Tutorial 02
how to go from this: 
to this:
in 11 steps. u need photoshop to do the whole thing, as there is a necessary PSD step at the end. translatable until that though. it's BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE, but i'd say everyone should try it,
alright....so as simple as this icon may look, there are a lot of tips and tricks that I think will 100% help anyone to make better icons in the future. they are:
-- magnetic lasso tool
-- channels/masks
1. first things first. cut out the unnecessary part of the picture. it should look like this:
==>
2. the channels/masks method to erasing a background works mainly by distinguishing a dark subject from a light background or vice versa. in this case we want to make our subjects completely dark and cut them out of their light background. we DON'T want the mask to confuse his white shirt as being part of the background, so we need to erase as much of the background surrounding his shirt as possible. this can be done very simply with the eraser. if u have no knowledge of the magnetic lasso tool or don't want to use the lasso, then don't. use your eraser and skip the next 2 steps. it works pretty much the same but maybe not as concise.
OPTIONAL 3. click the MAGNETIC LASSO TOOL. use this tool to cling to his back, the back of his head and her shoulder for good measure. stay away from the detailed parts of their hair, like where there are a lot of strands. it should look something like this:
OPTIONAL 4. to cut it out, go to SELECT=>MODIFY=>FEATHER or ALT+CTRL+D. type in a low number, like 1 or 2, then CUT it (CTRL+X). open a new window and PASTE.
5. the background by his shirt is gone. we COULD use the lasso tool to erase the rest of the background, but we don't want to mess up the strands of their hair and other details. that's why we use the mask. now click channels, which is found next to layers on ur palette, and select either a red, green or blue layer. i chose blue.
6. click Image, at the top next to File & Edit, and select CALCULATIONS. this part helps the mask to distinguish light colors from the dark colors. the best blending that helps to do that is SCREEN. choose it and press OK. u should now have an ALPHA 1 channel.
7. select the DODGE tool and put the exposure up to 100% (hardness 0%). use this tool to whiten/erase the background. after the bkgd is gone, use the BURN tool to darken their faces, hands, and his shirt. the exposure should be up to 100%, hardness 0. should look like this:
==>
8. after that's done go to SELECT=>LOAD SELECTION. we're going back to layers and moving off of channels, so click layers.
9. at the top of ur screen go to LAYER=>LAYER MASK=>HIDE SELECTION. then press CTRL+i to invert the mask. the background should now be gone, but all the details of the picture are still there.
10. now shrink your picture and fill the bkgd with this color (#dfe0dc). once u do that, duplicate ur image and set it to screen. and there it is!
There is no longer a PSD provided here as some ppl do not understand that tutorials are meant to HELP make icons and not for ppl to use the exact same settings and claim as their own.
PREVIOUS ICONS FOUND here
to this:
in 11 steps. u need photoshop to do the whole thing, as there is a necessary PSD step at the end. translatable until that though. it's BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE, but i'd say everyone should try it,
alright....so as simple as this icon may look, there are a lot of tips and tricks that I think will 100% help anyone to make better icons in the future. they are:
-- magnetic lasso tool
-- channels/masks
1. first things first. cut out the unnecessary part of the picture. it should look like this:
==>
2. the channels/masks method to erasing a background works mainly by distinguishing a dark subject from a light background or vice versa. in this case we want to make our subjects completely dark and cut them out of their light background. we DON'T want the mask to confuse his white shirt as being part of the background, so we need to erase as much of the background surrounding his shirt as possible. this can be done very simply with the eraser. if u have no knowledge of the magnetic lasso tool or don't want to use the lasso, then don't. use your eraser and skip the next 2 steps. it works pretty much the same but maybe not as concise.
OPTIONAL 3. click the MAGNETIC LASSO TOOL. use this tool to cling to his back, the back of his head and her shoulder for good measure. stay away from the detailed parts of their hair, like where there are a lot of strands. it should look something like this:
OPTIONAL 4. to cut it out, go to SELECT=>MODIFY=>FEATHER or ALT+CTRL+D. type in a low number, like 1 or 2, then CUT it (CTRL+X). open a new window and PASTE.
5. the background by his shirt is gone. we COULD use the lasso tool to erase the rest of the background, but we don't want to mess up the strands of their hair and other details. that's why we use the mask. now click channels, which is found next to layers on ur palette, and select either a red, green or blue layer. i chose blue.
6. click Image, at the top next to File & Edit, and select CALCULATIONS. this part helps the mask to distinguish light colors from the dark colors. the best blending that helps to do that is SCREEN. choose it and press OK. u should now have an ALPHA 1 channel.
7. select the DODGE tool and put the exposure up to 100% (hardness 0%). use this tool to whiten/erase the background. after the bkgd is gone, use the BURN tool to darken their faces, hands, and his shirt. the exposure should be up to 100%, hardness 0. should look like this:
==>
8. after that's done go to SELECT=>LOAD SELECTION. we're going back to layers and moving off of channels, so click layers.
9. at the top of ur screen go to LAYER=>LAYER MASK=>HIDE SELECTION. then press CTRL+i to invert the mask. the background should now be gone, but all the details of the picture are still there.
10. now shrink your picture and fill the bkgd with this color (#dfe0dc). once u do that, duplicate ur image and set it to screen. and there it is!
There is no longer a PSD provided here as some ppl do not understand that tutorials are meant to HELP make icons and not for ppl to use the exact same settings and claim as their own.
PREVIOUS ICONS FOUND here