so_out_of_ideas (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
so_out_of_ideas) wrote2006-06-03 12:40 am
so_out_of_ideas) wrote2006-06-03 12:40 am
Entry tags:
...I had Stargate's Angel all to myself...
I got some questions this week on textures. Either about how to make icon subjects stay clear when using a texture over the image or on specific icons I'd done where most of my coloring and lighting had been achieved through textures. So, I decided to put some tutorials together. As I was doing the first one, I realized that, to my knowledge, GIMP does not have the equivalent of PSP's wonderful "fade correction" or "clarify" features. Now, it very well may have them, but my own knowledge of the program is extremely limited. I've spoken with some GIMP users and no one seemed to think it did. So, I tried to make a second icon that I know will work in all programs.
Note: These are rather image heavy...sorry dialup folks.
We'll be going from this to
*Image and texture credits can be found in my resource post.
Tutorial 04: Clark Kent
Step 1: Choose an image and crop to 100x100.
-- 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 and voila! Magic! If it's too big or too small, just undo and mess with it until you get what you like. For Clark I used 25 percent. This will take Lex right out of the shot. Then just use your move tool to slide the image over to the right and down a bit.--
Step 2: Sharpen the base.
--Image>adust>sharpness>sharpen. Only once Sometimes you can get away with twice. 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.
Step 3: Subtle Adjustments
--Merge visible layers and duplicate again. The reason I duplicate layers at this point is so that my original base is still there if I mess something up too badly to fix by using undo.
--Make sure the duplicate layer is selected. We will be making three simple adjustments with with one of my favorite methods, which I learned from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
severa. Feel free to play with these settings to find what works for you.
--Adjust>Color Balance>Fade Correction: Amount of Correction= 7
--Adjust>Brightness and Contrast>Clarify: Strenght of effect= 7
--Adjust>Hue and Saturation>Automatic Saturation Enhancement: Bias=Normal, Strength=Normal, Skintones present checked.
Step 4: Enhancement
--Merge visible layers and duplicate the merged layer.
--Adjust>blur>Gaussian blur: Radius=1.00
--Set the layer to soft light.
--Duplicate three times. Set the first to screen at 100% opacity. Set the second to overlay. For Clark I put the opacity around 20, but use your own judgement if your image is lighter or darker. Set the top to screen and lower the opacity until it looks right. For Clark I used about 48 %.
Step 5: Textures
--Copy this texture:
, paste as a new layer, and set to soft light. I erased a small bit around the right side of Clark's face to make it stand out a little more, but don't go overboard with this. You want most of the texture intact.
--Take this texture:
and set to screen.
Now all that's left is to add text. For Clark, I used one of my favorite fonts, Bow, size 20. (Yup, 20. It's a teeny font.)
And from this to
*Image and texture credits can be found in my resource post.
Tutorial 05: Stargate Angel
Step 1: Choose an image and crop to 100x100.
-- 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 Daniel I used 25 percent. Then just use your move tool to slide the image around until you have it where you want.--
Step 2: Sharpen the base.
--Image>adust>sharpness>sharpen. Only once Sometimes you can get away with twice. 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.
Step 3: Merge visible layers and duplicate three times. Set the first to screen at 100 % opacity. Set the second to soft light at around 46. Set the third to screen at 100.
Step 4: Apply a Gaussian blur to the top screen layer.
In PSP 8 go to Adjust>blur>Gaussian blur. I used a Radius of 15.94 on Daniel. You can play with this, but basically, you want the blur to be pronounced enough that you can't really tell what he is.
Step 5: Copy this texture
, paste as a new layer, and set to soft light at 100 %.
<center="http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/8515/dannytut49wz.png">
Step 6: Repeat step 5 with this texture:
Step 7: Repeat step five again with this texture:
Step 8: Paste this texture: again. Set to lighten at around 70 % opacity, and erase around Daniel's forehead and eyes.
Step 9: Copy this texture:
and set to screen at 100 % opacity.
Step 10: Duplicate your base layer and drag it to the top of your layer palette. Set the layer to screen.
Step 11: Apply a Gaussian Blur to the screen layer. Radius around 1.44 or so.
Step 12: You could skip this if you wanted, I just wasn't quite satified with the results, so I duplicated the screen layer again and set the opacity to 20 %
Step 13: Add the border.
--Create a new layer and flood fill with #EEF1EC.
--Go to selections>select all
--Selections>modify>contract. Contract by 3px.
--delete the selection.
Step 14: Add Text.
I used the font Cloister Black BT at 14 pt.
--Set your foreground color to transparent, background color to black.
--Duplicate the text layer, then change the color to white Drag it beneath the black layer and apply a Gaussian blur with a radius of 1.00. A dialogue will come up asking you if you want to convert the text layer to a raster layer. Click ok.
--Duplicate that layer.
--Now Effects>3D Effects>Drop Shadow with these settings:
Vertical offset: 2
Horizontal offset: 2
Opacity: 76
Blur: 6.29
Shadow on new layer: checked
--Drag the shadow layer down so that it is underneath both blurred white text layers.
--Finally, reduce the opacity of top Text layer down to about 32 %.
And you're done! You now have a beautiful angel of your very own. Just don't tell Vala.
Note: These are rather image heavy...sorry dialup folks.
We'll be going from this to
*Image and texture credits can be found in my resource post.
Step 1: Choose an image and crop to 100x100.
-- 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 and voila! Magic! If it's too big or too small, just undo and mess with it until you get what you like. For Clark I used 25 percent. This will take Lex right out of the shot. Then just use your move tool to slide the image over to the right and down a bit.--
Step 2: Sharpen the base.
--Image>adust>sharpness>sharpen. Only once Sometimes you can get away with twice. 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.
Step 3: Subtle Adjustments
--Merge visible layers and duplicate again. The reason I duplicate layers at this point is so that my original base is still there if I mess something up too badly to fix by using undo.
--Make sure the duplicate layer is selected. We will be making three simple adjustments with with one of my favorite methods, which I learned from
severa. Feel free to play with these settings to find what works for you.--Adjust>Color Balance>Fade Correction: Amount of Correction= 7
--Adjust>Brightness and Contrast>Clarify: Strenght of effect= 7
--Adjust>Hue and Saturation>Automatic Saturation Enhancement: Bias=Normal, Strength=Normal, Skintones present checked.
Step 4: Enhancement
--Merge visible layers and duplicate the merged layer.
--Adjust>blur>Gaussian blur: Radius=1.00
--Set the layer to soft light.
--Duplicate three times. Set the first to screen at 100% opacity. Set the second to overlay. For Clark I put the opacity around 20, but use your own judgement if your image is lighter or darker. Set the top to screen and lower the opacity until it looks right. For Clark I used about 48 %.
Step 5: Textures
--Copy this texture:
, paste as a new layer, and set to soft light. I erased a small bit around the right side of Clark's face to make it stand out a little more, but don't go overboard with this. You want most of the texture intact.--Take this texture:
and set to screen.Now all that's left is to add text. For Clark, I used one of my favorite fonts, Bow, size 20. (Yup, 20. It's a teeny font.)
And from this to
*Image and texture credits can be found in my resource post.
Step 1: Choose an image and crop to 100x100.
-- 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 Daniel I used 25 percent. Then just use your move tool to slide the image around until you have it where you want.--
Step 2: Sharpen the base.
--Image>adust>sharpness>sharpen. Only once Sometimes you can get away with twice. 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.
Step 3: Merge visible layers and duplicate three times. Set the first to screen at 100 % opacity. Set the second to soft light at around 46. Set the third to screen at 100.
Step 4: Apply a Gaussian blur to the top screen layer.
In PSP 8 go to Adjust>blur>Gaussian blur. I used a Radius of 15.94 on Daniel. You can play with this, but basically, you want the blur to be pronounced enough that you can't really tell what he is.
Step 5: Copy this texture
, paste as a new layer, and set to soft light at 100 %.<center="http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/8515/dannytut49wz.png">
Step 6: Repeat step 5 with this texture:
Step 7: Repeat step five again with this texture:
Step 8: Paste this texture:
again. Set to lighten at around 70 % opacity, and erase around Daniel's forehead and eyes.Step 9: Copy this texture:
and set to screen at 100 % opacity.Step 10: Duplicate your base layer and drag it to the top of your layer palette. Set the layer to screen.
Step 11: Apply a Gaussian Blur to the screen layer. Radius around 1.44 or so.
Step 12: You could skip this if you wanted, I just wasn't quite satified with the results, so I duplicated the screen layer again and set the opacity to 20 %
Step 13: Add the border.
--Create a new layer and flood fill with #EEF1EC.
--Go to selections>select all
--Selections>modify>contract. Contract by 3px.
--delete the selection.
Step 14: Add Text.
I used the font Cloister Black BT at 14 pt.
--Set your foreground color to transparent, background color to black.
--Duplicate the text layer, then change the color to white Drag it beneath the black layer and apply a Gaussian blur with a radius of 1.00. A dialogue will come up asking you if you want to convert the text layer to a raster layer. Click ok.
--Duplicate that layer.
--Now Effects>3D Effects>Drop Shadow with these settings:
Vertical offset: 2
Horizontal offset: 2
Opacity: 76
Blur: 6.29
Shadow on new layer: checked
--Drag the shadow layer down so that it is underneath both blurred white text layers.
--Finally, reduce the opacity of top Text layer down to about 32 %.
And you're done! You now have a beautiful angel of your very own. Just don't tell Vala.