Create a Retro Music CD Cover with Photoshop and Illustrator

Retro Design is very popular. Today I am going to share a new tutorial by Djdesignerlab.com.

Its about Create a Retro Music CD Cover with Photoshop and Illustrator. It have tried to explain each and every step as briefly as possible. You can download the source/raw files at the end of the tutorial. Enjoy

Step 01

First we will create a Photoshop Document with 550×600 (Width x Height). Name it Retro Music CD Cover

Step 02

rename the layer with Main Background. Fill the layer with White Color. (Press D > Ctrl+Backspace). Now go to Layer > Layer Styles > Blending Options. Set Parameters as following below:

Now the layer should look like:

Step 03

Now create a new Photoshop Document with 4×4 dimension. And Fill it with #700000.

Now Zoom in the document to the maximum. Ctrl+ (Plus Sign from Keyword)

Create New Layer. Create a 1×1 box with #872c2b.

Now Duplicate (Ctrl+J) this layer 3 times and place them as below Image.

Now Press Ctrl+A and go to Edit > Define Pattern and name it My Tuts Pattern 01. Press OK. You just created a new pattern.

Close this document. No need to save it. Now lets get back to our main documet > Retro Music CD Cover. Create a new layer, name it My Pattern.. Go to Edit > Fill (Ctrl + F5). Select the pattern My Tuts Pattern 01 and press OK.

Now change the Blending Mode to Hard Light

Step 04

Now Open a Adobe Illustrator and create a new document (Name – Color Cirle). Create a Circle 432 x 432 px (width x height). The color for this circle will be #DC0000

Step 4

Note down the color codes from the above image. Now Select the Circle and Press Ctrl + C (copy), then Ctrl + F (Paste in Front). Select the new circle which is at the top of the other circle and change its color to #FD6230. Make this new circle little smaller than the below circle. See the image bellow.

Now do this step 5 more times. See the images bellow.

Now do the same process 1 more time with white color (#FFFFFF).

Now select all the circles.

Press Shift on the White circle and deselect it but the other circles should be selected.

Then Group the colored layers by pressing Ctrl + G.

Now create a little big circle which can cover all the circles. While selecting the black cirle Press Ctrl + [ (Step Backward). Select the 2 circles white and black.

 

Now Open Window > Pathfinder. Click on the Substract from shape area icon.

Now Select all the circles The Group of Colored circles and the new Black circle. Press Ctrl + 7 (Clipping Mask).

Drag this circle without releasing the mouse go to the taskbar in Windows. Put you mouse on the photoshop tab, the the photoshop wil open. I hope you have not released your mouse yet. Now when the photoshop opens take your mouse to the center of Retro Music CD Cover Photoshop Document. Now release your mouse. Wait for few seconds, dont click anywhere. Within few seconds (depends on PC speed) you will see the cirle on your photoshop document.At first you will see a bounding box, just press Enter, and you can see an image as below. Dont forget to Save your Photoshop and Illustrator Documents. Saving (File > Save) is a very good and healthy habit for Designers.

Lets go back to Illustrator. Create a new Rectangle 500 x 20. color – #30009a. Zoom it. Select the Add New Anchor Point button. Create 4 new Anchor points as shown in the image below.

Step 5

Now select the 2 anchor points (See Figure (a) below). Press Shift + C and make the 2 selected anchor curvy (See Figure (b) below). Create a Duplicate of this object (See Figure (c) below). Place the new object at the exact bottom of the previous object (See Figure (d) below). Select the 2 object, open Pathfinder window. Click on the Subtract from shape area button (See Figure (e) below). Click Expand (See Figure (f) below).

Select the 2 anchor point on each end of the object with Direct Selection tool. Make the object little bigger in length, dont stretch it.

Duplicate this object and place it at the top the other object. Zoom In to the object. You can do this by pressing Atl Key. First take the Selection Tool, press Atl Key, you can see the arrow has become double. Now without releasing the mouse drag the object top the top of the actual object (Place it at the exact top position. See Picture below), then release the mouse.Dont click anywhere else, I mean dont deselect the new object yet.

Press Ctrl + D (Duplicate at same ratio) 5 times.

Color each object as shown in the image below. Group them. Ctrl + G.

Press Shift and then rotate (45 degree )the object.

Drag this object and place it in our photoshop document.

Make this object little bigger. Select the circle which we place earlier. Duplicate the circle layer and place them exactly as shown below.

Step 6

Ctrl + Click on the "top" layer thumbnail. You will get a selection on the top circle same as below image.

Step 7

Select Polygonal Lasso Tool from the Tools Pallate.

Select "Intersect with Selection" from the Options Bar.

Now make a selection as below image. You can use Shift Key to create an exact 45 degree angle Rectangle.

Select Gradient Tool. Press D > Press X. Now Select "Foreground to Transparent" Gradient from the options bar. See Image Below.

Select "Reflected Gradient" Option from the Options bar. Drag your mouse from the center of the selection and release it and the top right corner of the selection. At first you might not get that but keep on trying. Try to make something similar to the image below.

Press Ctrl + D. Make the opacity of this layer 60%.

Create another white shade at the bottom similar as the top one.

Press D. Select the Linear Gradient option for the Options Bar. Make Selection for the "top" layer and create a new layer above it.

Drag the Gradient Tool from the top left corner of the selection. Again do the same step but now from the left. Try to make something similar to the image below.

Do the same step for the bottom circle.

Now we will create a nice bend effect. First make a selection of the "middle" layer.

Step 8

Create a new layer. Select Polygonal Lasso Tool and Intersect with selection. Make a selection similar to the image below.

Make the Fill to 0%. See it below the Opacity in the layers Pallete.

Open Layer Style > Gradient Overlay. Set the Angle to 45 degree. Now make the Gradient style similar as below. Follow Graphic.

The result will be something like the image below.

Now create another one for the other bend. See the image below. This time insert the exact gradient overlay parameters but Select reverse option. Press Ctrl + D

Download this 2 fonts.
http://www.dafont.com/bellerose.font
http://www.acidfonts.com/typeface/banjoman_open_bold.htm

Or if you have any similar font you can use them also. Now type "SONY MUSIC PRESENTS" with Bellerose font. Insert the exact Parameters as below image. Text color is black.

Rotate this text to 45 degree. (See image below.)

Type "RETRO" with Banjoman Open Bold font in another layer.

Now just apply the exact layer style to the RETRO text. (See the images for the layer style)

After applying the layer style the text will look like the image below.

Now duplicate this layer and make another text "NIGHT". This time Reverse the Gradient Overlay style.

This is the Final Output.

DOWNLOAD PSD and AI Raw files