How to Place a logo in Photoshop

How to add a logo to an object in Photoshop

This tutorial shows how to add a loo to any object is a hyperrealistic way.

Start with a leather bag in this case. This will work on any surface.

If you have the logo in your Library, drag it into your document.

If the logo isn’t in the library, choose File>Place and find it. Or choose FIle>open and then Combine the images in your object document. 

They will now be on 2 layers.
If the Logo is a Smart Object, as indicated by the Smart Object Badge; Right-Click and Choose Rasterize layer

Press Ctrl/Cmd+T for Free Transform

Drag the corner handles to resize the logo and position it. Don’t press Enter yet.

Right-Click and choose Distort

Drag the corners to match the perspective of your object.

Right-Click and Choose Warp (If right-Click doesn’t work, make sure to Press Ctrl/Cmd+T Again)

Drag to match the roundness and bends of your object

We need to hide the black. Don’t select it, here’s a faster way. Where it says Normal in the layers panel, change it to Lighten. Changing the layer blending mode hides black.

Now we want to make the logo wrap to fit all the contours and wrinkles.

We will make a Displacement Map

Hide the Top layer

Choose the Channels Panel

Click on the Blue channel (Has the most contrast)

Right-Click and choose Duplicate Channel

Under Destination>Document choose new

This will copy the channel to a brand new document

Click ok

We now have a new document.

Save it as a .psd to your desktop. File>Save as

I called it dmap.psd

Clse the document, you no longer need to edit it.

Choose your original document with the bag.Click on RGB in the channels Panel to show all the channels again

Return to the layers panel and turn on the logo layer again.

Make sure the logo layer is selected

Choose Filter>Distort>Displace

Keep the default settings and click ok

You will now see the finder.

Navigate to your dmap.psd file and click ok

You will notice the log warps to match the contours on the bag. (Or whatever object you are working with).

Make the logo look worn

Let’s add some milage to the logo, so it doesn’t look brand new.

In the Layers Panel, click on the fx button and choose Blending Options

Choose the left black slider on Underlying Layer

Hold Alt/Option to split the triangle and drag to the right.

This will fade the logo in the shadow and midtone areas.

If you drag the left part of the triangle it will break up the type and make it look distressed.

Here is the final result.

Its a few steps, but look how realistic it looks compared to just dropping the logo and changing a blend mode.

Thanks for checking this out. Drop a comment and let me know what tutorials you would like me to create in the future.

Thanks

Colin

Follow along for more tips

Keep growing with Premium Courses

Photoshop 2026 for Digital Photographers

Learn Photoshop properly, from the basics to pro retouching, step by step.

$129.00 · one-time purchase · instant download

View the course See all courses

Free for you

The Photoshop Vault

Get my free Layer Blending Modes ebook along with dozens of exclusive Photoshop goodies: actions, brushes, presets and cheat sheets.

You're on the list, so your free goodies are waiting for you in the Vault.

Get Free Photoshop Goodies Open the Vault

How to add a texture to a face in Photoshop, displacement mapping and wrapping textures

This Photoshop tutorial shows you how to wrap a texture to a photo of a face and make it look real.  Learn... Read tutorial →

Best way to make displacement maps in Photoshop, wrap anything around any surface

How to use displacement Maps in Photoshop to wrap graphics and text around any surface and follow every wrinkle realistically Read tutorial →

Creating Starburst glints of light in Photoshop Photoshop Tutorial

Here is a nice effect that looks like the sun glinting off a metallic or shiny surface. This starburst effect even includes... Read tutorial →

3D Cubes Photoshop Tutorial

I have been asked a few times, how to make a 3d cube in Photoshop. here is the manual method. This tutorial... Read tutorial →

Placing a person inside a picture Photoshop Tutorial

In this tutorial I will demonstrate how to place a person inside an image using the "paste into" command. You can use... Read tutorial →

Tron Perspective Grid glowing lines Photoshop Tutorial

How to make a grid pattern in Photoshop. Turn it into perspective and make all the lines glow in Photoshop. I call... Read tutorial →