How To Design Interfaces In Photoshop

Posted: 21 May 2016 08:02 AM PDT

Do you want to design interfaces in Photoshop? Need a few extra design tips? Photoshop is a world known program which many use to manipulate photos and other content to generate improvements on the old material. Over the years Photoshop is used by a number of different people including, but not limited to, photographers and interface designers. While many tutorials work on helping photographers, not many help interface designers. For those who are looking to design interfaces in Photoshop, the following is a brief guide on some of the design tips you can use so you can reach your goals.

Tips On How To Make A Photoshop Interface

Step #1 – Dividing Your Canvas

The first step to creating a user interface is dividing the canvas into different main areas for the content to be placed. Depending on the type of interface you're creating it should include a vertical site navigation area and a horizontal sub navigation area. You should also create an area for article preview and another area for article tweeting or sharing to social media platforms.

Step #2 – Add Texture

The next thing you need to do is add texture to gain visual appeal. For app development, although most feature a smooth and glossy like appearance, it's best to add some texture by roughening the background areas. This can really add a nice visual impact without causing distraction for the viewer.

Step #3 – Block Main Content Areas

Blocking the main context areas with numerous colours is ideal for adjusting your app to different user tastes. This will give you an overall look at what the finished product will be. You can play around with the width of columns to make sure there's sufficient room for each logo in the left column, icons in the right column and enough room in the middle for the content.

Step #4 – Make Icon Frameworks

In order to make icon frameworks you will need to use some math skills. For example, if you have 7 different icons that need to be incorporated, you need to make sure they're all separately spaced accordingly to add a clean finish while leaving sufficient space of 50-75px at the bottom and top. The reason for this is it allows forsub-menus, settings and buttons to be added for social media integration, account login and setup, plus much more. To work out this space you canuse the following as an example:

Say the height is 768px tall. Subtract 100px from the menu bar from the top and bottom. This leaves 668px of space. Divide this number by 7 (the number of icons you have) and you will have 95.42px of space per one. Each icon should be 95px tall if you're filling the site with vertical icons.

Step #5 – Draw Out Your Guides

Draw your guides by using your ruler and pixels instead of inches. You can change to pixels by changing your ruler measurements when you right click the ruler yourself. Use the rule to draw out the top guide to leave menu space that was mentioned earlier.

Step #6 – Use Rectangle Template To Save Time

From the calculations we know each icon needs to be 95px. Use the 'marquee tool' and the 'top guide tool' to create a rectangle template so you can replicate it as needed. Duplicate your rectangular layer until you have the number of icons you need to arrange vertically. Also don't forget to organise your layers along the way to make everything less confusing and cluttered.

Step #7 – Import Logos

Logos can be imported using many files. Illustrator vector files can be imported as smart objects. To do this you simply open the illustrator file, select the logo, copy the selection, and switch to Photoshop. Go to Edit, thenPaste, this will paste the logo onto the layer you're working on. This can also be done with PNG files

Step #8 – Top Navigation

It's best to break up the navigation at the top of the page using shapelier tab menus. You can do this by creating a tab and select the rounded rectangular shape tool. You can edit the shape with the selection tool and pen tool until you have created the shape you want. Copy and paste the amount ofshapes you need to incorporate into your top navigation.

Step #9 – Break Up Your Content

When you feature a large amount of content, the user needs to know where it begins and where it ends. To break up your content simply use horizontal or vertical rules. You can also create a very light coloured background for each content piece to show where the end of the content is.

For text tabs use the text tool to select your font. Most times the best one to use is sans serif font as it shows up the best. Other choices are Helvetica, Arial, and Verdana.

Step #10 – Add Social Media

You can incorporate social media buttons by downloading free ones or by importing icons and pasting them to your application. Make sure they're spaced evenly apart and they're in the right column for better interface design.

Conclusion

As you can see there are many different things you need to remember when it comes to designing your interface in Photoshop. By implementing these techniques, you can create a great mock-up of your app interface quickly and efficiently. So have you made your interface design yet?

Nathan Strand is a Photoshop expert and specialist who loves to design and create many things on Photoshop. He works with an IT firm and helps customers create their own user interfaces through Photoshop and other program platforms. He has also worked with Tasarla Tasarlat in producing outstanding logo designs for many businesses.

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ProBlogger: Reading Roundup: What’s New in Blogging Lately?

Reading Roundup: What’s New in Blogging Lately?

Posted: 20 May 2016 06:00 AM PDT

Reading Roundup: What's new in blogging this week / ProBlogger.net

So I’ve been experimenting more with Facebook and to be honest I still can’t tell what will work and what won’t at the moment – everything I know has gone out the window! Stuff I think will do well totally flops and some other thing I forgot I scheduled has everyone buzzing. I cannot figure this out for the life of me!

Also the Instagram icon changed colours and everyone wigged out, and the chronological timeline disappeared with minimum fuss. Unless you fussed. Did you fuss? Does it bother you at all?

Anyway, here’s what I found this week that piqued my interest (and reminded me about stuff I had forgotten, which is a bonus!)

7 Helpful Resources Every Content Marketer Should Bookmark | HubSpot

I get into so much of a rut sometimes I forget to see what new and exciting stuff everyone else is doing, so the links to email galleries and inspiration are super useful to me.

10 Examples of Great Disney Marketing Campaigns | Econsultancy

I spoke on a panel recently about working with online influencers, and one of the questions I was asked is what is exciting me about brands and bloggers working together – I replied that it was the unique and out-of-the-box campaigns I was seeing coming through nowadays. Some of them are so creative and so fun, and that’s what I think these marketing campaigns by Disney totally represent. I love the interactivity of them, and their difference to the same-old same-old marketing we’re all immune to.

Creating a Kick-ass Brand Identity | Limwrites

You know you need to stand out – and by creating an instantly-recognisable brand is so much a part of that. This is a great post for helping you dig deep into what you’re already doing and what you can change.

How to Rule Facebook: Lessons From the Most Engaging Pages | Buzzsumo

Who’s doing Facebook really well? HOW are they doing it? How can you use these tips and do it too?

17 Tips for Entrepeneurs Who Blog | Entrepreneur

This is fantastic if only for the reminder that blogging daily isn’t all it’s cracked up to be in terms of traffic (so blog smarter, not harder!). Pretty solid tips.

This Entrepreneur Built His Business on Social Media (and you can too) | Entrepreneur

I love hearing case studies and people’s stories, and Richie Norton’s tips on doing your own PR are spot on.

14+ Tools for Bloggers | Social Media Examiner

Some of these I use, some are totally new to me, but all are useful. Which ones do you need?

Optimising for Accessibility + SEO: Site and Page Structure Overlaps | Moz

Okkkkk I think it’s time I just outsourced this stuff now. I am really impressed with the lengths they’ve gone to to discuss how to make your blog easier to find for people with disabilities.

5 Top Ways to Strengthen Your Social Media Marketing Skills | Socialnomics

If you don’t have a background in marketing, but suddenly realise you need some of these skills to help you get more traction with your blog, these tips are for you (and me. and most of us!).

Your Guide to Creating and Sharing Content | Content Marketing Institute

Images and design is where I fall down the most *makes a note to do something about it*

So what’s caught your eye this week? Have you had a Facebook win or finally got on Snapchat? I’d love to hear!

Stacey Roberts is the Managing Editor of ProBlogger.net: a writer, blogger, and full-time word nerd balancing it all with being a stay-at-home mum. She writes about all this and more at Veggie Mama. Chat with her on Twitter @veggie_mama, follow on Pinterest for fun and useful tips, peek behind the curtain on Instagram, listen to her 90s nostalgia podcast, or be entertained on Facebook.