tutorial
Go from this: 
to this:
Using PS CS2, but can probably be altered using other programs.
1. Open your base. Then create a new layer and fill it with navy blue (I used #012239) and set that layer to exclusion.
2. Duplicate your base and drag it to the top. Then set it to hard light.
3. Flatten it. Then minimize it and open a new 100 x 100 icon. Then paste this texture (by colorfilter) on the blank icon and then flatten it.
4. Now maximize your original base (the one we were working on before) and resize it so it's fairly small (mine's 54 x 55). You can do this by either going to image -> image size or pasting it on the texture base we just created and transforming it (Ctrl + T). If you haven't already done so, paste the resized picture on the texture base and position it to where you want it.
5. With the picture layer selected, right click the layer on the layers palatte (sp?) and select Blending Options. Check the drop shadow box and select it so you can modify the options. Here are my settings.
6. Now we're done with the main part of the icon and now we can add brushes and text. First I created a new layer and used this brush (by gender) and set the layer to overlay.
7. Then I added some text. I typed in 'My bubbles' in Bountiful, size 10 and in all caps. To finish it off I added a tiny text brush.
Final:
to this:
Using PS CS2, but can probably be altered using other programs.
1. Open your base. Then create a new layer and fill it with navy blue (I used #012239) and set that layer to exclusion.
2. Duplicate your base and drag it to the top. Then set it to hard light.
3. Flatten it. Then minimize it and open a new 100 x 100 icon. Then paste this texture (by colorfilter) on the blank icon and then flatten it.
4. Now maximize your original base (the one we were working on before) and resize it so it's fairly small (mine's 54 x 55). You can do this by either going to image -> image size or pasting it on the texture base we just created and transforming it (Ctrl + T). If you haven't already done so, paste the resized picture on the texture base and position it to where you want it.
5. With the picture layer selected, right click the layer on the layers palatte (sp?) and select Blending Options. Check the drop shadow box and select it so you can modify the options. Here are my settings.
6. Now we're done with the main part of the icon and now we can add brushes and text. First I created a new layer and used this brush (by gender) and set the layer to overlay.
7. Then I added some text. I typed in 'My bubbles' in Bountiful, size 10 and in all caps. To finish it off I added a tiny text brush.
Final: