Hi. This is Marty from Blue Lightning TV. I'm going to show you how to create
a custom, intertwined, monogram logo centered on a simple, but powerful
background.
If the middle initial of the monogram is larger than the other two,
the middle initial is the surname or last name.
The first initial is the first name and the last initial
is the middle name. However, if all the initials
are the same size, the order of the initials represents the first,
middle and last name. I provided a link to a website that explains the general rules
pertaining to monograms. The link is located in the video description.
Create a new document by pressing Ctrl + N on Windows
or Cmd + N on a Mac.
Make the Width: 1200 pixels,
the Height: 900 pixels and the Resolution: 300 pixels per inch.
Make the Color Mode: RGB at 8 bits per channel.
Then click OK. Let's begin by making the background first.
Open your Gradient Tool and make sure the Linear gradient icon is highlighted.
Click the Gradient bar
and click the "Black, White" preset.
Click the lower, right Stop and the color box.
Type in 80, three times.
This gives us 50% gray. Then, click OK on the Color Picker
and the Gradient Editor. Go to the bottom of the document
and hold down Shift as you drag up the gradient line to the top.
Go to Filter and Filter Gallery.
Open the Texture folder
and click "Texturizer". The Texture is Sandstone,
the Scaling is 100%, the Relief is 2
and the Light is from the Top. Then, click OK.
Double-click on the lock.
This unlocks the background and opens the Layer Style window.
Click Stroke. Make the Size: 100 pixels
and the Position is Inside.
Click Inner Glow. Click the color box,
pick Black and click OK.
Change the Blend Mode to Color Burn
and the Opacity to 15%. The Technique is Softer,
the Source is Edge,
the Choke is 100% and the Size is 100 pixels.
Then, click OK. Click the Custom Shape Tool
and open the thumbnails. Click to gear icon
to open your list of Shape presets.
Click Shapes and click OK to see the new set in the thumbnail window.
Click the diamond shape,
which is between the outline crescent and the outline diamond.
Make sure it's not the wider diamond, since that shape has slightly, rounded corners.
Tick "Unconstrained" and check "From Center". Choose "Path"
If you're working on CS5 or earlier, the Path Tool Mode is here.
We want to make guidelines that crisscross the center of the document.
To do this, go to View and click "New Guide".
With the horizontal orientation ticked,
type in 50%. Click OK or press Enter or Return.
If you don't see the guideline,
press Ctrl or Cmd + H. Go back to View,
New Guide and tick "Vertical".
As before, type in 50%. Then, click OK.
Go to the center of the guidelines and drag out a diamond shape to the edges of the top,
bottom and sides. Open the Paths panel.
If you don't see it, go to Window and Paths.
Click the icon at the upper, right corner and click
"Make Selection". Keep the Feather Radius
at 0.5 pixels, which is the default amount
and click OK. The path is now a selection.
Open back up the Layers panel. We'll cut the diamond-shaped selection from the background
and copy it to its own layer. To do this,
press Ctrl or Cmd + J.
Click off the eyeball of the Stroke to hide it
and double-click on "Effects" to open the Layer Style window.
Click Bevel & Emboss. The Style is Inner Bevel,
the Technique is Chisel hard and the Depth is 100%.
The Direction is Down
and the Size is 14 pixels. Then click OK.
Press Ctrl or Cmd + H to hide the guidelines.
We're ready to set our text.
Open your Horizontal Type Tool
and pick a font. I'm using Trajan Pro Regular,
which you can download from the link I provided.
The link is located in the video description or project files.
Make the Size 125 points, Smooth,
and Center Alignment. The color is irrelevant, since we're going to give the text
a gradient and color overlay. Type the upper case letter
of your first name. To move it, open your Move Tool
and drag it to the center. Click the
"fx" icon and click Bevel & Emboss.
The Style is Inner Bevel and the Technique is Smooth.
Drag the Depth all the way to the right.
The Direction is Up and the Size is 7 pixels.
Click Gradient Overlay. Click the gradient bar
and click the lower, left Stop. Click the color box
and type in six "c"s. This gives us
80% gray. Click OK
and click on the lower, right Stop. Click the color box
and this time, type in 4D, three times.
This gives us 30% gray.
Click OK on both windows.
Click Color Overlay and the color box.
Pick an overall color that you'd like for your monogram.
You can always change it later. I'll type in
1 F A 7 E D.
Click OK or press Enter or Return. Change the Blend Mode to Color.
Click Inner Glow. Change the Blend Mode
to Hard Mix and click the color box.
Pick a lighter, brighter version of the color you picked earlier.
I'll type in 0 0 F F F 6.
Click OK or press Enter or Return.
Notice the color you picked
is now in the color box. Make the Choke 22%
and the Size 15 pixels.
click stroke make the signs 14 pixels
and the position is outside then click OK
because this monogram has three initials will make two copies of it
first go to view and it snapped is checked
just click on it to turn it off to make two copies of the letter
press Control command J twice
hold down SHIFT as you drag a letter to the right
holding SHIFT keeps it aligned click on the other copy
to make it acted and again hold down SHIFT
as he dragged a letter to the left this letter will be your first initial up the
monogram
typing a letter of your first name
make a copy above it active and double click it to highlight the letter
now typing the first letter of your middle name
scroll down to the bottom and double click on a large t
up the original letter type the first initial of your last name
double-click the large tea again to highlight the letter
will increase the size 280 points
hoping your move till and drag it down
approximately halfway between the top and bottom of the other initials
because it's larger than the others will increase the inner glow effect
to compensate for its size to do this
double click on it in a glow effect to open it in the lair style window
change the shokh 20 and the size 230 pixels
then click OK
to save space in the Layers panel will click the small triangles on each of the
initials to collapse the list affects
let's placed into a folder to do this shift click
on the top initial to highlight the mall and press Control
command she
let's name it original text it's always a good idea to save your original text
or objects
make a copy of it and hide the original folder
open the folder copy will convert each initial
into a smart object so we can ultimately at fixed drop shadows
on each of them as well as he neighboring us to change or modify the
letters
if we want to at some point cook the top initial to make it active
and quickly icon at the top right corner
click convert to smart object you know what a smart object when it has this
icon on the thumbnail repeat the steps for the other initials
make your top initial active and hold down
shift as you drag it to the left in this case
I'd like to position a letter so it just touches the other
when it's close I'll use my left or right arrow keys on my keyboard
to move it 1 pixel at a time
make the initial below it active and again
hold down SHIFT as you drag it to the right
control-click or command click on the fun a lot the letter
to make a selection of shape
and click the layer mask icon to make a layer mask the selection
next to the initial repeat this for the top letter
control-click or command click on a large letter at the bottom
to make a selection up it shaped press control or command
H twice to hide the selection
and the guidelines clicky FX icon
and click drop shadow the blend mode is multiply
the opacity is 35 percent distance
is 30 pixels and the size is 10 pixels
then click OK
go to drop shadow hold down alt
or option and track a copy of the drop shadow of fact
to the layer below it
repeat this for the bottom letter
next will interweave them let's quickly review the layout water in the Layers
panel
the top initial represents your middle name
the initial below it is your first name and the large bottom initial
is your last name hoping your pencil tool
and shoes and medium-sized hit for this example
argues a forty pixel size make sure the Harkness
is a hundred percent in this example
at like 2 overlap each ask over the Chi
so I'll make sure the layer mask a PG is acted
remember the selection up the large initial of your last name is
active but hidden our pressure over an area of the letter G to hide it
I'm actually brushing over its lair mask which hides the latter
the selection upbeat ass is confining my brush to the inside at the
s shaped if I want to overlap be ask over the
are I'll make a layer mask the are active
and brush over the are
since I like the are overlapping the s a press Control
a command see to undo the last step loans
using these techniques you can create a custom monogram logo
for anyone I'm this is Marty from Blue Lightning TD
thanks for watching in