20 new tutorials for 2017 to improve your graphic design

[Rss Bot 1]

However experienced and knowledgeable you get, you never stop learning – and great tutorials can teach you how to take advantage of new technologies, features, tools and techniques. You don’t want to end up missing out on a new trick that could save you time and energy, and help improve your design work.

Here we round up the best graphic design tutorials to hit the web this year so far. We've split the list up into Illustrator tutorials, Photoshop tutorials, InDesign tutorials and tutorials for other software, to help you find what you're looking for. Enjoy!

First up, it's the Illustrator tutorials. Despite the increasing rivalry from apps like Affinity Designer and Sketch, Adobe Illustrator continues to be the standard tool of choice for graphic designers and studios everywhere. Here are six of the best Illustrator tutorials we’ve spotted this year so far.

01. How to create a geometric pattern

Learn to create a geometric pattern with this step-by-step guide

In this concise but incisive tutorial, Chris Spooner of Spoon Graphics demonstrates how to create a vector geometric pattern. You can either follow his step-by-step guide to create the same pattern, or remix the artwork to create your own.

02. Master dynamic gradients

This 16-step tutorial demonstrates how simple shapes can be combined to create something magical

Soft gradients are a great way to build depth and beauty into your vector graphics. In this 16-step tutorial, Russian artist Alexandra Zutto walks you through the creation of a stunning owl image, which she creates through a slow and careful process of layering and building up small segments.

03. How to optimise and export SVGs

Ensure your images work well on the web by following this SVG tutorial

In today’s multimedia world, when you create an SVG image in Illustrator, even if it’s intended for print, it’s important to make sure that it’s optimised for use on the web as well. In this Illustrator tutorial, Ivaylo Gerchev explains how to build fundamental SVG optimisation concepts into your creation process.

04. How to create digital particle waves

Use Illustrator’s Blend tool to create this stunning effect

Adobe Illustrator is commonly used to create abstract wave graphics, but here Chris Spooner explains how to use the Blend tool to create sci-fi-inspired digital particle waves. He uses Illustrator for the initial effect, then shows you how to move your pattern to Photoshop to add some extra colour enhancements.

05. How to design graphic figures

Learn the fundamentals of designing graphic figures from expert Ben O’Brien

In this 10-step tutorial, illustrator Ben O’Brien walks you through the process of designing graphic figures that can fit into a scene effortlessly, paying close attention to body language, physical proportions and positioning different parts of the body.

06. How to create an editable retro text style

Create editable yet attractive text using Illustrator’s Appearance panel

Here Chris Spooner shows you how to use fills and strokes within Illustrator’s Appearance panel to create permanently set graphic text that is editable. The result is a set of trendy, retro-style letters with a faux 3D appearance.

Next page: Great new Photoshop tutorials

Adobe’s Photoshop has become so ubiquitous that in recent years it’s become a verb as well as a noun, and is now synonymous in the public consciousness with any form of image editing. It’s still the go-to software for design professionals, so here are six of the latest and greatest Photoshop tutorials to hit the web.

07. How to make quick selections

Luke O’Neill explains three ways to make selections in Photoshop

A lot of the day-to-day work of a design studio focuses around cut-outs and masks, so it’s a skill that every designer must master. In this tutorial, Luke O’Neill outlines three basic techniques for creating selections, and also investigates the layer mask options and how you can use them to create cool effects.

08. How to make an animated GIF

Monika Zagrobelna walks you through the creation of a GIF

Creating an animated GIF in Photoshop is surprisingly straightforward. In this beginner-level Photoshop tutorial, Monika Zagrobelna teaches you everything you need to know, as she walks you through the creation of a GIF based on a wolf with glowing eyes.

09. How to create a repeating pattern

Learn to construct a repeating pattern in Photoshop

This tutorial by Christopher Phin explains how to create a single 'tile' in Photoshop and then use it to build up a repeating pattern, which can use to fill as big or as small an area as you like. He uses the example of a black and yellow 'warning' pattern to demonstrate the technique.

10. How to create a quick and easy duotone text effect 

Create a duotone text effect in this short, step-based tutorial

Duotone text is one of the big design trends of the moment. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use a texture image, a gradient map, some adjustment layers and filters to create a duotone text effect in five short steps.

11. How to create an endless picture within a picture illusion

Capture people’s attention by learning this eye-catching technique

The ‘picture within a picture’ concept is an optical illusion that can’t help but catch the viewer’s eye. This tutorial by Melody Nieves explains how to use simple photo manipulation techniques to create the effect.

12. How to create a vintage film title text effect

Using Photoshop’s 3D capabilities to create a cool text effect

This tutorial by Chris Spooner demonstrates how to use the film title styles of old black-and-white movies from the 30s and 40s to inspire your retro text designs. It makes use of the 3D feature in Photoshop CS6 and Photoshop CC to provide sophisticated lighting and shading to the letterforms.

Next page: Great tutorials for InDesign, Affinity Designer, After Effects and other software

InDesign tutorials

Among Adobe’s tools, Photoshop and Illustrator get most of the glory, but the old desktop publishing warhorse that is InDesign remains key to a lot of design tasks. Here are four great InDesign tutorials that have surfaced in 2017 so far.

13. How to design a book cover with InDesign

Laura Hawk explains how to create a book cover in this 11-step tutorial

Here, Laura Hawk explains 11 steps you need to follow to ensure a perfect book cover in Adobe InDesign. This comprehensive tutorial covers everything from setting up your template, setting up the bleed and arranging the cover panels to adding the barcode and flowing in the copy.

14. Create mixed inks with InDesign

Expand your ink options with this tutorial from Jo Gulliver

In this tutorial Jo Gulliver, senior art editor on our sister magazines, explains how to create ink swatches and groups in Adobe InDesign. This will enable you to create the maximum number of colours with a limited number of inks, without increasing the separations used for printing.

15. How to design a typographical poster using InDesign

Learn to create a type-based poster with this InDesign tutorial

Want to design an impactful event poster in InDesign? Then follow this tutorial from Jo Gulliver, which walks you through the process of creating a typographical poster, showing you how to apply a document grid, and how to create and edit typography.

16. Create special print finishes in InDesign

If you really want to transform your print project, you need to investigate special print finishes. In this guide, Jo Gulliver explains the processes she uses when creating artwork in InDesign for special finishes such as varnishes, foil blocking, embossing and die cutting.

17. How to add video to interactive PDFs in InDesign

Yes, you can add videos to PDFs; here’s how

Everyone knows about PDFs, but you may not be aware how far the format has advanced in recent years. It’s now possible to embed videos in PDFs, and this tutorial by Pariah Burke explains exactly how to go about it.

Tutorials for other software

Here are three other top tutorials that don’t involve Photoshop, Illustrator or InDesign but nonetheless offer a great grounding in their respective subjects. We hope you find them as rewarding as we did.

18. How to create a retro logo with Affinity Designer

Learn how to make a logo using this popular Illustrator alternative

Subscription-free and with some powerful capabilities, Affinity Designer is an increasingly popular alternative to Adobe Illustrator. In this Affinity tutorial, Simon Middleweek explains how to use its gradients and layer effects to create an 80s-style logotype.

19. How to create your own font

Discover how to design a font, from start to finish

In this intermediate level tutorial, Yulia Sokolova explains the process of creating her first font, Bananito, from start to finish. This covers everything from drawing the initial design, transferring the drawing to the computer, and turning it into a font using software such as FontLab or Glyphs.

20. Mock up AR graphics with After Effects

Create AR-style graphics in AE by following this tutorial

As a graphic designer, creating augmented reality (AR) experiences may be a little outside your technical competence. But you may well be asked to, for example, design a pitch video to show what an app with AR capabilities could look like. After Effects has some powerful tools to help you create these kinds of graphics, and in this tutorial, Laura Hawk explains how to use them.

View the full article