#151
WHAAAAT? NEW TUTORIAL!?
Tis' true! cool_spectrum & afastmachine asked how I created this:
This icon was made for challenge 118 Screencap Peculiarity over at comics_ic, which had to include the character's natural background. I wanted to ensure that Diana was the focus, as that is sort of the point of that moment, all eyes on her.
To do this, I decided to isolate her slightly. I find it works best to either choose a color already in the screencap, or by using the main color's natural opposite. In this case, I went with blue's contrasting color, yellow.
My normal prep varies slightly depending on my mood, but usually I auto everything, (contrast, color, tone) on each layer and depending on the differences change the opacity for them. In this case there was minimal difference when all was said and done so I duplicated the final layer and set it to screen to lighten and make the colors more pronounced. Sometimes I use Curves instead, I like to try out both tbh, depending on what I'm going for is what I keep in the final version.
As of late, I've become obsessed with using the bronze gradient map in some form in my work. After playing around with reversing it and the opacity and layer settings, I decided to keep it on Normal but lower the Opacity to 15%. Since the top half of the image is already quite warm & yellow, the bottom isn't so it helps add a little warmth. I liked the overall warmth it gave without losing the focal point of Diana's dress.
Next I played around with the yellows & blacks using the my first Selective Color layer. I wanted to make some of the reds a little more yellow. Sometimes I find going over the top with what I want is easier, which is what I did in this case. The first image is with Opacity at 100% and no mask. The second is lowered to 30% Opacity and masked to only include Diana and the upper part of her gown.
Using another Selective Color layer I used the blues & cyans to enhance her dress some more (1st). I liked it but I wanted a bit more of a difference between the shadows and highlights so I used a Color Balance layer and masked everything but her dress (2nd one).
At this point I wanted to start isolating her a bit using yellow, so next, I used one of quite a few Gradient Maps. This one from light grey (c3c3c3) to a medium yellow (d9c417), kept the layer on Normal but lowered the Opacity to 40% and masking Diana out. I liked it but it seemed to flat so I duplicated the layer and set it to Softlight.
At this point, the background worked better, but it still seemed to separate from Diana, so I added a classic Gradient Map (black & white), set to Softlight, but lowered the Opacity to 30%. I liked it but felt it was loosing some of the warmth so I added another Gradient Map ( to ). But I lowered both Opacity (20%) and Fill (40%), keeping it on Normal.
I liked how bright it is, and it feels somewhat natural but I've lost the yellow. So another Selective Color layer using only the yellows to really kick it up.
First texture! I wanted to make it sort of blurry and floaty so I used this texture (no idea the maker, if you recognize it let me know!), first on Screen with an Opacity of 30% then duplicating, desaturating it and setting it to Softlight.
Next texture is one of two by mm3butterfly, set to Screen, but both Fill & Opacity in the 60% range.
I'm liking the colors but I feel like I lost some depth so I cracked open a Contrast & Brightness layer to help out a bit.
At this point tbh, I just play with textures I like, next is another by mm3butterfly set to Screen.
Gradient layer next, I like the shadows of Diana's dress but feel like I'm losing shadows beyond that it also helps create more of a difference between the softness around Diana. After playing with the degrees and colors I decide on gradient 000000 >>>> ecc3a1. It's one I keep and use a lot actually. It's at 53 degrees, and 85% Opacity but masked off of Diana almost completely.
Last Selective Color layer, I wanted to add some reds to the yellow so again, I over did it then lowered the Opacity & Fill, masking Diana's head and torso.
At this point I want more light, so I took a medium sized soft brush and using the eyedropper tool to pick a yellow from the background brushed (e3cb42) lengthwise a little over the left & right edges lowering it to 30% on Screen.
Last few steps! For some reason, I decided I liked the idea of it looking a little like an old photograph? Okay, I just was playing with textures. I play with a lot of saved textures and ones from other PSDs I have saved, so I don't always have the maker credit. >.< So this first texture I originally snagged (and use often in blurred or other forms) from a psd from the amaaaaazingly talented naginis. If anyone knows who made the following textures let me know. And was made by tanja92.
textures used in order x, x, x, x and x
Set them all but the last to Screen and all will be masked off Diana. The first one I masked off most of it, just keeping bits on the left & right, lowering the Opacity to 45%. Second is also at 45% Opacity, and gradient used to fade it from bottom left up. Third I stretched out and moved the bar on the left completely off the icon, settling on 50% Opacity completely brushed off Diana. The last texture is part of a larger one that I just wanted a small bit of, it's completely masked except for the left orange bit, set it Softlight at 100%.
Okay, this step isn't suuuper important, but I'm obsessed with painting things. On a new layer I used the eyedropper tool to pick the lightest blue from her dress, went slightly lighter and used the pen tool to add some highlights. I then used a soft brush on 1 and left click Stroke and created little highlights. I did this on 2 other layers, the last one I used Gaussian Blur (1 or 2) and set to Softlight with Fill & Opacity on 50%. I took each layer on a blank background so you can see: highlights
Almost done! I sharpened to my likeness (which is a layer of the icon with Smart Sharpen with an Opacity of 10%. Then copy & pasted that layer and used the sharpen tool to sharpen Diana a bit more)
For some reason, I want the yellows a wee bit more yellow so using one last Color Balance layer, I upped the reds & yellows on the Midtones, lowering the Opacity to 45% and that's it!
I hope that was clear and helpful, let me know if you have any questions or anything is unclear! :)
Got another guide in the works, but feel free to ask me anything else about my icons.
Ask The Maker 2017 || My Thread
Tis' true! cool_spectrum & afastmachine asked how I created this:
This icon was made for challenge 118 Screencap Peculiarity over at comics_ic, which had to include the character's natural background. I wanted to ensure that Diana was the focus, as that is sort of the point of that moment, all eyes on her.
To do this, I decided to isolate her slightly. I find it works best to either choose a color already in the screencap, or by using the main color's natural opposite. In this case, I went with blue's contrasting color, yellow.
My normal prep varies slightly depending on my mood, but usually I auto everything, (contrast, color, tone) on each layer and depending on the differences change the opacity for them. In this case there was minimal difference when all was said and done so I duplicated the final layer and set it to screen to lighten and make the colors more pronounced. Sometimes I use Curves instead, I like to try out both tbh, depending on what I'm going for is what I keep in the final version.
As of late, I've become obsessed with using the bronze gradient map in some form in my work. After playing around with reversing it and the opacity and layer settings, I decided to keep it on Normal but lower the Opacity to 15%. Since the top half of the image is already quite warm & yellow, the bottom isn't so it helps add a little warmth. I liked the overall warmth it gave without losing the focal point of Diana's dress.
Next I played around with the yellows & blacks using the my first Selective Color layer. I wanted to make some of the reds a little more yellow. Sometimes I find going over the top with what I want is easier, which is what I did in this case. The first image is with Opacity at 100% and no mask. The second is lowered to 30% Opacity and masked to only include Diana and the upper part of her gown.
Using another Selective Color layer I used the blues & cyans to enhance her dress some more (1st). I liked it but I wanted a bit more of a difference between the shadows and highlights so I used a Color Balance layer and masked everything but her dress (2nd one).
At this point I wanted to start isolating her a bit using yellow, so next, I used one of quite a few Gradient Maps. This one from light grey (c3c3c3) to a medium yellow (d9c417), kept the layer on Normal but lowered the Opacity to 40% and masking Diana out. I liked it but it seemed to flat so I duplicated the layer and set it to Softlight.
At this point, the background worked better, but it still seemed to separate from Diana, so I added a classic Gradient Map (black & white), set to Softlight, but lowered the Opacity to 30%. I liked it but felt it was loosing some of the warmth so I added another Gradient Map ( to ). But I lowered both Opacity (20%) and Fill (40%), keeping it on Normal.
I liked how bright it is, and it feels somewhat natural but I've lost the yellow. So another Selective Color layer using only the yellows to really kick it up.
First texture! I wanted to make it sort of blurry and floaty so I used this texture (no idea the maker, if you recognize it let me know!), first on Screen with an Opacity of 30% then duplicating, desaturating it and setting it to Softlight.
Next texture is one of two by mm3butterfly, set to Screen, but both Fill & Opacity in the 60% range.
I'm liking the colors but I feel like I lost some depth so I cracked open a Contrast & Brightness layer to help out a bit.
At this point tbh, I just play with textures I like, next is another by mm3butterfly set to Screen.
Gradient layer next, I like the shadows of Diana's dress but feel like I'm losing shadows beyond that it also helps create more of a difference between the softness around Diana. After playing with the degrees and colors I decide on gradient 000000 >>>> ecc3a1. It's one I keep and use a lot actually. It's at 53 degrees, and 85% Opacity but masked off of Diana almost completely.
Last Selective Color layer, I wanted to add some reds to the yellow so again, I over did it then lowered the Opacity & Fill, masking Diana's head and torso.
At this point I want more light, so I took a medium sized soft brush and using the eyedropper tool to pick a yellow from the background brushed (e3cb42) lengthwise a little over the left & right edges lowering it to 30% on Screen.
Last few steps! For some reason, I decided I liked the idea of it looking a little like an old photograph? Okay, I just was playing with textures. I play with a lot of saved textures and ones from other PSDs I have saved, so I don't always have the maker credit. >.< So this first texture I originally snagged (and use often in blurred or other forms) from a psd from the amaaaaazingly talented naginis. If anyone knows who made the following textures let me know. And was made by tanja92.
textures used in order x, x, x, x and x
Set them all but the last to Screen and all will be masked off Diana. The first one I masked off most of it, just keeping bits on the left & right, lowering the Opacity to 45%. Second is also at 45% Opacity, and gradient used to fade it from bottom left up. Third I stretched out and moved the bar on the left completely off the icon, settling on 50% Opacity completely brushed off Diana. The last texture is part of a larger one that I just wanted a small bit of, it's completely masked except for the left orange bit, set it Softlight at 100%.
Okay, this step isn't suuuper important, but I'm obsessed with painting things. On a new layer I used the eyedropper tool to pick the lightest blue from her dress, went slightly lighter and used the pen tool to add some highlights. I then used a soft brush on 1 and left click Stroke and created little highlights. I did this on 2 other layers, the last one I used Gaussian Blur (1 or 2) and set to Softlight with Fill & Opacity on 50%. I took each layer on a blank background so you can see: highlights
Almost done! I sharpened to my likeness (which is a layer of the icon with Smart Sharpen with an Opacity of 10%. Then copy & pasted that layer and used the sharpen tool to sharpen Diana a bit more)
For some reason, I want the yellows a wee bit more yellow so using one last Color Balance layer, I upped the reds & yellows on the Midtones, lowering the Opacity to 45% and that's it!
I hope that was clear and helpful, let me know if you have any questions or anything is unclear! :)
Got another guide in the works, but feel free to ask me anything else about my icons.
Ask The Maker 2017 || My Thread