my over-due tutorial i promised ages ago
So, I know I've promised a lot of you a tutorial for months and I'm very sorry it took me so long. I also lost all my psds since my external hard drive died so I've had to recreate some of my colourings.
Tutorial
Going from THIS:
to THIS:
Okay so this image is using similar colouring I used on THIS IMAGE on tumblr. A lot of people sent me messages about this colouring. First of all: Every image is coloured in different ways, they use similar approaches and similar colours but I add something different to each image of this grid. But the blue/green colours are using the same psd but with different tweaks each time. Here is the tutorial for it.
1. Duplicate your base and set it to over 51% (NOTE: Lately I find 'overlay' a lot more affective than 'soft light' It is worth using overlay rather than soft light in my opinion, just set overlay to a softer opacity).
2. New adjustment layer > curves (I'll post screencaps for this rather then giving the points because whenever I read tutorials the points never match up so I'm probably doing it wrong).
RGB
GREEN
3. New adjustment layer > curves
RED
GREEN
BLUE
4. New adjustment layer > Selective Colouring
REDS
CYAN (+83) MAGNETA (-26) BLUE (-37)
YELLOWS
CYAN (-90) MAGNETA (-29) BLUE (+100)
GREENS
CYAN (+68) MAGNETA (-56) BLUE (+100)
MAGNETAS
CYAN (+100) MAGNETA (+100) BLUE (+100)
WHITES
CYAN (+94) MAGNETA (-43) BLUE (-53)
NEUTRALS
CYAN (+29) MAGNETA (+1) BLUE (-6)
BLACKS
CYAN (-13)
5. New adjustment layer > Colour Balance
MIDTONES
(+6) (-20) (-8)
6. New adjustment layer > Hue/Saturation
HUE (-2) SATURATION (+28)
7. Viola:
Obviously the colouring won't work with all images so if you want something similar then I suggest you play around with the layers to get it to work with the picture you're using.
//
I've also had a lot of people asking me about my bright colouring. I've given out a few tips/tricks I've learnt on tumblr but I'll try and write down a few things that I find useful when using bright colours.
Tips/Tricks
1. DON'T be afraid to experiment. Even if your colouring turns out completely hideous and gross at least it's something useful to show you how NOT to colour and try and find the points where you've went wrong. I wouldn't suggest posting anything with hideous colouring if you really hate it. But it's all about trial and error at the end of the day in my opinion. It's probably why my style changes so much from each post: I LOVE experimenting with new things.
2. Don't COPY from other makers but be inspired by things they do. I love looking at other people's tutorials and psds but I find that a lot of people just then copy the tutorial exactly and don't add their own creative input. If you want your own 'style' then add your own spin on it, try adding textures or maybe a few different colours or something completely new that the maker hasn't thought of.
3. Don't be afraid to use a lot of layers when colouring (AKA don't worry about being a perfectionist). The colouring I've just done a tutorial for is a very small compared to some of my other colourings. I like my colours to look complete and I will often stare at something I've just made and think 'Even though this has 30 layers already it is not done by far.' I want to get it perfect so I never worry about how large a psd file is or how many layers I've used, I like to keep adding stuff to it, if only small tweaking, to make it look perfect.
4. In relation to using layers: One of the most important tips I’ve learnt when creating bright colours is: USE LAYERS AND LAYERS. To make sure your image doesn’t become grainy or pixelated, duplicating your base and setting the layers to screen and overlay is always a good trick. And if you want really bright saturated colours adding loads of layers of small amounts of saturation is much better than adding one layer of really harsh colours.
For example: IMAGE 1:
// IMAGE 2:
The first image is using only one layer of hue/saturation. Sometimes you see icons which are oversaturated an awful lot and it definitely looks like they have just plastered on layers of saturation without thinking about it. There may not be a HUGE difference in these images as I only used one layer but you can see the harshness of the saturation on the swing chains and on Andrew's face (btw who I'm totally obsessed with and have many icons of him in my next post).
The second image is using more than four layers to achieve bright colouring. It's useful to use smaller amounts of hue/saturation and then adding on a layer using the vibrance tool: sometimes I find this even more affective than the saturation tool because it's great at brightening your image without adding as harsh tones as maybe the saturation would (and keep it from becoming grainy or pixelated to hell). I've also used the selective colouring tool which I'll talk about in point 5.
5. totally quoting from my tumblr Another thing which I always find help is the selective colouring tool. I’ve actually heard that some people don’t like images that are made with it but you have to learn how to use it properly and effectively rather than just plastering on pinks or reds because then the colouring can overpower the image and make it look too much. But say if you have an image which is blue and yellow but you really want the blues to POP more, then if you use the cyans/blues in the selective colouring tool it’s perfect to make them more vivid and vibrant. You could also use it to tone down the yellows in this case if you wanted the blue colours to be more prominent. If people tell you they don't like selective colouring and you feel put off by it: don't listen. I'm honestly surprised that some people don't like this method because I find it one of the most useful adjustment tools on PS.... just don't over-do it. Use small amounts. And sometimes it's more affective (or is it e-ffective.. idk I can't spell), just to use on ONE particualr colour to make it eye-catching.
6. Light textures are also great to add more vibrant shades into your images. I love using light textures by drankmywar and ohfreckle. You should check them out, I tend to use them a lot in my icons/picspams. They're also useful for creating dark shades and covering up any unwanted pixelation that may be caused by oversaturation. This is a light texture by drankmywar which I expanded because I loved the tone of yellow colour, I use it a lot on my graphics:
.
7. As for final touches: CURVES (and I bold and capitolize because they are awesome) are always a wonderful thing to add to make sure the light/contrast balance is just right, this also helps in making sure your colours don't become pixelated. If there is any pixelation on any part of the image; I will sometimes use the smudge tool to blend it into the image so it dissappears.
8. I actually LOVE curves. I cannot make an art these days without using them. If you don't use them I really suggest that you at least try and experiment with them.
9. Another new adjustment layer I've come to love is the channel mixer. I've never really used it much before but I accidently clicked on it once and started playing around with it. Which goes back to my first point: experimentation :) I would never have learnt all I've learnt today without making truely disgusting colours first from playing around with different things.
10. This has nothing to do with colouring but when finishing an image I merge the layer and ALWAYS blur the completed graphic first before sharpening it. I found it quite useful because sometimes I worry my icons either look too blurry or too oversharpened. I find this a good balance.
//
I *hope* this was useful however. I'm never any good at explaning myself (plus I am a horrific speller) but since so many of you asked for some tips I figured I would share what I find most helpful/useful during the process of colouring an image.
- If I've made a mistake and you're having a difficult time with one of the steps in the tutorial then let me know.
- I will NOT be giving out a psd so please don't ask. Sorry.
- Please COMMENT to let me know if you're going to try it out.
PS- Requests are coming. Just over half way done :D
Tutorial
Going from THIS:
to THIS:
Okay so this image is using similar colouring I used on THIS IMAGE on tumblr. A lot of people sent me messages about this colouring. First of all: Every image is coloured in different ways, they use similar approaches and similar colours but I add something different to each image of this grid. But the blue/green colours are using the same psd but with different tweaks each time. Here is the tutorial for it.
1. Duplicate your base and set it to over 51% (NOTE: Lately I find 'overlay' a lot more affective than 'soft light' It is worth using overlay rather than soft light in my opinion, just set overlay to a softer opacity).
2. New adjustment layer > curves (I'll post screencaps for this rather then giving the points because whenever I read tutorials the points never match up so I'm probably doing it wrong).
RGB
GREEN
3. New adjustment layer > curves
RED
GREEN
BLUE
4. New adjustment layer > Selective Colouring
REDS
CYAN (+83) MAGNETA (-26) BLUE (-37)
YELLOWS
CYAN (-90) MAGNETA (-29) BLUE (+100)
GREENS
CYAN (+68) MAGNETA (-56) BLUE (+100)
MAGNETAS
CYAN (+100) MAGNETA (+100) BLUE (+100)
WHITES
CYAN (+94) MAGNETA (-43) BLUE (-53)
NEUTRALS
CYAN (+29) MAGNETA (+1) BLUE (-6)
BLACKS
CYAN (-13)
5. New adjustment layer > Colour Balance
MIDTONES
(+6) (-20) (-8)
6. New adjustment layer > Hue/Saturation
HUE (-2) SATURATION (+28)
7. Viola:
Obviously the colouring won't work with all images so if you want something similar then I suggest you play around with the layers to get it to work with the picture you're using.
//
I've also had a lot of people asking me about my bright colouring. I've given out a few tips/tricks I've learnt on tumblr but I'll try and write down a few things that I find useful when using bright colours.
Tips/Tricks
1. DON'T be afraid to experiment. Even if your colouring turns out completely hideous and gross at least it's something useful to show you how NOT to colour and try and find the points where you've went wrong. I wouldn't suggest posting anything with hideous colouring if you really hate it. But it's all about trial and error at the end of the day in my opinion. It's probably why my style changes so much from each post: I LOVE experimenting with new things.
2. Don't COPY from other makers but be inspired by things they do. I love looking at other people's tutorials and psds but I find that a lot of people just then copy the tutorial exactly and don't add their own creative input. If you want your own 'style' then add your own spin on it, try adding textures or maybe a few different colours or something completely new that the maker hasn't thought of.
3. Don't be afraid to use a lot of layers when colouring (AKA don't worry about being a perfectionist). The colouring I've just done a tutorial for is a very small compared to some of my other colourings. I like my colours to look complete and I will often stare at something I've just made and think 'Even though this has 30 layers already it is not done by far.' I want to get it perfect so I never worry about how large a psd file is or how many layers I've used, I like to keep adding stuff to it, if only small tweaking, to make it look perfect.
4. In relation to using layers: One of the most important tips I’ve learnt when creating bright colours is: USE LAYERS AND LAYERS. To make sure your image doesn’t become grainy or pixelated, duplicating your base and setting the layers to screen and overlay is always a good trick. And if you want really bright saturated colours adding loads of layers of small amounts of saturation is much better than adding one layer of really harsh colours.
For example: IMAGE 1:
// IMAGE 2:
The first image is using only one layer of hue/saturation. Sometimes you see icons which are oversaturated an awful lot and it definitely looks like they have just plastered on layers of saturation without thinking about it. There may not be a HUGE difference in these images as I only used one layer but you can see the harshness of the saturation on the swing chains and on Andrew's face (btw who I'm totally obsessed with and have many icons of him in my next post).
The second image is using more than four layers to achieve bright colouring. It's useful to use smaller amounts of hue/saturation and then adding on a layer using the vibrance tool: sometimes I find this even more affective than the saturation tool because it's great at brightening your image without adding as harsh tones as maybe the saturation would (and keep it from becoming grainy or pixelated to hell). I've also used the selective colouring tool which I'll talk about in point 5.
5. totally quoting from my tumblr Another thing which I always find help is the selective colouring tool. I’ve actually heard that some people don’t like images that are made with it but you have to learn how to use it properly and effectively rather than just plastering on pinks or reds because then the colouring can overpower the image and make it look too much. But say if you have an image which is blue and yellow but you really want the blues to POP more, then if you use the cyans/blues in the selective colouring tool it’s perfect to make them more vivid and vibrant. You could also use it to tone down the yellows in this case if you wanted the blue colours to be more prominent. If people tell you they don't like selective colouring and you feel put off by it: don't listen. I'm honestly surprised that some people don't like this method because I find it one of the most useful adjustment tools on PS.... just don't over-do it. Use small amounts. And sometimes it's more affective (or is it e-ffective.. idk I can't spell), just to use on ONE particualr colour to make it eye-catching.
6. Light textures are also great to add more vibrant shades into your images. I love using light textures by drankmywar and ohfreckle. You should check them out, I tend to use them a lot in my icons/picspams. They're also useful for creating dark shades and covering up any unwanted pixelation that may be caused by oversaturation. This is a light texture by drankmywar which I expanded because I loved the tone of yellow colour, I use it a lot on my graphics:
.
7. As for final touches: CURVES (and I bold and capitolize because they are awesome) are always a wonderful thing to add to make sure the light/contrast balance is just right, this also helps in making sure your colours don't become pixelated. If there is any pixelation on any part of the image; I will sometimes use the smudge tool to blend it into the image so it dissappears.
8. I actually LOVE curves. I cannot make an art these days without using them. If you don't use them I really suggest that you at least try and experiment with them.
9. Another new adjustment layer I've come to love is the channel mixer. I've never really used it much before but I accidently clicked on it once and started playing around with it. Which goes back to my first point: experimentation :) I would never have learnt all I've learnt today without making truely disgusting colours first from playing around with different things.
10. This has nothing to do with colouring but when finishing an image I merge the layer and ALWAYS blur the completed graphic first before sharpening it. I found it quite useful because sometimes I worry my icons either look too blurry or too oversharpened. I find this a good balance.
//
I *hope* this was useful however. I'm never any good at explaning myself (plus I am a horrific speller) but since so many of you asked for some tips I figured I would share what I find most helpful/useful during the process of colouring an image.
- If I've made a mistake and you're having a difficult time with one of the steps in the tutorial then let me know.
- I will NOT be giving out a psd so please don't ask. Sorry.
- Please COMMENT to let me know if you're going to try it out.
PS- Requests are coming. Just over half way done :D