Heavenly Blue Header

* This layout tutorial was written in 2009
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In this tutorial I will be teaching you how to make version four of Skylish. After discovering CSS Bake; I knew I wanted a more unique layout. I dedicated this layout to Michael Jackson, as his birthday was that month on August the 29th. This layout, if you're wondering, is related to MJ because of the magazine pages and the cloudy background. Today I'll be teaching you to make a similar header.

To begin, create a new header sized 660 x 160. We are going to use a cloud stock from Sweet Rawr and paste that as a separate image. Go to Image > Resize and resize your image so that with with is 700 and the settings is on "Pixels".

Now for some serious colour editing.
» Duplicated your base layer, go to Adjust > Hue and Saturation > Colorize, change your Saturation to 0. Nomatter what your Hue is the picture should go gray.
» Duplicate your base layer, drap it to the top, go to Adjust > Hue and Saturation > Colorize, change your Hue to 126 and your Saturation to 105. Set this layer to Screen at 100%
» Set your second layer to Hardlight at 100%.
» Duplicate your base layer, drag it to the top and set it to Soft Light at 100%
» Merge all of your layers together. (Layers > Merge > Merge All)
» Go to Adjust > Hue and Saturation > Automatic Saturating Enhancement, highlight "More Colourful", "Strong" and "Skintones Present" then press OK.


Copy your now well coloured image, minimize the page and paste the clouds (CTRL+L) over your previous blank header image. Once you've done that merge all of your layers together.

Minimize that image and create a new blank image sized 518 x 86. We are going to fill this with a lined paper stock. The lined paper stock that I'm using for this tutorial is from Swim Chick. I'm taking on of her stocks and resizing it (using the same method as earlier) so that with width is 550px. I'm pasting that as a new layer (CTRL+L) onto my blank small image just created.

Now using the colour #A4D2F8, add a random brush swirl in the corner. The brush I'm using is from Celestial Star. Then write you site name over it in #404040. Use a handwriting font, the font I'm using was downloaded via Dafont.net and is called "Hand of Sean". Merge all your layers together once you're done.

Next, we're going to use () tool. Match your settings to mine below:
Slection Type: Smart edge
Mode: Replace
Feather: 0
Smooth: 0
Anti-Alias ticked.

Before we cut however, duplicate you base layer then delete the base. Then create a new raster layer and drag that below your duplicate of your base. You'll see why we did this in a minute.

Using the whip tool, trace around both of the right and left cornors of your header then press delete. There's an example to the left.

Almost done! Merge your layers VISIBLE, then copy your image and paste is as a new layer (CTRL+L) onto the clouds we made earlier. Use this () tool, to rotate the image slightly. Then go to Effects > 3D effects > Drop Shadow and match your settings to mine below:
Vertical: 1
Horizontal: 1
Opacity: 100%
Blur: 5.80
Color: #00FFFF
Merge all of your layers together.

For the last step, create a new raster layer. I'm going to use a tape brush that I downloaded from Saruna a couple of years ago, with a colour of white, and add it at the bottom right corner, I'm going to continue to click down on it until the tape is completely white (because it isn't originally at a solid opacity). Then I'll go to Effects > 3D Effects > Drop Shadow. Match your settings to mine below:
Vertical: 0
Horizontal: 0
Opacity: 100%
Blur: 7.25
Color: #000000

Set that layer to Darken at 36%, then merge all of your layers together... you're done!