The joyful rebellion of Nicole Jacek.

Focus on the foreground.

In Photoshop, open the practice file. Then choose Filter > Neural Filters and select Depth Blur.

Note: You’ll need to download each Neural Filter before using it for the first time. If you’ve already downloaded the Depth Blur filter, simply toggle it on.

Drag to move the focal point in the image preview to the part of the photo that you want to be the focus. Then use the sliders to fine-tune the blur effect.

Save for the future.

Create a color cast throughout the scene using the other sliders. Then set the Output to Smart Filter to save the filter adjustments to the Layers panel, and click OK.

Choose File > Save As and select Photoshop as the format. This saves your file as a PSD, preserving the layers and their smart filter adjustments so you can edit them later.

Pro tip: Smart Filters include a layer mask for you to customize where the filter is applied. Click the white layer mask thumbnail and paint with black to remove blurred areas, or paint with white to reveal areas previously hidden.

Change the cover.

In Illustrator, open the magazine template practice file and click the pink placeholder with the Selection tool. Then choose File > Place and find the PSD file you created in the previous step. Make sure the Link and Replace boxes are checked and click Place.

With the image still selected, hold Shift as you drag a corner handle to resize it. You can also drag the image to reposition it within the frame.

Pro tip: When the PSD file is linked, any changes you make to it in Photoshop will update automatically in the Illustrator layout.

Style the type.

Drag to select the subhead placeholder text with the Type tool. Then click the dropdown in the Character panel (Window > Type > Character) and select Find More to access Adobe Fonts. Mouse over different fonts for a preview.

When you find a font you like, click the cloud icon to activate it and apply it to the selected text. The font is now available for you to use throughout your designs.

Add color contrast.

Use the settings in the Character panel to adjust the size and spacing of the text. Or open the Swatches panel (Window > Swatches) and, with the text selected, click a color swatch to change the color.