Create a Fuel Game Cover in Photoshop

Final Image Preview

Create a new document (Ctrl+N) in Adobe Photoshop with the size 1920px by 1200px (RGB color mode) at a resolution of 72 pixels/inch. Then download a set of brushes for Adobe Photoshop, entitled: grunge procedural,pureanodyne – tribals2 and bloodbrushes2_invaynestock. Create a new layer, select the next brushes fromgrunge procedural set.

Make some brushstroke using grunge procedural brush as shown. The brush’s color is #F3F8EF

Next we’ll apply the same brush, only changing its color on #F4F2E3 and set Fill to 49%.

We’ll put some color of #E9F3F5 on the left side and on the right one.

… and then the brush of the color #D4DAD6

Next we’ll write the word FUEL and select the Free Transform (CTRL+T) command to turn it over by vertical position.

Let’s rasterize the text’s layer by clicking on the right mouse button on the layer in Layers panel and chooseRasterize Type. Click on the bottom part of the Layers panel on Add layer mask icon, click on mask to make it active and use a brush from grunge procedural set to clean out the letters’ edges. The brushes’ color is black.

On the next new layer (Create new layer) we’ll apply the brush out of the same set of the color #D7D8C8.

This layer needs to be placed lower than the layer containing the word FUEL.

Create a new layer again, using here the brushes out of the set, named pureanodyne – tribals2.

The brushes’ color is black. Choose after that the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command to incline a little the ornament. This layer needs to be situated lower than the layer containing the FUEL word.

Next we’ll apply on a new layer the earlier used brush out of the grunge procedural set, having this time the color#A6B1AF. This layer will be placed also lower than the FUEL word’s layer.

Create a new layer, select the Soft Round brush from Brush Tool (B)

paint the background around the word FUEL with the color #ECEFDA. Place it lower than the layer containing the word FUEL.

Set for this layer the Blending mode to Color

Find a photo with a muscle car represented on it, I used this photo from Flickr. I would like to thank the author of this photo:

Desaturate the photo by pressing (CTRL+SHIFT+U).

Select Create new fill or adjustment layer icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and click to Curves (Ctrl+M) to adjust the curve shape as shown. Select Sample in image to set white point and click on an area in the image that represents the white point and drag the white point slider along the axis as shown:

Press OK and one more time CTRL+M. Select Sample in image to set black point and click on an area in the image that represents the black point and drag the black point slider along the axis as shown:

Select for the photo also Filter>Filter Gallery>Cutout

We’ve got the next effect:

Remove the background using your favorite tools like Pen Tool (P), Magic Wand Tool (W), Magnetic Lasso (L) or even a simple Filter>Extract. Insert it on a new layer and place it under the layer containing the FUEL word.

On the next new layer (Create new layer) select the Hard Round brush of black color

paint very accurately the auto’s windshield.

Create a new layer again and select here a Soft Round brush (Opacity 20%) with color – #F6DB86

Paint with Soft Round brush under car to add some color. Place its layer under the layer with the FUEL word on it.

Set for this layer Blending mode to Color

Find a photo of a motorcycle racer, I used this photo from Flickr. I would like to thank the author of this photo:

Using the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M), try to make a selection on the racer’s head and pressCTRL+SHIFT+U to Desaturate.

Make a right click inside the selection and select Layer via Copy and insert it to our document. Incline a little the racer’s head, applying Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command. This layer needs to be placed under the car’s layer.

Set for this layer Blending mode to Darken

Create a new layer and select the Soft Round brush to paint out the racer’s head the same way we did when make some tonal correction on the car. The brush’s color and the brush itself are the same.

Set the Blending Mode for this layer to Color

Find photos with different motorcycle racers, I used these photo1, photo2, photo3 from Flickr. I would like to thank the author of this photos:



Start working with them by turn. The photo with a quadrocycle. Apply the same operations we did earlier with the car. Transform firstly the picture in black & white colors (CTRL+SHIFT+U). Then select Create new fill or adjustment layer > Curves (CTRL+M) the same way we did when applying it for the car.

Cut out the racer and insert him on our document. Place the layer under the layer containing the FUEL word. Apply on this layer the earlier used filter – Filter>Filter Gallery>Cutout

We’ve got the next result:

Set the Blending mode to Darker Color

On the next new layer (Create new layer) we’ll paint the racer on the quadrocycle. Using the Soft Round brush with #F7D366 color.

Place this layer under the layer containing the FUEL word.

Then we’ll prepare the next photo of the racer the same way we did with the car’s photo.

Cut out the racer and insert him on our document. Place the layer under the layer containing the word FUEL.

Set for this layer the Blending mode to Linear Burn

Next we need to Create a new layer and select for it the Hard Round brush to paint the motorcycle and the racer. The color of the brush is #E0B647.

This layer will be situated lower than the layer with the motorcycle racer.

Set the Blending mode to Saturation

Next we’ll prepare the photo with the last racer. Transform for the beginning the photo in black & white colors (CTRL+SHIFT+U).

Then apply two times the Create new fill or adjustment layer > Curves (CTRL+M) for white and then for the black points, the same way we did with the car’s photo. Cut out the racer and insert him our main document. Turn him around with Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command. Place the layer under the layer containing the FUEL word.

Set the Blending mode to Linear Burn




Create a new layer and select on it the Soft Round brush to paint the racer.

The brush’s color is #D7A517

Set the Blending mode to Color.

Create a new layer and use a Soft Round brush to paint in black the zone around the FUEL word.

This layer should be situated under the layer with the FUEL word on it.

Now we’ll create a new layer and use here the Soft Mechanical brush of white color to outline the letters in the FUEL word.

It’s time for the brushes from the set bloodbrushes2_invaynestock that will be helpful to represent the splashes around the letters of white color.

We’ve got the next result:

Next we’ll represent another new layer and apply on it the brushes out of the same set, the brushes having black color. Place this layer under the layer with the FUEL word on it.

Next we need to find a photo with the night sky.

.. and the photo of a highway.

Put both found pictures on our main document. Use the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command to place them the same way shown on the picture and incline them a little. The layer containing the highway needs to be cleaned out a little, using the Eraser Tool (E).

Put together both layers into a rasterized one (press CTRL button to select the layers and then press CTRL+E toMerge Down). Press Alt button, click between the rasterized layer of the sky & highway and the rasterized layer with the FUEL word on it (on the Layers panel) to create clipping mask.

We’ve got the next result:

Create a new layer, using here a Soft Round brush of white color (Opacity 10%)

Make lighter the highway.

Press Alt button and click between the layer with the white brush and the previous layer on the Layers panel to create clipping mask.

We’ve got the next effect:

Create a new layer again and select on it the same Soft Round brush of the previous layer to paint the FUEL word as shown:

Then press Alt button and click between the layers on the Layers Panel to create clipping mask:

We’ve got the next result:

Set the Blending mode to Soft Light

Create a new layer again and select the Soft Round brush mentioned above to paint the top part on the FUEL word.

It’s time to choose the Smudge Tool (R) to blur out smoothly the colors.

Press Alt button and click between the layers (on the Layers panel) to create clipping mask.

We’ve got the next result:

Select Create new fill or adjustment layer icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and click to Curves to adjust the curve shape as shown:


Finished!