Retro-Inspired Fan Poster
Software Used
Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator
Date Created
November 2018
Created as the final project for the Advanced Photoshop class I took in my third semester of the D3 program at BCIT.
The goal of the project was to create a composition of any kind but with many specifications in terms of content and style. I decided to go with one of my favourite movies and give it the aesthetic of an older movie poster like Indiana Jones.
This project required and effectively utilized almost every tool available in Photoshop. Including pixel perfect masking, graphic and layer styles, custom brushwork, blending modes, typography, and various colour correcting tools. The poster was also created with specific file measurements and resolution in mind.
This project used Illustrator as well. The bullet holes and the text and icons in the credits along the bottom were created in Illustrator. After the poster was completed in Photoshop, it was then transferred into and exported from Illustrator to set it up to be print ready.
Image Modification
This composition contains a total of 8 images which are heavily edited and carefully masked into the poster. These images are the main John Wick image, the 2 images for the Viggo and Iosef, the car, the road, the puppy, and the background which is made of a wide shot of New York and a stock photo of rain. Each of the main elements was masked out of a full photograph, and filters were applied to match the colours to each other and give them a movie poster aesthetics.
Brushwork
Custom made Photoshop brushes were used to create the entire background texture, the aged paper texture blood stains over the poster, as well as the shadows for the car and characters.
Vector Art and Typography
The bullet holes were made using Illustrator tools like the pen and gradient tools. The Summit logo in the credits was carefully recreated in Illustrator as one of the project requirements. The headings were created in Photoshop and converted to static shape elements. The headings use the font Contrail One.
Styles, Effects and Blending Modes
Blending modes, mostly Overlay, were used to create some of the poster like textures on the photographs and the entire composition. Effects such as Oil Paint and Posterize were used and modified on the foreground photographs. Layer styles such as stroke and outer glow were used on the text and various background elements.
Preparing for Print
After the composition was complete, it was then exported from Photoshop and into Illustrator. From there it was set up with specific bleed and trim marks and exported as a PDF and ready to print.
