Parking Layout Plan Render in Photoshop

This tutorial is a step by step guide on parking layout plan render in photoshop to make it self-explanatory by giving specific textures to designed spaces. The outcome is stunning & I am sure you’ll love it.

Ingredients : Sketch or Cad drawing PDF, Parking cutouts, Tree cutouts. In case you will be using a CAD drawing and not a sketch then export CAD as two files- one with everything except text and one with text only, both at same scale to make selections easier.

Fact : To get a stunning rendered site plan, good detailing should be done on drawings before photoshop work starts. Such rendering takes time when doing for first time but once done, you can use the textures of this psd file for future works and therefore doing same kind of work in lesser time.

Step 1: Preparation
Open the Site Plan line work pdf/image in PS. Then make a new group. Rename it to Patterns. Similarly make groups of cars & tree. Groups are beneficial in making your work more organised as well as applying effects to several layers in single stroke.

Basic rules for upcoming steps:

• The texture which is at lowest level will be made first and texture which is at highest level should be made later. For example Road (± 00 Lvl) texture first, then Paving Texture (+150 Lvl) , then Hedges (+300 Lvl) etc. For the sole reason of texture at higher level drops its shadow on texture at lower level.
• You must know masking. Learn about masking here.
• Keep shadows of patterns, cutouts of trees and cars all in single direction. If not all, mostly in one direction, so that at a glance shadows are on same side depending upon the sun location assumed.

Step 2: Pattern Road
Select Site Plan layer, with Magic Wand(W) and set Tolerance about 10, click on road area. If your AutoCad work is perfect, all joints intersecting then your road will be selected in single click. Click on all places where you want road pattern. Now select Solid Color from Adjustments Icon, set grey color, Tadaa! You see basic colored road. Rename this layer to ROAD. To give it a road texture with a hint of color variation, double click on Road layer to open layer style window and give a Inner Shadow Layer Style. The “Noise” option in it is tricky, it shouldn’t be too less nor too much.

Step 3: Pattern Parking
Same as previous step, select parking areas with Magic Wand(W). Add Solid color with a light grey color. In case you want to add more areas, select the Site Plan layer and select areas to be added with magic wand, then select the MASK of Parking layer and fill white color ( press D then Ctrl+Backspace). In case you want to remove any excess area, select that area, then MASK of Parking layer and fill with Black color( press D then Alt+Backspace). You can know more of masking here.
To give a tiled texture, Double click on Parking Layer icon to give it layer styles. Select Pattern overlay, then choose some tile pattern (You can find them here). Adjust scale carefully, it is the scale which makes things realistic. Just think how many tiles will cover a 5×2.5 m parking space and accordingly adjust sliders. Incase you want to change color of tiles, give a Color Overlay style too. Finish with giving a little Bevel Emboss since parking level will be a little higher then road level. (Save Ctrl+S)

Step 4: Pattern Parking Enhanced
A white strip in parking areas adds up to realism. Select Site Plan layer and select the areas of lines which you want to turn white with Polygonal lasso tool(L). Then Ctrl+J of make a copy layer of that selection. Rename it to Only White. Then Color Inverse it by Ctrl+ I. Erase(E) everything which is extra. I’m sure you’ll love the result.

Step 5: Pattern Grass
Select grass patches in Site Plan layer, apply a green Solid Color and rename. Then apply Layer Styles, give a Pattern Overlay of a grass texture. You may add Inner Shadow to give a depth effect if you have planned grass to be at lower level than surrounding areas.

Step 6: Pattern Rotaries
Same as Step 5. The images below shows only the Layer Style differences. Rotaries layer are given a Bevel & Emboss effect as they are higher than road level.

Step 7: Pattern Gardens
To give nice variation to overall image, use different grass textures for different grass categories like gardens, rotaries, grass etc. Same as step 5. The images below shows only the Layer Style differences. In my design I have assumed these Gardens on a higher level than surrounding road/parking areas and thus the Bevel & Emboss effect. (Save, Ctrl+S)

Step 8: Pattern Paving 
Same as step 3 or 5. You need to apply Color Overlay layer style only when you don’t have a pattern of desired color.

Step 9: Pattern Semi Pervious
Same as step 3 or 5. You need to apply Color Overlay layer style only when you don’t have a desired color pattern.

Step 10: Pattern Hedges
Same as step 3 or 5. Bevel & Emboss style gives a Topiary effect and Drop Shadow layer style reinforces the height of Hedges.  (Save, Ctrl+S)

Check Page 2 to learn adding Cars.
Check Page 3 to learn adding Trees.