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Christmas Greeting Card – Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

In this tutorial I will give you some tips on how to create Christmas greeting card with Christmas green tree on red background in Adobe Photoshop CS6. You will learn how to add a Layer Style, draw Christmas tree, apply brushes, use Custom Shapes etc. Layered PSD file included. So let’s get started!

Final Image Preview

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

Start working by creating a new document (Ctrl+N) in Adobe Photoshop CS6 with the size 1920px by 1200px (RGB color mode) at a resolution of 72 pixels/inch. Create a new layer, click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Gradient Overlay.

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

We’ve got the next result:

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

Choose the Pen Tool (P), set the drawing mode on Shape Layers in Options bar and draw the next shape of the Christmas tree as shown. The shape may be corrected with the Convert Point Tool.

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

We’ve got the next result:

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

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

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

Apply Gradient Overlay:

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

We’ve got the next result:

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

Make a copy of the last made layer and place the copy lower on the Layers panel. Remove the Layer’s style and fill the copy’s layer with this color #1C4500.
Using the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command and the Convert Point Tool we may lift the anchor points in a way to get sharper the path.

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

 

Make copies of the last two made tree’s elements and select again the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command to make smaller the copies’ layers and place them the way demonstrated below. Using the Convert Point Tool we may change several anchor points, creating differences from the earlier layers.

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

Select again the Pen Tool (P) and the Convert Point Tool to draw the Christmas tree top. The settings for Inner Shadow and Gradient Overlay are the same with the earlier elements. Place the copy also under the previous ones on the Layers panel, making the corrections on the anchor points, getting them sharper.

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

We’ve got the next result:

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

Then we’ll make copies of each layer containing the shadow colored in #1C4500. Hold CTRL button and select all layers containing the shadow in Layers panel, press CTRL+E to Merge Down. The rasterized layer must be placed under all the tree’s layers, changing the color on the white one. Using the Convert Point Tool we may change the placement of the anchor points exactly the way from the next picture.

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

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

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

Select Fill Type – Gradient and click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor, set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

Add Drop Shadow:

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

We’ve got the Christmas tree:

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

Next we’ll draw the support of the Christmas tree. Choose the Pen Tool (P), set the drawing mode on Shape Layers in Options bar and draw the next shape as shown.
The layer’s color is #9C5507. The layer will be situated under the tree’s layers.

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

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

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

Apply Gradient Overlay:

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

Add Drop Shadow:

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

We’ve got the next result:

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

Represent a highlight on the tree’s support, using the same tool – the Pen Tool (P). The element’s color is #DDC98A. Place the layer containing the highlight above the support layer, but under the other elements of the Christmas tree.

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

We must represent now a star above the tree, select the Custom Shape Tool (U) in the Tools bar, in the Options bar click the Shape to open the selection menu. Find 5 Point Star at the bottom of the menu, and then double-click a shape thumbnail to select it. Click and drag to draw the shape:

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

Using the Convert Point Tool, select the anchor points of the star. Then apply the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) click on Maintain Aspect Ratio and drag the anchor points to the central part of the star to change the shape form.

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

We’ve got the next result:

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

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

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

We’ve got the next result:

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

Give some volume to the star. Choose the Pen Tool (P), set the drawing mode on Shape Layers in Options bar and draw the next triangle inside the star’s ray coloring it in #C6CAC9.

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

This way we must represent shadows for the other rays of the star. The color is indicated below.

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

We’ve got the next star:

Christmas Greeting Card - Christmas Green Tree on Red Background in Adobe Photoshop CS6

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