Adobe Photoshop
1 – Creating the initial paper colour
and texture
Create a new layer.
Choose the Selection
Tool, and select a rectangle in the centre of the area. Make it slightly smaller
than the canvas size.
Fill the area with
a tan colour. I've used #E8E0BE here. Press Ctrl+D to deselect the area.
Create a new layer.
Fill it with 50%
grey.
Click Filter > Noise > Add Noise. Set it to 10%, Gaussian, and Monochromatic, and press OK.
Change this layer's Mode from Normal to Overlay.
2 – Scorching the parchment
Create a new layer.
Set the colours back to black and white, by pressing "D", and Click Filter > Render > Clouds.
Change the layer's Mode from Normal to Color Burn, and set its Opacity to 50%.
The next step is to distort the edges of the paper, to give it a jagged appearance.
In the Layers list, click on your tan-coloured, paper layer. It should be called "Layer 1".
Click Filter > Distort > Wave, to bring up the Wave window. There's a lot of guesswork involved here. You may need to try this a few times, until you get a Wave effect you like. (Make sure you have removed the selection or this will not work)
Set the number of Generators to around 100. This creates a hundred sources of ripples, which creates a very random effect over all. (Having less Generators produces more regular waves, which isn't what we want here. Think of the number of Generators as being the number of pebbles you're throwing into a pond.)
Set the Wavelength, Amplitude, and Scale sliders to low numbers (around 10), and press OK.
This wave will now be saved, so you can click on Layer 2 and Layer 3, and Click Filter > Wave (or Ctrl+F) to repeat the same wave on each layer.
3 – Adding Cursive Text and a Drop Shadow
At this point, change the colour of Layer 1 by pressing Ctrl+U, to adjust its Hue/Saturation properties. I do this for almost everything I create in Photoshop.
Add in your own
text.
Click on "Layer 1" and give the layer a normal Drop Shadow, and press Ok.
4 – Text and Decoration
Create a new layer.
To create the swirly
dividers, choose the Selection Tool, and select a narrow strip.
Fill the selected
area with a dark brown. I've used #724C40 here.
Click Filter > Distort >Twirl, and press OK.
Change the layer to Color Burn.
Right-click this layer, and Duplicate it.
To flip the duplicate layer, select it in the Layers Panel and click Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal.
Add in a simple graphic. Save your image.