Tutorials and Icon help

[aejdude]

Check this link:

http://community.livejournal.com/icon_tutorial/4098633.html

Thanks Cat. Wouldn't have found it otherwise.

[Amir]

I love that link. I always go there for those sort of sites.

[100%me]

Someone suggested I do a tutorial, so I though I'd have a go.

Before you start:

-I used Photoshop 7 for this, but im 99% sure you can transfer it to other versions/ other graphics programs e.t.c

-This is a simple tutorial. Don't expect it to be one of those "OMG!! THIS IS OUT OF THE WORLD!!" products.

-I've written it in detail (a bit), for those newbies to PS e.t.c

-If you try this out, I'd like to see how it turned out. So please give me feedback/show us your final product.

Ok, to start off....

1. Open your image, and crop it. Tip: It's always better to crop your image from a weird angle, as it makes your final product look more original/unique/better. Center crops can be ugly, aswell. Once you've cropped your image, that will now be your base.

This is my base:

2. Sharpen Image (Filter>> Sharpen>> Sharpen). Depending on your image, you may need to do this twice. I only did it once, however.

3. Now duplacite your base TWICE. To duplacite something, right click your image in the layers pallette, then a "pop-up" (?) will come up. Click 'Duplacite layer'. Do this twice

4. Desaturate your first duplacite (the one above your base). To desaturate your image, press Ctrl + Shift + U (Don't actually press the plus sign on your keyboard ). And then set the blending mode to 'Softlight', at 100% opacity.

5. Now for the other duplacite, set the blending mode to 'Softlight', at 100%.

My base now:

Note: Depending on your image, you may need to alter the opacity on those duplacites

6. Now go to Layer>> New Fill layer>> Solid colour, a pop up will come up that will say something about a new layer. Click OK. Then the color selector will appear. At the bottom of that pop up, the very bottom (where you can automatically enter your color code), enter 0B043E into that space. Click ok. Now your image is just 1 blue square.

7. Change the blending mode to 'Exclusion'. Much better.

My base now:

8. I added this pattern,

I found that online at another tutorial, but now can't find that tutorial so I can't give any credit for it. Set it to softlight at 40% opacity. Select your eraser tool. I had mine at size 19, 100% opacity, and erased any of the pattern on Hilary (face/clothes e.t.c).

My base now:

Now add text/brushes e.t.c and you're done!. I know it's not much, but I did say it was a simple tutorial.

Thanks for the tut

I made these three using the tut!

I had a go at that. Something doesnt look right though??

[-Emily-]

Someone requested how I made the HSM sig, so I wrote up a similar tut.

How to make this:

The Blending

I think I wrote a tutorial on how to blend a few pages back (pg 4 I think), but i'll give you a quick sum of how to blend here. I'm writing this as though you're using 2 pictures.

First off, you need the pictures. To make the job easier, use pictures that are similar, e.g. same background, otherwise you may find it looks a bit..err.

I'm using a few Hilary Duff pictures (typical).

First we open up a canvas (Ctrl + N), and make it big enough so all our pictures can fit on it. Overlap them.

Now the blending! We select our "Lasso tool"

Now the lasso tool bar appears at the top!

See the part that says "Feather"? Enter in about 2 or 3 in that. Feathering makes the blend look better (not all the time but mostly). You can leave it at 0, or 1 if you want.

Now, we slowly start you draw around the selected picture, i.e. the one overlapping the over, like this:

Then I press "Delete" on my key-board.

I keep cutting around until I end up with this:

And thats the blending!

Merge all.

Effects

Now we duplicate our image twice, and set the first to softlight. Then the second, i.e. the one at the top, we go to Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur, and set the px box thing to 2.0. Click ok, and set the layer to "Overlay". Duplicate base once more, drag to top, go to Filter> Sharpen>Sharpen. Leave layer at Normal, but set opacity to 20. Merge.

Mine now:

I then added this gradient, that came with the program:

And set it to Lighten, but because it was covering most of Hilary's face now, I then transformed it by going Ctrl + T and expanding it (just press Ctrl + T and you'll see what I mean!).

I set the opacity to 88%

Now for an effective look, I merged all, and then made a new layer. I added a brush (splatter brushes work best..text brushes won't be as effective), and set it to Overlay (you could try Softlight, then duplicate it..do what you wish). Then made a new layer and added a text brush (thanks to Dora from Zashley online), but left it at Normal.

Then, just so the right corner wasn't lonely I added Hilary's name in JaneAusten.

My finished result:

Please do not copy exactly. Also try using different gradients e.t.c. ;)

I also made this, using the same tutorial:

I made all of these. I found those Hilary pics myself...so...

This one sucks:

Hilary:

Original:

With text and brushes:

[.Cat.]

Welcome to another one of Cat's boring tutorials!

Now, to start off, a Graphic is no Graphic without a base. This is mine:

It's cropped to 600x300 (standered LJ header size), but this tutorial is pretty adaptable to other types of Graphics, so you can use a 100x100 image if you like.

You'll need a colored image for this. You can use a desaturated image, but in that case, you're needing another tutorial.

Now we begin.

Duplicate your image (Right click the layer in the layers Pallete> Duplicate Layer).

Desature (Ctrl + U).

Now the tough bit. You can choose different, but I chose to erase the earings, eyes, and lips on the desaturated layer. You have to do this carefully, otherwise you may muck it up, and we don't want that. I suggest you do this slowly, but remember, this is on a new layer, so you can easily delete it and start over.

The lasso tool might help deleting parts.

Before moving on, I suggest you take a closer look to make sure you haven't "gone outside the lines". The zoom tool is helpful.

This is my base now:

Now to say on the safe side, make a new layer, and Copy merge ( Shift + Ctrl + Alt + E). You can Merge all, but just incase I did any mistakes I copy merged.

I accidentally forgot this part! Duplicate your new base, and set to softlight

Now, because the stupid song has been stuck in my head all day long I decided to add in some lyrics from "Maneater"- Nelly Furtado.

I wrote "She's a maneater", in black, size 12, Courier.

I posisioned it as though it was coming out behind her head, and erased all the parts that were covering her head.

Now I zoomed in (make sure your text layer is Rasterized. You can do so by right clicking the layer> Rasterizing layer), and using the magic wand tool, selected any random letter in the sentence, so now that letter only should be selected (it may also select a few other letters..this is really confusing isn't it? Not to worry). I then selected the "Move" tool on my tools pallete and moved the selected layer slightly down.

I then moved a few other letters.

Then, in new text layers, I wrote a few other lyrics from the song, and repeated the last few steps (i.e. erasing parts covering Elisha, moving letters e.t.c).

This is my finished result. While writing out the tut, I forgot about the softlight layer, but this is it WITH the softlight layer:

[-Emily-]

Thats cool! i'll ahve a go at it later

[rockstarrr08]

Nice tutorials everyone!!!. I will try and make some by following them!.

[flutterby]

Here's my attempt Cat...Might have another go later because this one sucks, Didn't know what to write or which bit to erase!

[-Emily-]

Another tut from me. Okie doke, we're making this:

First pick your pic I chose this one of Sarah Michelle Gellar (one of my favourite actresses)

Now crop your image. DON'T CROP IT IN THE CENTER! Center crops are ugly : I cropped mine like this:

Duplicate your images three times. Set the first one (nearest to your base) to screen, 100%, your next one up to overlay 100%, and the top one to multiply, 100%.

Not looking too bad, eh?

Merge all layers. Now add this gradient (layer or whatever you want to call it), made by me to screen 100%

You'll get:

Obviously if you're using another pic, you may want to play around with it, and move it a bit.

I then added the text 'SMG' in Carnivalee Freakshow. You can get this font from Dafont

And thats done!

I also changed the font and made these:

[rockstarrr08]

Nice tut Emily I will try later on!!.