Tutorial #20: Black & White
All my apologizes for this coming so late.
So I tried to divided it in three parts:
- Caps
- Tools
- White black & white
I hope I didn't do too many mistakes. English isn't my native language so don't hesitate to poke me on mistakes or sentences with none sense.
I never read any technical tutorial or open the help page of PS so I don't know the technical names of the tools either. I'll do my best though.
I think I answered everyone. If not, all my apologizes and poke me!
All icons were made by me and are snaggable.
CAPS
I am extremely picky when it comes to my caps. I only use HQ caps or blu-ray caps. For black and white, I also use grainy ones because it can give an effect on the icon without using a texture.
I don't use black and white as an "escape" when the coloring going wrong on a cap (exception goes for iconbattle). I choose black and white to focus on something. To me, it is a way to not be distracted by colors in order to focus on whatever you want to focus on. So, I choose my caps for different reasons:
- I want strong feelings
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- I want to emphasize something (bodies,something specific like what defines a character,...)
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- I want to make very strong contrasts
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You'll tell me: how that's color is distracting? It may be a perosnnal view but for example if you look at those icons:
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On the first one, you see the colors and the light but you kinda forget the character. You see him just in the end. If you take the black and white one, you look directly at him because of the negative black space and the contrast with the light on his face.
I was asked "Can a cap be a beautiful colorful icon and a bad black and white icon?"
I'd say yes. For examples:
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Why those you'll ask. The first one because it has nothing but the colors. There's no emotion visible. The negative space is really extreme and if you'd do it in black and white, it'd just be a black (or white) blank space without a particular meaning. The icon won't be interesting at all.
For the second one, the character epitome is the red dress. She's a seducer, a femme fatale so making it in black and white might be pretty but what's the point? She would just be a woman in adress but in color, you directly think she's a femme fatale.
The third one is the typical example of a waste of a cap. In color, it would be all yellow and magnificent. In black and white: you can barely see what's going on.
So in short: no landscape, no blank character unless there's a meaning in making it black and white. For example, if you have a devasted landscape, black and white fits but if it a beautiful happy view of the sea, no black and white.
Use the color (or for our matter, black and white) to add meaning to your icons.
TOOLS
- Gradient Map: Black and White
Layer -> New Adjustment Layer -> Exposure
I never use the desaturated tool. I always find that the result is very poor. With a gradient, you will have a gorgeous "real" black and white effect. And if you want the effect to be a bit colored, looking washed out, you just have to play with the opacity of the gradient.
The gradient should always be on top. In other words, imagine a sandwich: on the top the gradient, then layers and last the base.
As you have probably already guessed, I never see the icon in color, always in black and white. In the end of the icon, I delete the gradient because I'm curious and want to see what it look like in color but most of the time the result is awful.
- Exposure: Depth
Layer -> New Adjustment Layer -> Exposure
Once the gradient is made, I create an exposure layer to give depth to the icon. The exposure will make it look darker and increase the shadows a lot. This is how I got my very dark and deep black that many of you asked for.
Play with the gamma at will. It is a very good way to give good contrast to an icon.
- Brigthness/contrast: Light
Layer -> New Adjustment Layer -> Brightness/contrast
After the exposure layer, the icon looks really dark. I always add a brightness/contrast layer to put some light. I always use the light and the light only, not the constrast.
Be careful to not make the brightness too bright because it will look ugly if you lost he shades of grey in your icon. Always be careful about the balance of your icon: too many contrast and light will kill it.
- Color balance: Contrasts
Layer -> New Adjustment Layer -> Color balance
I know it can seems surprising to use a color balance when you're working on a black and white icon that you see in blackand white and not in colour. But it is the most efficient way (for me) to work on the balance of the icon. Play with the settings without caring on how it looks like in color. Don't forget we are working under the gradient so you ar ein black and white. It will allow you to add some shades of grey or increase some darkness.
I can't tell you which color does what because it depends on the cap. Just play around! Don't hesistate to go to the shadows and the highlights too, don't limit yourself to the midtones.
- Smudge: Details
13th tool on the left sidebar
I always use the smudge tool to clean the cap a bit. Erase details that can be distracting. For example,here:
The original pic is here. I erased the right part of the desk, the cross and the candlesticks so that we will only focus on Spike.
I use the smudge tool. I prefer it to the eraser tool and the brush.
- Textures: Effects
I rarely use textures pre-made textures on my icons. The few times I do it is for challenges because I don't have the choice. I'd rather use my own light texture made with this little trick probably everyone and their mothers know by now.
Let's work with examples. Those 2 icons are a mix of both of those techniques
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I used the textures by lookslikerain ( here). I used them to have a special effect on the icon. It looks scratchy. I set them to "screen" to give them the good effect.
Note that setting an icon to soft light is also a good idea to make the icon looking darker. Setting to "multiply" or "color burn" can be a good option but there's a lot of work to do on the icon afterwards most of the time. It all depends on the cap, the texture and the effect you want.
For the light on them I used a trick I learnt from exp0se long time ago. I open a new layer, paint a spot or a line with a white brush and then use the Gaussian blur (Filter -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur) to make the light as I want it to be.
Then always duplicate the base, move it above the texture you just create and set it to soft light. That way, you won't lose any contrast and you will improve the light.
WHITE BLACK & WHITE ICONS
I was asked how I do "white" black and white icons like
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The first is a mix of the cap itself and textures. The cap itself has a very light background so with a lot of light, it goes white. Then, I added a texture many times to make the whole character looking grey. The big light spots where already on the cap.
The second on is the result of many copies of the base all set to screen. (yes, that simple)
The third is simply because the background of the cap was very light (light blue) so I used a brghtness layer and it became white.
The reason why the "screen" option works well is because I always use very HQ caps. I never use the screen option if the cap isn't HQ. If it is LQ or grainy (blu ry caps can be grainy like BSG for example), don't try, you'll lose quality (unless you want it to be grainy of course).
THE END
I didn't say it all along but all the steps I showed here are layers between the base and the gradient. (remember: the sandwich)
Last, I think I will never say it enough, if you ever want a tutorial or if you have a question about an icon I made, never be afraid to ask. You can ask in the icon post directly or if you're a bit ashamed (even if there's no reason to be) ask me via PMs.