Header Tutorial
How to create something like that.
Made in PS 7.0
The Base
I think you know you can use your own pics as well. :P
Open a new document.
I used 650x400px.
Open THAT pic of the gates (it's not perfect I know ;D) and put it onto your canvas and desaturate it.
*click*
Open THAT pic of the SG1 cast and put it onto your canvas as well. Resize it and rotate it a bit. Create a new layer under that picture layer and
create a selection with the polygon lasso tool and fill it with white. It doesn't have to be perfect. ;D
*click*
Do the same with the SGA cast
*click*
and the gates. I created a normal looking frame behind the pic and rotated it afterwards. :)
(Instead of using a pic - like that one of the gates - you can also do a simple selction and fill with white and write something like it did with my current LJ header).
*click*
Take THAT light texture and put it behind the gates pic, set to lighten.
Open THAT smoke texture put it above the gates pic and set to lighten as well.
(Don't know where the textures are from. Lost half of my bookmarks as I got my new computer, so if anyone knows please tell me.)
*click*
Take THAT paper texture, cut out a part and put it above everything...use text brush to stamp some text.
*click*
Take the pics of JOHN and CAM, cut them out and postion them the way you like.
*click*
Header's done. Not that difficult, isn't it? ;D
Coloring
Okay. You can use any color you like. :)
There's selective coloring for the header. Sorry to the PSP user.
Open THAT texture, set to softlight 100%.
Erase carefully the parts on their faces.
Open THAT texture set to overlay 80%...do not erase, use the soft tool with 100% and use it on the faces.
Erasing would kill the color of the texture. You know?
*click*
New selective color layer:
reds
-90
0
+50
0
greens
+100
0
-100
0
Whites
+65
-65
-100
0
Neutrals
+20
-11
-25
0
*click*
New curves layer
RGB
point 1: 110 150
point 2: 155 210
Like that.
red
point 1: 80 90
point 2: 135 155
Like that.
green
point 1: 120 130
point 2: 155 155
Like that.
blue
point 1: 110 130
point 2: 150 165
Like that.
set to softlight 100%.
*click*
New color balance layer:
midtones: +14 -6 -20
shadows: -13 +14 `36
highlights: -5 -7 -8
New selective coloring
reds:
-45
+7
+30
0
cyans:
+70
+15
-15
0
Color's done.
Dublicate your base bring it on top and set to softlight, both settings on 70%.
And because some parts looked a bit to yellow I created a new hue/saturation layer and set yellow to -40.
Final steps.
I added the text. Don't know what font it is, but I think it's "Copperplate Light".
And of course I added a b/w gradient map set to exclusion 15%.
And I added a stroke.
ctrl+a > edit > fill stroke > #ffffff 3 or 4 px. Not sure.
Same step again. #000000 1 or 2 px.
And it's done.
*click*
Any questions? Feel free to ask. :)
Other examples:
My header of course. ;D
My header turned into a banner.
And this Simon Baker banner.
Made in PS 7.0
The Base
I think you know you can use your own pics as well. :P
Open a new document.
I used 650x400px.
Open THAT pic of the gates (it's not perfect I know ;D) and put it onto your canvas and desaturate it.
*click*
Open THAT pic of the SG1 cast and put it onto your canvas as well. Resize it and rotate it a bit. Create a new layer under that picture layer and
create a selection with the polygon lasso tool and fill it with white. It doesn't have to be perfect. ;D
*click*
Do the same with the SGA cast
*click*
and the gates. I created a normal looking frame behind the pic and rotated it afterwards. :)
(Instead of using a pic - like that one of the gates - you can also do a simple selction and fill with white and write something like it did with my current LJ header).
*click*
Take THAT light texture and put it behind the gates pic, set to lighten.
Open THAT smoke texture put it above the gates pic and set to lighten as well.
(Don't know where the textures are from. Lost half of my bookmarks as I got my new computer, so if anyone knows please tell me.)
*click*
Take THAT paper texture, cut out a part and put it above everything...use text brush to stamp some text.
*click*
Take the pics of JOHN and CAM, cut them out and postion them the way you like.
*click*
Header's done. Not that difficult, isn't it? ;D
Coloring
Okay. You can use any color you like. :)
There's selective coloring for the header. Sorry to the PSP user.
Open THAT texture, set to softlight 100%.
Erase carefully the parts on their faces.
Open THAT texture set to overlay 80%...do not erase, use the soft tool with 100% and use it on the faces.
Erasing would kill the color of the texture. You know?
*click*
New selective color layer:
reds
-90
0
+50
0
greens
+100
0
-100
0
Whites
+65
-65
-100
0
Neutrals
+20
-11
-25
0
*click*
New curves layer
RGB
point 1: 110 150
point 2: 155 210
Like that.
red
point 1: 80 90
point 2: 135 155
Like that.
green
point 1: 120 130
point 2: 155 155
Like that.
blue
point 1: 110 130
point 2: 150 165
Like that.
set to softlight 100%.
*click*
New color balance layer:
midtones: +14 -6 -20
shadows: -13 +14 `36
highlights: -5 -7 -8
New selective coloring
reds:
-45
+7
+30
0
cyans:
+70
+15
-15
0
Color's done.
Dublicate your base bring it on top and set to softlight, both settings on 70%.
And because some parts looked a bit to yellow I created a new hue/saturation layer and set yellow to -40.
Final steps.
I added the text. Don't know what font it is, but I think it's "Copperplate Light".
And of course I added a b/w gradient map set to exclusion 15%.
And I added a stroke.
ctrl+a > edit > fill stroke > #ffffff 3 or 4 px. Not sure.
Same step again. #000000 1 or 2 px.
And it's done.
*click*
Any questions? Feel free to ask. :)
Other examples:
My header of course. ;D
My header turned into a banner.
And this Simon Baker banner.
