Step 1

Create a new 30003000 pixels document. Fill it with black. If your background is white, you
can just press Ctrl/Cmd+I to invert your layer.

Step 2

To start everything off, lets create a black background with a subtle gradient. There are several
ways to do this from using the Gradient tool to adding a nondestructive Gradient fill layer. The
best way though is to add a gradient overlay layer style. You should use layer styles whenever
you can because, unlike creating adjustment layers, they dont add to the number of layers you
have.

As with any PSD, the background layer is always locked. To add layer styles, you will need to
unlock it by right-clicking and choosing Layer from Background.
Now go to Layer > Layer Style > Gradient Overlay. Use the settings from the image below. The
Dither setting is new in Photoshop and it adds speckles to your gradient to make it look
smoother.
Step 3

If you look closely at the gradient, you can still see banding even though we enabled dithering.
This is completely normal and to fix it, well use a trick web and interface designers use adding
noise. The noise we add will hide the banding and give it a nice texture.

First, create a new Solid Color Fill Layer (Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color). Set the hue &
saturation to 0 and brightness to 50%. This will give you 50% gray.
Step 4

Now were going to add some noise with the Noise filter. Photoshop has a small problem where
you cant apply filters to Fill Layers. To overcome this, you can either rasterize the layer or
convert it to a Smart Object. Its better to convert it to a Smart Object because it lets you apply
filters nondestructively.

Convert your layer to a Smart Object by going to Layer > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart
Object. Next, go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise. Set the amount to 8%, distribution to Gaussian,
and enable the Monochromatic option.

Step 5

Change the blending mode to Soft Light. Now you can see the grainy texture mixed in with the
gradient.
Step 6

Were done with the background and to keep things organized, we will rename and group the
layers. Start by renaming the bottom layer to Gradient and top layer to Noise. Next, select
both layers (hold Ctrl/Cmd to select multiple layers) then group them (Ctrl/Cmd+G). Rename
this group to Background.
Step 7

Next, were going to place some picture frames. From the Picture Frames packages, place any
picture frame youd like to use. I recommend sticking with the rectangular picture frames. My
favorites are the Brushed Aluminum and Smooth Aluminum picture frames because they stand
out from the dark background.

To place the picture frames, go to File > Place, browse for the picture frame image, then click
OK. Resize the picture frame so that it fits in the center. Hold the Alt and Shift key while resizing
the Alt key lets you resize the image towards or away from the center and the Shift key
maintains the aspect-ratio of your image. Press Enter to apply the transformation.

Note: When you use the File > Place command (instead of copying/pasting), Photoshop will
automatically place your photo as a Smart Object. This lets you resize/transform the layer as
much as you like without losing image quality. See this image for an example.
Step 8

With the Move tool selected (V), hold Alt+Shift then drag the picture frame towards the right.
Holding the Alt key while using the Move tool will duplicate it in a new layer. Holding the Shift
key constrains your movement horizontally, vertically, or diagonally (45). Once youve copied a
picture frame to the right-side, do the same thing to create another picture frame on the left side.

Step 9

Rename your layers to Left/Right/Middle Picture Frame then group them into a Picture Frames
group. To group the layers, hold down the Ctrl/Cmd key and select the three layers then press
Ctrl/Cmd+G to group them.
Create a new group (Layer > New > Layer Group) and rename it to Photos. Position this group
below Picture frames.

Step 10

Use the Rectangular Marquee tool to create a selection near the picture frame like shown in the
image below. The selection doesnt have to be precise; it just needs to be a little extended from
the middle.
Step 11

With the Photos group selected, click on the Add Layer Mask button. This will create a layer
mask from the selection you made in the previous step.
Step 12

Now its time to place your photos! Go to File > Place, browse for the photo you want to add,
then click OK. Scale the image to the size you like. Just like before, if you hold the Shift key
while scaling, Photoshop will preserve the aspect ratio of your image so that it doesnt get
distorted. You can scale the image larger than the size the frame.
Step 13

Drag the layer with your photo into the Photos group.
Your photo will now appear inside the frame.
Step 14

Repeat the previous two steps with two more photos for the left and right frame. You should now
have 3 layers like shown in the image below.
Step 15

Create a new group called Hanging Strings and position it above the Background layer.
Step 16

Select the Polygon tool.

In the option bar (located at the top), set the fill to none, stroke to 3 pt, and sides to 3. These
options are only available in Photoshop CS6.

Holding the Shift key, draw a triangle like shown in the image below. With the shift key held
down, Photoshop will constrain your triangle so that one side is 100% vertical/horizontal.
Step 17

Go to Edit > Free Transform. Hold Shift and rotate the triangle so that the bottom side is
horizontal. Next, scale and position the triangle like shown below. Dont apply this
transformation yet.
Drag the top-center point downwards to compress the height of your triangle. It should look like
the image below. Press Enter to apply the transformation.

Step 18

The string is done and now were going to create a metallic pin. Select the Ellipse tool.

Before we draw, create a new layer above your string layer. This will tell Photoshop to add the
next shape we draw on the new layer instead of adding it to the existing shape layer. Create a
circle like shown below.
The best way to create a circle thats perfectly centered is to click on the corner of the triangle,
hold Alt+Shift, then drag outwards. This will give you a perfect circle that expands from the
center.

Step 19

In the options bar, change the fill to black and stroke to 90% gray.
Heres what your pin should look like.

Step 20

Next, were going to apply several layer styles to give it a metallic look. Go to Layer > Layer
Style > Bevel & Emboss. Set the technique to Chisel Hard, size to 3px, and angle to 90 degrees.
Enable the Contour style then use the settings shown below.

Step 21

Enable the Drop Shadow option and set the Spread to 25% and Size to 9px.

Step 22

To give it a metallic look, were going to add a noise gradient. Enable the Gradient Overlay
option then click on the gradient to open the Gradient Editor. In the Gradient Editor, change the
color model to HSB, drag the S black input slider to the very left, then drag the B black input
slider towards the right like shown below. Keep clicking the Randomize button until you get a
gradient that looks metallic.
Heres what our button looks like.

Step 23
Duplicate the layer with the string (Ctrl/Cmd+J) then drag it towards the right so that it appears
near the right frame. Repeat this to create a string for the left frame. Rename your layers and
youre done!