2014 | Ask the Maker Pt. 1
This fills all of or part of the requests from: raiindust, monstersinyou, and wandererjulia.
Top 5 6 favorite fonts (currently) for monstersinyou.
Facet BlackFranchiseSailAway
Wolf in the CityIntroAdmiration Pains
Examples of the fonts in action:
If you want to know more about how I use text, you can read my text guide here.
Top 5 favorite textures currently + a mini guide on texture use for monstersinyou and wandererjulia.
sirius_sdz*iuliekimm3butterflymm3butterflyraiindust
* This texture is massive. As in 5,184px × 3,456px massive. So that's your fair warning before you click on that one. ;)
Examples of the textures in action:
As I am sure is obvious from my icons and probably any tutorial I have ever written ever, I like textures I can put on screen. I also like things with subtle texture (i.e. the iulieki and raiindust textures). So any texture that falls under that umbrella is probably something I'll use and use often. I am also really, really, really obsessed with mm3butterfly's textures. And when I say obsessed, I seriously mean it. I use them ALL THE TIME. ALL the time. I also make my own blurry light textures (some of which you can find here and also here) which makes up about half of my texture use, honestly. Um, I also support scrolling through ALL THE LAYER MODES to find the one that works right for what you want to do. I have been embracing that more and more recently. I also support using your advanced blending options (especially channels) in your layer blending options.
Example:
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Regular base with only a diffuse filter over it (more on that later) | texture made by yours truly
texture set to screen only | texture set to screen with the green channel removed | texture set to subtract with blue channel removed
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texture set to subtract with blue channel removed + texture set to screen only with some additional coloring work (selective color, gradient map, vibrancy), lighting work (curves on her face, diffuse glow filter), and text.
An [insert number here] things you should explore in PS for raiindust.
1. Content Aware Fill + Clone Stamp Tool: Content Aware Fill is my favorite thing! I sometimes go on tutorial browsing adventures, and that is where I learned about this nifty tool. I'm using CS5 so definitely that version and later will have this tool, but I am not sure about earlier versions of PS. It is under the Edit menu (look for 'Fill'). Basically what you need to do is make a selection (it doesn't need to be perfect by any means; I usually use the polygonal lasso tool to make my selection), then you hit Content Aware Fill, and BOOM! Photoshop can process the details of the background in your image, and from that it can fill the space you've selected to match. It is a great way to even out backgrounds that have, say, a really annoying lamp post in them! Or a person that you don't care about! Also good for extending areas of background! Or whatever!
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Now content aware fill isn't perfect because it will sometimes pick up details from the "background" that you don't want copied (i.e. hair, clothes, etc) so that's where you either a) make a smaller selection and fill again ooooooor b) pick up your handy dandy clone stamp tool! Spoiler alert: this tool is fucking boss, and you should be using it for all kinds of things! But in this case, you can alt+click on the area you want to clone, and then you just brush over the area you want to cover. The Clone Tool uses your brush settings so you can change the size, shape, and hardness of the brush like you always do.
2. Fade: The 'fade' option is a bit tricky if only because you can only use it directly after you've implemented what you want to fade. It is super useful though, and I use it all the time! You can find this nifty bugger under the Edit menu, and, as I said, it will only be a selectable option right after you've done the thing you want to fade. Now I know this looks an awful lot like something that does the exact same thing as lower the opacity of a layer, and in some ways, that is exactly what it is. But you can also fade things for which fading the opacity is not an option. For example, say you've gone and layer masked something, but you've think the masking is too strong. Well, why not blur it, right? Except the harder edges of the mask are important. So what do you do? That's right! You've got the option to fade it! Anyway, fading is great.
Basically, the Edit menu has a lot of nifty toys in it so you should explore it!
3. Brush settings: If you do any work with brushes at all, chances are you've explored this little menu before, but on the off chance you haven't...you totally should! I change the axis and rotation of my preset brushes all the time which is one of the awesome abilities of this menu. And see the little menu on the left hand side there? It is like a mini filter menu for your brush! How cool is that? And speaking of filters...
4. Filters: THERE ARE SO MANY COOL THINGS AND SO MANY OPTIONS AND I LOVE FILTERS SO MUCH. I mean most of us use the filter menu for blurring and sharpening, yeah? But, golly, the filter menu is like a whole new world when you use stuff beyond that! You guys know what I mean, right? If you just shook your head no to that, you need to get your exploring on where this menu is concerned, oh my gosh. Also keep in mind that you can use filters on lots of things including your text!!
While we are here, I know one or two people have asked about, um, "softness" in my icons. So that means it is story time! I was on another tutorial adventure (this time on Tumblr instead of on google), and I ran across a tutorial that promised to teach people the poor man's Topaz. Of course, my first thought was 'dear god, no!', but then my curiosity overcame my horror so I clicked in to read the damn thing. This is where I learned about Filter >> Stylize >> Diffuse. This, apparently, mimics some sort of Topaz Filter? I don't know. I don't have Topaz. Anyway, I side eyed this new thing for awhile, but I gave it a try. It is actually pretty dang useful! Typically I use it on the full size cap before I resize down, and I almost always lower the opacity or fade the diffuse beforehand as well. So I get a bit of softness and smoothing without that weird, cartoony look. Also, you guys, box blur on very low setting/opacity?? Does wonders for making your icon soft!
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original cap versus Diffuse on 32% opacity.
5. Shape Tool: SHAPES ARE SO COOL, Y'ALL. WHAT UP. I love the shape tool almost as much as I love filters. You know what shapes are super great for??? BLENDING. WOW.
Know what else? MAKING COOL BACKGROUNDS!
ALSO? COOL DECORATIVE ACCENTS AND STUFF!
The shape tool is pretty great, and you can use it to jazz up any icon, to be honest. Some of the default PS shapes are kind of...dumb looking, I guess. But you can definitely download new shapes the exact same way you download brushes. So you can expand your collection! You can also make your own shapes if you've got a hand for drawing (I absolutely do not, hah) or if you have, um, Illustrator. Also? CIRCLES. Who doesn't fucking love circles, am I right???
Part 2 (a coloring guide) is already in the works and should be up in the next week or so. So if you have any coloring questions that haven't already been asked in my thread, you should totally click the link below and let me know!
My previous tutorials and guides can be found here. | My Ask the Maker thread is here if you have any requests.