How to Make Your Own Movie Poster

1. How to Make Your Own Movie Poster Print

Step 1

To make our photo collage poster, we want a 12 by 18-inch print, and because we are printing this, we want a DPI of 300. 

Step 2

Also, despite printing, I am going to create using an RGB Color Mode. As I'm more used to designing for digital, I'm going to convert to CMYK at the end and do any color correcting I might need. If you want to make your own movie poster just for fun, it will be totally fine. 

2. How to Create a Cat Photo Manipulation

Step 1

We need a very specific pose, so while I'll be using my cat Reggie's head, we'll need to construct his body. Find a stock image of a cat that looks closest to your cat. We will need both body and arms, so for my cat body I used two different stock photos. 

We're going to split the image in half, Duplicate, Flip and mirror the image side by side with the original. We are completely ignoring the head and focusing on creating the base for our new body. 

Group the two halves together and name it "Body."

Step 2

Extract and replace the paws, if necessary. I used a combination of Layer Masks, Object Select, and Select and Mask to quickly extract and place the paws. 

Use a Layer Mask and a soft round Brush set to black to softly blend away any harsh edges.

I also placed the paws outside of the Body group, which will make future steps easier. 

Step 3

Place your cat's head! Again, I used a combination of Layer Masks, Object Select, and Select and Mask to extract and place the new head. 

Step 4

Now, let's create a white Solid Color Fill layer below all of our current layers. 

We're going to refine the shape of the body and mask out any areas we don't want—the leftover head of the original cat and the paws being the main focus. 

You can also Transform and Warp the body to better suit the proportions you're going for. I squished the original cat's body vertically so it'd appear shorter and stubbier. 

Step 5

Do some final color correction. I darkened the body using a Curves adjustment layer and desaturated the entire image using a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer.  

Step 6

Flatten the image, or turn it into a Right-click > Smart Object.

Extract the image using your preferred method. Mine, again, was a Layer Mask, Object Select, and Select and Mask. Set this image aside for later. 

3. How to Make Creative Movie Poster Backgrounds 

Step 1

To start our photo manipulation, we need an ocean background. When it comes to poster art backdrops and how to make your own movie poster, I have two words: implication and simplification. It's more important to create the implication of the environment than something photo-realistic or highly detailed.

Start with a blue Solid Color Fill #648e94 layer, and then place and transform this wave stock on top. The bottom left-hand corner will be covered in splashes, so there is no need to worry about the canvas underneath peaking through. 

Step 2

Place a second wave over the first. Add a Layer Mask to the second wave, and click the mask to make it active.  Go to Select > Color Range. 

Locate the Invert checkbox and Check it. Use the Eyedropper tools and Fuzziness to select the color of the sky. We want the splashing water to be showing, with as little of the darker blue sky as we can. 

It won't look perfect; just press OK once you're happy. 

Step 3

Use a soft white Brush to mask back in any areas you want visible, like the top of the wave. 

Use a soft black Brush to mask out any harsh edges and blend the bottom of the wave into the existing wave underneath. 

Step 4

Step 5

Create a Solid Color Fill layer filled with light blue #346cc7 over all of the current background layers, and bring the Opacity to 15% to add a blue tint to the background. 

4. How to Create an Action Cat Movie Poster Scene  

Step 1

Next up in how to make your own photo collage poster, we want to place our two sharks. Feel free to play with different combinations and positions. 

I applied two image adjustments to the sharks: 

• Brightness/Contrast set to Brightness -19 and Contrast 67
• Hue/Saturation set to -20 Saturation

Step 2

Add all of your explosion assets behind and below the two shark layers. Just roughly place them together; you can rearrange them later. 

Group them together into a group named "Fire."

Step 3

Place your cat over the two sharks. 

Step 4 

Use a default round Brush to mask away parts of the feet so that the cat appears above the sharks. Most of the feet will be hidden by water, so there's no need to be precise. 

Step 5

Below the shark layers and above the Fire group, create two adjustment layers: 

• Vibrance set to -80 Vibrance 
• Brightness/Contrast set to -22 Brightness

5. How to Build a Wave 

Step 1

We are going to make a quick front wave by selecting the second wave layer, Duplicating it, and then bringing it above the shark layers. 

Squish the layer vertically, and place it below the sharks' bodies. 

Step 2

Use a black Brush to mask back in some of the missing areas. You can also color correct using Hue/Saturation and Brightness Contrast. 

I placed a Color Lookup adjustment layer set to 3DLUT: 3Strip above the new wave. This is an optional step that will simplify and saturate the current colors. 

Step 3

Now is the time to start building out the wave and water using 3D water assets. I suggest color correcting the first, and then copying that adjustment onto all future water splashes.

I added two adjustments: 

• Hue/Saturation set to Colorize, Hue 209, Saturation 19, and Lightness +20
• Brightness/Contrast set to Brightness +6. 

Step 4

You'll place waves both above and below the main figure assets. Some will be located below the Shark layers, while others will be above the Cat layer. 

Place them in a wave-like shape. You can create some depth by making the splashes closest to the foreground bigger. 

Step 5

Below your bottommost splash asset, create a Solid Color fill layer set to a dark blue #00274f color. Set the layer mode to Multiply and 50% Opacity. 

Invert the layer mask using Control/Command-I. 

Now, use a soft round Brush to paint shadows where the water needs to look deeper, darker, or more solid. 

If you need to paint quick shadows above the shark or cat layers, you can use the same color and layer settings on a New Layer. I placed a shadow behind the water splash coming from between the cat's legs. 

6. How to Create Bubbles in Photoshop 

Step 1

I really like these bubble PNGs and want to use them to create more movement, so I arranged them to be bigger in the front and smaller the further they are from the front of the canvas. 

Step 2

Group the bubbles and set the Bubble group to Lighten. I also decided to turn them black and white using Hue/Saturation. You can keep the rainbow if you prefer. 

Step 3

Now, we want to make it look as if they are reflecting and distorting the background behind them. First, select all of the layers located below the bubbles, and Duplicate and Merge them. So you should now have a flat copy of your background. 

Bring that copy below the Bubble group.

Now, use the Lasso tool to create a selection of each bubble. There's no reason to be completely accurate. I just made sure to get the general wobbly shape. 

Step 4

Use Filter > Distort > Spherize set to 100 to distort the background located behind the bubbles. 

Also, I added a Layer Mask to the flattened background right after, so if I want to fiddle around with the backdrop, I can do so without redoing the whole process.

7. How to Create Some Quick Backlighting

Step 1

First, let's use a mixture of  Soft Light and Overlay layers to increase the shadows and highlights in the image. I used a soft default round Brush and black and white. 

For this photo collage poster, I focused mostly on the cat's body, as well as the surrounding waves.

Step 2

Next, let's add the color grade. These three layers will stay at the top of your canvas so they affect all layers underneath, giving everything a cohesive look.

Create a Color Lookup adjustment layer above all current layers, set to 3DLUT 3Strip at 45% Opacity.  

Step 3 

Create a Selective Color adjustment layer and increase the Reds, Blues, and Cyans. 

Step 4

Finally, create a Color Lookup adjustment layer set to 3DLUT Teal Orange Plus Contrast at 26% Opacity. 

Step 5

Now, for the backlighting. Duplicate the main subject layer and bring it below the original. You don't have to include any clipped layers. 

Fill the duplicate with a pale orange #fedb99 using a Color Overlay layer effect. 

Next, move the colored layer around, so that the color peaks behind the subject. You can also use Warp Transform to push and pull the layer. 

Step 6

Next, do some speedy painting using the same pale orange color and a very small hard round Brush on a New Layer over the subject to help blend the two layers together. I also painted some whiskers. 

Step 7

Finish everything up with a bold text effect and some cat puns!   

8. How to Print Your Own Movie Posters

Step 1

Finally, it's time to print our movie poster design! Ordering through Saal Digital makes this process super easy. They have multiple high-quality print materials to choose from, including traditional poster and canvas prints. I decided to go for a metal print.

Since this was designed in Photoshop, I'm uploading it through their website, but they also have desktop software as well as a mobile app. 

Step 2

Next, choose your Orientation and Format. I'll be doing a Portrait with a size of 12x18 Inches. Once done, hit Design. 

Step 3

Now, we can upload our art and choose a matte if we would like. I'll be choosing a full print with no matte for mine, but you might want to add one to yours. 

Step 4

Then all we have to do is Add to Cart and check out! My print arrived in less than five days and looks crisp and vivid. I'm incredibly happy with it! 

We're Done! 

That's how to make your own photo collage poster! This would also look great as movie canvas art. Just remember, when making your own movie poster, choose one subject to focus on, and then build around that. That includes choosing a simple but strong complementary color scheme like orange and blue. Less is more, even when dealing with cats and sharks!  

Thanks again to Saal Digital for making the printing process a breeze! Here's the full video tutorial for you:

How to Make Your Own Movie Poster

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