Straight from the source’s mouth

~ 10 May 2004 ~

Since the relaunch of Authentic Boredom back in March, I’ve received a fair amount of requests by email to explain how I do some of the aging/weathering used on the site.

Thus, hot on the heels of generous “open source design” releases from the likes of Todd Dominey, Shaun Inman, and others, I give you 4minutemile.psd (Photoshop, 2.2 MB) — source file for the masthead currently running through May 13, 2004. Although created in Photoshop 7.0 Mac, it’ll open up fine in Windows and possibly even Photoshop 6.0 and 5.5.

I won’t bother explaining much of what’s there for now. Suffice it say I have plans for a for-publication article or four-part blog series (haven’t decided which yet) that will explain some of the techniques I use. Enjoy.

 

14  Comments

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1   cm ~ 10 May 2004 at 08:54 AM

thanks for being so open with your techniques … I have been wanting to learn this particular effect for a while now …

I appreciate allowing us to learn from you … other people might be stingy with knowledge or skills.

thanks again!


2   Mike ~ 10 May 2004 at 11:18 AM

I think your aging technique is tasteful.

Look foward to seeing how you make it happen.


3   Sergio ~ 10 May 2004 at 11:18 AM

Very interesting Cameron. The file opened up just fine in the Gimp. What I found most interesting was that you used a modified istockphoto image for the base discoloration.

I always have trouble coming up with good textures to use for this sort of thing. That was a real eye opener… I headed for stock.xchng, made a search for “weathered” and found a veritable barrage of excellent images for this sort of purpose. Duh. It’s sometimes the simplest things that get us…


4   Kevin ~ 10 May 2004 at 11:45 AM

It really is fine of you to be open with your techniques so that others may learn. Some folks are so worried about being copied that they avoid sharing what they know. Hopefully this trend of open discussion of design will inspire more designers to share and learn so that we can all see more great designs in the future.


5   Tim ~ 10 May 2004 at 12:30 PM

Well, that sure beats noodling around with a textured brush and the re-noodling it for better effect. Thank you for the great tip!


6   cm ~ 10 May 2004 at 01:11 PM

After opening the file and playing with it, I am amazed at how simple it is. I figured this kind of thing too difficult and I should stick to basic solids and clean lines …

thank you for uncovering a new element of design for me!


7   Ryan Brill ~ 10 May 2004 at 04:31 PM

I’ll be downloading and looking at the file when I get a chance, and will be greatly looking forward to the article/blog entries. Thanks a lot, Cameron!


8   Shaun Inman ~ 11 May 2004 at 11:25 AM

Best. Post title. Ever.


9   Zack ~ 12 May 2004 at 08:51 AM

I am only just starting to learn the design aspect of websites (been mainly on the coding side before) and Photoshop in particular and this kind of thing is amazingly helpful. I certainly hope this sort of openness is going to become a trend.

Like most things, I guess it is the little tips and tricks that you aren’t taught but that you learn that make the real difference in the work you do. It’s nice to see smoeone sharing these like this.

Thanks again.


10   Chris Vincent ~ 17 May 2004 at 02:29 PM

Open source design. Brilliant.

It will be interesting to see the different approaches designers take.


11   Jason Clarke ~ 21 May 2004 at 09:32 AM

Mr. Moll, do you give permission for folks who view this file to use the “weathered” layers in other projects?

I will use a different color overlay, but I still wouldn’t want to use it without your permission.

Thanks.


12   Cameron Moll ~ 22 May 2004 at 11:17 AM

I don’t mind at all, but I’ve got a tutorial coming up that will explain how to do your own. Might give you an edge if you create one that’s uniquely yours, following the tutorial.


13   Shot ~ 27 May 2004 at 11:41 AM

Thanks for the .psd source, just like Sergio I opened it in the GIMP and it works great.

Just a note: the above “Hmmmmm interesting !!!” is a spam comment (“polifoniczne dzwonki” means “polyphonic ringtones” in Polish); at least you’re using the MT comment redirector.


14   Cameron Moll ~ 27 May 2004 at 11:45 AM

Deleted. Thanks for noticing.




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