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Clean Portfolio Layout Tutorial

This Adobe Photoshop tutorial will show you how to create a clean looking layout for your personal portfolio website. The effects use here are very simple and novice Photoshop users should be able to follow this tutorial fine. I will be using Adobe Photoshop CS2 for this tutorial. I plan to upgrade to CS3 later this week, so look for more CS3 tutorial in the future.

Start with a new document 900×900 pixels with a background color of white.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now fill the background with #b2b2b2 by selecting the color as your foreground color and press ALT+Backspace. Then create a new layer and draw a large rectangle using the Rectangle Marquee tool. Fill your square with white.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now right click on the layer and select Blending Options to open the Layer Styles window.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Apply the following layer styles to your rectangle layer:

Drop Shadow:
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Gradient Overlay:
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Here is the gradient I used (double click the gradient bar to open this window):
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now create a new layer. Draw a small rectangle through the white part of you gradient. Fill the rectangle with black (#00000).
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now open the Blending Options and apply the following settings:

Drop Shadow:
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Gradient Overlay:
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Here is the gradient:
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Apply the changes and your image should look something like this.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now we need to select the rectangle by CTRL+Clicking on the layer in the layer palette.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now create a new layer. Make white your foreground color. Now fill the rectangle with the gradient tool using the Foreground to Transparent gradient.

Gradient Tool
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Select the gradient from the drop down menu:
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now fill your rectangle on the new layer by clicking and dragging the mouse from bottom to top. You should begin and end where my arrow is shown.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now grab the Elliptical Marquee Tool and make a selection like below.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now delete the selection by pressing the delete key on your key board. You image should now look like this.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Next I will add a circle to the header that you can put your picture in or in our case a free graphic from the web. Create a new Layer and Using the Elliptical Marquee tool create a circle and fill it with White #ffffff. Note: Holding the CTRL button down while creating the circle will form a perfect circle.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now we will add a drop shadow to the circle.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

The image should look like this. Now you can add the graphic of your choice. Create a new layer and paste it over top of you circle. Resize the image to your liking (we will be cropping it to fit in the circle. (I found my picture at sxc.hu if anyone is interested. That site is a free photo stock website. You have to register to get the images.)
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now select CTRL+Click on the Circle layer in the Layers Palette to select the circle (just like we did before with the rectangle. Now make sure you single click on the new image layer so that the shanges will be applied to it.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now go to Select>Modify>Contract. Contract the selection by 2 pixels.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now we want to select the inverse so we can delete everything but that circular selection. Go to Select >Inverse.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now Press the Delete Key. Your Image Should Look Like This.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Using the text tool bar with Arial Black as your font in 60pt size add your name to the top of the portfolio.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Apply the following Blending Options to the text:
Drop Shadow:
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Gradient Overlay:
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Here is the gradient (to get to this double click on the Gradient bar in the on the screen pictured above)
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Drop Shadow:
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now we will save this style so that we can use it again later. Click on the New Style Button, then give your style a name and click ok.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Apply the settings and you site template should look like this
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now using the text tool bar at the words Online Portfolio just under your name using Arial Black 24point.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now go into your blending option and apply the following settings.

Drop Shadow:
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Gradient Overlay:
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Here is the gradient:
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Stroke:
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Apply the changes and your header should look like this.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Ok. Now lets apply the links to our header. Using the text tool bar with Arial Black 22 point add the text picture below.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now apply the following Blending Options.

Color Overlay:
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Stroke:
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Apply the changes. Then lower the opacity of the layer to 80%.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

So now we have the links added and the page should look like this.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now we will add the website footer. Find the two layers for the black bar. CTRL+Click on both of them to select both the layers in the layers palette. The right click on them and select duplicate layers.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Click ok if a box pops up asking you if you want to duplicate the layer. Now select your duplicate layers and, select the Move tool to move both layers to the bottom of the layout. It should look like this.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Apply your footer text using Arial Black 22 point.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now open the blending options window. We are going to apply the blue style that we saved earlier. Select styles on the left. Then select the style you saved and hit OK.
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial

Now you can add your final text to the page using the text tool bar. The final layout should end up looking like this
Photoshop Portfolio Layout Tutorial