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so_out_of_ideas) wrote2007-08-12 05:36 pm
so_out_of_ideas) wrote2007-08-12 05:36 pm
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Two more tutorials, one by request and one just because I wanted to do it.
Requested by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
trekchic. Uses caps by iamleaper. This is incredibly simple, but given my last tutorial which was a pain in the neck, I'd also like to point out that you don't always have to use complicated methods to make an attractive icon, so I decided to write the tutorial.
We'll be going from:
this to
This is a PSP 8 Tutorial. Translates easily to other versions of the program; not sure about PS and GIMP since I haven't tried it. Like all my tuts, this is meant to be beginner friendly, so there are detailed explanations, even about things that you may find obvious if you've been doing this for a while. My goal is to answer questions I have been asked and to address issues I've seen around the icon sharing comms. Feel free to skip anything you don't need.
*Image and texture credits can be found in my resource post.
Tutorial 17: Waterworld
Step 1: Choose and image and resize it to fit a 100x100 canvas. There are a couple of ways to do this depending on the technique you're using for the icon, or just personal preference. This is the way I find simplest:
-- With your image open, go to File>New and open a new blank image, 100x100. Then go back to your original picture, click on the layer in your layer palette and drag from the layer palette onto the blank base. You'll end up with something that looks totally wrong, but hang in there. Now go to Image> resize and set it to anything between 75-20 percent, depending on the image. Make sure the box that says "resize all layers is not checked. Click OK. If it's too big or too small, just undo and mess with it until you get what you like. For these caps, I used 20 percent. Then just use your move tool to slide the image over until you have it where you like.
In this case, I really liked the way the ocean looked, and I wanted to get as much of it as possible, so I put Enola and Helen in the corner.
Additional explanation for why I do my resizing this way, since it apparently caused some confusion for a person reading an earlier tutorial. When I first started making icons, one of the most difficult aspects for me was getting that 100x100 square to contain meaningful information. This is a common pitfall with beginning icon makers, and one of the reasons that you will often see the image centered in the canvas, because the impulse is to get as much of the image as possible. This method gives the icon maker a way to try out different crops quickly and easily, without having to go back to the source cap and cutting pieces again.. I have a habit of changing my mind halfway through anything I do--as evidenced by the multiple variations I tend to do of most icons--so, this give me the freedom to do that.
The crop tool doesn't give me enough leeway to move the image and try things before I commit to a crop, plus I didn't start out having the best eye to be able to pick out which part of a picture I wanted. Using the selection tool to create a 100x100 selection and cut it out of your source image works better. You can move the image around the canvas so that different parts are within the selection, giving you the opportunity to see what you want, but again, once you actually copy or cut that selected portion and paste it into your icon canvas, if you decide you don't like the crop later, you have to start the icon over
Step 2: Sharpen the base if needed.
--Adjust>sharpness>sharpen. Only once Sometimes you can get away with twice, but very rarely. If I find a base still blurry, I duplicate the layer, then sharpen the duplicate. This way, if it's too sharp, I can just lower the opacity. There are a few methods (like heck and then smooth the skin, for example) that will sometimes look good with a lot of sharpening, but in my opinion it only works about 1/3 of the time and the rest it leaves you with an icon that is rather frightening in appearance.
More explanation. I try to be somewhat picky about image quality to start with. If it needs that much sharpening, chances are that your finished icon is not going to be very good anyway. This is another thing I've seen a lot with new icon makers, and sadly, sometimes those who should know better. Just because you've found a source image that looks like your subject is standing the way you want or smiling nicely does not mean that the picture is a good source for graphic art, even icons. You don't need really, really big HQ caps for icons, necessarily. The image is going to be resized anyway. Dark images are okay for the most part, since that is fairly easy to fix. But, if it's grainy, oddly colored, washed out, over-sharpened or blurry to begin with, you are setting yourself up for a mediocre icon at the very best. Unless you are truly skilled enough with your image program to know how to correct these problems before you even think about making the icon, I recommend that you find a better source.
">
Step 3: Brighten the image.
Layers>Duplicate. Set the duplicate to screen.
(To do this, make sure the base layer is highlighted and click where it says "Normal" on your layer palette. From the drop down menu, choose "Screen.)
If it looks washed out or too bright, lower the opacity of the screen layer.
(To do this, move the slider on your layer palette down from 100 until you are happy with it.)
Step 4: Burn layer.
Now the colors are kind of faded. I wanted something to bring them back out without altering them all that drastically this time, so I tried a light gray burn layer. Different ones work better with different images, so please experiment.
Copy and paste as a new layer. Set to burn. Burn layers in PSP can often do strange things. If it looks too dark or just bizarre, try lowering the opacity until you get what you like.
Step 5: Soft Light Layer
It's still not bold enough, so I went back to my base layer, duplicated it once and dragged the duplicate to the top of my layer palette and set it on soft light. The opacity, again, depends on the cap. You want to bring out the colors and make the icon bolder, but if it looks "fake" or too crisp, lower the opacity until it looks the way you want.
Step 6: Exercise caution.
I cannot say this enough. You don't have to use an exclusion layer on every icon.
Sometimes--when used in combination with the right color layers, curves or whatever your preferred method of coloring is-- they have a nice way of softening colors without detracting from them. Other times, they give you an ugly, washed out icon or make your subjects look like they're in the final stages of jaundice.
Apparently, the term for that this time around is "vintage", and I realize it may be in vogue again, but I'm telling you, in another few months, most people really won't want it anymore. There's nothing wrong with using the exclusion layer, and icons that actually do have a vintage are nice, but the exclusion layer is not mandatory.
Here, I wanted to give the icon, especially the water, a slightly greenish look without making the green overpowering. A blue exclusion layer adds a yellow tint to an icon, and there's enough blue already in this image that I thought the addition of an exclusion layer would combine nicely with the blue and give me the look I wanted.
For icons with less blue, I would try a green layer on multiply or darken. (lower the opacity if it looks muddy or weird in any way.)
For this icon, I did, however use:
Set to exclusion. Put this layer between the screen layer and the burn layer.
And that's it. If you like simple icons, use it as is. Otherwise, you're ready to use it as a base.
I've seen a lot of tutorials around that have to do with getting rid of blue (green/red/whatever color) that overpowers a screencap. The actions in the tutorial are really nothing new, but I wanted to give a go of explaining why it works the way it does, which I really haven't seen. Most of the time you get a simple list of actions. The basic principle may work on other screen caps with blue lighting, but it doesn't help someone figure out what to do with green or red.
We'll be going from this ugly blue cap to
This is a PSP 8 Tutorial. Translates easily to other versions of the program; not sure about PS and GIMP since I haven't tried it. Like all my tuts, this is meant to be beginner friendly, so there are detailed explanations, even about things that you may find obvious if you've been doing this for a while. My goal is to answer questions I have been asked and to address issues I've seen around the icon sharing comms. Feel free to skip anything you don't need.
*Image and texture credits can be found in my resource post.
Tutorial 18: No More Ugly Blue
Step 1: Choose and image and resize it to fit a 100x100 canvas. There are a couple of ways to do this depending on the technique you're using for the icon, or just personal preference. This is the way I find simplest:
-- With your image open, go to File>New and open a new blank image, 100x100. Then go back to your original picture, click on the layer in your layer palette and drag from the layer palette onto the blank base. You'll end up with something that looks totally wrong, but hang in there. Now go to Image> resize and set it to anything between 75-20 percent, depending on the image. Make sure the box that says "resize all layers is not checked. Click OK. If it's too big or too small, just undo and mess with it until you get what you like. For these caps, I used 20 percent. Then just use your move tool to slide the image over until you have it where you like.
Additional explanation for why I do my resizing this way, since it apparently caused some confusion for a person in an earlier tutorial. When I first started making icons, one of the most difficult aspects for me was getting that 100x100 square to contain meaningful information. This is a common pitfall with beginning icon makers, and one of the reasons that you will often see the image centered in the canvas, because the impulse is to get as much of the image as possible. This method gives the icon maker a way to try out different crops quickly and easily, without having to go back to the source cap and cutting pieces again.. I have a habit of changing my mind halfway through anything I do--as evidenced by the multiple variations I tend to do of most icons--so, this give me the freedom to do that.
The crop tool doesn't give me enough leeway to move the image and try things before I commit to a crop, plus I didn't start out having the best eye to be able to pick out which part of a picture I wanted. Using the selection tool to create a 100x100 selection and cut it out of your source image works better. You can move the image around the canvas so that different parts are within the selection, giving you the opportunity to see what you want, but again, once you actually copy or cut that selected portion and paste it into your icon canvas, if you decide you don't like the crop later, you have to start the icon over
Step 2: Sharpen the base if needed.
--Adjust>sharpness>sharpen. Only once Sometimes you can get away with twice, but very rarely. If I find a base still blurry, I duplicate the layer, then sharpen the duplicate. This way, if it's too sharp, I can just lower the opacity. There are a few methods (like heck and then smooth the skin, for example) that will sometimes look good with a lot of sharpening, but in my opinion it only works about 1/3 of the time and the rest it leaves you with an icon that is rather frightening in appearance.
More explanation. I try to be somewhat picky about image quality to start with. If it needs that much sharpening, chances are that your finished icon is not going to be very good anyway. This is another thing I've seen a lot with new icon makers, and sadly, sometimes those who should know better. Just because you've found a source image that looks like your subject is standing the way you want or smiling nicely does not mean that the picture is a good source for graphic art, even icons. You don't need really, really big HQ caps for icons, necessarily. The image is going to be resized anyway. Dark images are okay for the most part, since that is fairly easy to fix. But, if it's grainy, oddly colored, washed out, over-sharpened or blurry to begin with, you are setting yourself up for a mediocre icon at the very best. Unless you are truly skilled enough with your image program to know how to correct these problems before you even think about making the icon, I recommend that you find a better source.
">
Step 3: Brighten the image.
Layers>Duplicate. Set the duplicate to screen.
(To do this, make sure the base layer is highlighted and click where it says "Normal" on your layer palette. From the drop down menu, choose "Screen.)
If it looks washed out or too bright, lower the opacity of the screen layer.
(To do this, move the slider on your layer palette down from 100 until you are happy with it.)
Step 4: Color Balance/Color Legacy Layer
I'm not an art teacher, so I won't give a long lecture, but in your color selection dialog in PSP (screencap if you need it) you have a basic representation of the color wheel. Colors that are opposite of one another on the wheel are called complimentary colors. There are lots of definitions for that, but for our purposes, what they will do is get rid of a drastic lighting change and bring the image back to a more neutral or natural appearance.
When I'm trying to fix problem caps like this, I tend to do either or both of two things:
1-create a new layer and fill it with a color that is as close to the opposite of the predominant color of the cap, set it to "color legacy" and reduce the opacity until it looks right
2-create a color balance adjustment layer and play with the sliders until I have something appropriate.
With this icon, I started with the color balance layer.
-Layers>New Adjustment Layer>Color Balance
In the dialog box that opens, you should see three boxes with number values in them. Below that, you'll see those sliders I was talking about. Below those you'll see three buttons--Shadows, Midtones, Highlights.
Their names are pretty much self explanatory, so I won't go into a big spiel, but try playing with all of them when you're looking to create an effect. You can change the settings either by moving the sliders or by imputing numbers in the boxes. Start with these values as a guide, and experiment to see what works for your icon.
Preserve Luminance box should be checked
Select the Midtones button. Settings: 50, -23, -19
Try also messing around with Shadows and Highlights. I was using a preset I already had saved on my computer, so I didn't this time.
Copy and paste as a new layer. Set the blend mode to color legacy. I used a 30% opacity here, but don't be afraid to experiment.
Step Five: Burn Layer
This is way better already, but I actually like the blue on the snow behind Guinevere, so I wanted to make that bolder. I use burn layers for this kind of thing, and I ended up using this one:
Copy and paste as a new layer. Set to burn. Burn layers in PSP can often do strange things. If it looks too dark or just bizarre, try lowering the opacity until you get what you like.
Step Five: Screen layer
Okay, now the snow looks more like I want, but her face is too dark. I duplicate the base and set it to screen, then drag this layer between the gray burn layer and the orange color legacy layer.
Step Five: Red/Pink layer (optional)
I am very nitpicky. The icon looks fine without this, but I wasn't satisfied.
This is a trick I learned a long time ago and I'm not entirely sure why it works. But if you take a light red or pink screen layer and lower the opacity, it tends to brighten without losing details as much as a screened base would. There are other ways to do this, but I'm lazy, so I use what I know most of the time.
on screen. It will make the icon look faded, so lower the opacity to about 10 or so.
Step Seven: Automatic Color Balance.
I am still not happy with the blue on Guinevere's face. Keira Knightley is so pretty I want her skin and lips to really stand out and reflect that. PSP's automatic color balance tool has a "remove color cast" feature that I've found has a tendency to make humans look better without doing a whole lot of damage to the surroundings.
I think I was trying to do this on the base, but I ended up on the screen layer just above the base layer.
Adjust>color balance>automatic color balance.
Make sure that "remove color cast" is checked
I usually put the strength about 50 for something like this. Then just play with the sliders. I started more toward the warm end of the spectrum because the icon itself is blue, but I ended up having to move it further toward the cool end to get what I wanted because it gave the icon a weird glare. I won't even give an exact setting because it all depends on the base and how much color you want to remove.
__EDIT__sorry, fixed the link now.
__EDIT__ Also fixed the accidental reference to Obi-Wan, sorry for the confusion.
Requested by
trekchic. Uses caps by iamleaper. This is incredibly simple, but given my last tutorial which was a pain in the neck, I'd also like to point out that you don't always have to use complicated methods to make an attractive icon, so I decided to write the tutorial.We'll be going from:
this to
This is a PSP 8 Tutorial. Translates easily to other versions of the program; not sure about PS and GIMP since I haven't tried it. Like all my tuts, this is meant to be beginner friendly, so there are detailed explanations, even about things that you may find obvious if you've been doing this for a while. My goal is to answer questions I have been asked and to address issues I've seen around the icon sharing comms. Feel free to skip anything you don't need.
*Image and texture credits can be found in my resource post.
Step 1: Choose and image and resize it to fit a 100x100 canvas. There are a couple of ways to do this depending on the technique you're using for the icon, or just personal preference. This is the way I find simplest:
-- With your image open, go to File>New and open a new blank image, 100x100. Then go back to your original picture, click on the layer in your layer palette and drag from the layer palette onto the blank base. You'll end up with something that looks totally wrong, but hang in there. Now go to Image> resize and set it to anything between 75-20 percent, depending on the image. Make sure the box that says "resize all layers is not checked. Click OK. If it's too big or too small, just undo and mess with it until you get what you like. For these caps, I used 20 percent. Then just use your move tool to slide the image over until you have it where you like.
In this case, I really liked the way the ocean looked, and I wanted to get as much of it as possible, so I put Enola and Helen in the corner.
Additional explanation for why I do my resizing this way, since it apparently caused some confusion for a person reading an earlier tutorial. When I first started making icons, one of the most difficult aspects for me was getting that 100x100 square to contain meaningful information. This is a common pitfall with beginning icon makers, and one of the reasons that you will often see the image centered in the canvas, because the impulse is to get as much of the image as possible. This method gives the icon maker a way to try out different crops quickly and easily, without having to go back to the source cap and cutting pieces again.. I have a habit of changing my mind halfway through anything I do--as evidenced by the multiple variations I tend to do of most icons--so, this give me the freedom to do that.
The crop tool doesn't give me enough leeway to move the image and try things before I commit to a crop, plus I didn't start out having the best eye to be able to pick out which part of a picture I wanted. Using the selection tool to create a 100x100 selection and cut it out of your source image works better. You can move the image around the canvas so that different parts are within the selection, giving you the opportunity to see what you want, but again, once you actually copy or cut that selected portion and paste it into your icon canvas, if you decide you don't like the crop later, you have to start the icon over
Step 2: Sharpen the base if needed.
--Adjust>sharpness>sharpen. Only once Sometimes you can get away with twice, but very rarely. If I find a base still blurry, I duplicate the layer, then sharpen the duplicate. This way, if it's too sharp, I can just lower the opacity. There are a few methods (like heck and then smooth the skin, for example) that will sometimes look good with a lot of sharpening, but in my opinion it only works about 1/3 of the time and the rest it leaves you with an icon that is rather frightening in appearance.
More explanation. I try to be somewhat picky about image quality to start with. If it needs that much sharpening, chances are that your finished icon is not going to be very good anyway. This is another thing I've seen a lot with new icon makers, and sadly, sometimes those who should know better. Just because you've found a source image that looks like your subject is standing the way you want or smiling nicely does not mean that the picture is a good source for graphic art, even icons. You don't need really, really big HQ caps for icons, necessarily. The image is going to be resized anyway. Dark images are okay for the most part, since that is fairly easy to fix. But, if it's grainy, oddly colored, washed out, over-sharpened or blurry to begin with, you are setting yourself up for a mediocre icon at the very best. Unless you are truly skilled enough with your image program to know how to correct these problems before you even think about making the icon, I recommend that you find a better source.
">Step 3: Brighten the image.
Layers>Duplicate. Set the duplicate to screen.
(To do this, make sure the base layer is highlighted and click where it says "Normal" on your layer palette. From the drop down menu, choose "Screen.)
If it looks washed out or too bright, lower the opacity of the screen layer.
(To do this, move the slider on your layer palette down from 100 until you are happy with it.)
Step 4: Burn layer.
Now the colors are kind of faded. I wanted something to bring them back out without altering them all that drastically this time, so I tried a light gray burn layer. Different ones work better with different images, so please experiment.
Copy and paste as a new layer. Set to burn. Burn layers in PSP can often do strange things. If it looks too dark or just bizarre, try lowering the opacity until you get what you like.Step 5: Soft Light Layer
It's still not bold enough, so I went back to my base layer, duplicated it once and dragged the duplicate to the top of my layer palette and set it on soft light. The opacity, again, depends on the cap. You want to bring out the colors and make the icon bolder, but if it looks "fake" or too crisp, lower the opacity until it looks the way you want.
Step 6: Exercise caution.
I cannot say this enough. You don't have to use an exclusion layer on every icon.
Sometimes--when used in combination with the right color layers, curves or whatever your preferred method of coloring is-- they have a nice way of softening colors without detracting from them. Other times, they give you an ugly, washed out icon or make your subjects look like they're in the final stages of jaundice.
Apparently, the term for that this time around is "vintage", and I realize it may be in vogue again, but I'm telling you, in another few months, most people really won't want it anymore. There's nothing wrong with using the exclusion layer, and icons that actually do have a vintage are nice, but the exclusion layer is not mandatory.
Here, I wanted to give the icon, especially the water, a slightly greenish look without making the green overpowering. A blue exclusion layer adds a yellow tint to an icon, and there's enough blue already in this image that I thought the addition of an exclusion layer would combine nicely with the blue and give me the look I wanted.
For icons with less blue, I would try a green layer on multiply or darken. (lower the opacity if it looks muddy or weird in any way.)
For this icon, I did, however use:
Set to exclusion. Put this layer between the screen layer and the burn layer.And that's it. If you like simple icons, use it as is. Otherwise, you're ready to use it as a base.
I've seen a lot of tutorials around that have to do with getting rid of blue (green/red/whatever color) that overpowers a screencap. The actions in the tutorial are really nothing new, but I wanted to give a go of explaining why it works the way it does, which I really haven't seen. Most of the time you get a simple list of actions. The basic principle may work on other screen caps with blue lighting, but it doesn't help someone figure out what to do with green or red.
We'll be going from this ugly blue cap to
This is a PSP 8 Tutorial. Translates easily to other versions of the program; not sure about PS and GIMP since I haven't tried it. Like all my tuts, this is meant to be beginner friendly, so there are detailed explanations, even about things that you may find obvious if you've been doing this for a while. My goal is to answer questions I have been asked and to address issues I've seen around the icon sharing comms. Feel free to skip anything you don't need.
*Image and texture credits can be found in my resource post.
Step 1: Choose and image and resize it to fit a 100x100 canvas. There are a couple of ways to do this depending on the technique you're using for the icon, or just personal preference. This is the way I find simplest:
-- With your image open, go to File>New and open a new blank image, 100x100. Then go back to your original picture, click on the layer in your layer palette and drag from the layer palette onto the blank base. You'll end up with something that looks totally wrong, but hang in there. Now go to Image> resize and set it to anything between 75-20 percent, depending on the image. Make sure the box that says "resize all layers is not checked. Click OK. If it's too big or too small, just undo and mess with it until you get what you like. For these caps, I used 20 percent. Then just use your move tool to slide the image over until you have it where you like.
Additional explanation for why I do my resizing this way, since it apparently caused some confusion for a person in an earlier tutorial. When I first started making icons, one of the most difficult aspects for me was getting that 100x100 square to contain meaningful information. This is a common pitfall with beginning icon makers, and one of the reasons that you will often see the image centered in the canvas, because the impulse is to get as much of the image as possible. This method gives the icon maker a way to try out different crops quickly and easily, without having to go back to the source cap and cutting pieces again.. I have a habit of changing my mind halfway through anything I do--as evidenced by the multiple variations I tend to do of most icons--so, this give me the freedom to do that.
The crop tool doesn't give me enough leeway to move the image and try things before I commit to a crop, plus I didn't start out having the best eye to be able to pick out which part of a picture I wanted. Using the selection tool to create a 100x100 selection and cut it out of your source image works better. You can move the image around the canvas so that different parts are within the selection, giving you the opportunity to see what you want, but again, once you actually copy or cut that selected portion and paste it into your icon canvas, if you decide you don't like the crop later, you have to start the icon over
Step 2: Sharpen the base if needed.
--Adjust>sharpness>sharpen. Only once Sometimes you can get away with twice, but very rarely. If I find a base still blurry, I duplicate the layer, then sharpen the duplicate. This way, if it's too sharp, I can just lower the opacity. There are a few methods (like heck and then smooth the skin, for example) that will sometimes look good with a lot of sharpening, but in my opinion it only works about 1/3 of the time and the rest it leaves you with an icon that is rather frightening in appearance.
More explanation. I try to be somewhat picky about image quality to start with. If it needs that much sharpening, chances are that your finished icon is not going to be very good anyway. This is another thing I've seen a lot with new icon makers, and sadly, sometimes those who should know better. Just because you've found a source image that looks like your subject is standing the way you want or smiling nicely does not mean that the picture is a good source for graphic art, even icons. You don't need really, really big HQ caps for icons, necessarily. The image is going to be resized anyway. Dark images are okay for the most part, since that is fairly easy to fix. But, if it's grainy, oddly colored, washed out, over-sharpened or blurry to begin with, you are setting yourself up for a mediocre icon at the very best. Unless you are truly skilled enough with your image program to know how to correct these problems before you even think about making the icon, I recommend that you find a better source.
">Step 3: Brighten the image.
Layers>Duplicate. Set the duplicate to screen.
(To do this, make sure the base layer is highlighted and click where it says "Normal" on your layer palette. From the drop down menu, choose "Screen.)
If it looks washed out or too bright, lower the opacity of the screen layer.
(To do this, move the slider on your layer palette down from 100 until you are happy with it.)
Step 4: Color Balance/Color Legacy Layer
I'm not an art teacher, so I won't give a long lecture, but in your color selection dialog in PSP (screencap if you need it) you have a basic representation of the color wheel. Colors that are opposite of one another on the wheel are called complimentary colors. There are lots of definitions for that, but for our purposes, what they will do is get rid of a drastic lighting change and bring the image back to a more neutral or natural appearance.
When I'm trying to fix problem caps like this, I tend to do either or both of two things:
1-create a new layer and fill it with a color that is as close to the opposite of the predominant color of the cap, set it to "color legacy" and reduce the opacity until it looks right
2-create a color balance adjustment layer and play with the sliders until I have something appropriate.
With this icon, I started with the color balance layer.
-Layers>New Adjustment Layer>Color Balance
In the dialog box that opens, you should see three boxes with number values in them. Below that, you'll see those sliders I was talking about. Below those you'll see three buttons--Shadows, Midtones, Highlights.
Their names are pretty much self explanatory, so I won't go into a big spiel, but try playing with all of them when you're looking to create an effect. You can change the settings either by moving the sliders or by imputing numbers in the boxes. Start with these values as a guide, and experiment to see what works for your icon.
Preserve Luminance box should be checked
Select the Midtones button. Settings: 50, -23, -19
Try also messing around with Shadows and Highlights. I was using a preset I already had saved on my computer, so I didn't this time.
Copy and paste as a new layer. Set the blend mode to color legacy. I used a 30% opacity here, but don't be afraid to experiment.Step Five: Burn Layer
This is way better already, but I actually like the blue on the snow behind Guinevere, so I wanted to make that bolder. I use burn layers for this kind of thing, and I ended up using this one:
Copy and paste as a new layer. Set to burn. Burn layers in PSP can often do strange things. If it looks too dark or just bizarre, try lowering the opacity until you get what you like.Step Five: Screen layer
Okay, now the snow looks more like I want, but her face is too dark. I duplicate the base and set it to screen, then drag this layer between the gray burn layer and the orange color legacy layer.
Step Five: Red/Pink layer (optional)
I am very nitpicky. The icon looks fine without this, but I wasn't satisfied.
This is a trick I learned a long time ago and I'm not entirely sure why it works. But if you take a light red or pink screen layer and lower the opacity, it tends to brighten without losing details as much as a screened base would. There are other ways to do this, but I'm lazy, so I use what I know most of the time.
on screen. It will make the icon look faded, so lower the opacity to about 10 or so. Step Seven: Automatic Color Balance.
I am still not happy with the blue on Guinevere's face. Keira Knightley is so pretty I want her skin and lips to really stand out and reflect that. PSP's automatic color balance tool has a "remove color cast" feature that I've found has a tendency to make humans look better without doing a whole lot of damage to the surroundings.
I think I was trying to do this on the base, but I ended up on the screen layer just above the base layer.
Adjust>color balance>automatic color balance.
Make sure that "remove color cast" is checked
I usually put the strength about 50 for something like this. Then just play with the sliders. I started more toward the warm end of the spectrum because the icon itself is blue, but I ended up having to move it further toward the cool end to get what I wanted because it gave the icon a weird glare. I won't even give an exact setting because it all depends on the base and how much color you want to remove.
__EDIT__sorry, fixed the link now.
__EDIT__ Also fixed the accidental reference to Obi-Wan, sorry for the confusion.