meivocis icons (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} iconofilth) wrote,@ 2007-03-02 08:09:00 |
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| Entry tags: | resources: tutorial |
Tutorial 004.
A few people over at
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icon_tutorial asked for a tutorial on one of my CSI:NY Danny icons. I've given it a shot as I do tend to keep my PSP files for a while but certain steps I used in the making of this icon were left to randomness... you'll see what I mean further down. Also, the tutorial might be a little long winded. I very rarely set out with a fixed idea of what I want the final icon to look like, I just play around until I like what I see... so there may be a lot of twoing and frowing.
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| Step One I took this image from CSI So Phobic and cropped Danny. Step Two Using the smudge tool > default brush (circular feathered brush) > 60% opacity, I smudged out the background and most of Hawkes... twas nothing personal, honest guv! *pets the Hawkes*  Step Three Duplicate the layer and set the top layer to screen at 40% opacity.  Step Four Duplicate the bottom layer and Adjust > Automatic Color Balance > 9300k > Strength 100% > untick remove color cast.  Step Five On the same layer > Adjust > Automatic Saturation Enhancement > More Color > Strong > Skintones present.  Step Six Merge all. Step Seven Add a new layer, set to Exclusion, and colour fill with #2a2959.  >>  Step Eight Duplicate the bottom layer and place as the top layer, set to Soft Light.  Step Nine Take this texture by lovelamp and > Image > Rotate > Rotate Counterclockwise 90. Place on a new top layer and set to screen at 42% opacity.  >>  Step Ten Take this second texture, again by lovelamp, and place on a new top layer set to screen at 100% opacity.  >>  Step Eleven Using the same texture > Adjust > Color Balance > Negative Image. Place as the top layer set to Multiply at 100% opacity.  >>  Step Twelve Merge all. Step Thirteen Adjust > Brightness and Contrast > Brightness/Contrast > Brightness 13 > Contrast 17.  Step Fourteen Adjust > Color Balance > Color Balance > Midtones > Reds - 27 > Greens - 7 > Blues - 5.  Step Fifteen Select the icon you are working on as the pattern. Add a new layer and colour fill with #ffffff. Add another new layer and taking this brush by blimey_icons > Size 136 > 100% opacity > use on the new layer until you have the desired texturing. >>  >>  Step Sixteen Merge all. Step Seventeen Adjust > Color Balance > Color Balance > Midtones > Reds - 48 > Greens - 13 > Blues - 14.  Step Eighteen Okay, so this is where I went totally crazy with the experimenting. If I lose you along the way don't be afraid to holla and say, "The fuck?!" K? K. Select the icon you are working on as the pattern. Open a new document size 1500x1500. Add a new layer and using this brush, which I made from a texture by the lovely elli, go mad. Yep, go mad. Randomly use the brush all over the new document and you should get something like this. Step Nineteen I then pieced the icon back together using different crops from the larger document. Yeah I know, issues! Why do I make things so complicated for myself, huh? Crop sections of the larger document and piece them back together as top layers on the icon.  +  =  +  =  +  =  +  =  Okay so it doesn't look much different but as I said this is me just playing around. Step Twenty Merge the top five layers. Step Twenty One Take this texture by blimey_icons and > Image > Rotate > Rotate Clockwise 90... I also smudged out the larger white spots but that was just my personal preference. Set the texture as a new top layer and set to screen at 100% opacity.  Step Twenty Two I decided I didn't like the darkness in the top right corner. Take the Eraser and erase the dark section so the layer underneath shows through.  Step Twenty Three Merge all. Step Twenty Four Adjust > Brightness and Contrast > Brightness/Contrast > Brightness 3 > Contrast 18.  Step Twenty Five Duplicate layer and Adjust > Automatic Saturation Enhancement > More Color > Strong > Skintones present > set at 28% opacity.  Step Twenty Six Merge all. Step Twenty Seven Duplicate the layer and repeat the above step, this time leaving the opacity at 100%.  Step Twenty Eight You'll notice that Danny's face now looks a little too orange. Take the eraser tool and delete his face on the top layer.  Step Twenty Nine Being a glutton for punishment I decided to repeat step eighteen as I still wasn't happy with the final image. Open a new document size 1500x1500. Add a new layer and again using this brush go mad. Rotate the brush 40 degrees and on a new layer go mad again. Then piece the icon back together using different crops from the larger document until you are happy with the final image. Sadly at this point I don't have the individual layers to show you how I built up the final image but to be honest it's all down to personal preference and randomness.  Step Thirty Merge all. Step Thirty One Duplicate layer and Adjust > Brightness and Contrast > Clarify > Strength 5 > set layer to 40% opacity. And that's it, you're done! |
I really do hope you find this useful... and more importantly understand it! I haven't had much time to proof read it so any problems just shout and I'll do my best to answer any questions you might have.
