Create Postcards Using AI Generated Images and Procreate
Use images generated with CF Spark to create your own digital postcards
A fantastic way to share memories of fun occasions or trips is to send postcards to loved ones and friends. You may even collect postcards yourself to treasure those special times. CF Spark Art is a clever tool which generates images from text through the use of AI (Artificial Intelligence), you can describe the exact image which you’re thinking of, and then enter the words as prompts. Your pictures then come to life within a matter of seconds!
There are many artists and creators already using CF Spark to make their own images generated by text. You can check out some of these images in the CF Spark Community Feed – there is something for every taste! These images can then be downloaded, shared, or used in your very own crafting projects.
In this article, we’re going to create our own postcards using pictures generated with text-to-image generator, CF Spark Art. I’m going to use some beachy, holiday themed artworks created by other people, but you can create your own images or simply choose different ones to download. We’re then going to import our downloaded images into Procreate and design our postcards there. This tutorial is very straightforward and beginner-friendly, the designs we’ll make are also very quick, but you can of course add your own elements and further details if you’d like.
Below are some of the finished designs:
Downloads you’ll need to create these postcards
You can use the below downloads if you want to follow this tutorial exactly, but also feel free to use either your own AI generated images, or different ones you like from fellow AI artists! Follow the steps below if you’d like to search for your own spectacular AI creations.
Fonts
AI Images
California Palm Trees
Miami City Sunset
Beach Waves
Côte d’Azur Landscape 1
Côte d’Azur Landscape 2
Côte d’Azur Landscape 3
Côte D’Azur Landscape 4
Côte d’Azur Landscape 5
How to search for art created with CF Spark
Do you want to explore the thousands of creations already generated by other AI artists? Look no further, and follow the steps below to easily search for an amazing piece of artwork.
1. From the Creative Fabrica website, hover over the word Spark in the main navigation menu, across the top of the page.
2. In this menu, click on Search Creations.
3. You’ll see a search box appear towards the top of the screen, simply type in your desired image description!
And that’s it – a world of creations is at your fingertips, and accessible in only a few clicks.
Creating text based postcards
The first type of postcard which we’re going to create is based on text as a focal point, it’s quite a common style which you see in tourist shops. You’ll need your Vancouver font and California, Miami and Beach Waves images – or any equivalents which you have created or found yourself. Let’s get started!
1. First of all, navigate to your Procreate gallery page, and in the top right-hand corner click on Photo.
2. You’ll then see a box pop up which allows you to select your photograph from your iPad’s gallery. Choose your desired image, in this case I’m going to choose the California palm trees scene.
3. Like magic, your image will appear as a new project.
4. We’re now going to add text. Tap on the Actions menu, and under Add, select Add Text.
5. Type in your desired text, this could be any location you like – something which fits the theme of your imported image. I’m going to simply type the word “CALIFORNIA” in capital letters. Choose any colour you like which fits in with the background image colours. I’m going for a very pale peachy orange shade.
6. To open the advanced text options panel, tap on the Aa symbol on the right-hand side of the keyboard.
7. Use the sliders in the Design section to alter the size and placement of the letters. I’m going to increase the size of the text to the largest it will fit on the page. I’m also going to adjust the Kerning to -4.0% – “kerning” is the distance between each letter.
8. Below is what we now have. Use the Transform tools to adjust the placement and size of your text. It’s also helpful to use the Magnetics and Snapping to place your text centrally.
9. And we’re finished! Feel free to experiment with colours, fonts, and different images.
10. Go back to your Procreate gallery page, swipe left on this project and then tap Duplicate. This is very important as we’re going to use our first postcard as the basis for our second one.
11. This is a super quick way to create a different postcard style whilst using the elements we already have. Open your layers panel, and then drag the text layer below your image layer. The text will temporarily disappear.
12. In the layers panel, tap on the layer containing your image. In the menu select Clipping Mask. Like magic, this will allow us to see the image through the text.
13. Use the Transform tools to move your text to show your desired section of the image. I’m going to move the text up slightly as I’m going to add more text below. You can always also move the image layer if there’s a specific section which you want to show through the text.
14. If you’d like to, add more text and place it below your original text. I’m going to write “Los Angeles” in the font Magical.
15. Open the layers panel and duplicate the layer containing your image.
16. Arrange your layers like below – move the duplicated image layer above your secondary text, and make this into a Clipping Mask like we did before.
17. Use the Transform tools to position your text.
18. You can use any background you like – perhaps a plain colour or a pattern, but what is a really cool effect is to use the original image. Import the original image into the canvas once more, by using the Insert a Photo button from the Actions menu.
19. Drag the layer containing your third version of the original image to the bottom of the layers list. We also need to permanently affix our text and images together, so on each layer containing the image as a Clipping Mask, tap on it and select Merge Down.
20. Still in the layers panel, tap on the lowest layer containing your image – this is going to be our background. Click on the small N next to the checkbox, and use the slider to lower the opacity to around 21%.
21. And we’re finished! I think this is a really cool effect and it’s so straightforward to do.
Text based postcard style 2
1. Let’s make another postcard like the above, but with a different background. Follow all of these steps up until the point that you have your image showing through your text, like below.
2. Add a new layer, and drag this to the bottom of the layers list.
3. Choose an ocean-like shade, and in the Brush Library select Oceans (which is under the Elements category).
4. Use this brush to draw ocean ripples across the background. This brush will create darker strokes if you lift your pen from the canvas, so try to cover the whole page in one movement.
5. In the layers panel, lower the opacity to around 37% and then select Add from the layer effects list.
We’re all finished, this is a cool spin on the above two postcards which shows how versatile these simple tricks can be.
6. Next, repeat the steps of duplicating your original canvas, so that you don’t alter the original design. Once done, insert a photo and expand it to be bigger than the entire canvas. You may also need to use the green node to rotate the image from portrait to landscape. I’m going to use the Beach Waves AI generated image.
7. Open your layers panel and reduce the opacity of this new background image to around 48%.
We’re all finished – this is it for our text based postcards, but keep reading for an alternative way to create another cool design style.
Creating Collage Style Postcards
In the next section, we’re going to create a basic postcard by using our text-to-image creations as a collage. It’s so straightforward and you can arrange your pictures how you like, and have as many or as few as you like!
1. Our first step is to create a new canvas. Tap on the + sign in the top right-hand corner of Procreate, and select the option called Screen Size.
2. Tap on the Actions tool, and then Insert a Photo.
3. Insert four images of your choice – ideally all the same size. I will insert the first four Côte d’Azur pictures. Line your images up on the canvas.
4. If your images haven’t fit exactly on the width of the canvas, tap on Actions and under the Canvas section, select Crop & Resize.
5. You’ll now see the Crop and Resize menu open, use the tools at each edge of the canvas to crop.
6. Back in the Actions menu, tap Add Text and write your desired wording.
7. And just like that, we’re almost finished. You can leave the background to your wording white, or add a colour – I’ve inserted the fifth Côte d’Azur image as a background, as you can see below.
We’re all finished! This project is really simple and an easy way to share and treasure your holiday memories. You could even make various postcards, and create a digital scrapbook from them. You also have a lot of scope with this project to personalise it, and truly make it your own. If you feel like giving text-to-image generation a go and want to create your own prompts – why try CF Spark Art out? If you have any questions on AI art, check out this handy article containing all of the FAQs about creating AI art. With AI art, there is a whole world of creations which can be used to add to and enhance your artistic projects, let us know how you got on in the comments!
This article was written by
