If you haven’t already, please visit our Creating Design Files article to familiarize yourself with our product templates.
Although we recommend using vector graphics software such as Adobe Illustrator, it is possible to create quality design files in Adobe Photoshop too. However, there are some very important things you need to know!
Opening the Product Template
If Photoshop is currently open on your computer, simply go to File > Open and select a product template. Otherwise, right-click a template file and select Open With > Photoshop. Our product templates are PDF files, and when opening a PDF in Photoshop you will see a PDF Import window. It’s very important that you choose the correct settings in this window:
- Crop To: Crop Box
- Resolution: 300
- Mode: RGB Color
Notice that with multi-page templates you will only be able to open one page at a time, so on two-sided products you will need to open each page individually.
Once you’ve opened the template with the correct settings, you should see the template guides layer in the layers panel. Photoshop will automatically name it “Layer 1”. Create your design below this layer so that you can easily see the safe area and other important guides while designing. In the image below, we’ve renamed “Layer 1” to “Guides”, and added a layer named “Artwork” where we’ll create our design.
Saving Your Design
Once you’re done designing, we recommend saving your design as a Photoshop File (.PSD)just in case you need to make changes later on. Before you save your design, be sure to hide or remove the template guides layer!
To save your design click File > Save As. In the Save As dialogue, choose a name for your design, select a file type and click Save. Depending on the product, you’ll either need to save your design as a JPEG or a PNG.
When saving a JPEG, be sure to set the Quality to the product’s Recommended JPEG Quality.
