Lanscapes; Colored
How to make interestingly-colored landscape icons. For use in Photoshop, and I'm assuming the reader knows how to make layers and set them to different blend modes.
Step One: Find a base.
Step Two: Prep it. I think I do this with every single photo base I use these days.
1.) Duplicate the base layer.
2.) For the new layer, Sharpen the layer (Filter -> Sharpern -> Sharpen).
3.) Set that new layer to Soft Light.
Voila! See the difference?
Un-prepped:
Prepped:
Step Three: Play with the color.
To get these effects:
1.) merge the layers (Layer -> Merge Visible)
2.) Duplicate the Merged Layer
3.) Set it to Screen.
1.) merge the layers (Layer -> Merge Visible)
2.) Duplicate the Merged Layer
3.) Set it to Soft Light.
1.) merge the layers (Layer -> Merge Visible)
2.) Duplicate the Merged Layer
3.) Set it to Overlay.
1.) merge the layers (Layer -> Merge Visible)
2.) Duplicate the Merged Layer twice
3.) Set the lower of the two duplicates to Multiply
4.) Set the upper of the two duplicates to Screen.
That one's my favorite, so I'm going to be using a merged version of the Multiply-Screened base from here on in.
For more drastic color changes, try creating a new layer, flood-filling it, and setting it to Hue.
Red at 100% Opacity:
Red at 50% Opacity:
Blue at 100% Opacity:
Blue at 50% Opacity:
That last one is a common effect. Low-opacity blue Hue layers are everywhere in the iconing world.
Some more ideas:
Overlay is dramatic, but effective:
A pale layer set to Multiply can be interesting:
Another common effect-- dark blue Exclusion:
For this one, I took the previous setup (dark blue Exclusion) and added a duplicate of the base on top of it, set to Hue at 50% opacity. This brings some of the original color back.
Now we've got a gradient layer of black to white, set on Soft Light. It really does give the rose field a sunlit effect.
Same thing, now set to Overlay. Overlay's just a bit more dramatic, like you're shining a harsher light on the roses.
This one has two added layers: the white one is set to Saturation, while the gradient is set to Darken.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Addendum:
Here's an icon I made as an example for the new contest on obsessiveicons. The flowers are from a stock photo; the starry background is something I made myself a while back.
To get this effect, duplicate each of the layers and drag them into this order:
The two layers at the bottom are set to Normal; The second flower layer is set to overlay and the second texture/starry layer is set to Soft Light.
Looks more complicated than that, doesn't it?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Further reference: My Coloring Techniques Tutorial.
Step One: Find a base.
Step Two: Prep it. I think I do this with every single photo base I use these days.
1.) Duplicate the base layer.
2.) For the new layer, Sharpen the layer (Filter -> Sharpern -> Sharpen).
3.) Set that new layer to Soft Light.
Voila! See the difference?
Un-prepped:
Prepped:
Step Three: Play with the color.
To get these effects:
1.) merge the layers (Layer -> Merge Visible)
2.) Duplicate the Merged Layer
3.) Set it to Screen.
1.) merge the layers (Layer -> Merge Visible)
2.) Duplicate the Merged Layer
3.) Set it to Soft Light.
1.) merge the layers (Layer -> Merge Visible)
2.) Duplicate the Merged Layer
3.) Set it to Overlay.
1.) merge the layers (Layer -> Merge Visible)
2.) Duplicate the Merged Layer twice
3.) Set the lower of the two duplicates to Multiply
4.) Set the upper of the two duplicates to Screen.
That one's my favorite, so I'm going to be using a merged version of the Multiply-Screened base from here on in.
For more drastic color changes, try creating a new layer, flood-filling it, and setting it to Hue.
Red at 100% Opacity:
Red at 50% Opacity:
Blue at 100% Opacity:
Blue at 50% Opacity:
That last one is a common effect. Low-opacity blue Hue layers are everywhere in the iconing world.
Some more ideas:
Overlay is dramatic, but effective:
A pale layer set to Multiply can be interesting:
Another common effect-- dark blue Exclusion:
For this one, I took the previous setup (dark blue Exclusion) and added a duplicate of the base on top of it, set to Hue at 50% opacity. This brings some of the original color back.
Now we've got a gradient layer of black to white, set on Soft Light. It really does give the rose field a sunlit effect.
Same thing, now set to Overlay. Overlay's just a bit more dramatic, like you're shining a harsher light on the roses.
This one has two added layers: the white one is set to Saturation, while the gradient is set to Darken.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Addendum:
Here's an icon I made as an example for the new contest on obsessiveicons. The flowers are from a stock photo; the starry background is something I made myself a while back.
To get this effect, duplicate each of the layers and drag them into this order:
The two layers at the bottom are set to Normal; The second flower layer is set to overlay and the second texture/starry layer is set to Soft Light.
Looks more complicated than that, doesn't it?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Further reference: My Coloring Techniques Tutorial.