in Features, Photoshop Tutorials, Tutorials

Make a Sleek Car Ad in 7 Simple Steps

Step 1

Create a new document with the following settings: 8×10 and 72dpi and add your background artwork as needed. I decided to use Starry Night.

Car Advertisement

Step 2

Add your car image and remove any background portion of the photo as needed. I used this stock photo from Shutterstock.

Car Advertisement

Step 3

Select your artwork layer and copy the layer. Then select the ground portion of your car image layer.

Car Advertisement

Step 4

Go to Edit> Paste Into and paste your artwork layer into the ground portion of your car image.

Car Advertisement

Step 5

You will have to rotate and flip the layer you made in step 4 to create a mirror image of your artwork layer.

Once you have done that, add a gradient fill to the layer.

Car Advertisement
Car Advertisement

Step 6

Create a simple black box near the bottom of the page.

Car Advertisement

Step 7

Add the finishing touches such as text and car companies logo. I used this logo.

Car Advertisement

Final

Car Advertisement
About Danny Outlaw

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  • http://www.robertvanhoesel.com Robert van Hoesel

    Nice tutorial..
    But, I think the reflection should be done a bit different.
    Eg, picking a texture and placing it on the ‘ground’ and then given the reflection layer a good overlay mode and (very important) a bit of opacity. It makes it look more natural. Although some grounds may be very perfect in reflection it will never reflect the image as bright as the original.

    • http://YourWebsite billy bob

      I agree to some extent. Looking at the reflective area – there is no distinction between where the reflection starts and the background ends. And so unless you really look the casual viewer (probably won’t care either way) will only really see a reflection of the car and assume the background just runs down below the car reflection.

      The reflection should look like a reflection – it should fade out at a certain point.

  • http://www.crearedesign.co.uk Michael Thomas

    Not one of your best tutorials. I agree with Robert regarding the reflection. I think it should be slightly lighter like the Lamborghini is. I wonder what Vincent would make of photoshop, if he would of spliced together one of his great works of art with an italian beast?

    • http://www.outlawdesignblog.com Danny Outlaw

      Admittedly not one of my best tutorials. I was struggling with coming up for a tutorial idea, but was really in the mood to make one.

      So…..if you have any ideas!?!

  • http://YourWebsite JC

    With all due respect, I appreciate you creating a tutorial to spread knowledge to people trying to learn – but being a Production Studio manager at an advertising agency, I believe there are a few things you should inform your readers of…

    First, you should inform them that creating an ad at 72dpi will only be suitable for web use – if they are planning on doing a print ad, it should be set at a minimum of 300dpi.

    Also, pulling images from Google Images, especially fine art pieces, can get them into a world of trouble by violating copyrights and trademarks. You should always use stock imagery from reputable stock photo sites and pay the proper licensing fees to avoid legal issues down the road. Plus anything pulled from a web image search will likely yield only 72dpi images which creates a whole new set of problems.

    Before I get flogged for touching on more advanced subjects, I think these are important lessons people need to know, ESPECIALLY people just starting out. Learning good traits from the start will make their lives much easier down the road.

    • http://simon.vansintjan.org Simon Vansintjan

      About fine art: isn’t copyright law artist death + 70 years (I’m not sure, this might just be for authors in the USA)? So really there shouldn’t be any problem with using a picture of Starry Night, since Van Gogh died a little of 119 years ago?

      There may be more issues with the person who took the picture though, but if you yourself did it’s shouldn’t be a problem. In this case the problem is the picture, not the fine art piece itself.

    • http://www.arvinbautista.com Arvin Motion Graphics

      The image itself is likely a photo taken by someone recently, and that is probably still under copyright law. You are welcome to take your own photo of the actual painting yourself (if the museum allows you).

      It’s the same with songs in the public domain: you can perform and record the song yourself without having to pay fees, but you can’t just take, for example, a recording of Kanye West singing Silent Night, and use it without permission.

  • http://YourWebsite John Leftwich

    I don’t think a reproduction picture of an image in the public domain is copyrightable.

    [See The Bridgeman Art Library, Ltd., Plaintiff, - versus - Corel Corporation, et ano., Defendants. 97 Civ. 6232 (LAK)] link

    In part, the court found that that slavish reproductions of public domain works are not original work, and therefore can’t be copyrighted.

    This makes sense, if you think about it. Let’s say you create a gorgeous print piece, and I take a camera and take a straignt-on photo reproduction of it – for many intents and purposes, indistinguishable from your work. Can I then sell that photo?

    Of course not. And that’s the way we all want this to work. Otherwise, a digital camera and a steady hand become Magic Copyright Destroyers, and that doesn’t make any sense.

    • http://YourWebsite billy bob

      Yeah but the Lamborghini and it’s Logo are Copyrightable.

      And someone starting out should be taught the difference between using this as an example for learning purposes (student work if you will) and attempting to submit it as a final ad for credit or cash.

      But this seems to go way beyond what Danny was trying to do – simply showing the method and not necessarily focusing on the content.

  • Pingback: Make a Sleek Car Ad in 7 Simple Steps | Design Newz

  • http://YourWebsite John Leftwich

    @ billy bob:

    That’s a very good point; for some reason I didn’t even think about the Lamborghini and the logo. I was only thinking about fine art pieces in the public domain.

    • http://www.arvinbautista.com Arvin Motion Graphics

      Lamborghini won’t take action as long as the car is being portrayed in the way that it’s supposed to be portrayed (i.e. as a car, not, say, as something used to run over babies), and besides, if the photo was taken from a stock photo site, the responsibility is on the photo site to have cleared the rights (esp. if they are presenting it as royalty free).

      Think about it, if this is supposed to be a car ad, not even an ad just for lamborghini, do you think all those car ads you see in your newspaper insert with tons of car logos and car photos, were rights cleared? And if this WAS a commercial Lamborghini ad, as in Lamborghini paid you to make this (because who ELSE would pay you to make a Lamborghini ad???), then don’t you think they’re giving you express permission to use their logo?

  • http://YourWebsite Bdigitaldude

    @ jc i kind of see where your cimg form but no real pint to what yousay most designers know about dpi anyway -
    copyright isnt valid if theyre dead simons correct

    if you using this for personal work then its cool yo use any logo duh
    and n one with brain cell would use a lambo logo on there comerc work

    commensense and btw its just a 7 step fun tut on a blog sorry danny but i dont think lambo give flying billboard

    • http://www.outlawdesignblog.com Danny Outlaw

      Exactly. I think the dpi issue goes without saying. As does the copyright issue. But perhaps I will make an informative post about dpi and resolution to link future tutorials to.

      Yes, this is not my best tutorial, but like you said, it was just ment to be easy and fun.

  • http://www.sjlwebdesign.co.uk Sam Logan

    I thought it was a very easy and fun tutorial, maybe not the best effect but would be perfect for beginners. I think it would be a good idea to make a post about dpi and resolution to link to in the future to stop arguments like this from developing.

  • http://www.creativeindividual.co.uk Laura

    Nice tutorial… like everyone else has pointed out, execution could have been a tad better, but by no means is it of poor quality. Personally I think the concept wins back what the reflection takes away. Great tagline! Well done!

  • http://www.hearingplanet.com/index.php Hearing Aids

    Good tutorial. Thanks for the post.

  • http://www.colectivobicicleta.com Colectivo Bicicleta

    Muy buen tutorial, saludos desde Bogotá