Mancalahour 011: A tutorial of sorts!
Okay, here goes nothing! My first tutorial(ish)! absolutelybatty asked how I go about making something for Tumblr, more specifically choosing caps, theme, text, textures, placement, etc. and how to "get your close ups in such high quality on a bigger canvas". longerthanwedo and firstillusion asked how I cut out/blend.
This tutorial assumes a level of familiarity with Photoshop. I'm using CS5. Not for the weak of heart!
As stated, I rarely save PSDs, so it's difficult for me to do a step by step tutorial, so that's not what this is. Apologies if anyone is expecting that! However, I DO happen to have a PSD for one of the tumblr graphics mentioned, which is also one that I cropped down into an icon. So that is going to be pretty useful to us!
I have a feeling this is going to be pretty lengthy, so bear with me! XD
The following graphics were cited as examples:
The PSD available to me is the large pink Gwen graphic, so that's primarily what I'll be talking about here. But you can pretty much rest assured that I used most of the steps in the other graphics as well.
It may or may not be important to note that I originally made this graphic for roughandtumblr's textless challenge. I didn't end up entering it, but that's still what it was for. The required dimensions were 500 x 700, so that's what size I made my canvas.
1. Image Quality without resizing. I started out with this cap by fprintmoon at gallicka. I chose it because, well, I think it's a pretty cap! The angle of her face is perfect for cropping, and it's got some lovely pinks and yellows in the background.
Now I use a photoshop filter called Topaz Clean, which is pretty popular right now. You can google it to find out more. Now, this step may seem like cheating a little to some, and I don't disagree. But I use it anyway! So this is how I preserve the quality of this cap, because I can't resize it due to the sizing restrictions for roughandtumblr's challenge!
So I duplicate the cap first, and then go to filter >> Topaz Labs >> Topaz Clean. On the left-hand side, I choose Curly Smooth and play with the settings a bit. Strength is about 3, Threshold: 0.10, Radius: 7. Hit OK. Lower the opacity of this layer to about 65%.
I then add a color balance layer to the cap to put more blues and cyans into the highlights, and some more blues and reds into the shadows.
Flatten Image. Filter >> Sharpen >> Sharpen.
2. Open a blank canvas, 500 x 700 px. Drag the cap to the canvas and place it.
3. Duplicate/blur/softlight. Now this step is a bit tricky, but I do it alot. Duplicate your base cap and go to Image > Adjustments > Variations. I want the colors to really pop, so I make this layer still more blue.
Here's what my settings look like to start:
It's important to note that you can click on the sample images below multiple times to get more effect. So with midtones checked, I click on "more blue" several times. Then check Highlights, more blue, more cyan. Shadows, more blue, more red. Hit OK when you're done!
Still on the same layer, next up is Filter >> Blur >> Gaussian Blur. My settings are somewhere around Radius: 6.0 for this layer. Set the layer to Soft Light, and voila! I left the opacity at 100%.
This adds more color, more contrast, and adds a soft glowyness that I like, because it's possible my base was a bit too sharp. It also takes out some of the curlyness on Gwen's skin from the Topaz Adjust in the first step!
4. Blocking/Textures. Making graphics isn't a short process for me by any means. Tumblr graphics in particular can take me anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 or 4 hours, depending. (And trust me, it doesn't usually take 15 minutes! XD). So the best advice I can give to anybody is to play around, because that's all I do! I mess around until I find something I like. I know a lot of makers say that, but that's because it's true!
Anyway, I wanted som negative space, so I used the Rectangular marquee tool on a new blank layer to select a rectangle of space over Gwen's eye. With the space selected, Edit >> Fill. A box pops up. From the dropdown, choose "Color". A palette opens. I used the color #5c1b2b, which is a color from the BASE image, which just goes to show that I didn't make the graphic in this exact order when I made it! And that, my friends, is why writing tutorials is HARD! XD
Click for full.
Now I want to use that blank space! So I go looking for textures, and decided on this one by butterphil because it has a lot of the pinks that already exist in my image, but it also brings some other colors to the table. I drag it from my folder onto my canvas so that I automatically get the transform tools. Without locking the aspect ratio, I manipulate the texture until it takes up the rectangle of pink I just created in the last step. Set this layer to Soft Light, 100% opacity. Later, I would mask some of this away because of the Gwen cut out that I add.
Next up is this texture by talkofcake. Same thing, but this time I DO lock the aspect ratio by clicking the chain link on my tool palette! I place it over Gwen's eyes, because the mountains/water/sky are sort of...reflecting Camelot in her eyes? That's what I was going for, anyway, and absolutelybatty asked for rambly thought processes! ♥. So I want to keep the photo but not the letters and whatnot, so I mask that part away. Set to Overlay, 44% Fill.
Click for full.
5. Okay, now for the horribly time consuming and boring part, and also the part that starts to answer longerthanwedo's question! Cutting out Mini Gwen!
I open this cap, again by fprintmoon. First things first, I use Topaz Clean on my image just like I did in the very first step of this tutorial. I do this because it produces clearer lines, and that makes it easier to cut out! I should add that since I don't always use Topaz Clean on my icons in particular, that this step is optional. But for this Tumblr graphic, it integrated this smaller Gwen into the graphic more if she's Topaz Cleaned the same way our first Gwen close-up is. Does that make sense? I hope so!
Next, I duplicate the new base. Then I open a new color fill layer IN BETWEEN the base cap and the duplicate I just made, preferably with a contrasting color, just because this makes it easier to see and work with. It really doesn't matter what color you choose, because that layer isn't going to be in your graphic at all. It just helps to see the edges. You'll see what I mean!
On the topmost layer, I use the Magnetic Lasso Tool to select Gwen. On your tool palette, make sure you choose "New Selection" and check the "Anti-Alias" box. My settings are as follows: Feather: 1px, Width: 1px, Contrast: 10%, Freqency 77.
I always start out at the bottom-left-hand-side of my subject and work my way around her. Now a few things about magnetic lasso: first, zoom way in! Slowly move your cursor around the edge of your subject. Since it's magnetic, it will sort of "sense" the edge. If it messes up, don't worry about it: just keep going. We can fix it later with masking. The slower you go, the more points it will add. If there's a specific indentation that you feel needs to have a point, but the magnetic lasso doesn't want to make one right where you want it, YOU can CLICK there, and it will make a point!
Click for Full.
Obviously I messed up pretty badly around the top of her head and to the right of her arm. But that's okay! I'm lazy and I don't want to start over, so I just make sure she's totally selected, and then hit the Mask Button at the bottom of your layer palette:
">
Now that she's got a layer mask, I mask away the parts of the background that are still there, or I mask IN the parts of her that I may have accidentally caught with the Magnetic Lasso. I use a small soft brush and change the size as needed. Remember to zoom way in! For the parts under her arms that weren't a part of the original Magnetic Lasso Selection, you can either magnetic lasso ON THE MASK and then Fill >> black, or you can just mask them away with the brush. Up to you! I go either way, depending on how big the area is. For this one, I'll just mask them out. This cap is pretty difficult because of Gwen's hair.
Click for Full.
At this point I did a little color alteration, which is slightly unusual for me. I'm not totally sure what I did, but there was at least an Image >> Adjustments >> Vibrance.
6. Placing/Resizing Gwen. I drag this Gwen onto my canvas with the close-up and the textures, layer mask and all. With this layer selected, I go to Edit >> Transform >> Scale. Make sure your little Chain Link is checked to preserve aspect ratio, or hold Shift as you resize. When I get her to the size I want, I go to Edit >> Transform >> Flip Horizontal.
Last chance to erase/add anything with your layer mask! If you're happy with the cut-out now that she's smaller, right-click the mask in your palette and Apply Mask!
Now here's where things get tricky, because I move layers around all the time, and can't accurately pinpoint WHEN I moved something. But in my layer palette, I have this small Gwen under the Pink and Green butterphil texture, so I need to mask away the parts of this that cover Gwen.
7. Blending The Gwens. As you can see at this point, our New Gwen doesn't quite fit in with the colors and softness of our Textured Gwen, so I work with that for a little while. First of all, duplicate your Small Gwen and save this duplicate for later, because right now we're going to make some changes. Click the eye next to your duplicate for now, so that you can only see one.
On your visible small Gwen, we're going to drop shadow. Double Click the layer, and a layer style window will pop up. Check and Highlight Drop Shadow. I use #350c14.
Now I want to try and match her coloring to the background, so I create a new Color Balance Layer. Before I even start messing with it, I right click the Color Balance layer and choose Create Clipping Mask. Then I do my best to match the colors up. Best thing to do is play with it! I put more yellow in the midtones and highlights, more blue and magenta in the shadows, etc.
It needs a LOT more contrast, so remember that mini-Gwen that we saved for later? Make her visible now! Duplicate AGAIN, because we always want to have a copy available that hasn't been messed with! Make your duplicate invisible. Now I can't tell you exactly what I did here, but I vastly changed this copy of our Gwen. I probably adjusted the Levels and upped the Vibrance at the very very least. And then I set her to Overlay, 100% opacity. This adds a lot of contrast, and almost looks like she fits!
8. Lighting is key. In my opinion, when it comes to blending, lighting is the key to success. This is possibly the biggest step to integrating your subjects and making them look like they belong in the same frame. I create soft light layers full of black and white brushwork early and often.
To start, open a new blank layer, set it to Soft Light right from the start. A good tip might be to start out by simply using a soft round brush to paint white over the parts of your canvas that are already light and then black over the parts that are already dark. I think that part of the reason this graphic doesn't blend very well even at the end (in my opinion) is that the light sources between these two caps is different. Really, if I wanted them to blend better, I shouldn't have horizontally flipped the smaller gwen. But I wanted her facing this way, so. To each his own!
I'm going to try, now, to show the black and white light textures that I made, but keep in mind they can't show accurately due to transparency. So I'm putting the black and white paint on a gray canvas. It's the best I can do!
Those two are used primarily to help the lighting and contrast of the Smaller Gwen integrate into the graphic.
9. Adding Arthur. At this point in the process, I decided I wanted some Arthur in there for a few reasons. The first reason is that, well, I ship it! The second reason is that, well, he's pretty! And the third reason, of course, is that there's a lot of space to the right that needs to be filled. I felt that even MORE Gwen would have been superfluous. I chose this cap because he's looking down, and that makes it easier to use only a corner of his face. Also I really like look-down caps.
I was getting lazy at this point, so instead of Magnetic Lasso'ing his whole face, I just placed the cap (Edit >> Free Transform) and then masked away the bits I didn't want. This layer is set to Screen at 100%. Then I duplicated him, set to Soft Light 100% opacity, and that second layer is made into a Clipping Mask (Right Click layer, Create Clipping Mask).
10. More Lights! Coloring and Gradients. I'm going to get more vague right now, because I really can't go into the coloring more than I already have. I have a bad habit of ctrl+shift+alt+E (copy/paste merged) and then messing with it, and placing layers under established layers. So it's impossible for me to tell when and where I did something.
I can tell you that I added two more layers of lights:
I used vibrance and selective coloring to bring out the colors even more. I copy/pasted merged a few more times and did various things to those layers before setting them to Overlay or Soft Light. I added two more textures (or pieces of textures) and a gradient. But I think that I have (hopefully) answered the questions without needing these steps! So here is the product of the steps I've listed side by side with my finished product:
11. Cropping into an icon. I almost forgot this step! This is the easiest part, really. I always sharpen (Filter >> Sharpen >> Sharpen) one more time before I drag the completed Tumblr graphic into a new 100 x 100 px canvas. Then I Edit >> Transform >> Free Transform (lock your aspect ratio!) and move it around on the canvas resizing as I go until I find a crop I like! At that point, it may or may not need some more sharpening, and sometimes a duplicate set on softlight at a low opacity! That's it!
Let me know how I did! XD If anyone has more questions about this tutorial, feel free to ask in the comments!
Or if you have questions about other graphics, or just my style in general, the Ask the Maker activity at icon_talk is still going on OVER HERE!
This tutorial assumes a level of familiarity with Photoshop. I'm using CS5. Not for the weak of heart!
As stated, I rarely save PSDs, so it's difficult for me to do a step by step tutorial, so that's not what this is. Apologies if anyone is expecting that! However, I DO happen to have a PSD for one of the tumblr graphics mentioned, which is also one that I cropped down into an icon. So that is going to be pretty useful to us!
I have a feeling this is going to be pretty lengthy, so bear with me! XD
The following graphics were cited as examples:
The PSD available to me is the large pink Gwen graphic, so that's primarily what I'll be talking about here. But you can pretty much rest assured that I used most of the steps in the other graphics as well.
It may or may not be important to note that I originally made this graphic for roughandtumblr's textless challenge. I didn't end up entering it, but that's still what it was for. The required dimensions were 500 x 700, so that's what size I made my canvas.
1. Image Quality without resizing. I started out with this cap by fprintmoon at gallicka. I chose it because, well, I think it's a pretty cap! The angle of her face is perfect for cropping, and it's got some lovely pinks and yellows in the background.
Now I use a photoshop filter called Topaz Clean, which is pretty popular right now. You can google it to find out more. Now, this step may seem like cheating a little to some, and I don't disagree. But I use it anyway! So this is how I preserve the quality of this cap, because I can't resize it due to the sizing restrictions for roughandtumblr's challenge!
So I duplicate the cap first, and then go to filter >> Topaz Labs >> Topaz Clean. On the left-hand side, I choose Curly Smooth and play with the settings a bit. Strength is about 3, Threshold: 0.10, Radius: 7. Hit OK. Lower the opacity of this layer to about 65%.
I then add a color balance layer to the cap to put more blues and cyans into the highlights, and some more blues and reds into the shadows.
Flatten Image. Filter >> Sharpen >> Sharpen.
2. Open a blank canvas, 500 x 700 px. Drag the cap to the canvas and place it.
3. Duplicate/blur/softlight. Now this step is a bit tricky, but I do it alot. Duplicate your base cap and go to Image > Adjustments > Variations. I want the colors to really pop, so I make this layer still more blue.
Here's what my settings look like to start:
It's important to note that you can click on the sample images below multiple times to get more effect. So with midtones checked, I click on "more blue" several times. Then check Highlights, more blue, more cyan. Shadows, more blue, more red. Hit OK when you're done!
Still on the same layer, next up is Filter >> Blur >> Gaussian Blur. My settings are somewhere around Radius: 6.0 for this layer. Set the layer to Soft Light, and voila! I left the opacity at 100%.
This adds more color, more contrast, and adds a soft glowyness that I like, because it's possible my base was a bit too sharp. It also takes out some of the curlyness on Gwen's skin from the Topaz Adjust in the first step!
4. Blocking/Textures. Making graphics isn't a short process for me by any means. Tumblr graphics in particular can take me anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 or 4 hours, depending. (And trust me, it doesn't usually take 15 minutes! XD). So the best advice I can give to anybody is to play around, because that's all I do! I mess around until I find something I like. I know a lot of makers say that, but that's because it's true!
Anyway, I wanted som negative space, so I used the Rectangular marquee tool on a new blank layer to select a rectangle of space over Gwen's eye. With the space selected, Edit >> Fill. A box pops up. From the dropdown, choose "Color". A palette opens. I used the color #5c1b2b, which is a color from the BASE image, which just goes to show that I didn't make the graphic in this exact order when I made it! And that, my friends, is why writing tutorials is HARD! XD
Click for full.
Now I want to use that blank space! So I go looking for textures, and decided on this one by butterphil because it has a lot of the pinks that already exist in my image, but it also brings some other colors to the table. I drag it from my folder onto my canvas so that I automatically get the transform tools. Without locking the aspect ratio, I manipulate the texture until it takes up the rectangle of pink I just created in the last step. Set this layer to Soft Light, 100% opacity. Later, I would mask some of this away because of the Gwen cut out that I add.
Next up is this texture by talkofcake. Same thing, but this time I DO lock the aspect ratio by clicking the chain link on my tool palette! I place it over Gwen's eyes, because the mountains/water/sky are sort of...reflecting Camelot in her eyes? That's what I was going for, anyway, and absolutelybatty asked for rambly thought processes! ♥. So I want to keep the photo but not the letters and whatnot, so I mask that part away. Set to Overlay, 44% Fill.
Click for full.
5. Okay, now for the horribly time consuming and boring part, and also the part that starts to answer longerthanwedo's question! Cutting out Mini Gwen!
I open this cap, again by fprintmoon. First things first, I use Topaz Clean on my image just like I did in the very first step of this tutorial. I do this because it produces clearer lines, and that makes it easier to cut out! I should add that since I don't always use Topaz Clean on my icons in particular, that this step is optional. But for this Tumblr graphic, it integrated this smaller Gwen into the graphic more if she's Topaz Cleaned the same way our first Gwen close-up is. Does that make sense? I hope so!
Next, I duplicate the new base. Then I open a new color fill layer IN BETWEEN the base cap and the duplicate I just made, preferably with a contrasting color, just because this makes it easier to see and work with. It really doesn't matter what color you choose, because that layer isn't going to be in your graphic at all. It just helps to see the edges. You'll see what I mean!
On the topmost layer, I use the Magnetic Lasso Tool to select Gwen. On your tool palette, make sure you choose "New Selection" and check the "Anti-Alias" box. My settings are as follows: Feather: 1px, Width: 1px, Contrast: 10%, Freqency 77.
I always start out at the bottom-left-hand-side of my subject and work my way around her. Now a few things about magnetic lasso: first, zoom way in! Slowly move your cursor around the edge of your subject. Since it's magnetic, it will sort of "sense" the edge. If it messes up, don't worry about it: just keep going. We can fix it later with masking. The slower you go, the more points it will add. If there's a specific indentation that you feel needs to have a point, but the magnetic lasso doesn't want to make one right where you want it, YOU can CLICK there, and it will make a point!
Click for Full.
Obviously I messed up pretty badly around the top of her head and to the right of her arm. But that's okay! I'm lazy and I don't want to start over, so I just make sure she's totally selected, and then hit the Mask Button at the bottom of your layer palette:
">
Now that she's got a layer mask, I mask away the parts of the background that are still there, or I mask IN the parts of her that I may have accidentally caught with the Magnetic Lasso. I use a small soft brush and change the size as needed. Remember to zoom way in! For the parts under her arms that weren't a part of the original Magnetic Lasso Selection, you can either magnetic lasso ON THE MASK and then Fill >> black, or you can just mask them away with the brush. Up to you! I go either way, depending on how big the area is. For this one, I'll just mask them out. This cap is pretty difficult because of Gwen's hair.
Click for Full.
At this point I did a little color alteration, which is slightly unusual for me. I'm not totally sure what I did, but there was at least an Image >> Adjustments >> Vibrance.
6. Placing/Resizing Gwen. I drag this Gwen onto my canvas with the close-up and the textures, layer mask and all. With this layer selected, I go to Edit >> Transform >> Scale. Make sure your little Chain Link is checked to preserve aspect ratio, or hold Shift as you resize. When I get her to the size I want, I go to Edit >> Transform >> Flip Horizontal.
Last chance to erase/add anything with your layer mask! If you're happy with the cut-out now that she's smaller, right-click the mask in your palette and Apply Mask!
Now here's where things get tricky, because I move layers around all the time, and can't accurately pinpoint WHEN I moved something. But in my layer palette, I have this small Gwen under the Pink and Green butterphil texture, so I need to mask away the parts of this that cover Gwen.
7. Blending The Gwens. As you can see at this point, our New Gwen doesn't quite fit in with the colors and softness of our Textured Gwen, so I work with that for a little while. First of all, duplicate your Small Gwen and save this duplicate for later, because right now we're going to make some changes. Click the eye next to your duplicate for now, so that you can only see one.
On your visible small Gwen, we're going to drop shadow. Double Click the layer, and a layer style window will pop up. Check and Highlight Drop Shadow. I use #350c14.
Now I want to try and match her coloring to the background, so I create a new Color Balance Layer. Before I even start messing with it, I right click the Color Balance layer and choose Create Clipping Mask. Then I do my best to match the colors up. Best thing to do is play with it! I put more yellow in the midtones and highlights, more blue and magenta in the shadows, etc.
It needs a LOT more contrast, so remember that mini-Gwen that we saved for later? Make her visible now! Duplicate AGAIN, because we always want to have a copy available that hasn't been messed with! Make your duplicate invisible. Now I can't tell you exactly what I did here, but I vastly changed this copy of our Gwen. I probably adjusted the Levels and upped the Vibrance at the very very least. And then I set her to Overlay, 100% opacity. This adds a lot of contrast, and almost looks like she fits!
8. Lighting is key. In my opinion, when it comes to blending, lighting is the key to success. This is possibly the biggest step to integrating your subjects and making them look like they belong in the same frame. I create soft light layers full of black and white brushwork early and often.
To start, open a new blank layer, set it to Soft Light right from the start. A good tip might be to start out by simply using a soft round brush to paint white over the parts of your canvas that are already light and then black over the parts that are already dark. I think that part of the reason this graphic doesn't blend very well even at the end (in my opinion) is that the light sources between these two caps is different. Really, if I wanted them to blend better, I shouldn't have horizontally flipped the smaller gwen. But I wanted her facing this way, so. To each his own!
I'm going to try, now, to show the black and white light textures that I made, but keep in mind they can't show accurately due to transparency. So I'm putting the black and white paint on a gray canvas. It's the best I can do!
Those two are used primarily to help the lighting and contrast of the Smaller Gwen integrate into the graphic.
9. Adding Arthur. At this point in the process, I decided I wanted some Arthur in there for a few reasons. The first reason is that, well, I ship it! The second reason is that, well, he's pretty! And the third reason, of course, is that there's a lot of space to the right that needs to be filled. I felt that even MORE Gwen would have been superfluous. I chose this cap because he's looking down, and that makes it easier to use only a corner of his face. Also I really like look-down caps.
I was getting lazy at this point, so instead of Magnetic Lasso'ing his whole face, I just placed the cap (Edit >> Free Transform) and then masked away the bits I didn't want. This layer is set to Screen at 100%. Then I duplicated him, set to Soft Light 100% opacity, and that second layer is made into a Clipping Mask (Right Click layer, Create Clipping Mask).
10. More Lights! Coloring and Gradients. I'm going to get more vague right now, because I really can't go into the coloring more than I already have. I have a bad habit of ctrl+shift+alt+E (copy/paste merged) and then messing with it, and placing layers under established layers. So it's impossible for me to tell when and where I did something.
I can tell you that I added two more layers of lights:
I used vibrance and selective coloring to bring out the colors even more. I copy/pasted merged a few more times and did various things to those layers before setting them to Overlay or Soft Light. I added two more textures (or pieces of textures) and a gradient. But I think that I have (hopefully) answered the questions without needing these steps! So here is the product of the steps I've listed side by side with my finished product:
11. Cropping into an icon. I almost forgot this step! This is the easiest part, really. I always sharpen (Filter >> Sharpen >> Sharpen) one more time before I drag the completed Tumblr graphic into a new 100 x 100 px canvas. Then I Edit >> Transform >> Free Transform (lock your aspect ratio!) and move it around on the canvas resizing as I go until I find a crop I like! At that point, it may or may not need some more sharpening, and sometimes a duplicate set on softlight at a low opacity! That's it!
Let me know how I did! XD If anyone has more questions about this tutorial, feel free to ask in the comments!
Or if you have questions about other graphics, or just my style in general, the Ask the Maker activity at icon_talk is still going on OVER HERE!