Creating Bleeds In Photoshop

If you ever need to create a die-cut of an image, you will need to create a bleed for the image in case the die-line is off a little during the cutting process. Here is how you do it:

Open the image that is going to be die-cut. It should already be clipped out of the background and on it’s own layer. Duplicate that layer. This layer you will labeled “bleed”.

Hide the original layer and select the bleed layer. Go to the filters menu and select “Filter – Other – Minimum”.

Depending on the resolution of the image, put in a setting that will expand the bleed layer at least 1/8 inch outwards.

Now turn on your original layer, but keep the bleed layer selected. Make a selection of the bleed layer by holding down the apple key and clicking on the bleed layer icon in the layer’s palette. Select the brush tool, set it to 20 pixals, with a 50% hardness and zoom in on the bleed area.

If you hold down the option key, you’ll notice the cursor change from the brush tool to the eye dropper tool. You will use this move to select the color you need for the bleed.

Using the eye dropper tool, you will select the color of the outer edge of the original image. Then you will “paint” the bleed with this color. And because the bleed is selected, you won’t be painting outside of it.

The object is to make the edge of the original image and bleed image seamless. You will want to pay close attention to how the color changes around the image. The more attention you pay to detail, the better the bleed will be.

When you update your file in Illustrator, your bleed should fit nicely with the die-cut you’ve created in your layout.