Weekend Project: How does it look?

[diggdug39]

I am trying to make this image and here is my progress so far. Some of the colors of the green and blue as well as shapes and two-tone in the ribbons are not working out to be at all close to this image above. My canvas also looks really crowded with the three colored balloons I have made. Below is my layers panel and there are multiple copies for each balloon and the other ones are still red but I have labeled what color they will be. Can anyone help?

[Benjamin Root]

Open up the shirt image into the same document. When you go to change the color of each balloon, sample the color from the shirt. The balloons are looking good!  For the tails, you might use a little thinner line, and use the pen tool with only a straight curve. If you are attempting to come close to the shirt. Something like this:

You can also make white hot spots, to give a more dimension. Of course what you've done already is easier for you, and perhaps easier to put on the shirt

[bzareenk]

Try using a bigger canvas.To modify canvas size

1. Choose Image→Canvas Size. The Canvas Size dialog box appears. ...
2. Enter new values in the Width and Height text boxes. ...
3. or else press Alt+ctrl+C

[diggdug39]

Hey Thanks for the feed back. I still am not sure how to make those two-tone color ribbons and text. Any help you can give me for that?

[Nancy OShea]

<My canvas also looks really crowded with the three colored balloons>

What size canvas are you working with? 

You can increase canvas size by going to Image > Canvas Size.

Nancy

[diggdug39]

Hey again Nancy my canvas size is 12 x 14 but not sure what size it should be for the graphic it has to be on the shirt

[bzareenk]

Hi. A lot depends on what method of application you are going to use. If you are looking at highly detailed print, then you are looking at using a print resolution of 300 dpi. The canvas size is dictated by the capabilities of your print method. For example if you only have an A4 size printer (8"x12"), there would be little point in setting up Photoshop for an A3 print (12"x16").

Know the world has gone mad with ultra high resolutions, but for fabric 300 dpi will create a good, vivid, saleable design.

But If you would use vector rather than raster graphics, it would be even more better.

[diggdug39]

Can you help me with making the two-tone ribbons that hang off the balloons? I am printing out this graphic using 300 dpi and printing it out onto 8.5 x 11 t-shirt transfer paper. I am really unsure how I would create this so every part is a vector. Some people tell me to use Illustrator. Some people tell me to make sure I save it as the original file format psd and then save it as jpeg. I am still learning so I don't know what to do. I did make my canvas 12 x 16 and the balloons look very crowded with just the 3 I made so how is making my canvas 8 x 12 going to fit everything on the canvas? I really need help.

[Benjamin Root]

Yes, Illustrator would be the best program to use. Illustrator was made for this type of work, while Photoshop simply inherited a few of the features.

See these tutorials. They should help.

How To Make 3D Balloons in Illustrator CS6 - YouTube

How to Draw a Ribbon in Adobe Illustrator - YouTube

Then use something like Scriptina Pro for the text.

[Guest]

Where was this post 2 weeks ago I really struggled to create a nice looking balloon and the videos you shared look great. Much better than the videos I found.

[Trevor.Dennis]

Can you explain in more detail what you mean by two tone ribbons?  If you have the ribbon on its own layer, then just experiment with layer styles.  This is a gradient overlay for instance.  I'm thinking that you might not want to be too subtle, as the t-shirt printing process probably won't reproduce everything you see on the screen.

[diggdug39]

Ok well I see that the ribbons have two different colors and wondered how I would make that effect. What you did is cool! No I don't want it to look subtle but I don't how to make that two color in various parts of the ribbons. What tool should I use? I tried pencil but you see how that looks and then drawing another color in a certain part where it looks like the color changes from on to another. How did you make that?

[Benjamin Root]

By two colors/tones do you happen to mean the shadows and highlight which make the ribbon look like it actually twists around?

[postrophe]

Hi

I think so Ben. There's a lot of Illustrator tutorials/videos ( to create balloons and ribbons ) just do a search on Google.

I would not even think of using PS for that kind of work. My 2¢

Pierre

[diggdug39]

Are you guys saying I need to remake this all over again in Illustrator? Is there a way to export what I have done into Illustrator so I don't have to start all over again?

[Benjamin Root]

As long as it is all vector (pen tool, or shape) for ou should be able to open the PSD in Illustrator and convert to objects. If you follow those videos I linked to, you should have enough info to get done what you want to.

[diggdug39]

I have transfered my PSD file into Illustrator and convert to object but now I can't edit each balloon layer (balloon shape, highlight, string ) separately like when it was a smart object in Photoshop

[Benjamin Root]

You may find this Adobe help file useful: How to import artwork from Photoshop to Illustrator

[postrophe]

Hi

One recommendation is to beware of lighting direction on the balloons & ribbons, It should emanate from a main direction.

Looking at the ballons in your first post or last, I got an headache.

If I only had a few hours for this I may have search Google for : Illustrator template, balloons with ribbons

It could accelerate the process. ?

Pierre

[diggdug39]

Hi postrophe,

       The reason why all the highlights were in different directions on the balloons is because I was trying to make them the same position as they look on the image for the shirt. Should I do something else?

[Trevor.Dennis]

postrophe  wrote

Looking at the ballons in your first post or last, I got an headache.

Pierre

That was weird.  Perhaps those balloons existed in a parallel universe with two suns.