#23 Creating space guide no.1

[rainyrainydays]

I don't normally write tutorials, but I get asked about this a lot and I was kinda bored so...

CREATING ICONS WITH SMOOTH BACKGROUNDS
in PS CS3 (but completely translatable to lower versions.)

We'll be making this ->

Comments

[killmotion]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. ILU.

God, it still seems hard, like what if the looks adorable and the background sucks?! *OCD* I believe the key is in the Lighten tool. I've never used that. And the YED icon! Yes.

[rainyrainydays]

THE FEELING IS SO VERY MUTUAL MY FRIEND! ;P

'Background sucks' as in, it's uneven and ugly colored?
It's still do-able.
I'd probably use a different method and work with color fill layers and masks instead.

If you give me a HQ cap I could demonstrate if you like...

[killmotion]

HAHAH BUT OF COURSE.

Yes. As in really busy and full of stuff yet he (Dean, since that's the brother I icon XD) looks cute. Oh, an example cap? *chooses* This! 'Cause I love this scene, but I only want Dean (and Sam's back--and the table's fine, but the rest is just ugh. In the way! Hello? Dude next to Dean's ear? Yeah, ruining the potential icon!)

[rainyrainydays]

Okay, LOL. Personally, I wouldn't even bother with that cap, cause that one is really hard.

It's not perfect, but this is the best I could come up with, using color layers and masks.
I'll try again tomorrow and write something up...

[killmotion]

GOOD GOD ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! IT ROCKS! Take your sweet time. I owe you something big.

[rainyrainydays]

Meh, it looks alright, but Dean's hair is not fully cooperating with me...

LIKE A PONY!!?! OR (MANY) SEXUAL FAVORS!!! OR A YACHT, MAYBE?!
I would gladly accept all of those things. Except for the pony. I don't actually like ponies.

[killmotion]

*raises eyebrows* Whatever. It looks awesome. What I also want to know is how it actually matches and doesn't look like a random image with a random color. How it's got the slightly purple feel that goes with it. It's very soft and creamy. I was trying to do it earlier, and I got pissed and closed PhotoShop 'cause it was very jagged-y afte 25 minutes of continuous patient smudging. I suck. I really do.

I don't think I could help you with sexual favors. BUT WOULD YOU LIKE THIS YACHT? Sans the eagle and replace a picture of a hot boy, like, say, Jensen Ackles?

[rainyrainydays]

DON'T SMUDGE IT!!! That's a sure way to drive yourself insane.
Really not the right method for that picture...

Ah, I was going to include the color-thing in the tut anyway.

OMG YES I WILL TAKE THE YACHT!
Jensen can also be my on-board man servant. He will take care of the sexual favors for you.

[killmotion]

It wasn't the same picture I gave you. But in truth, I suck at trying to alter images with anything more than color and placement. Smudging is SO NOT MY THING. It's not even funny. Sometimes when I see pretty icons like yours, I think about giving up icon-making...

Apparently, it's the most expensive yacht in the world ($100 million-don't sink it or I will cut you...bad), so it can, in fact, come with Jensen as your man servant. XD Have fun!

[rainyrainydays]

Sometimes when I see pretty icons like yours, I think about giving up icon-making...
Oookay, that is teh crazy talking.

I know how it is to feel like you've hit a roadblock in icon making.
Like you've maxed out on your capacity to improve.
But it's never true.

And the smudge tool is a BITCH. The first four hundred times I tried using it it sucked balls and almost made me cry. I'm not even kidding.
Until one day it actually worked and looked pretty and I loved it.

[killmotion]

Well, call me crazy, then.

Well, how long have you been making icons, then? Me since last May, I consider I've improved a great deal. But I'd love to be proud of my stuff and surprised at how good I can make things.

God, it really is hard, though. I think I'll just stick with polygonal lasso and erasing. It's what I've always done...

[rainyrainydays]

Uh, two years?
But I started making bigger graphics long before that.
I've been using Photoshop for about four years now...

I think I've told you before that IMHO, you're already remarkably good for someone who has only been doing it for such a short amount of time. So you already have good reason to be proud.
But there will definitely be the moment when you make an icon, look at the result and think 'OMG, I'm a genius!'....

I couldn't use the polygonal lasso if my life depended on it.
Actually, I can't use any of the lasso tools. I just really don't know how to use them properly.

[killmotion]

But I've only seen your work here in this journal from the past few months. Where's your older stuff?

Most of the time, I've got the idea in my head, but it's getting it onto the screen. That's the hardest part.

But it's so easy!

[rainyrainydays]

I've had another icon journal before this one and before that I posted on a message board, that's where most my older stuff is. Or at least used to be. The hosting site I used for my images shut down, so most of the links are broken now. :(

But it's so easy!
NO IT'S NOT!
ALL THE LASSO TOOLS HATE ME.

[killmotion]

Aw, and you don't have any old stuff on your computer?

Different tools for different fools. OH COPYRIGHT ME.

[rainyrainydays]

Not, really. Well, not on this computer at least...I still have most of my older wps and stuff on my laptop.

Different tools for different fools. OH COPYRIGHT ME.
LOLLERS!