How to Use the Page Curl Effect in Photoshop

In this tutorial we'll look at creating a page curl with Photoshop. The effect is fairly simple, so no extra tools are necessary.

(Disclaimer: I've had people ask me complex questions about getting into the professional photography business. While I have friends in the profession and know that Photoshop is a necessary tool for the modern photographer, I'm not in the business, so I can't answer related questions; I just have a knack for retouching the photos of friends and family and am familiar with the workings of the program.)

In RGB mode, set up a file--200 by 250. You should set your contents to white; you can set the resolution to 72 dpi, though apparently some people have issues with this (I can't figure out why.) Next, click on "New Layer" on your Layer palette and change the foreground color to a vivid yellow. You can then fill the layer using your "Paint Bucket" just by clicking the image. The foreground then needs to be set to white.

From there you pick the "Line". Its width should be set to 1px, with the anti-alias on. Drag a diagonal line from one corner of the image to the other.

Next, click the "Magic Wand" tool and choose the yellow space. Go to Select/Modify/Expand and, in the "Expand By" area, enter 1. Click "OK", the hit delete to erase the lower part of that yellow area.

Click the "Polygonal Marquee" tool. Place it in the lower left corner of the image and drag the mouse to the right corner of the yellow area and click it. Slide the mouse up and left slightly, then click twice.

We're about halfway there. Open your Paths palette and click on the tiny black arrow in the corner near the Paths tab. When the menu appears, click "Make Work Path". Keep the default Tolerance value and click OK. A path will now be in the place of your previous selection.

Click the "Direct Selection" and click somewhere on the path; you'll now be able to see your "Anchor Points" and your "Direction Lines". Drag the topmost Direction Line to the inside of the path's shape to curve that part of the line. Then do the same thing for the other Direction Line so you get a nice curve that blends well into the yellow part.

Click that tiny black arrow a second time and select "Make Selection". The Feather Radius needs to be at 0 with anti-alias on. Click the arrow once more and pick "Delete Path". Your selection will reappear, but with the curve you made earlier.

Click the "Linear Gradient" tool and open the options palette, then click "Edit". Click "New" pick a label for your new gradient. I normally use "pcurl" but you can use whatever you'd like. Wait for the Gradient box to pop up. There should only be two separate end points; you'll need to manually establish the points in-between and choose the colors for each point. With this particular gradient you'll be picking five points: The first will be a shadowy deep yellow; the second, vivid yellow; the third, white; the fourth, vivid yellow; and the last will be the same deep yellow as the first. In order to create a point, you need to click right below the bar you see in dialog box.

Wen you're satisfied, save your work and choose an appropriate folder. Close the dialog box. With your mouse near the top-middle of the triangle, drag it near the bottom of the selection. You'll have to do it on an angle so the gradient will have the angle you want. If you mess up, just click Edit/Undo and do it over.

Now just pick a dark color, choose your tool and write some text if you like. You now know how to use the Page Curl effect in Photoshop!