In this tutorial, you will learn how to create an event poster design in Photoshop using an event poster template from Envato Elements.
What You Will Learn in This Music Event Poster Design Tutorial
- How to select an event poster template in Envato Elements
- How to insert your content into a Photoshop design
- How to create an event poster format
- How to add fonts, stock photography, and logos to an event poster design
- How to use a color overlay in Photoshop
We have a video course on Event Poster Design, where you can learn how to create this poster and others with a subscription to Envato Elements.
What You’ll Need
To recreate the design above, you will need the following resources.
- Core Music Party by PeakStar
- Devant Horgen - Modern Typeface by webhance
- Bird Colorful Gradient Logo by ivan_artnivora
- Young female deejay by Pressmaster
1. How to Get Started
First, find the event poster template you’ve downloaded from Envato Elements in your Downloads folder. Unzip the file by double-clicking it, and open the folder.
Open the A2-US_Medium folder, and open the A2.psd file in Photoshop.
- The project should be in CMYK Color mode, 8 Bits/Channel. To check this, go to Image > Mode.
- For best results, your photo size should be 5031–7087 px wide/high. To check this, go to Image > Image Size.
- Delete the REMOVE THIS LAYER layer by clicking on it in the Layers section and pressing Delete.
With the event flyer design now visible, get a feel for the template by going through the layers and flicking the Eye icon on and off to see which layer corresponds to which element on screen. Many of the layers are grouped in folders. Expand the folders and go through the layers that make them up.
2. How to Insert Your Copy
Step 1
Expand the Texts folder and insert your copy in the relevant placeholders. Some of your copy may bleed off the canvas at this point, but we’ll fix this shortly.
Step 2
To edit the hero text that currently says “CORE”, double-click on the TEXT_EDIT layer. This will take you to a separate Photoshop file. Double-click the T symbol in the layer to edit the text. When finished, go to File > Save and head back to the main Photoshop file.
3. How to Refine Your Structure
At this point, things should be looking a little messy. Which is perfectly fine, because we’ll start refining the structure now.
Step 1
Double-click on the TEXT_EDIT layer icon. This should take you back to the other Photoshop file you added your hero text into before. Reduce the size of your text by double-clicking on the T icon to the left of the layer, and reducing the Character size in the Properties module.
Step 2
Select the Rectangle Tool (U) by clicking it on the left of the screen, or hitting the U key. If the toolbar doesn’t show a rectangle, long-press on whatever shape is being shown and select the Rectangle option from the menu that pops up. Draw a Rectangle to fit the size of the canvas. Hit Command-T to adjust the size if it doesn’t quite fit.
Then hold the Command key and click the Rectangle symbol next to the Rectangle layer to select the shape. Once dotted lines border the Rectangle, select the DJ HALCYON text layer and use the Align tools at the top of the screen to center the text. Hide the Rectangle layer by clicking the Eye icon next to it. Click File > Save and return to the main Photoshop file.
Step 3
Resize your other text in the Texts folder by adjusting the size, letter spacing, and line spacing of each text box in the Character module. For the text that’s rotated -90 degrees, select the respective text layers, hit Command-T, and hover over the top-right corner of the layer to see the Rotate symbol appear. Hold Shift and drag it to the right and down to straighten the text.
Step 4
Once the text fits on the screen and is sized more to your liking, move all the copy other than the hero text and “BIRDY TOURS PRESENTS” to the right of the canvas. Select the DJ HALCYON text by holding Command and clicking the layer icon to the left of the TEXT_EFFECT layer. Select the TICKETS text box and align it to the base of the DJ HALCYON text. From there, stack the FEATURING and APRIL 20-22 text boxes above, trying to space them out evenly.
Step 5
Double-click each of these text boxes and, in the Paragraph module, Right Align them. Then Command-click the IN THE TRANCE layer and use the Align tools to align the text boxes to the right edge of this text.
Step 6
Hide the QR code by clicking the Eye icon next to the layer.
4. How to Add Original Fonts
Step 1
Open and install the font we’ve provided. Go to your Downloads folder, unzip the file, and install the Devant Horgen font on your computer.
Step 2
Head back to Photoshop. Go to the TEXT_EDIT layer and double-click to open a separate Photoshop file. Select the text and, in the Character module, change the font to Devant Horgen. Resize the text to fill as much of the canvas as possible.
Step 3
Return to the main Photoshop file. Go through the Texts folder of layers and add the Devant Horgen font to the “APRIL 20-22 THE FORUM, MELBOURNE” copy, adding the names of the support acts and the web address.
Step 4
Resize the text to your liking, then hold Command and click on the TEXT_EDIT layer to align the TICKETS text box to the bottom of the hero DJ HALCYON text again. Adjust the text boxes stacked above to be evenly spaced.
5. How to Add a Logo
Step 1
Unzip and open the folder for the logo you’ve downloaded in your Downloads folder. Find the Illustrator or .ai file and double-click to open it.
Step 2
When the project opens in Illustrator, click on the bird logo and copy it by holding Command-C or by going to Edit > Copy.
Step 3
Go to File > New and create a New Document. Make the size 1440 x 1440 pixels.
Step 4
Press Command-V or go to Edit > Paste to paste the bird logo.
Step 5
Scale the bird to fill the canvas by grabbing a corner of the logo, holding Shift-Option and dragging your mouse until you’re happy with the size.
Step 6
Save this file as "Bird Logo" by going to File > Save or pressing Command-S. Save it as an Illustrator or .ai file.
Step 7
Return to the main Photoshop file and drag and drop the Bird Logo file you’ve just created into the Photoshop window.
Step 8
Scale down the bird to fit next to the BIRDY TOURS PRESENTS text by pressing Command-T and dragging the logo from the sides and hitting Return when you’re happy with the size. Resize the BIRDY TOURS PRESENTS text the same way to make room for the logo.
Step 9
Align the logo with the BIRDY TOURS PRESENTS text at the top of the screen by holding Command and clicking the layer, selecting the Bird Logo layer and using the Align tools to center the logo vertically.
Step 10
Group the logo and BIRDY TOURS PRESENTS text by selecting both layers and hitting Command-G. Command-click the PHOTO_EDIT_HERE layer in the Background folder. Horizontally center your Bird Logo and Text group to that layer using the Align tool.
6. How to Add a Stock Image
Step 1
Next, find the stock image you’ve downloaded in your Downloads folder and drag it into the main Photoshop project.
Step 2
In the Layers module, drag the photo into the Background folder, in front of the PHOTO_EDIT_HERE layer. Command-click the PHOTO_EDIT_HERE layer and center your photo to it using the Align tools. Hit Command-T to scale the image to fit the canvas, hitting Return when you’re happy with the size.
The image should fit nicely between the two streams of text, with the DJ’s head sitting in between.
7. How to Refine the Design
The stock image’s vivid pink color scheme will now be clashing with the hero text and making the other copy hard to ready. So let’s address this by adjusting the colors and effects of our content.
Step 1
Open the TEXT_EFFECT folder in the Layers module, and double-click on the TEXT layer. Turn the Inner Shadow and Drop Shadow effects off. Turn the Color Overlay effect on, and change the color to white or #ffffff.
Step 2
Command-click the TEXT layer and select the dmt_blurred layer, also in the TEXT_EFFECT folder. Align the dmt_blurred layer vertically to bring the streaks effect in line with the hero text. Double-click the dmt_blurred layer and change the Color Overlay to white or #ffffff. Turn the Opacity of the effect down to 10%.
Step 3
Turn the Background layers off by switching off the Eye symbol next to the Background folder. Hide the NATION_Letters-Background folder by pressing the Eye symbol. Open the Elements folder and hide the two circle layers and the Elements subfolder inside. Hide the Texture_Overlay folder.
Step 4
Group the stream of text on the right-hand side together by selecting each layer and hitting Command-G. Double-click on the group to bring up the Layer Style window, and turn the Drop Shadow effect on. Adjust the Opacity to be at 100%, the Distance at 0%, the Spread at 6%, and the Size at 9%.
Step 5
Switch the Background folder back on. Draw a Rectangle the size of the canvas using the Rectangle Tool, hitting the U key, or selecting the Shape Tool from the toolbar. Place that layer behind the stock image and double-click on it to bring up the Layer Style window. Switch on the Gradient Overlay effect and create a linear gradient using a vivid orange (#ef3e23) and pink (#ed2071).
Step 6
Reduce the Opacity of the stock image to 70% in the Layers module.
8. How to Edit a Color Overlay
Finally, bring the whole composition together by adjusting the Color Overlay layer.
Go to the Layers module and select the OVERLAY_COLOR_EDIT layer. Once selected, the Hue, Saturation and Lightness faders should pop up in the Properties module. Adjust the Hue fader side to side and see the way it inverts the colors of this event poster template. Simply adjust back and forth until you find a color combination you like.
9. How to Export the Project
Once you’re happy with the result, it’s time to get the project ready to be exported.
Step 1
Make sure you save the file to ensure all your work won’t be lost. Do this by going to File > Save, naming the file, and placing it in a location you’ll remember.
Step 2
Head to File > Export and choose the best option for you. If you want to share this event poster design digitally, you can do Quick Export as PNG. Or you can export it as another file type for the web or click Export to change the file type to suit print.
You Made It!
Congratulations, you’re all done! Now you can share your event with the world. Here’s our final result:
5 Best Event Poster Design Templates
Want to create more high-quality event poster designs in Photoshop? Check out some of these templates from Envato Elements.
Music Event Flyer by graphicook (AI, PSD)
Easily create bright, playful music event posters with this template by Envato Elements author graphicook. The template is fully customizable and works with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. It features a placeholder for a feature image, room for your event name, headline entertainment, support acts, and venue details. It’s colorful, bold, and easy to use.
Event Flyer by creativeartx (PSD, JPG)
Doing a theatre or cabaret performance? This flyer template by creativeartx will promote it perfectly. It features your event name at the center of a lit-up placeholder, with bold fonts and a slick red, orange, and yellow color scheme. You’ll get passers-by booking tickets in no time.
Creative Event Poster by MotionMediaGroup (PSD)
Hosting an event focused on innovation? This creative poster by MotionMediaGroup features an extremely modern aesthetic with an orange and blue background image, and minimal white and blue text placeholders. The layout is sparse, with placeholders for event dates, hashtags, and social media handles. It’s a great choice for a technology conference or startup meetup.
Minimal Event Flyer by kylyman (PSD)
This event Photoshop template is a great mix of minimalistic text placeholders and beautiful photography. The gray of the background, overlapping of the text and image, and spread-out copy create a rustic feel. It’s easy to edit, and by adding your own image, easy to make your own.
Thanksgiving Event Flyer by Guuver (AI, PSD)
Create a warm and inviting flyer for Thanksgiving with this template by Guuver. With a red, orange, and cream color scheme, a mix of font styles, and a hand-drawn illustration style, it’s a gorgeous way to mark one of the most iconic days of the year.
