The Bourne Legacy Movie Poster Photoshop Tutorial

Step 1Start by opening the photo into Photoshop. To open an image, go to File > Open.

If you’ll be using the same image we used, we recommend downloading the

highest resolution image because we will be cropping it in the middle of the

tutorial.

Step 2Right-click on the layer then click Convert to Smart Object. This will convert the

layer into a Smart Object which lets us manipulate the image non-destructively.

Step 3Before we start, we’re going to add a black layer below the photo layer. To do

this, go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color. Select black as the color then

click OK.

Step 4In the Layers palette (Window > Layers), drag the Color Fill layer to the bottom.

Rename the top layer to Photo and bottom layer to Background. To rename a

layer, double-click on the text of the layer you want to rename.

Step 5To begin, we’ll add a gritty photo effect with adjustment layers and filters. Start by

adding a Black & White adjustment layer (Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Black

& White) then change the blending mode of this layer to Overlay. Feel free to

play around with the settings in the Properties panel (Window > Properties). This

is an easy way of adding a grungy lighting effect and you can try it with your

other photos.

Step 6Next, add a Vibrance adjustment layer (Layer > New Adjustment Layer >

Vibrance). Reduce vibrance setting until it just has a hint of color.

Here’s what our image looks like after reducing the vibrance setting.

Step 7The adjustment layers gave it a grungy lighting effect but it also hides the detail

and makes the background even darker. We don’t want to the photo to be too

dark because it can blend in with the black background and make the stripes not

very visible. To fix this, we’re going to apply a Shadows/Highlights adjustment. In

the Layers panel, select the Photo layer then go to Image > Adjustments >

Shadows/Highlights. Set the shadows to around 35% and highlights to around

15% then click OK.

If you look in the Layers palette, you can see that the adjustment was applied as

a Smart Filter. This is because in Step 2, we changed the layer into a Smart

Object. The benefit of using Smart Filters is that you can change the settings at

any time without undoing a bunch of steps.

Step 8Next, we’re going to add some grain to the photo using the Add Noise filter –

which will be applied as a Smart Filter just like the previous step. Make sure you

have the Photo layer selected then go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise. Checkmark

the Monochromatic option then adjust the settings so that you get an effect like

shown in the image below. Click OK to add the noise.

Step 9Next, we’re going to crop and rotate the image. Select the Crop tool (C) then in

the options bar, disable the “Delete Cropped Pixel” option. This will let us uncrop

or make adjustments to the crop at any time.

Crop the image like shown in the image below. We also rotated the image so that

the eyes are more horizontally aligned. This is important because when we add

the stripes, we want to ensure that the eyes are visible and don’t tilt off the top or

bottom edge of the stripes.

Step 10Now we’re going to add some text to the image. We’re doing this first so that we

know where to place the stripes later. In the Layers palette, select the top layer

so that when you add the text, they all appear above the top layer. Select the

Text tool then add some text around the image with each line of text in their own

layer. The font used below is Arial.

Step 11Select all the text layers (hold CTRL to select multiple layers) then add them to a

group (Layer > Group Layers or Ctrl+G). Rename the group to Text.

Step 12Group the layers associated with the Photo layer (Vibrance, Black & White, &

Photo) then rename the group to Photo.

Step 13Now we’re going to add the stripes. This is really easy to do and the only tool

needed is the Rectangular Marquee tool. Select the Rectangular Marquee tool

then in the options bar, set the mode to “Add to Selection” which is the second

button to the left. You can hover over the icons to see what each one does. Also,

ensure that your feather setting is set to 0px.

Draw some rectangles like shown in the image below. Start by drawing

rectangles around the text and eyes then adding more afterwards. If you make a

mistake, just press Ctrl+Z to undo. Want to start over? Press Ctrl+D to deselect

and start over.

Step 14In the Layers palette, select the Photo group then click on the Add Layers Mask

button. This will create a layer mask from the selection you made in the previous

step.

Here’s what our image looks like so far.

Step 15We’re almost done! Select the Rectangular Marquee tool and create selections

around the text. Make sure your foreground/background colors are set to the

default white/black by pressing D to reset the colors. Press Delete to fill the

selected area with black. Press Ctrl+D to deselect.

When you’re done, set the mode back to New Selection so that you don’t get

confused the next time you use the Marquee tool.

SKIP Step 16In the Layers panel, click on the layer mask of the Photo group – make sure

you’re clicking on the thumbnail so that you are editing the layer mask.

Press D on your keyboard to reset your foreground and background colors then

press delete on your keyboard. This will fill the selected area with black. Press

Ctrl+D to deselect the selection when you’re done. Here’s what our image looks

like

Step 17

Remember earlier when we talked about Smart Filters? Here’s an example of a

situation where you will find them useful. The photo of the background seems too

strong and we need to make changes to the Shadows/Highlights adjustment. To

do this, just double-click on the Shadows/Highlights adjustment in the Photos

layer. Without Smart Filters, you would have had to undo many steps to do this.

I reduced the shadows and increased the highlights for a more realistic look.

Click OK after you’ve adjusted your settings.

Step 18To finish the image, we’re going to add a slight gradient to the text. Right-click on

any one of the text layers then choose Blending Options.

Checkmark the Gradient Overlay style then set the settings shown below. The

Dither option reduces banding in the gradient by dithering and should always be

enabled. Click OK when done.

Place your name in the bottom left, where Photoshop Tutorials is located (see example on last page)

Final Results