TUTORIAL 001
TO
Made in Adobe Photoshop CS2.
As requested by brookedavis93 & picture2burn from THIS batch.
Note that this is a recreation as I didn't save the original PSD.
01. First take this image from edwardandbella.net. Copy on a 100x100 canvas and play around until you find a good crop.
02. Now you have to sharpen the image. Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen and leave at 100%.
03. Go to Image > Adjustments > Auto Levels and leave at 100% which will automatically make your image lighter and give it more contrast which will enhance colouring. Yet after that the image still looked slightly dull so duplicate the base and set it to screen at a 25% opacity, now it will be slightly lighter. You're now ready to work on colour.
Result:
04. To start working on colouring first merge your layers so it looks nice and clean. Now go to Image > Adjustments > Variations. In midtones click more yellow and OK. This will add some warmth to your picture. But your image will now look extremely yellow so go to Edit > Fade Variations and set it to 10%.
Result:
05. Now we want to enhance some specific colours so your icon becomes more 'eye catching'. To do this create a selective colour layer.
Settings:
Reds: -6, 5, 5, 0
06. In the previous step we worked on just reds, in this step we'll also enhance some other colours. Create another selective colour layer.
Settings:
Reds: -100, 5, 57, 0
Yellows: 15, 0, -44, 0
Whites: 20, 0 ,0 ,0
Neutrals: 20, 0, 0, 0
Result:
07. I find that the Curves feature is a good way to create some depth in your image so not suprisingly, create a new Curves layer.
Channel:
RGB: Input: 125, Output 118
BLUE; Input 164, Output 153
08. Create a new layer and fill it with #7a7e01. Set to soft light at 16%. This is to complete the warm tone on your icon before we play around with cooler tones.
Result:
09. If you look at the result above I find it too yellow/green. We want to go for a more fresh look while not taking away the 'warmth' of the icon. So create a new Photo Filter layer. Choose Cooling Filter (80) and set it to Normal at 95%. Your image should now have a more blue tint to it.
10. Next we want to up the colours again so they pop out more. A good way to do this is with a Hue/Saturation Layer.
In Master up the Saturation 22.
Result:
11. Create a new layer and fill it with #310700. Set it to Exclusion at 100%. This will get rid of the intense red of the previous step and make the icon more blue.
12. Now create another new layer and fill it with #372f2a. Set it at Lighten at 100%. This layer will soften the whole icon up a bit.
Result:
13. To finsh the colouring create a final Selective Colour layer just to up the colour of the lips slightly.
Settings:
Reds: -72, 2, 5, 0
14. I added this
texture by innocent_lexys and set it at soft light at 15%. Though it might be hard to see, the texture slightly lightens the cheeks and side of the nose which are quite dark.
Result:
And you're done! Any questions, just ask.
Other examples made with this technique:
*PSD is uploaded.
After having over 166 downloads and not even near half that many comments I've decided to put a bit of a restriction on the PSD. From now on you:
~Must be a member and/or watching the community.
~Once you join, comment on this post and I will message you the link to the PSD. (Make sure your email notification is turned on or you check your INBOX).
It's just nice to receive some feedback since thats what inspires me to keep going. It's kind of discouraging having so many people download and not bother mention that they are. Thanks for you consideration ♥.
*Just remember that the PSD doesn't show the first few steps as I merged those layers, (preparing your base & variations) just remember that preparing your base is an essential step.
Comment // Credit // Enjoy // JOIN? :D