. Create a Strip (Vector Shapes)
First, create a strip with the Pen tool (either in Photoshop or Illustrator). We will use these shapes as a guideline and for masking purposes.
2. Photo Stack
Choose 3 photos of your choice and stack them together.
3. Warping (Photoshop Warp Tool)
Adjust the layer opacity to 40 or 50% so you can see the guideline underneath. Go to Edit > Transform > Warp. Now you should see a grid and 4 anchor points in the corner. To bending the image, simply drag the anchor points, direction points, or grid lines.
Repeat this step for the rest of the strip. Since this step is relatively simple and repeatitive, I’m not going to get into the details. Here are the screenshots of the steps:
4. Masking
Organize the layers into groups (ie. strip 1, 2, 3, 4).
Load selection from the shapes you created in step 1 and add a layer mask for each group (so you get a perfect smooth curve).
5. Shadows
In masked group 1, create a new layer above the strip. Use the Gradient tool and drag from the top to bottom to create a black gradient.
Repeat this step for the other strips.
6. Highlights
To make highlighted and glossy areas: create a round glowing circle, compress it, and rotate it in the angle according to your strip’s direction.
7. Line Strokes
To make line strokes: load a selection of the mask, create a new layer, fill it with black, shift the selection to the left by 1 or 2 pixels, delete the selected area by pressing the Delete key.
8. Final Touches
To make the image look more interesting, desaturated the two strips in the back.
Bonus Tips
The Photoshop warp tool is very useful when creating any sort of twisting and bending graphic effects. The following examples illustrate some of the things that you can do with the warp tool. Have fun!
Feb 7, 2012 @ 4:02 pm
nice tut
Feb 11, 2012 @ 11:52 pm
Nice Job…… :D
Mar 28, 2012 @ 5:27 pm
hi
Apr 9, 2012 @ 5:19 pm
this would be much easier to make in 3d.
Apr 11, 2012 @ 11:11 am
great tutorial keep it up
May 2, 2012 @ 1:18 pm
Thank you Thank you!asee
May 24, 2012 @ 5:54 pm
This tut is great, as well as the other you do. Thanks for taking the time to put it together and sharing. Some good tips in it.
Graphic Web Design rochester, NY
Jun 23, 2012 @ 12:42 pm
whoah this weblog is wonderful i like reading your articles. Keep up the good work! You already know, lots of people are searching round for this information, you can help them greatly.
Jul 8, 2012 @ 9:13 am
Great tutorial this, have utilised it on a few advert designs myself – Great work, thank you.
Jul 17, 2012 @ 7:45 am
nice tutorial, i seriously gonna use it in the future
Aug 23, 2012 @ 2:01 pm
how do you compress the circle?
Aug 23, 2012 @ 4:28 pm
Thanks for taking the time to put it together and sharing. Some good tips in it.
Aug 24, 2012 @ 7:18 am
Thank you so much! I love this concept and used on a poster for my school. Wonderful stuff!
Sep 13, 2012 @ 6:39 am
It’s nice & easy to make a photo stip, thanks
May 27, 2013 @ 7:05 pm
This is such an awesome idea, thanks for posting it! I will definitely be trying my hand at this later.