Icons! Tutorial #15 - Gradient maps

[marishna]

People have been asking for this for months and I've been wanting to DO it for months but I'm not good at BIG things like this. I'm best at explaining how I got from point A to point B with one image, or two, but with gradient maps, or any tool, there are so many different routes and alternatives and colours and way to apply what you want that I

Comments

[ohgollygeedamn]

Thank you so much for this! Really fantastic resource, I'm adding it to mems. The examples really clarify exactly how the gradients can be used. I lost my new version of photoshop a few months ago so I'm really interested in finding methods of colouring that don't involve selective colouring/curves and this is perfect!

I'm curious: you said you've never seen anyone use luminosity mode properly/well. I use it on probably about 65-70% of my icons so I was wondering what it is that people do that is noticeably wrong? Just so I can try and avoid it if I continue to use the technique. :D

Thank you again for doing this, incredibly helpful!

[marishna]

I shouldn't have been so general with that statement. I've seen people use luminosity before when creating their own tutorials and usually they're the people who also like to abuse selective colouring to have orange lips and blue hair. I haven't seen, or come across, someone providing a tutorial on how to use it properly or well, so I've never used it myself, either.

You should create that tutorial! ;)

[wickedgrdn]

Gradients are a resource I've never really experimented with. I mean, I'll use a black and white gradient map for black and white icons, but that's about the extent of it. This is an excellent tutorial and I'm definitely snagging the gradient pack. :D I'm always up for trying things on icons I've never done before. ^_^

[ohfreckle]

Very useful guide, thank you!
I used to use gradients a lot in my early days, but like most people I kind of forgot them. Now I feel like experimenting with them again.

[ichigo_246]

A very useful tutorial. I'm so memming this. ;D
Thank you!

[ext_186301]

Thanks for sharing! I found it very easy to understand. I'm definitely going to add gradients to my icon-making techniques. :)