Create a Superman Logo in Illustrator and Photoshop

In this tutorial we will show you how to create the Superman, Man of Steel logo using Illustrator and Photoshop. We will also utilize some stock photos for textures and the original poster for reference. The whole process will take from 3-5 hours depending on your pace. In the end it will be really fun to create and well worth the time spent.

Step 1

Let's start the symbol in Illustrator. With the Pen Tool (P) start creating the shield. Maker sure you have red for the stroke with a nice weight and using round corners.

Step 2

Now still using the Pen Tool, start creating the S. You can use the real logo for reference.

Step 3

If you notice, the Man of Steel logo has some details in the center, so let's try to replicate that using the Pen Tool. The stroke here is not really necessary because we will edit that in Photoshop later on.

Step 4

Go to Effect>3D>Extrue & Bevel Options. For the Angle use: -4º, 0º, 0º with 120º for the Perspective. Change the Depth to 35pt.

Step 5

Remove the caps of the 3D and then change the color to grey. Go to Object>Expand. Then go toWindow>Pathfinder. Select Unite for the Shape Mode so you have one object.

Step 6

Now let's go to Photoshop. Create a new document. I am using 2880x1800 pixels. For the background use a gradient with white in the center and black on edges.

Step 7

Copy the objects from Illustrator and paste them in Photoshop. It's important to make sure that each object has its own layer, so you will have one for the 3D extrusion, one for the red symbol and 2 layers for the yellow details.

Step 8

Select one of the yellow details and go to Layer>Layer Styles. Select Bevel and Emboss and use the values below.

Step 9

Select Inner Glow and use the values in the image below.

Step 10

Last but no least, select Drop Shadow. Again use the image below for reference.

Step 11

You will have an effect like the image below. The idea of the layer styles was to add a subtle white stroke with a shadow.

Step 12

Group each layer into a folder, then for each folder do this: Go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All. With theBrush Tool (B) and a very soft brush using black, paint in the areas marked below to hide some parts of the details.

Step 13

With the Brush Tool (B), and using a hard brush, paint a little dark detail in the center. If you look at the orginal, they have some sort of the same detail. Let's create now and adjust later on in the tutorial.

Step 14

Add a layer on top of the red symbol, the one that has the S and the shield. Group this new layer into a folder. With the Brush Tool (B) and a very soft brush, paint some dark areas with black at 20%.

Final Results

Read the Whole Tutorial

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