Fire up Photoshop or Photoshop Elements and begin by creating a new document, 800 pixels by 800 pixels. Save the document as pop-poster.PSD.

Select the Gradient Tool from the Toolbox. From the Gradients Picker drop-down on the toolbar, choose the Spectrum gradient, as shown in Figure 2. (If the Spectrum gradient isn’t available, click the small arrow at the top right of the Gradient Picker and then choose Reset palette from the pop-up menu.)

Figure 2: Choose the Spectrum gradient.

Select Linear Gradient from the Options bar, as shown in Figure 3. If your rulers are not visible, turn them on (View | Rulers). Right-click on a ruler and select Percent from the pop-up menu, as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 3: Select a Linear Gradient.

Figure 4: Set rulers to Percent.

Use the left ruler to find the 40% point, 4/10 of the way down the canvas. Click, and Shift+drag to the bottom of the canvas to paint in the gradient, as shown in Figure 5. You should wind up with something like Figure 6. If not, try again. Remember to hold down the Shift key while you drag to keep the gradient perfectly straight.

Figure 5: Click-and-drag from about 40%, vertically.

Figure 6: The initial gradient.

For the next step, we need a custom pattern. Let’s go make one.

Vertical Bars – fast and easy.

Create a new document 1 pixel tall by 4 pixels wide, as shown in Figure 7. (Yes, you read that right). Make the background white. Click OK. Double-click on the hand tool to zoom all the way in..

Figure 7: Create a new 4 x 1 document.

Set the foreground color to 150,150,150, a medium gray. Grab the Pencil tool from the Toolbox. In the options bar, set the width to 1 pixel.

Remember that there are only four pixels here. Leave the first pixel white. Click once with the pencil tool to color the second pixel gray, as shown in Figure 8. Set the foreground color to black: 0,0,0. Click once with the pencil tool to color the third pixel black, as shown in Figure 9. Set the foreground color to 107, 107, 107, a darker gray, and use the Pencil tool to color the final, forth pixel, as shown in Figure 10.

Figure 8: Leave one pixel white; color the next gray.

Figure 9: Color the third pixel black.

Figure 10: Color the fourth pixel gray.

What good, you may ask, is this tiny little document? It’s going to save you a whole lot of time in just a little bit. From the menu, choose Edit | Define Pattern. Name the pattern line fill, as shown in Figure 11, and click OK.

Figure 11:Create a new pattern.

Close the 1x4 document without saving. You’re done with it. Return to your original image.

From the menu, choose Layer | New | Layer. Name the new layer line fill, set its Mode to Darken, and click OK.

From the menu, select Edit | Fill Layer. In the Fill Layer dialog, select Pattern from the Use drop-down list. From the Custom Pattern drop-down, select the new line fill pattern you just created, as shown in Figure 12. Press OK to fill the layer.

Figure 12: Choose the new pattern.

What did this accomplish? You’ve filled the layer with closely spaced, alternating black, white, and gray lines. The pattern wasn’t lines, it was single pixels, but, because the fill pattern is repeated as often as necessary to fill in the layer, they’ve been turned into 800, 800-pixel tall lines. The line fill layer’s Darken blending mode creates dark lines over the gradient, as shown in Figure 13.

Figure 13:gradient plus lines at 300%

The gray lines separating the pure white and black lines trick the eye, making the transition between light and dark seem smoother, less abrupt.

Spin Art

So far, these steps don’t seem to have much to do with the final image but don’t worry; here’s where it starts to comes together. Flatten the image by choosing Layers | Flatten Image from the menu.

From the menu, choose Filter | Distort | Polar Coordinates. In the Polar Coordinates dialog select Rectangular to Polar, as shown in Figure 14. Click OK. The Polar Coordinates filter has bent the gradient around in a circle, rendering it as a starburst of sorts, as shown in Figure 15. The black lines now help give the impression of rays of colored light emanating from the center of the image.

Figure 14:Apply the Polar Coordinates filter.

Figure 15: The gradient is wrapped in a circle.

There’s probably an unsightly dark line at the top, but the next step will fix it.

From the menu, choose Layer | New | Layer via Copy to duplicate the background on a new layer. Now, choose Image | Rotate | Flip Layer Vertical (that’s Flip Layer Vertical, not Flip Vertical). This stands the new layer on its head. In the Layers Palette, set the new layer’s blending mode to Lighten. Now, lighter pixels in the top layer overwrite darker pixels in the background layer, hiding any unsightly dark bits, as shown in Figure 16.

Figure 16: Lighten mode hides the dark lines.

Flatten the image again (Layers | Flatten Image). This would be a good time to save your work.

Cut a Circle

Select the Elliptical Marquee tool from the Tool Palette. Use the rulers to place the cursor at the exact center of the image. Do your best to center the cursor at 50 and 50 but don’t sweat a pixel or two. Click-and-drag away from the center. Once you begin dragging, press and hold the Alt/Option key – to expand the selection from the center – and the Shift key – to constrain the selection to a perfect circle.

Expand the selection to encompass as much of the radial gradient as possible without going beyond the boundaries of the canvas, as shown in Figure 17. Don’t worry if you don’t get every last bit of it selected – better slightly too small than slightly too large. If things go horribly, horribly wrong, deselect everything (Select | Deselect) and try again.

Figure 17: Mark a circular selection.

From the menu, choose Layer | New | New Layer via Copy to copy the contents of the selection to a new layer. Notice that Layer via Copy keeps everything in the same place in the new layer, so the selected area will stay centered. In the Layers Palette, rename the new layer sunburst.

Deselect the gradient (Select | Deselect). In the Layers Palette, select the background layer. From the menu, choose Edit | Fill Layer. Choose Black for the Contents and click OK.

There’s some pretty interesting stuff happening in the red area at the center of our sunburst. It might be just perfect for another project but, for now, it’s not what I have in mind at all. The next step is to get rid of it.

Sun Blocker

Select the sunburst layer in the Layers Palette, then choose Layer | New | Layer via Copy to copy it to a new layer. Rename the new layer center blocker. In the Layers Palette, Ctrl+click on the center blocker’s thumbnail, as shown in Figure 18. This selects all the filled pixels in that layer. From the menu, choose Edit | Fill Selection. Choose Black for the Contents and click OK. This results in a black-on-black composition, but have no fear.

Figure 18: Select the layer’s filled pixels.

Deselect everything (Select | Deselect), and then choose Image | Transform | Free Transform. Handles appear around the center blocker object. Click on one of the corner handles and begin dragging toward the center. As you drag, hold down the Alt/Option key – to resize from the center – and the Shift key – to keep the circle perfectly circular. Drag until the black object almost completely covers the red area in the center, as shown in Figure 19. Press Enter to accept the new size.

(In case you’re wondering: “Couldn’t I have used the Elliptical Marquee tool to select the red center area and filled that with black?” … Yep.)

Figure 19: Resize the center blocker.

Next let’s blur the stark black edges of the center blocker a bit. From the menu, choose Filter | Blur | Gaussian Blur and enter a value of 10. Click OK.

Now choose Layer | Merge down, to merge the center blocker with the sunburst layer.

You may have noticed that the gradient colors in the sunburst are not the ones in the final composition. They can, in fact, be almost any colors that suit you. Here’s how: from the menu, choose Enhance | Adjust Color | Adjust Hue/Saturation. In the Hue/Saturation dialog, drag the Hue slider right and left to see the results. I dragged the slider right, to about 150, as shown in Figure 20.

Figure 20: Adjust the Hue/Saturation.

This is a good time to save your file again.

Adding the Pyramid

We’re in the home stretch now, Baby. Almost done. Time to add the pyramid.

Select the Custom Shape Tool from the Toolbox. On the option bar select black, then click the Shape Picker, as shown in Figure 21, and choose the Triangle shape from the drop-down menu. (If the Triangle shape’s not available, choose Shapes from the Shape Picker’s pop-up menu.)

Figure 21: The Shape Picker. (annotated)

Use the rulers to place your mouse at the center of your canvas. Now, click-and-drag downward to begin creating a triangle. Once you’ve begun to drag, press and hold the Shift and Alt keys to constrain the shape to a triangle, and to grow it from the center. Drag until the bottom corners of the triangle just touch the outside edges of the canvas, as shown in Figure 22. This creates a new ‘shape’ layer, called Shape 1.

Figure 22: Create a black triangle.

Select the Move tool from the Toolbox. Handles appear around the triangle. Press the arrow keys repeatedly to nudge the triangle to the very bottom of the canvas. Now, click-and-drag on the top center handle to shorten the triangle until the top point is at the center of the canvas, as shown in Figure 23. Watch your rulers to check your progress.

Figure 23: Resize the pyramid.

Duplicate the Shape 1 layer (Layer | New | Layer via Copy) Name the now, topmost, triangle layer Pyramid. Name the lower triangle layer PyramidGlow. In the Layers Palette, select the Pyramid Glow layer, then choose Layer | Rasterize | Layer (Photoshop) or Layer | Simplify Layer (Elements). This step changes the layer from a vector shape to a layer composed with pixels, which will be important soon.

Set the foreground color to 0,150,240 – a nice sky blue. In the Layers Palette, Ctrl+click on the Pyramid Glow layer thumbnail, to select the filled pixels, and choose Edit | Fill Selection from the Menu. Under contents, choose foreground color and click OK. Nothing seems to have happened, but that’s because the black Pyramid layer is on top.

Deselect the triangle (Select | Deselect). This is important.

Change the Pyramid Glow layer’s blending mode to Screen. You’re going to blur the layer, so that the light blue color leaks out around the edges of the black pyramid on top. This is the reason for simplifying the layer: you can’t blur a vector shape.

From the menu, select Filter | Blur | Gaussian Blur. I gave it a value of 10 pixels. You can preview the results of different settings in real time. Choose whatever looks best to you. Screen mode gives it a nice, glowing effect. The bigger the blur, the bigger the glow.

Flare de Gras

Time for the final touch. In the Layers Palette, click the Pyramid layer’s thumbnail to select in, then choose Layer | New | Layer to create a new topmost layer. Name the new layer Lens Flare, and set its mode to Screen.

Fill the new layer with black (Edit | Fill Layer). Black pixels do nothing in Screen mode, so they’re invisible in the composition. Just what we want.

Now choose Filter | Render | Lens Flare from the menu. Choose 105mm prime, and set Brightness to 100%. Click near the center of the preview to minimize the flare artifacts, as shown in Figure 24. Press OK to accept. Notice that you can see the bright parts of the lens flare, only the black is invisible. Perfect. The Lens Flare filter won’t create a flare in an empty layer; that’s why we had to fill it first.

Figure 24: Create a lens flare.

Finally, select the Move tool and use it position the lens flare over the very point of the pyramid. Ta-da!

Save your work. You’re done.