fifty seven
to
Photoshop CS4
Easy
6 steps
1. Open your base and crop to 100 x 100 pixels.
This coloring also works on larger graphics, however you will have to substitute something in place of the texture used later.
2. Duplicate your base and set to Screen 29% Opacity.
This just brightens the overall image. You may need to change the Opacity depending on your image. For my third example I set the Opacity to 100%. You may have to increase this as the image may turn out too red if your using a dark image.
3. Create a Fill Layer. Flood with #fcbaba and set to Softlight 100% Opacity.
This layer helps do a number of things. Firstly it also helps to brighten the image up. However it does it in a different way to the screen layer above. It makes all the colors in the icons pop, mostly the reds and pinks. If you use a different color, say blue, the blues and the greens are more likely to pop. This color helps to make a more realistic look overall. ALSO is make the reflection in Kristen's glasses stand out!
4. Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance
SHADOWS +15 -8 +6
MIDTONES +27 -1 -15
This layer adds alot of pink and red to the icon. If your image is dark or already has alot of pink and red in, it darkens these areas. This can sometimes be alittle too much, so try reducing the Opacity or playing with the settings, most on the Shadows. This layer helps to make Kristens lips pop.
5. Create a Fill Layer. Flood with #fbdd97 and set to Screen 20% Opacity.
I used this layer to add some yellow (realistic color) back into Kristens skin. It also lightens some of the areas made to dark by the previous layer, but still keeps the reds and the pinks.
6. Take this:
texture by (fulminant8) and set to Softlight 45% Opacity.
I normally only use textures in negative spaces but I've been playing around with recently and found the can work well on close crops also. This texture helps add some depth the image, light and dark. I pinks in the texture bring out then colors you have added with the other steps. You may want to the lower the Opacity of this layer, or erase parts as it can make some images far to dark.
And you're done. Sharpen if needed, i tend to always sharpen mine.
This coloring, as i always say will not work on every image, you will have to play around with the setting to suit your image. As this is a base for you to work from I'd rather you didn't just slap another image and leave it, play with it!
I love to see what you guys come up with, so please post your results!
Example (none of these have the exact coloring above)
