The Begininners Guide to Icon Making
Icon Making for Beginnners
Ok, so i don't admit to being the best icon maker ever. In fact, i'm probably not super great, but still...Here are some basics steps to making icons!
If you find this helpful, yay...if you don't need a guide - link me to tutorials and resources in the comments for other people? Cos i want everyone in this comm to be able to make icons, software permitting.
disclaimer : I critique my icons cos I don't like them. doesn't mean everyone does... :D
1. Have the software.
It doesn't matter if its PS, PSP or Gimp...or something else. You need software to make icons. And paint...doesn't really cut it.
I use PS, and i also downloaded Ifran View, which is free, and i use that to orginally resize the icon. I know a lot of people work in larger canvases, and the crop down to 100x100, but it's really up to you.
digitalviolets said to check out Aviary if you need software.
2. Choose GOOD Caps.
With good caps, you don't have to do much. seriously.
this icon was made without me doing much, as the cap was good. I think i upped the saturation, and made it brighter...and of course chopped it up and added the text.
But, my point is, don't use blurry or small, or worse - skewed caps.
you can find caps here :
daydreaming
screencap paradise
dead in the scene
disparue
Leave Me the White
can't take the sky
3. Let there be light
Ok, no one likes a dark icon where they struggle to see what's going on.
this is one of my crappier icons - it's quite dark, and unless you know who is in it, and what scene it is...you can't really be sure.
things you can do to lighten an icon : new screen layer. This is immesley popular, and used by lots of people. I think you can do it in ps and psp. I'm not sure about gimp.
other things : a white layer on softlight, curves, and probably others. I'll try to find a good tutorial to link to. faeriesfolly said there is a screen layer in gimp : check out the commments to this post for what else she had to say about gimp.
4. Don't go changing to try and please me
Don't try and change the colours too much - more emphasize them. I know some people like icons that come out "blue" or "green", but in general - make sure skin is still skin toned! no one likes icons where the person looks sickly or blue or sunburnt...ok :D
Also, textures are AWESOME. don't get me wrong, but...don't go overboard. Although some people like it...some people don't, it's personal preference..but just don't put them on for the sake of it sometimes it's GREAT. sometimes...it's not.
fun icons i made a long time ago :
yes...she's dizzy...no i didn't need to add so many textures. seriously. also, why is she so darn red?
EWW. more red crazy colouring!
5. stick with what you know
experimenting is both the key to making good icons and your downfall.
lets discuss this icon from xmaidelx that she and i love to hate
It's a case of Maidel going a little crazy with the textures and the colours...and well..making a little epic mess. (for those of you that find this icon pretty...it is..in it's own special way, but..it's busy)
So, while the best thing for you to go out and do is experiment, start small...with cropping and colouring and maybe a few textures. don't jump into things straight away, cos it can be overwhelming.
6. Colouring 101
Colouring can make or break an icon, and is the difference between a cropped screencap and an icon in most respects. take a look at my icon i'm using in this post....isn't it PRETTY?
my latest fave firefly colouring tut is this one by drankmywar It isn't probably for beginners, but you can have a look anyway!
I can't really say much here. The best colouring is where you bring out the best in the cap - try duplicating your image and having a screen and a soft light layer to start with.
Once you're ready to try colouring : tutorials are your friend..just skip the ones with the blue tinges, ok ?
7. Sharpening - not for the faint of heart
When you crop a cap down, it often gets blurrier. to make your icons more vibrant, sharpening your image helps.
however, it's best NOT to use the standard sharpening tools, and instead use things like smart sharpen and unsharp mask.
don't over sharpen.
here you can see blurry - sharpened - too sharp
provided by the lovely xmaidelx
You can see how the sharpened one provides definition, where as the too sharp one makes her look pixelated.
too sharp icons make fred angry.
8. text - everyone's worst nightmare
I'm no good at text. and text can make or break your icon.
seriously.
check that out - bad colouring - bad text...it's just...boring... and blah.
this is a recent icon where i'm ok with the text - it's still not awesome, but it's ok.
it adds something to the icon, rather than just being slopped on for kicks in the first one...
anyway..i'm not the best at text, but check out this beautiful tut by neversleeps HERE
9. cropping!
I LOVE cropping. I like taking an image and cropping it til it's cool, i love centre icons, i love close crops, and i love negative space crops.
ie.
play around with a cap till you find what's right. I rely heavily on making my icons centre middle, but fun crops are FUN.
I love this by letsey_x even though you can't see faces!
10. don't listen to anyone
When it comes down to it - don't listen to anyone. If you like an icon, that's all that matters. REALLY. getting first place or placing in challenges you might enter, and having people snag your icons is nice. it gives you a bit of an ego boost. But icon making for me is a HOBBY. I like to sit down and churn out some icons...love it in fact :D And i like making things that i like :D
helpful places to go from here
my favourite icon tutorials list
here for xmaidelx's tutorials that she's memmed.
icon_tutorial - be wary of this comm, it's filled with crappy tutorials and generally not helpful all of the time. But there are some great tuts to start with...if you can find them.
Any other resources people can recommend for newbies? Send them my way.
Also, if you liked this..i'm more than happy to do a tutorial for any of my icons, or a part two for this post? oh, and you can find me average to ok icons at cherry_squares if you want to pick out something particular for a tut. there are also a couple of tuts already there.
RESOURCES FROM OTHER PEEPS
Texture Use Guide
Another Texture Guide
Cropping Guide
How to Use Text Guide
tuts from all_at_once
the master guide to curves
colouring guide
Ok, so i don't admit to being the best icon maker ever. In fact, i'm probably not super great, but still...Here are some basics steps to making icons!
If you find this helpful, yay...if you don't need a guide - link me to tutorials and resources in the comments for other people? Cos i want everyone in this comm to be able to make icons, software permitting.
disclaimer : I critique my icons cos I don't like them. doesn't mean everyone does... :D
1. Have the software.
It doesn't matter if its PS, PSP or Gimp...or something else. You need software to make icons. And paint...doesn't really cut it.
I use PS, and i also downloaded Ifran View, which is free, and i use that to orginally resize the icon. I know a lot of people work in larger canvases, and the crop down to 100x100, but it's really up to you.
digitalviolets said to check out Aviary if you need software.
2. Choose GOOD Caps.
With good caps, you don't have to do much. seriously.
this icon was made without me doing much, as the cap was good. I think i upped the saturation, and made it brighter...and of course chopped it up and added the text.
But, my point is, don't use blurry or small, or worse - skewed caps.
you can find caps here :
daydreaming
screencap paradise
dead in the scene
disparue
Leave Me the White
can't take the sky
3. Let there be light
Ok, no one likes a dark icon where they struggle to see what's going on.
this is one of my crappier icons - it's quite dark, and unless you know who is in it, and what scene it is...you can't really be sure.
things you can do to lighten an icon : new screen layer. This is immesley popular, and used by lots of people. I think you can do it in ps and psp. I'm not sure about gimp.
other things : a white layer on softlight, curves, and probably others. I'll try to find a good tutorial to link to. faeriesfolly said there is a screen layer in gimp : check out the commments to this post for what else she had to say about gimp.
4. Don't go changing to try and please me
Don't try and change the colours too much - more emphasize them. I know some people like icons that come out "blue" or "green", but in general - make sure skin is still skin toned! no one likes icons where the person looks sickly or blue or sunburnt...ok :D
Also, textures are AWESOME. don't get me wrong, but...don't go overboard. Although some people like it...some people don't, it's personal preference..but just don't put them on for the sake of it sometimes it's GREAT. sometimes...it's not.
fun icons i made a long time ago :
yes...she's dizzy...no i didn't need to add so many textures. seriously. also, why is she so darn red?
EWW. more red crazy colouring!
5. stick with what you know
experimenting is both the key to making good icons and your downfall.
lets discuss this icon from xmaidelx that she and i love to hate
It's a case of Maidel going a little crazy with the textures and the colours...and well..making a little epic mess. (for those of you that find this icon pretty...it is..in it's own special way, but..it's busy)
So, while the best thing for you to go out and do is experiment, start small...with cropping and colouring and maybe a few textures. don't jump into things straight away, cos it can be overwhelming.
6. Colouring 101
Colouring can make or break an icon, and is the difference between a cropped screencap and an icon in most respects. take a look at my icon i'm using in this post....isn't it PRETTY?
my latest fave firefly colouring tut is this one by drankmywar It isn't probably for beginners, but you can have a look anyway!
I can't really say much here. The best colouring is where you bring out the best in the cap - try duplicating your image and having a screen and a soft light layer to start with.
Once you're ready to try colouring : tutorials are your friend..just skip the ones with the blue tinges, ok ?
7. Sharpening - not for the faint of heart
When you crop a cap down, it often gets blurrier. to make your icons more vibrant, sharpening your image helps.
however, it's best NOT to use the standard sharpening tools, and instead use things like smart sharpen and unsharp mask.
don't over sharpen.
here you can see blurry - sharpened - too sharp
provided by the lovely xmaidelx
You can see how the sharpened one provides definition, where as the too sharp one makes her look pixelated.
too sharp icons make fred angry.
8. text - everyone's worst nightmare
I'm no good at text. and text can make or break your icon.
seriously.
check that out - bad colouring - bad text...it's just...boring... and blah.
this is a recent icon where i'm ok with the text - it's still not awesome, but it's ok.
it adds something to the icon, rather than just being slopped on for kicks in the first one...
anyway..i'm not the best at text, but check out this beautiful tut by neversleeps HERE
9. cropping!
I LOVE cropping. I like taking an image and cropping it til it's cool, i love centre icons, i love close crops, and i love negative space crops.
ie.
play around with a cap till you find what's right. I rely heavily on making my icons centre middle, but fun crops are FUN.
I love this by letsey_x even though you can't see faces!
10. don't listen to anyone
When it comes down to it - don't listen to anyone. If you like an icon, that's all that matters. REALLY. getting first place or placing in challenges you might enter, and having people snag your icons is nice. it gives you a bit of an ego boost. But icon making for me is a HOBBY. I like to sit down and churn out some icons...love it in fact :D And i like making things that i like :D
helpful places to go from here
my favourite icon tutorials list
here for xmaidelx's tutorials that she's memmed.
icon_tutorial - be wary of this comm, it's filled with crappy tutorials and generally not helpful all of the time. But there are some great tuts to start with...if you can find them.
Any other resources people can recommend for newbies? Send them my way.
Also, if you liked this..i'm more than happy to do a tutorial for any of my icons, or a part two for this post? oh, and you can find me average to ok icons at cherry_squares if you want to pick out something particular for a tut. there are also a couple of tuts already there.
RESOURCES FROM OTHER PEEPS
Texture Use Guide
Another Texture Guide
Cropping Guide
How to Use Text Guide
tuts from all_at_once
the master guide to curves
colouring guide