Tutorial #001
HELLO ALL. I wrote a tutorial (well, mostly a tips & tricks post) you may or may not care about. It's all about blending, and how I do it, which may or may not be a good way. You decide.
I'm using Photoshop CS2 and offering the .psds, but the blending part is perfectly translatable. I think.
I like blending as a way to give a twist to pics or caps used a hundred thousand times, by a hundred thousand other makers. It turns the pic (and, by consequence, the icon) a tiny bit different. And a tiny bit yours.
First things first: it's really important choosing the right caps.
Tips on choosing caps for a good blending:
- High-resolutions are LOVE. You can, of course, work with lesser-res pics and still get nice enough results, but sometimes it's more trouble than it's worth and you still won't have an icon with a good execution. So let's stick with higher-res.
- If you're iconing a show or movie, try using caps from the same scene or setting, or even two people in the same cap. For celebs, use pics from the same photoshoot. In any case, look for pics with matching (or close enough) coloring and contrast, so the blending will look more natural later. Even if you are a coloring ninja, this will make things a LOT easier for you.
- Images with empty or relatively clean spaces are good. If you try mixing two cluttered messes, the result will probably be a cluttered mess. Only, more cluttered and messier.
- Look for something different. Interesting poses, close-ups, far away cuts. Look for things that go well together. Your favorite ship, things that relate to the character, fandom inner-jokes. This goes with you creativity and your good eye. Think outside the box.
- Ignore all these tips. No, seriously. Some people can do crazy stuff and make it work. Who knows, maybe you're one of them. :D
Well, in fact, as I'm writing this, I didn't make the icon yet. I'm making things up as I go along, and you're in for the ride. Enjoy! ;D
For this icon, I'm using this pic, made of delicious eye!sex. Quality will be good enough when resized. We're making an icon with Brennan and Booth, both of which I want to hit with a big hammer. If you've been watching Bones, you know what I'm talking about.
1. Open a New document, paste the image on a new layer, same thing you always do. I like to keep a copy of the original under all the layers, just in case of a major disaster. Thus, I duplicated the layer then made it invisible, so it won't get in the way.
2. Let's start by extracting Brennan from the pic.
The extracting, for me, is probably the most important technical part of the blending. If it isn't done well, it ruins the composition. So, be careful with that.
It's also a pain in the ass, but the results pay off, specially in shows with busy backgrounds (I'm talking about you, The Big Bang Theory). This way, you can work in new backgrounds and play with the compositions. I do it pratically everytime, just in case.
So, get your Polygonal Lasso Tool (Look for your Toolbox, go for the Lasso Tool > Right click > The middle one), and go all the way around your character. Do it as closely as you can, but no need to be meticulous about it. The resizing will take care of minor flaws. The good thing about the Polygonal Lasso is that you can work on small areas at a time, and cut off unwanted parts OR put in parts you forgot. Zoom in and out as you work for better results.
Here's what I got (click it to see bigger)
3. Now Bones is all pretty and selected, you create a Layer Vector Mask. In case you don't know what I'm talking about, Layer Masks are the best thing since flavored underwear. Third button on the bottom of your layer pallete.
Et voilà.
4. Duplicate the original layer (the one that's invisible) and extract Booth too.
Tips on extracting:
- Do it BEFORE resizing the image. That way, you can keep lots of edge details (and not accidentaly cut an arm off) and still not have to worry too much about being extremely precise. Actually, with blending, resizing is the last thing you do before applying textures and stuff.
- Hair is most of the time a problem. Try to observe the edges and wisps and not cut them off, it will look more natural.
- Don't forget spaces inside the selection, like between arms and body, or between locks of hair. On the Options box, go on the third button with the little squares and deselect those areas.
- If you clicked a lot and your selection is all jagged, use Smooth to get a softer result. Menu Select > Modify > Smooth. 1 to 3 as parameters, depending on your pic. Don't smooth it too much or will loose detail.
5. Okay, now you have Booth and Brennan on different layers, having eye!sex all over you screen. What to do with them?
The good part about having different layers is that you can try different compositions until finding one you like best. First, duplicate everything, to avoid impending doom. Then you play around with them, like paper dolls :D As you do it, the ideas for the final thing will start to come. No pun intended.
6. LOOKIT THEY'RE KISSING
7. This could make for a nice icon.
Let's try it: Crop, with negative space all around them.
8. Resize. Look for a nice background. This is how INSANE my texture list looks like. Go around yours after something you like. I've recently downloaded a set by cookiestome that I'm a bit in love with, and that's where this texture came from:
9. Putting it under all layers, you have this:
10. At this point, you might go on coloring, cropping and doing your thing. But a nice idea, imho, is to play the texture to your favor. See how that one has sort of a dividing line in the middle? See how it's black and white? See how Brennan's coat is also white? That got the wheels on my brain turning.
Flip horizontally both of them. Let's put Brennan in the black side, so her coat contrasts with the black background. Booth then has to go to the other side. This icon might be about contrasts.
11. That dividing line, let's use it. Put Brennan more to the middle of the icon. On the layer mask, paint the area where Brennan is over the white part. Select it first with the Polygonal Lasso, to make your life easier.
Arrange them however you like. Do the same with Booth.
12. The line looks a bit harsh, doesn't it? I don't like it. So, get your Blur tool and go over the line on one of the layer masks. Use a low setting, around 15%, and go over it once or twice until it looks a bit softer. My point is, smooth the edges of your pics to blend them better, preferably on their layer masks.
Tiny difference in this particular icon, but I get annoyed at small things.
13. Now let's blend them a bit better with the background. Get a small Brush, hard with high opacity to paint over the harsher lines, like Booth's coat. I'm using 5px, 90% hardness, 80% opacity, and zooming the hell out of it so I don't erase too much. Brennan's coat looks a bit pixellated too, so I go over the edge of it with the Blur tool at 20% until it looks softer. Careful not to overdo it, or the final product will have sort of an halo around it, or a glow, or it will just look, well. Blurred. This whole party happens on the masks of the respective layers.
Tips:
- When you zoom stuff, go on Menu Window > Arrange > New window for untitled (or whatever your file's name is). Put them side by side.
Zoom one window, look at the other in it's normal size. This way, you can check the results of what you're doing while you're doing it. My workspace looks like this crazy mess right now
- Pay attention and be careful with the things you do to the base layer, as they'll be magnified when you start brightening and coloring your icon.
Hmm. Better.
14. Now color, add textures, and do whatever you want. Here's my final product:
Tips:
- It's better to color everything after you finish the blending part. That way, the different pics will get sort of an uniform color, giving the blending a more natural look.
- Lighten and Exclusion layers on top of everything somehow blend the lines better. I don't know the mechanics of it, I just know they do :P
- Using textures is a Good Idea. The same texture over the entire icon/different parts of the icon gives the illusion that all of it came from the same place. Which is kind of the crucial point of blending: making it look like it has always been there.
- If you look at the .psd, you'll notice that I Stamped Visible (Ctrl+Alt+E) a lot, then worked directly on that layer. Erasing parts, blurring parts, fixing parts that looked wrong, painting over them. Don't be afraid to change parts that don't work for you. I also move layers around a lot - the layer on the top isn't always the last step taken. :P
GUYS, YOU'LL LAUGH AT THIS, OKAY, BUT DON'T LAUGH MUCH. I kind of accidentally overwrote the original .psd after finishing everything D:
Then I followed the tut and made another icon. :D Here it is. Click it to get a nice .psd.
Okay, done with that. Nice, I like it. But this is supposed to be a tut about blending, and little blending was done here. So let's try other stuff.
15. Let's go back to our isolated pics.
BOOTH AND BRENNAN, STILL KISSING, YOU HORNY HORNY PEOPLE!
A thing that I like to do, as most of the time makes for an interesting composition, is having different sized parts. Let's do that here.
Bigger, on the background, we're putting Brennan, because her dark hair makes for good negative space. Cropping it, we have this:
16. Resize Booth until he's a tiny thing on Brennan's side. Select the layer, Edit > Transform > Scale.
17. Resize the entire thing to icon size, then push them around until you like the composition.
On composition:
- Position the pics on relatively clear areas of the others, so both of them stand out. By relatively clear, I mean parts with solid(ish) colors and not many lines.
- Top pics with clear defining lines are Good.
- Better yet if you have contrasting colors, so the subjects aren't too confounded. If they aren't (i.e., two caps with dark backgrounds), you can always use the Lighten mode. Just look out for floating heads or limbs.
- Be creative! :D
18. Blend Booth in, painting over the white parts in the Mask. Random white pixels are awful and can easily ruin your best composition. I'm erasing the white spots too - they're actually Brennan's hair, but you can't see that here and they just look like noise.
19. You can also use the Lighten layer mode when blending. The Ligthen mode substitutes the darker colors of the base pic with the lighter colors of the top one.
Easy on it, though, as it doesn't always give the best results. It's the easiest way to end up with two-headed monsters, or weird people-shaped sprouts, or four eyed heads, or... well, just be careful.
20. A couple more examples of compositions to inspire you, with the finished icons and accompanying .psds.
AND FINIS.
Well, not really, but that's all I can think of saying at the moment. I don't claim to be the all-knowing photoshopper (in fact, I know little short of nothing), and these are just my (quite random) thoughts on the subject. BUT I hope this tutorial was somehow useful for you.
Pardon my bad english (my excuse is it not being first language :P) and any mistakes you might (will probably) find. Please don't use the images shown here or claim the icons/psds as your own. Any questions or doubts or suggestions, leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer it. I'd also like to hear your thoughts - am I doing it wrong? You know a better way? How do you do it? Share with everyone! No questions, doubts or suggestions, leave a comment anyway and make me happy ;D
Thanks for reading! :D
I'm using Photoshop CS2 and offering the .psds, but the blending part is perfectly translatable. I think.
I like blending as a way to give a twist to pics or caps used a hundred thousand times, by a hundred thousand other makers. It turns the pic (and, by consequence, the icon) a tiny bit different. And a tiny bit yours.
First things first: it's really important choosing the right caps.
Tips on choosing caps for a good blending:
- High-resolutions are LOVE. You can, of course, work with lesser-res pics and still get nice enough results, but sometimes it's more trouble than it's worth and you still won't have an icon with a good execution. So let's stick with higher-res.
- If you're iconing a show or movie, try using caps from the same scene or setting, or even two people in the same cap. For celebs, use pics from the same photoshoot. In any case, look for pics with matching (or close enough) coloring and contrast, so the blending will look more natural later. Even if you are a coloring ninja, this will make things a LOT easier for you.
- Images with empty or relatively clean spaces are good. If you try mixing two cluttered messes, the result will probably be a cluttered mess. Only, more cluttered and messier.
- Look for something different. Interesting poses, close-ups, far away cuts. Look for things that go well together. Your favorite ship, things that relate to the character, fandom inner-jokes. This goes with you creativity and your good eye. Think outside the box.
- Ignore all these tips. No, seriously. Some people can do crazy stuff and make it work. Who knows, maybe you're one of them. :D
Well, in fact, as I'm writing this, I didn't make the icon yet. I'm making things up as I go along, and you're in for the ride. Enjoy! ;D
For this icon, I'm using this pic, made of delicious eye!sex. Quality will be good enough when resized. We're making an icon with Brennan and Booth, both of which I want to hit with a big hammer. If you've been watching Bones, you know what I'm talking about.
1. Open a New document, paste the image on a new layer, same thing you always do. I like to keep a copy of the original under all the layers, just in case of a major disaster. Thus, I duplicated the layer then made it invisible, so it won't get in the way.
2. Let's start by extracting Brennan from the pic.
The extracting, for me, is probably the most important technical part of the blending. If it isn't done well, it ruins the composition. So, be careful with that.
It's also a pain in the ass, but the results pay off, specially in shows with busy backgrounds (I'm talking about you, The Big Bang Theory). This way, you can work in new backgrounds and play with the compositions. I do it pratically everytime, just in case.
So, get your Polygonal Lasso Tool (Look for your Toolbox, go for the Lasso Tool > Right click > The middle one), and go all the way around your character. Do it as closely as you can, but no need to be meticulous about it. The resizing will take care of minor flaws. The good thing about the Polygonal Lasso is that you can work on small areas at a time, and cut off unwanted parts OR put in parts you forgot. Zoom in and out as you work for better results.
Here's what I got (click it to see bigger)
3. Now Bones is all pretty and selected, you create a Layer Vector Mask. In case you don't know what I'm talking about, Layer Masks are the best thing since flavored underwear. Third button on the bottom of your layer pallete.
Et voilà.
4. Duplicate the original layer (the one that's invisible) and extract Booth too.
Tips on extracting:
- Do it BEFORE resizing the image. That way, you can keep lots of edge details (and not accidentaly cut an arm off) and still not have to worry too much about being extremely precise. Actually, with blending, resizing is the last thing you do before applying textures and stuff.
- Hair is most of the time a problem. Try to observe the edges and wisps and not cut them off, it will look more natural.
- Don't forget spaces inside the selection, like between arms and body, or between locks of hair. On the Options box, go on the third button with the little squares and deselect those areas.
- If you clicked a lot and your selection is all jagged, use Smooth to get a softer result. Menu Select > Modify > Smooth. 1 to 3 as parameters, depending on your pic. Don't smooth it too much or will loose detail.
5. Okay, now you have Booth and Brennan on different layers, having eye!sex all over you screen. What to do with them?
The good part about having different layers is that you can try different compositions until finding one you like best. First, duplicate everything, to avoid impending doom. Then you play around with them, like paper dolls :D As you do it, the ideas for the final thing will start to come. No pun intended.
6. LOOKIT THEY'RE KISSING
7. This could make for a nice icon.
Let's try it: Crop, with negative space all around them.
8. Resize. Look for a nice background. This is how INSANE my texture list looks like. Go around yours after something you like. I've recently downloaded a set by cookiestome that I'm a bit in love with, and that's where this texture came from:
9. Putting it under all layers, you have this:
10. At this point, you might go on coloring, cropping and doing your thing. But a nice idea, imho, is to play the texture to your favor. See how that one has sort of a dividing line in the middle? See how it's black and white? See how Brennan's coat is also white? That got the wheels on my brain turning.
Flip horizontally both of them. Let's put Brennan in the black side, so her coat contrasts with the black background. Booth then has to go to the other side. This icon might be about contrasts.
11. That dividing line, let's use it. Put Brennan more to the middle of the icon. On the layer mask, paint the area where Brennan is over the white part. Select it first with the Polygonal Lasso, to make your life easier.
Arrange them however you like. Do the same with Booth.
12. The line looks a bit harsh, doesn't it? I don't like it. So, get your Blur tool and go over the line on one of the layer masks. Use a low setting, around 15%, and go over it once or twice until it looks a bit softer. My point is, smooth the edges of your pics to blend them better, preferably on their layer masks.
Tiny difference in this particular icon, but I get annoyed at small things.
13. Now let's blend them a bit better with the background. Get a small Brush, hard with high opacity to paint over the harsher lines, like Booth's coat. I'm using 5px, 90% hardness, 80% opacity, and zooming the hell out of it so I don't erase too much. Brennan's coat looks a bit pixellated too, so I go over the edge of it with the Blur tool at 20% until it looks softer. Careful not to overdo it, or the final product will have sort of an halo around it, or a glow, or it will just look, well. Blurred. This whole party happens on the masks of the respective layers.
Tips:
- When you zoom stuff, go on Menu Window > Arrange > New window for untitled (or whatever your file's name is). Put them side by side.
Zoom one window, look at the other in it's normal size. This way, you can check the results of what you're doing while you're doing it. My workspace looks like this crazy mess right now
- Pay attention and be careful with the things you do to the base layer, as they'll be magnified when you start brightening and coloring your icon.
Hmm. Better.
14. Now color, add textures, and do whatever you want. Here's my final product:
Tips:
- It's better to color everything after you finish the blending part. That way, the different pics will get sort of an uniform color, giving the blending a more natural look.
- Lighten and Exclusion layers on top of everything somehow blend the lines better. I don't know the mechanics of it, I just know they do :P
- Using textures is a Good Idea. The same texture over the entire icon/different parts of the icon gives the illusion that all of it came from the same place. Which is kind of the crucial point of blending: making it look like it has always been there.
- If you look at the .psd, you'll notice that I Stamped Visible (Ctrl+Alt+E) a lot, then worked directly on that layer. Erasing parts, blurring parts, fixing parts that looked wrong, painting over them. Don't be afraid to change parts that don't work for you. I also move layers around a lot - the layer on the top isn't always the last step taken. :P
GUYS, YOU'LL LAUGH AT THIS, OKAY, BUT DON'T LAUGH MUCH. I kind of accidentally overwrote the original .psd after finishing everything D:
Then I followed the tut and made another icon. :D Here it is. Click it to get a nice .psd.
Okay, done with that. Nice, I like it. But this is supposed to be a tut about blending, and little blending was done here. So let's try other stuff.
15. Let's go back to our isolated pics.
BOOTH AND BRENNAN, STILL KISSING, YOU HORNY HORNY PEOPLE!
A thing that I like to do, as most of the time makes for an interesting composition, is having different sized parts. Let's do that here.
Bigger, on the background, we're putting Brennan, because her dark hair makes for good negative space. Cropping it, we have this:
16. Resize Booth until he's a tiny thing on Brennan's side. Select the layer, Edit > Transform > Scale.
17. Resize the entire thing to icon size, then push them around until you like the composition.
On composition:
- Position the pics on relatively clear areas of the others, so both of them stand out. By relatively clear, I mean parts with solid(ish) colors and not many lines.
- Top pics with clear defining lines are Good.
- Better yet if you have contrasting colors, so the subjects aren't too confounded. If they aren't (i.e., two caps with dark backgrounds), you can always use the Lighten mode. Just look out for floating heads or limbs.
- Be creative! :D
18. Blend Booth in, painting over the white parts in the Mask. Random white pixels are awful and can easily ruin your best composition. I'm erasing the white spots too - they're actually Brennan's hair, but you can't see that here and they just look like noise.
19. You can also use the Lighten layer mode when blending. The Ligthen mode substitutes the darker colors of the base pic with the lighter colors of the top one.
Easy on it, though, as it doesn't always give the best results. It's the easiest way to end up with two-headed monsters, or weird people-shaped sprouts, or four eyed heads, or... well, just be careful.
20. A couple more examples of compositions to inspire you, with the finished icons and accompanying .psds.
AND FINIS.
Well, not really, but that's all I can think of saying at the moment. I don't claim to be the all-knowing photoshopper (in fact, I know little short of nothing), and these are just my (quite random) thoughts on the subject. BUT I hope this tutorial was somehow useful for you.
Pardon my bad english (my excuse is it not being first language :P) and any mistakes you might (will probably) find. Please don't use the images shown here or claim the icons/psds as your own. Any questions or doubts or suggestions, leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer it. I'd also like to hear your thoughts - am I doing it wrong? You know a better way? How do you do it? Share with everyone! No questions, doubts or suggestions, leave a comment anyway and make me happy ;D
Thanks for reading! :D