Photoshop Tutorials

Advertising Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop | Cinematic

Creating high-end product advertising designs in Photoshop is an essential skill for graphic designers and marketers. This tutorial will guide you through a step-by-step process to create a professional Apple Watch advertising design, covering everything from image selection to composition, lighting, shadows, and color grading.

By the end of this guide, you will learn how to: ✔ Select and manipulate high-quality product images. ✔ Create a realistic environment using textures and overlays. ✔ Apply professional lighting, shadows, and color grading. ✔ Use Photoshop tools like the Pen Tool, Smart Objects, and Blend If for advanced editing.

Let’s get started!


Step 1: Understanding the Advertising Concept

Every advertising design starts with a concept. For this Apple Watch ad, the idea is to show how the product supports an active lifestyle.

Key visual elements:

  • The Apple Watch as the main subject.
  • A running man to reinforce the fitness concept.
  • A track and grass texture to add realism.
  • A motivational tagline: “Level up your life with small daily steps.”

The composition will have the watch enlarged as the main focal point, with the runner integrated into the scene.


Step 2: Choosing and Preparing Images

The first step in creating a compelling composition is selecting high-quality images.

Image Selection:

  1. Apple Watch: Find a high-resolution top-view image of the Apple Watch.
  2. Running Man: Search for a top-angle image of a runner to match the scene.
  3. Grass Texture: Choose a realistic sharp-edged grass texture.
  4. Track Texture: Find a track surface image to blend into the composition.

Once the images are selected, they must be cleaned, organized, and imported into Adobe Photoshop.


Step 3: Setting Up the Photoshop Document

Creating a New File:

  1. Open Photoshop and create a new document with the dimensions 3000x2000px.
  2. Start with a solid color adjustment layer:
    • Base color: A dark teal.
    • Secondary light: Add a bright teal gradient using a soft brush.

This will serve as the background.

Organizing Layers:

  1. Create groups for different elements (Watch, Runner, Grass, Track, Text).
  2. Naming layers correctly helps in better workflow management.

Step 4: Importing and Adjusting the Apple Watch

1. Selecting the Watch:

  • Open the Apple Watch image in a separate file.
  • Use Select Subject to create a mask around the watch.
  • Convert it into a Smart Object for non-destructive editing.

2. Adjusting Perspective:

  • Go to Edit > Perspective Warp.
  • Define the planes of the watch using the bounding box.
  • Adjust the perspective to make the watch appear flatter.

3. Scaling & Positioning:

  • Use Ctrl + T (Cmd + T on Mac) to resize and rotate the watch.
  • Position it in the center of the canvas.

Step 5: Adding the Grass Texture

1. Creating the Selection:

  • Use the Pen Tool to create a mask around the bottom edge of the watch.
  • This will make the grass appear embedded inside the watch.

2. Importing the Grass Texture:

  • Select a sharp-edged grass texture.
  • Use Select > Color Range to remove the white background.
  • Convert it into a Smart Object and place it inside the masked area.
  • Use Ctrl + T to scale and align the grass.

3. Duplicating and Blending the Texture:

  • Duplicate the grass layer and align it across the watch surface.
  • Use a soft brush on a layer mask to blend the edges.
  • Reduce opacity slightly for a natural transition.

Step 6: Creating the Running Track

1. Drawing the Track:

  • Use the Rectangle Tool (U) to draw a pathway shape.
  • Press Ctrl + T, rotate, and adjust it to match the watch surface.
  • Use Edit > Transform > Distort to align perspective.

2. Applying the Track Texture:

  • Import the track texture image.
  • Create a clipping mask to fit it into the drawn track shape.

3. Enhancing Realism:

  • Use Blend If (Layer Styles > Blending Options) to subtly integrate the texture.
  • Add soft shadows under the track for depth.

Step 7: Integrating the Running Man

1. Selecting & Masking the Runner:

  • Open the runner image.
  • Use the Object Selection Tool to extract the subject.
  • Duplicate the original image to preserve the shadow details.

2. Adjusting Shadows:

  • Change the shadow layer’s blending mode to Multiply.
  • Use Ctrl + L (Levels Adjustment) to enhance the shadow contrast.

3. Positioning the Runner:

  • Scale and place the runner inside the watch surface.
  • Apply motion blur on the legs for dynamic movement.

Step 8: Refining the Composition

1. Adding Track Lines:

  • Use the Line Tool (U) to create white running track lines.
  • Use Blend If to make them integrate naturally into the track.

2. Adjusting the Colors:

  • The red shirt of the runner doesn’t match the theme.
  • Create a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer → Clip it to the runner layer.
  • Shift the reds towards a desaturated blue.

3. Adding Light & Shadows:

  • Dodge & Burn technique:
    • Create Curves Adjustment Layers for highlights & shadows.
    • Use layer masks and a soft brush to paint light and depth.
  • Apply soft highlights on the runner and watch edges.

Step 9: Creating the Text & Branding

1. Designing the Tagline:

  • Use the Bebas Neue or Proxima Nova font for the headline.
  • Write “Level up your life” in bold.
  • Add “With small daily steps” below in a smaller font.

2. Adjusting Text Perspective:

  • Convert text into a Smart Object.
  • Use Ctrl + T > Distort to match the perspective of the watch.

Step 10: Final Color Grading & Effects

1. Applying Selective Color Adjustments:

  • Adjust Reds, Yellows, and Greens to create a cinematic tone.
  • Add a Vignette using Curves Adjustment Layer.

2. Adding Glow & Lighting Effects:

  • Create a new layer, set blending mode to Screen.
  • Use a soft brush to add subtle light glow on the edges.

3. Final Touches:

  • Apply Gaussian Blur (1-2px) for a professional look.
  • Export as High-Resolution PNG or JPG for use in advertisements.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can create a high-quality advertising composition in Photoshop. This technique can be applied to various product advertising designs to create visually stunning marketing materials.

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