Blair photoalbum icon tutorial for jaksbin
How to turn into
Written for beginners in PSP, but with PS directions as well. Should be entirely translateable.
If there is anything you don't understand or that I haven't explained, please ask and I'll help as best I can :)
Layer one: resize and crop image to 100x100 scale. I always try resizing images to 200 pixel width first, because they turn out the right size that way more often than not. Then I can go larger or smaller as needed. If you then, rather than cropping, paste the whole image over a blank 100x100 canvas, you can use the move tool (cross-shape with arrows at the ends) to move it around to find the best crop rather than doing and undoing your cropping.
Layer two: duplicate your base (right click on the base layer on your layer pallette) and sharpen it once (the sharpen command can be found in effects>sharpen>sharpen in PSP, or filter>sharpen>sharpen in my copy of PS) then lower the opacity of this layer until you get the right level of sharpness. You don’t want it too sharp, or too blurred. Make the image crisp.
Layer three: Create a new layer and flood fill it white, then go to the layer pallet and set its mode to colour. This can be found in the dropdown menu on your layer pallet that reads ‘normal’ usually. This will make your image black and white.
Layer four: Create a new layer and flood fill it with a medium-dark blue, #405B72, then set that layer to soft light at opacity 60%.
Layer five: Floodfill a new layer with a blue to red gradient, and set to colour at opacity 56%. The red is mostly in the top right corner to emphasise that corner because that way it adds depth to the image.
Layer six: is a curves layer. You can get there by right-clicking in PSP on the top layer in your layer pallet and go to new adjustment layer>curves, or in PS by clicking on the half white half black circle on your layers pallet. You’ll see a window with a graph on it. Click on the line for each point and then input these numbers into the relevant channels - the blue curve, the green curve, etc. Blue: 0,13 Green: 16,4 Red:0,39. Set the layer opacity to 76%.
Layer seven: More curves. RGB: 108, 160. Green: 122, 147. Blue: 107, 102.
--> Layer eight: I applied a ripped edges brush in white (the back is filled in black and there’s a black border so that you can see it better.) To create a brush in PSP, select the thing you want to make into a brush, then go into your brush tool pallet and click on the little brush with the arrow. Change the setting to custom, and a new window will open. Then click ‘create’ and it will make it into a brush you can apply in any colour in the same way you’re do a brush stroke. In PS, go to edit>define brush preset>okay.
--> Layer nine: Applied a polaroid brush by sanami276. Using the magic wand tool, select the black centre and delete it, then rotate the layer 4 degrees or so left to make it look more handmade. (border to show edges, not actually on the icon)
Layer ten: Some text, using AlphaMack AOE (free from www.dafont.com), partly off the page to suggest that it's a small part of a larger photoalbum. I wrote ‘Blair studying for the academy’, because it describes a plot point in The Sentinel.
Layer eleven: More text, again only partly on the page, to add to the illusion of increased area.
Layer twelve: Sticky-tape brush applied in #E6E7BB (off to the side, under the tiny bit of text on the right, see it? You have to look hard! But in my opinion the icon looks better with it there.)
Layer thirteen: Sticky-tape brushes, with lowered opacity to give a realistic see-through effect. Apply them in a yellowish-brown on separate layers to allow for careful individual manoeuvring.
And we’re done! :D
Written for beginners in PSP, but with PS directions as well. Should be entirely translateable.
If there is anything you don't understand or that I haven't explained, please ask and I'll help as best I can :)
Layer one: resize and crop image to 100x100 scale. I always try resizing images to 200 pixel width first, because they turn out the right size that way more often than not. Then I can go larger or smaller as needed. If you then, rather than cropping, paste the whole image over a blank 100x100 canvas, you can use the move tool (cross-shape with arrows at the ends) to move it around to find the best crop rather than doing and undoing your cropping.
Layer two: duplicate your base (right click on the base layer on your layer pallette) and sharpen it once (the sharpen command can be found in effects>sharpen>sharpen in PSP, or filter>sharpen>sharpen in my copy of PS) then lower the opacity of this layer until you get the right level of sharpness. You don’t want it too sharp, or too blurred. Make the image crisp.
Layer three: Create a new layer and flood fill it white, then go to the layer pallet and set its mode to colour. This can be found in the dropdown menu on your layer pallet that reads ‘normal’ usually. This will make your image black and white.
Layer four: Create a new layer and flood fill it with a medium-dark blue, #405B72, then set that layer to soft light at opacity 60%.
Layer five: Floodfill a new layer with a blue to red gradient, and set to colour at opacity 56%. The red is mostly in the top right corner to emphasise that corner because that way it adds depth to the image.
Layer six: is a curves layer. You can get there by right-clicking in PSP on the top layer in your layer pallet and go to new adjustment layer>curves, or in PS by clicking on the half white half black circle on your layers pallet. You’ll see a window with a graph on it. Click on the line for each point and then input these numbers into the relevant channels - the blue curve, the green curve, etc. Blue: 0,13 Green: 16,4 Red:0,39. Set the layer opacity to 76%.
Layer seven: More curves. RGB: 108, 160. Green: 122, 147. Blue: 107, 102.
--> Layer eight: I applied a ripped edges brush in white (the back is filled in black and there’s a black border so that you can see it better.) To create a brush in PSP, select the thing you want to make into a brush, then go into your brush tool pallet and click on the little brush with the arrow. Change the setting to custom, and a new window will open. Then click ‘create’ and it will make it into a brush you can apply in any colour in the same way you’re do a brush stroke. In PS, go to edit>define brush preset>okay.
--> Layer nine: Applied a polaroid brush by sanami276. Using the magic wand tool, select the black centre and delete it, then rotate the layer 4 degrees or so left to make it look more handmade. (border to show edges, not actually on the icon)
Layer ten: Some text, using AlphaMack AOE (free from www.dafont.com), partly off the page to suggest that it's a small part of a larger photoalbum. I wrote ‘Blair studying for the academy’, because it describes a plot point in The Sentinel.
Layer eleven: More text, again only partly on the page, to add to the illusion of increased area.
Layer twelve: Sticky-tape brush applied in #E6E7BB (off to the side, under the tiny bit of text on the right, see it? You have to look hard! But in my opinion the icon looks better with it there.)
Layer thirteen: Sticky-tape brushes, with lowered opacity to give a realistic see-through effect. Apply them in a yellowish-brown on separate layers to allow for careful individual manoeuvring.
And we’re done! :D