How to Create a Cover Page for a Magazine in Adobe Photoshop 7

Perhaps you have always dreamed that one day you would be on the cover of a magazine or maybe you have wanted to be a magazine art director. Creating a magazine cover page is not as difficult as one may think as long as you have a computer, an image editing program like Adobe Photoshop 7 and lots of ideas.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Click "File / New" and adjust the canvas size to width 7 inches and height 10 inches. Be sure that it is inches and not pixels.

2. Choose a color for your magazine cover background and using your paint bucket tool on your toolbar, color your background your desired color.

3. Add your magazine title at the top of your page in a large font size using your text tool on your toolbar.

4. Make sure that your title layer is selected in your layer palette. Click "Layer," "Layer Style" and "Blending Options."

5. Experiment with the different text effects until you get the desired look for your title. When you are finished, click "OK."

6. Choose an image for your magazine cover. Open it onto a separate canvas, and then crop and resize it to fit your magazine cover. Be sure to remove the background from the image using the eraser tool or the magic wand tool on your toolbar.

7. Select the image using your square marquee tool and then click "Edit" and "Copy." Paste the image onto your magazine cover. Using your mouse, drag the image in the middle of your magazine cover.

8. Add the text to your main cover story (your cover story should be relevant to your cover image) on one side of the image. Use a text smaller than your title text but larger than the rest of the text that will be on your magazine cover.

9. Put a few more stories that will be featured in your magazine in smaller text around the image. Continue adding other story titles on your cover in different colors, sizes and fonts until you have reached the desired look.

10. Save your file and publish online or print it out (if your actually creating a magazine, glossy print paper is recommended for the cover page of your magazine).

Tips & Warnings

• You may add extras onto your magazine cover like a bar code, stars or whatever you wish to spruce it up a bit.
• Be sure to ask for permission if you are using a photograph that you got from a website or for a photograph that you did not take yourself. Always give credit to the owner of the photo.