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Tutorial: the basics of Vibrant Coloring
heee, I'll never be an elitist icon maker if I don't stop sharing all my "secrets"... (if you were here you would have now seen me doing the airquotes, on screen it just doesn't look as cute as me actually doing it...)
hmmm, as I don't like the term elitist and I don't wanna be called icon maker I guess I'm fine with the concept though *g*
here you are, as apparently people are all over my vibrant coloring (you know I'm kidding, right? but some of them actually did like it)...
the basics of vibrant coloring
Step 01
open your screenshot, use Auto-Levels on it [Ctrl+Alt+Shift+L] (yeah, I'm lazy like that...). here's my original cap used. it's from Screencap-Paradise.com.
Step 02
Duplicate your background layer three times.
Set the first two copies on Screen mode, and the third one on Blending mode Soft Light.
Depending on how dark your original cap was you have to adjust the opacities of the layers now.
Normally I leave the first Screen Layer at 100%, and set the Soft Light Layer to 50%.
Then I adjust the middle Layer (our second Screen one) to my liking, in this case I went for 40%.
See, already much brighter and shinier *g*
Step 03
On top of everything I make a new layer and flood fill it with a light yellow/peach tone. I used #FEEFD1 for this example.
I set it on Soft Light and it's gonna look much too bright, so I duplicate it and set it on Multiply mode and lower the opacity of the new layer to around 30% (again it depends on your original cap)
Step 04
we could stop of course already as it looks kinda OK, but I'm a sucker for more color these days, so I add another layer. a baby blue (#AEBCDC) one. set on Color Burn. and the opacity lowered to around 35% (depending on the cap, yadda, yadda).
I also might have a tiny thing for yellowish tones, so I add another layer on top fill it with a greenish not exactly pretty color (#795900), set it on Vivid Light and lower the opactiy to around 20%
Step 05
some final touches... I add an adjustment layer. Curves. and go for a very soft S-Shape. this increases the contrast and makes colors even more vibrant.
yeah, you don't see much of a change, but I might be a tiny bit obsessive with these things...
on top of all I add three copies of the whole merge-copied new pic. (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E)
I set them (in this order) to Multiply, Screen and Soft Light and lower the opacities to my liking.
In this case, the Multiply Layer is at 20%, the Screen on at 50% and the Soft Light one at 20% opacity.
and as even I have my limits with the yellow tones, I hide the ugly green Vivid Light layer again. (no it wasn't for nothing! the three Layers on top have the slightly more yellowish color in it!!)
Step 06
bask in your new improved cap (maybe after some sharpening...), all shiny, bright and colorful :)
before and after
from here you can go which ever direction you want. add text/brushes/shapes/etc. have fun :D
I hope you found it helpful :)
feedback is as always very appreciated, as I'm sharing the indepth "secrets of icon making" here. (I've done the airquotes thing again, in front of my computer. I bet Erich thinks I'm totally losing my mind...) *pets poor Erich* (that's my Photoshop's name for those of you who don't know me *g*)
off to work out and fulfilling my civil duty. (it's big election day overhere today for those of you interested in politics. strange thing is that if the conservatives will win we'll have a female Chancellor and the head of the coalition party will be gay. teeheee, somehow this amuses me a lot. that's our conservative choice... my little heart beats a little more left and ecologically though)
hmmm, as I don't like the term elitist and I don't wanna be called icon maker I guess I'm fine with the concept though *g*
here you are, as apparently people are all over my vibrant coloring (you know I'm kidding, right? but some of them actually did like it)...
the basics of vibrant coloring
Step 01
open your screenshot, use Auto-Levels on it [Ctrl+Alt+Shift+L] (yeah, I'm lazy like that...). here's my original cap used. it's from Screencap-Paradise.com.
Step 02
Duplicate your background layer three times.
Set the first two copies on Screen mode, and the third one on Blending mode Soft Light.
Depending on how dark your original cap was you have to adjust the opacities of the layers now.
Normally I leave the first Screen Layer at 100%, and set the Soft Light Layer to 50%.
Then I adjust the middle Layer (our second Screen one) to my liking, in this case I went for 40%.
See, already much brighter and shinier *g*
Step 03
On top of everything I make a new layer and flood fill it with a light yellow/peach tone. I used #FEEFD1 for this example.
I set it on Soft Light and it's gonna look much too bright, so I duplicate it and set it on Multiply mode and lower the opacity of the new layer to around 30% (again it depends on your original cap)
Step 04
we could stop of course already as it looks kinda OK, but I'm a sucker for more color these days, so I add another layer. a baby blue (#AEBCDC) one. set on Color Burn. and the opacity lowered to around 35% (depending on the cap, yadda, yadda).
I also might have a tiny thing for yellowish tones, so I add another layer on top fill it with a greenish not exactly pretty color (#795900), set it on Vivid Light and lower the opactiy to around 20%
Step 05
some final touches... I add an adjustment layer. Curves. and go for a very soft S-Shape. this increases the contrast and makes colors even more vibrant.
yeah, you don't see much of a change, but I might be a tiny bit obsessive with these things...
on top of all I add three copies of the whole merge-copied new pic. (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E)
I set them (in this order) to Multiply, Screen and Soft Light and lower the opacities to my liking.
In this case, the Multiply Layer is at 20%, the Screen on at 50% and the Soft Light one at 20% opacity.
and as even I have my limits with the yellow tones, I hide the ugly green Vivid Light layer again. (no it wasn't for nothing! the three Layers on top have the slightly more yellowish color in it!!)
Step 06
bask in your new improved cap (maybe after some sharpening...), all shiny, bright and colorful :)
before and after
from here you can go which ever direction you want. add text/brushes/shapes/etc. have fun :D
I hope you found it helpful :)
feedback is as always very appreciated, as I'm sharing the indepth "secrets of icon making" here. (I've done the airquotes thing again, in front of my computer. I bet Erich thinks I'm totally losing my mind...) *pets poor Erich* (that's my Photoshop's name for those of you who don't know me *g*)
off to work out and fulfilling my civil duty. (it's big election day overhere today for those of you interested in politics. strange thing is that if the conservatives will win we'll have a female Chancellor and the head of the coalition party will be gay. teeheee, somehow this amuses me a lot. that's our conservative choice... my little heart beats a little more left and ecologically though)