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Step 3: Setting up the Main Layout

Create a new document that is 500px wide by 300px high at 72dpi. These dimensions are arbitrary and meant for the tutorial only. Save this document as "main_layout.psd.”

Rename the "Background” layer to "floor_color” and fill it with #1a211c. This can be accomplished by setting the foreground color in the Tools palette to #1a211c and pressing Alt + Backspace.

Step 4: Bringing in the Corkboard Texture

Go back to the "textures.psd” document. Right-click the "corkboard” layer and select "Duplicate Layer…” from the contextual menu.

In the resulting dialog, name the copied layer "corkboard” and select "main_layout.psd” as the destination document.

Go back to the "main_layout.psd” document. The new "corkboard” texture layer should appear above the "floor_color” layer.

Step 5: Resizing and Repositioning the Corkboard Texture

With the "corkboard” layer selected in the Layers palette, press Command + T, the keyboard shortcut for the Edit > Transform > Scale command. In the Transform Tool Options palette click the Maintain Aspect Ratio icon (noted with a red arrow in the image below) between the width and height fields, and enter 75.00% for the width. Press Enter twice and the transform will be complete.

Clicking the "Maintain aspect ratio” icon ensures that the layer will be scaled equally in both directions. Alternatively, 75.00% can be entered in both fields without clicking the icon; the result would be the same.

The scaling operation will cause the texture layer to shift out of position so that it’s located awkwardly in the lower right of the layout. With the "corkboard” layer selected, use the Move tool (V) and drag the texture around until it’s in a position that looks pleasing, without great variations in tone across the layout:

Step 6: Revealing the Floor Layer and Adjusting the Corkboard Color

With the "corkboard” layer selected use the Rectangular Marquee tool (M) to select a region that is 500px wide by about 230px high, starting at the upper left of the layout.

Click the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the Layers palette. This will add a mask to the texture layer, hiding the layer’s pixels outside of the selection.

With the floor color revealed, the corkboard texture looks a bit oversaturated. This can be corrected using Adjustment Layers.

Select the "corkboard” layer. At the bottom of the Layers palette, click the "Create new fill or adjustment layer” icon, and select Hue/Saturation.

In the Adjustments palette, set Hue to -6, Saturation to -7 and Lightness to -8.

Also, so that the Adjustment layer only affects the "corkboard” texture layer, click the Clip To Layer icon at the bottom of the Adjustments palette (it looks like two intersecting circles stacked one on top of the other). This causes the Adjustment layer to affect only the layer directly below it in the Layers palette, which is indicated in the Layers palette by a downward-pointing arrow on the "Hue Saturation” layer; the name of the layer below it will be underlined.

Step 7: Adding a Shadow Beneath the Corkboard

Make a new layer above the "floor_color” layer by clicking the Create New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette (indicated by a red arrow in the image below). Once the new layer is created, move it directly above the "floor_color” layer and rename it to "cork_shadow.” Layers are rearranged in the Layers palette by clicking and dragging them into position above or below other layers.

With the "cork_shadow” layer selected, use the Rectangular Marquee tool (M) to make a selection region 500px wide by 10px high starting at the bottom of the cork texture.

Change the foreground color to black by pressing D on the keyboard (this resets the color swatches in the Tools palette to the default black foreground and white background). Next, select the Gradient tool (G). In the Gradient Tool Options palette, select the gradient preset Foreground to Transparent and the type Linear Gradient.

To be accurate, zoom in on the selection. Starting at the top of the selection, click and Shift-drag (hold the Shift key while dragging) to the bottom. In this case, Shift-dragging will constrain the Gradient Tool to the X-axis, so that the gradient is at a perfect 90-degree angle. When done, press Command +D to deselect the region.

Change the opacity for this layer to 60%. Do this either by pressing 6 on the keyboard or entering the value directly in the Master Opacity box for the layer in the Layers palette.