The document describes the process of creating a digipak poster in Photoshop. It discusses: 1) Taking a side profile photo of a male model to use as the base image. 2) Researching other digipaks for inspiration and learning double exposure techniques in Photoshop. 3) Creating a double exposure effect by overlaying an image of trees onto the model's photo at low opacity to see him underneath. 4) Adding a sky image as the background to create a natural theme that works with the overlaying trees.

1. Digipak Poster Practice
Using Photoshop

2. The first thing I did was take
a picture, I chose to do use a
male model and take the shot
from the side as I felt it was
original as many of the
digipak posters used a front
facing shot.
This was the shot that I
decided to use for my digipak
poster.

3. After deciding on my shot I looked at other
digipaks for inspiration. I also looked up
tutorials that showed how to alter and add
effects to images using Photoshop.
From doing this research I decided to do a
double exposure effect on the image with an
image of natural scenery as I thought it
would give a powerful impact. I considered
using either an internet image of the galaxy
or trees. In the end I chose to use an image
of trees as I preferred the way it would stand
out and the effect it would give against the
image of the artist.

4. I opened up a Photoshop document and
inserted both images. I then rotated the
image of the trees as I felt that it would then
draw the audiences attention into the
middle of the poster as that is where all the
information about the digipak will be, I then
began to rub out the background that was
in the image of the artist and then I placed
the image of the trees over the person and
turned the opacity down so that I was able
to see the artist underneath but was still
able to see the trees. I then neatened the
image by rubbing out the areas of the tree
image that was outside the outline of the
face.

5. I then searched the internet for an image of
the sky as I felt that it would work in
synergy with the trees overlaying the artist’s
face as then it would follow a theme of
natural locations.
I chose the bigger image as I felt it
looked more artistic which fit the
conventions of the indie genre I am
creating my poster for. The image
also saved as a larger file therefore I
knew that if I had to enlarge it on
Photoshop it would keep it’s
high quality.
I then added this image into my
Photoshop file and arranged it so
that it went behind the layer of the
artists, so it became the background.

6. I duplicated the layer of the artist and
used a mirror image tool so that it
reflected the original. I think this looks
particularly effective as it is quiet unusual
and will therefore grab the audience’s
attention.
I then added the name of the artists into
the document I chose an eroded font as I
felt a bold font would look to harsh over
the light colours of the images.
I felt the mirror images worked well and
the rotation of the trees as they worked
well together to draw the audiences
attention to the name of the artist.

7. I continued to edit the poster, so that I could try out different techniques.
I tried a different font however I
thought the pattern in the font
made the poster look to busy
and looked to similar to the line
of tress that it didn’t stand out
enough.
In these two images I tried out
different levels of opacity of
the tree layer over the image
of the artist. I preferred the
lower opacity level (left image)
as I felt in the image on the
right the trees can’t be seen
very clearly and therefore I felt
the effect was lost. I also
tested with the trees going
vertically down the face rather
than horizontally.

8. On these images I tried out different colours and saturations. I also
experimented with a black and white effect.