Icon Tutorial
tinini requested a tutorial for the following icon
From this
To this
In PS CS. Uses selective colouring.
1) Take your original image and crop as required.
2) Take this texture by villa_femme and paste it into a new layer. Then desaturate (Image > Adjustments > Desaturate) and flip horizontal (Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal)
3) Duplicate your base and bring it to the top. Add a mask to the layer (Layer > Add Layer Mask > Reveal All) and using a soft round brush (colour set on black) paint on the layer to remove the background from part way up his arms upwards. You'll probably be best to make the brush smaller and harder (and change the colour to white) to paint over his head and shoulders so that they're not masked out.
4) Take your original image again and crop it so that it's zoomed in more. Resize it and paste this as a new layer behind the duplicated base you've just been working on. Desaturate this layer (either as before or by using a black and white gradient map.) This layer also requires a layer mask to remove the edges on the image.
5) The problem with the positioning at the moment is that the foreground image is covering the one we just added too much (I tried moving the new one right, but didn't like that) Therefore, shift the foreground image left and down. Now the railing doesn't go to the edge of the icon so duplicate the image, move it below the layer you've just repositioned and then move it back right until you're happy with how the railing looks. I masked out everything apart from the railing and a tiny section above the black and white image.
6) Duplicate your foreground image and sharpen (Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen) it as desired (I like to do it this way and reduce the opacity of the duplicate, that way I can change my mind at a later date. This one is set at opacity 43%) DO the same with the black and white image. Duplicate the none sharpened foreground and set it to screen, opacity 17% and leave it behind the sharpened foreground. I masked out everything on the layer apart from him.
7) Paste this texture by bambinainnero onto a new layer above all of the others and desaturate. Set it to Soft Light, opacity 51%.
8) Paste this texture by ? onto a new layer and set to Darken, opacity 25%.
9) Paste this texture by kiho_chan onto a new layer and set to Soft Light, opacity 38%
10) Paste this gradient into a new layer and set it to Pin Light, opacity 26%.
11) Create a new Selective Colour Layer (Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Selective Colour) and set to:
Reds: -81, -16, +23, 0
Yellows: +33, +18, -44, 0
Neutrals: +3, 0, +5, 0
12) Add a gradient map (Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map) using black and white and set it to Soft Light, opacity 46%.
13) Create a new Selective Colour Layer and set to:
Reds: +26, -18, -12, 0
Yellows: +29, 0, -29, -50
Neutrals: +34, +2, -6, -9
Set to opacity 48%
14) Create a new Selective Colour Layer and set to:
Reds: -100, +17, +28, 0
Yellows: 0, +31, +35, 0
Neutrals: -11, 0, 0, 0
Set to opacity 26%
15) Create a new Hue/Saturation Layer(Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation) and set to:
Hue: 0
Saturation: +11
Lightness: 0
16) Create a new Brightness/Contrast Layer(Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast) and set to
Brightness: +4
Contrast: +8
17) Create a new Level Layers (Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels) and set it to:
Input Levels: 14, 1.08, 255
18) Now it's time to add some extra layers for 'lightness' and stuff. Paste this texture by ? into a new layer below the texture by bambinainnero. Set it to Lighten, opacity 100% and create a layer mask to mask out the desired areas.
19) Paste this texture by crazydelight into a new layer and set it to Soft Light, opacity 19%.
20) Paste this texture by ? into a new layer and set to Screen, opacity 100%.
21) Paste some red lightening textures onto a new layer and set to Screen, opacity 32%. You can mask out some of the layer if desired. (I have three lightening layers. I have no idea who made the example I've provided and I've rotated and transformed it and probably spoilt it)
22) Create a new layer and taking a round, soft, paint brush paint a red blocth on it. Positioned it in the desired location and set to lighten. Duplicate the layer if required and move to another location. I have two layers like this. One wth opacity 30% and the other 56. I also have a blue blotch set to screen, opacity 56%. I applied a layer mask to one of the red blotches because I didn't like how it looked on the foreground image.
23) Paste this texture by misarte onto a new layer, flip horizontally, set to screen, opacity 100% and drag towards the (right) edge of the icon. Mine is hardly on the icon at all.
24) Next add your text. I like to position mine behind/around the light textures so that it doesn't all come out with one flat colour. I also like to use outer glow to help the text stand out.
25) And we're nearly done. I thought the hair on the background image looked too dark so I created a new layer just above them and painted on it with a soft brush set to white. I reduced the opacity of the layer to 16%. Rather than creating a new layer and painting on it in white you could just reduce the opacity of the image or paint on the mask with a shade of grey. Whatever works for you and makes it look how you want.
We're done!! My layers look like this & this.
I hope that makes sense... I'm aware I suck at explaining things :P (plus it probably contains mistakes :S)
If you make anything with this tutorial, I'd love to see it :D
ETA: I should also say, depending on your original image you might want to increase the opacity of the screen layer of the image you're using or create a soft light layer. Plus the levels and brightness/contrast layers could want tweaking a little/lot :)
From this
To this
In PS CS. Uses selective colouring.
1) Take your original image and crop as required.
2) Take this texture by villa_femme and paste it into a new layer. Then desaturate (Image > Adjustments > Desaturate) and flip horizontal (Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal)
3) Duplicate your base and bring it to the top. Add a mask to the layer (Layer > Add Layer Mask > Reveal All) and using a soft round brush (colour set on black) paint on the layer to remove the background from part way up his arms upwards. You'll probably be best to make the brush smaller and harder (and change the colour to white) to paint over his head and shoulders so that they're not masked out.
4) Take your original image again and crop it so that it's zoomed in more. Resize it and paste this as a new layer behind the duplicated base you've just been working on. Desaturate this layer (either as before or by using a black and white gradient map.) This layer also requires a layer mask to remove the edges on the image.
5) The problem with the positioning at the moment is that the foreground image is covering the one we just added too much (I tried moving the new one right, but didn't like that) Therefore, shift the foreground image left and down. Now the railing doesn't go to the edge of the icon so duplicate the image, move it below the layer you've just repositioned and then move it back right until you're happy with how the railing looks. I masked out everything apart from the railing and a tiny section above the black and white image.
6) Duplicate your foreground image and sharpen (Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen) it as desired (I like to do it this way and reduce the opacity of the duplicate, that way I can change my mind at a later date. This one is set at opacity 43%) DO the same with the black and white image. Duplicate the none sharpened foreground and set it to screen, opacity 17% and leave it behind the sharpened foreground. I masked out everything on the layer apart from him.
7) Paste this texture by bambinainnero onto a new layer above all of the others and desaturate. Set it to Soft Light, opacity 51%.
8) Paste this texture by ? onto a new layer and set to Darken, opacity 25%.
9) Paste this texture by kiho_chan onto a new layer and set to Soft Light, opacity 38%
10) Paste this gradient into a new layer and set it to Pin Light, opacity 26%.
11) Create a new Selective Colour Layer (Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Selective Colour) and set to:
Reds: -81, -16, +23, 0
Yellows: +33, +18, -44, 0
Neutrals: +3, 0, +5, 0
12) Add a gradient map (Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map) using black and white and set it to Soft Light, opacity 46%.
13) Create a new Selective Colour Layer and set to:
Reds: +26, -18, -12, 0
Yellows: +29, 0, -29, -50
Neutrals: +34, +2, -6, -9
Set to opacity 48%
14) Create a new Selective Colour Layer and set to:
Reds: -100, +17, +28, 0
Yellows: 0, +31, +35, 0
Neutrals: -11, 0, 0, 0
Set to opacity 26%
15) Create a new Hue/Saturation Layer(Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation) and set to:
Hue: 0
Saturation: +11
Lightness: 0
16) Create a new Brightness/Contrast Layer(Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast) and set to
Brightness: +4
Contrast: +8
17) Create a new Level Layers (Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels) and set it to:
Input Levels: 14, 1.08, 255
18) Now it's time to add some extra layers for 'lightness' and stuff. Paste this texture by ? into a new layer below the texture by bambinainnero. Set it to Lighten, opacity 100% and create a layer mask to mask out the desired areas.
19) Paste this texture by crazydelight into a new layer and set it to Soft Light, opacity 19%.
20) Paste this texture by ? into a new layer and set to Screen, opacity 100%.
21) Paste some red lightening textures onto a new layer and set to Screen, opacity 32%. You can mask out some of the layer if desired. (I have three lightening layers. I have no idea who made the example I've provided and I've rotated and transformed it and probably spoilt it)
22) Create a new layer and taking a round, soft, paint brush paint a red blocth on it. Positioned it in the desired location and set to lighten. Duplicate the layer if required and move to another location. I have two layers like this. One wth opacity 30% and the other 56. I also have a blue blotch set to screen, opacity 56%. I applied a layer mask to one of the red blotches because I didn't like how it looked on the foreground image.
23) Paste this texture by misarte onto a new layer, flip horizontally, set to screen, opacity 100% and drag towards the (right) edge of the icon. Mine is hardly on the icon at all.
24) Next add your text. I like to position mine behind/around the light textures so that it doesn't all come out with one flat colour. I also like to use outer glow to help the text stand out.
25) And we're nearly done. I thought the hair on the background image looked too dark so I created a new layer just above them and painted on it with a soft brush set to white. I reduced the opacity of the layer to 16%. Rather than creating a new layer and painting on it in white you could just reduce the opacity of the image or paint on the mask with a shade of grey. Whatever works for you and makes it look how you want.
We're done!! My layers look like this & this.
I hope that makes sense... I'm aware I suck at explaining things :P (plus it probably contains mistakes :S)
If you make anything with this tutorial, I'd love to see it :D
ETA: I should also say, depending on your original image you might want to increase the opacity of the screen layer of the image you're using or create a soft light layer. Plus the levels and brightness/contrast layers could want tweaking a little/lot :)