Designing T-Shirts: A Ps Guide For Beginners

Designing a T-shirt in Photoshop is a great way to create a unique and personalised fashion statement. With increased personalisation in retail, custom-designed print T-shirts have become the norm. The good news is that you don't need any special design skills to create an effective T-shirt design. There are two main paths you can take to design your own T-shirt: downloading graphics, fonts and using Photoshop to put them together; or using a T-shirt template from a design generator.

If you choose the first option, you will need to find free graphics and fonts for your design. You can do this by searching for free png graphics and downloading from sites such as Freepik, Shutterstock and iStock. You will also need to download Photoshop, which is available from Adobe for $9.99 per month.

If you opt for the second option, using a T-shirt template, you can try Placeit's design templates, which offer a wide variety of assets, including fonts, graphics and backgrounds. This method is quicker and easier, but offers less flexibility in terms of customisation.

Once you have your design, you can upload it to a print-on-demand shop such as Spring or Society 6, and start promoting your T-shirts with mockups.

Create distressed textures and brushes

To create distressed textures and brushes for a T-shirt design in Photoshop, you can follow these steps:

Firstly, find a suitable texture image to create your distressed effect. Images depicting rust, worn wood, peeling paint, or scuffed surfaces work well for this purpose. You can take your own photos of these textures or find them online.

Once you have your chosen texture image, open it in Photoshop. You will then want to select a portion of the texture. Go to the 'Select' menu and choose 'Color Range'. From the options given, you can select by 'Sampled Colors' and use the eyedropper tool to pick out some nice texture. Alternatively, you can select by 'Shadows' as a way to create a distressed texture.

After making your selection, extract and optimise your textures. Right-click on your selected texture and choose 'Layer Via Copy' to place it on a new layer. If your selection includes too much texture, invert the selection before copying it to the new layer. You can now make adjustments to this layer, sharpening and optimising it as needed.

Now that you have your texture layer ready, you can save it as a transparent PNG file for future use or turn it into a Photoshop brush. To create a brush, open the PNG file and select a part of the document using the Lasso Tool. Go to 'Edit' > 'Define Brush Preset' and press OK to create your new brush. You can then adjust the brush settings to your liking, such as turning on Shape Dynamics and Scattering.

With your distressed textures and brushes created, you can now apply them to your T-shirt design in Photoshop. Place your design elements on top of a base layer of the T-shirt fabric. Then, add your texture on a new layer above the others. Adjust the texture by selecting a blending mode from the Layers panel, such as 'Multiply' or 'Linear Burn'.

You can also use layer masks to distress your design in a non-destructive way. Choose the layer you want to distress and click the 'Layer Mask' button in the Layers panel. Use a brush to conceal parts of the layer, remembering to set the colour to black. Additionally, you can add transparent textures on top of your design and use the 'Select Color Range' tool to create interesting effects.

Utilise PNG textures

To create a distressed T-shirt design in Photoshop, you can utilise PNG textures to achieve a vintage aesthetic. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Create or Source a PNG Texture

You can either create your own PNG texture by photographing a metal surface or using digital textures available online. These textures mimic the appearance of aged T-shirts with faded prints.

Step 2: Prepare the Texture in Photoshop

Open the PNG texture file in Photoshop. Adjust the colours by converting the image to black and white, inverting the colours, and adjusting the brightness and contrast to your desired effect. Save the texture file in a transparent PNG format.

Step 3: Create a New Document

Create a new document in Photoshop with the desired settings for your T-shirt design. Choose a background colour, such as black, and place the lettering or design element for your distressed T-shirt.

Step 4: Apply the PNG Texture

Go to "File > Place" and select the PNG texture file you prepared earlier. Resize and position the texture as needed. To ensure the texture only affects the lettering or design element, right-click on the texture layer and select "Create a Clipping Mask."

Step 5: Adjust and Refine

To enhance the distressed effect, you can add additional textures or play with the blending modes and opacity settings. Experiment with different textures and adjustments until you achieve the desired vintage look for your T-shirt design.

By following these steps and utilising PNG textures, you can create unique and eye-catching distressed T-shirt designs in Photoshop.

Use JPEG textures

JPEG textures can be used to create a distressed effect on your T-shirt design in Photoshop. This effect will give your T-shirts a vintage look.

First, you will need to find a JPEG texture pack online. There are free and paid options available. Once you have downloaded your chosen texture pack, open the desired texture in Photoshop.

Next, select the texture by pressing 'Select All' and then copy it. Return to your main document and click on the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers panel while holding the 'Alt' key. This will allow you to edit the mask contents directly. Now, paste the texture and adjust its size and position.

Exit out of the mask to see the texture being applied to your artwork. You can adjust the strength of the effect by altering the Levels of the texture. To do this, select the mask thumbnail in the Layers panel and press 'CMD+L' to open the Levels window. Adjust the shadows, midtones, and highlights sliders to change the contrast of the texture.

You can also use multiple textures to create an even more interesting visual effect. Simply repeat the process by placing another texture above the lettering and creating a Clipping Mask. Change the blending of the texture to Hard Light to make the distressed effect less evident.

By utilising JPEG textures in Photoshop, you can create unique and eye-catching T-shirt designs with a vintage aesthetic.

Combine textures and brushes

To create a distressed T-shirt design, you can combine textures and brushes in Photoshop. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Select Your Brushes and Textures

Choose the brushes and textures you want to use for your design. You can create your own custom brushes and textures or use pre-made ones. For example, you can take photos of distressed or worn-out textures and edit them in Photoshop, or use tools like Adobe Capture to turn images on your mobile device into brushes and textures.

Step 2: Add Brushes and Textures to Your Design

Open your T-shirt design in Photoshop and add your selected brushes and textures as new layers. You can adjust the size and position of the brushes and textures as needed.

Step 3: Experiment with Layer Blending Modes and Opacity

With your brushes and textures in place, it's time to experiment with different layer blending modes and opacity settings. Try out the various blend modes, such as Multiply, Screen, and Overlay, to see which one gives you the desired effect. Adjust the opacity of the layers to control how much the original design shows through.

Step 4: Create Custom Layered Effects

For a truly unique distressed effect, try using layer masks. Apply a layer mask to one of your layers and use the brush tool to paint out parts of that layer. This technique allows you to create custom layered effects that give your design a distressed appearance.

Step 5: Fine-Tune Your Design

Continue adjusting your design until you achieve the desired distressed look. You can add more brushes, textures, or layers, and experiment with different blend modes and opacity settings. Remember that you can always adjust the size, spacing, and opacity of your brushes as well.

By following these steps and experimenting with different textures, brushes, and blending options, you can create a one-of-a-kind distressed T-shirt design in Photoshop.

Find free graphics

When designing a T-shirt in Photoshop, you can use free graphics to enhance your design and make it more visually appealing. Here are some tips on finding free graphics to use:

Adobe Express

Adobe Express offers a range of free design tools to help you create custom T-shirts. You can access thousands of standout templates and ready-made templates to kickstart your design process. You can also upload your own photos or add stock images and designs from their libraries. Adobe Express allows you to personalise your T-shirt with your logos, fonts, and colours, making it easy to create a unique design.

Vexels

Vexels provides thousands of transparent PNG graphics that can be used for free on PSD t-shirt templates. They also offer exclusive PSD templates created by their team of professional designers, making it easy to scale your design ideas into multiple T-shirt designs. With Vexels, you can expand your portfolio and offer various products to your customers.

Canva

Canva offers a wide range of free design tools, including millions of free images, icons, and graphics. Their drag-and-drop design screen makes it easy to create any design quickly. They also provide free standard shipping and eco-friendly printing processes, making them a sustainable and cost-effective option. Canva's design tools allow you to customise your T-shirt with graphics, text, or your own uploaded images.

Envato Elements

Envato Elements is a subscription-based marketplace that offers unlimited T-shirt design templates, product mockups, graphics, and more. They have a wide selection of Photoshop T-shirt designs, including distressed textures and vintage-style designs. You can find hundreds of ready-to-use templates to create unique and professional-looking T-shirts.

Vecteezy

Vecteezy has a large collection of royalty-free vector graphics and clipart that can be downloaded for free and used in your T-shirt designs. They offer various T-shirt-related graphics, including polo shirt templates, long sleeve T-shirt vector templates, and short sleeve shirt templates. Vecteezy's resources can help you create eye-catching and professional T-shirt designs.

By utilising these sources, you can find free graphics to enhance your T-shirt designs and make your creative process easier. These tools and resources will help you create unique and visually appealing T-shirts that stand out and attract customers.

Frequently asked questions