How to make a Mixtape Cover

Start by making a canvas of 500X500 Pixels

Next, find a stock or background you would like to use, I prefer going to http://www.officialpsds.com/ , I will be using a stock of a Haunted House.

Resize it to your liking. The search for a picture you want to use, Im going to be using the rapper Lil Wayne. Your free to use who you want.

Now that you have a picture place it where you like, since I like to put my artist in the middle thats what I will do.

This is what I have so far

Now, to make the picture look realistic we will have to blend it in, Go to blending options it looks like this

then go to gradient map, make sure your colors are black & white then click Ok. Then go to blending mode on the gradient map and set the layer to Luminosity.

Then click your artist and select a light but not too light skin tone and it should be for me it was a light brown and white, then do the same thing you just did but set it too Soft light. The pic a dark but not too tark skin tone. Keep the white as well, then do the gradient map. Set the layer to Soft Light at a 46% Opacity, Results will be different.

Heres what I got at the moment.

See the difference? Of course you do. Now Go to blending options again and go to Photo filter, I want the photo too have a darkish feel to it so im going to pic a darker color.

It looks decent so far but theres something missing, OH YEAH the shadow, make a duplicate layer of your artist and paint him Black. Put him under the original picture of the artist and rotate it, then put the Layer Option on Soft Light at 60%.

Now for the Text. Put your title on and add a Bevel To it of O Pixels.

Now Im going to add a grunge texture to it, I used this one www.officialpsds.com/Clock-Grunge-stock3469.html . Now that I have a texture on it I will move on to the Title.

Now I have it on there, this is what it looks like