How to Create a Stunning Magazine Cover in Photoshop

▶ Download the practice files for this tutorial (free with a PHLEARN account): phlearn.com/tutorial/create-magazine-cover-phot…

Magazines often integrate their logo directly with the cover subject, letting a face peek out from behind the lettering, and today we're recreating that look in Photoshop inspired by a real V Magazine cover, using the Pen Tool, blending modes, and type effects.

We'll trace a magazine-style logo with the Pen Tool, weave it in front of and behind our subject with saved paths and layer masks, build up color and depth with blending modes, and finish with complementary-colored type and a Stroke effect to make the title pop.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Planning a Magazine Cover Design
02:15 Tracing a Logo with the Pen Tool
04:23 Turning a Path into a Selection
06:39 Blending the Logo with Exclusion
08:54 Weaving the Logo Behind the Subject
11:22 Adding Shadow and Depth
13:24 Clipping a Gradient to the Logo
15:46 Building the Title Type
18:35 Aligning Type and Finishing Touches

THE STEPS
1. Trace your magazine's logo shape with the Pen Tool for clean, accurate lines
2. Control/Command-click a path's thumbnail to turn it into a selection, then fill it with a sampled color on a new layer
3. Duplicate the logo layer and experiment with blending modes like Exclusion for a bold, eye-catching look
4. Trace additional Pen Tool paths around your subject and load them as layer masks so the logo can weave behind and in front of them
5. Add a shadow-style duplicate layer behind the others, masked the same way, for extra depth
6. Clip a linear gradient to the logo shape with a clipping mask for a pop of color
7. Add your title type, duplicating layers for each line, and use a white Stroke layer effect so complementary-colored text stands out

Get the full step by step breakdown here: phlearn.com/tutorial/make-magazine-cover-photos…

―

PHLEARN PRO: every PRO tutorial, one membership
◦ 200+ in-depth courses and masterclasses on Photoshop, Lightroom and photography
◦ 1,000+ downloadable PSDs, RAW images and sample files to follow along
◦ Presets, Photoshop actions and LUTs included
◦ New PRO tutorials every month, streamed in 4K with captions and chapters
◦ Rated 4.93/5 by 3,900+ students
◦ Cancel anytime, 100% money-back guarantee
▶ phlearn.com/pro

―――――――――――――――

Follow PHLEARN:
Instagram: instagram.com/phlearn/
Facebook: facebook.com/phlearn
Twitter: twitter.com/phlearn

#Photoshop #MagazineCover #GraphicDesign