View Full Version : Zugma's Tutorials
Here are all the tutorials I've written. They were originally posted on BW, but as that forum's crashed, I'm moving them here :) These all are created for Photoshop v. 7.0 as it's the one I use, but most of the effects are probably transferable to other graphic editors, like PSP, PS Elements, or GIMP. (I've never worked in either of them, though, so I won't be able to help you should you have any questions regarding these programs; sorry!) All of these tutorials, of course, work for higher versions of PS.
Also, I thought I'd add a, um, sort of "table of contents" to make the thread more organized and make the navigation easier.
So, the tutorials below include the following:
Adding light effects to a collage (long walk-through based on the making of this wallpaper (http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/800/effulgent.jpg)), part I [x] (http://www.buffyforums.net/forums/showpost.php?p=20884&postcount=2)
Adding light effects to a collage, part II [x] (http://www.buffyforums.net/forums/showpost.php?p=20888&postcount=3)
Creating custom gradients in Photoshop [x] (http://www.buffyforums.net/forums/showpost.php?p=20893&postcount=4)
Adding grainy/noisy texture to a collage (short overview based on these collages: 1 (http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/800/beasts.jpg); 2 (http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/800/coma.jpg)) [x] (http://www.buffyforums.net/forums/showpost.php?p=20901&postcount=5)
Another wallpaper (http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/800/trance.jpg) walk-through, includes using gradient maps and stock images [x] (http://www.buffyforums.net/forums/showpost.php?p=20906&postcount=6)
Yet another wallpaper (http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/800/wasinheaven.jpg) walk-through :) Includes gradient maps, stock images, curves, hue/saturation, polygonal lasso [x] (http://www.buffyforums.net/forums/showpost.php?p=20912&postcount=7)
Improving blurry photograph (drawn/painted effect) [x] (http://www.buffyforums.net/forums/showpost.php?p=20918&postcount=8)
The making of Tom Riddle wallpaper (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tomriddle1024.jpg). Includes manipulating hair, using stock images and gradient maps [x] (http://www.buffyforums.net/forums/showpost.php?p=20922&postcount=9)
The making of Severus Snape icon (http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/other/snape_icon_by_zugma.jpg). Includes using light textures and gradient maps. PSD file is available for downloading [x] (http://www.buffyforums.net/forums/showpost.php?p=20924&postcount=10)
I just realized that I didn't delete the .psd of my 'Something effulgent' piece. I think if I make some screenshots and post them as an example to illustrate my, ahem, 'tutorial', it'll be easier for me to explain and for you to understand :) Plus .Flight. asked me about this piece, too. So... *clears throat :)*
1. I chose the caps and positioned them on a brown background. Then I masked the areas I wanted to be invisible:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/efulgent_tutorial02.jpg
2. In order to make Spike's figure more 'effulgent' (;)) I added one more screencap with rays, masked its edges and set it on soft light:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/efulgent_tutorial03.jpg
3. And one more, this time on screen:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/efulgent_tutorial04.jpg
4. Then I created a new layer and pressed ctrl+shift+alt+E. (This command makes a screenshot of all visible layers without merging them.) Then I applied radial blur filter to the new layer and masked the areas where I didn't need the effect to be:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/efulgent_tutorial05.jpg
5. Then copied this layer and set it on screen to make the pic brighter:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/efulgent_tutorial06.jpg
6. And added one more screencap with rays, because... well, because I wanted so :) I masked the edges of the rays cap and set it on screen:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/efulgent_tutorial07.jpg
7. Again new layer and ctrl+shift+alt+E. Then motion blur filter:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/efulgent_tutorial08.jpg
8. I copied the blurred layer and set both on soft light and masked them where I wanted:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/efulgent_tutorial09.jpg
9. Now to the fun! (I discovered this technique myself and really like it :)) I made a new layer and set it on soft light. Then I chose big, very soft round brush and light colour and began to paint over the places I wanted to brighten up (such as William's fingers):
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/efulgent_tutorial10.jpg
10. And rays (the other, screened layer):
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/efulgent_tutorial11.jpg
11. And some shadows to hide the defects of the caps (and of my sloppy blending :o):
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/efulgent_tutorial12.jpg
12. Then colour fixing. Custom gradient map on soft light, twice, again with masking:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/efulgent_tutorial13.jpg
13. And again some painting:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/efulgent_tutorial14.jpg
14. Then I added text:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/efulgent_tutorial15.jpg
15. New layer and ctrl+shift+alt+E again. After all my colour experiments, the image went pixely and a little too blurry, so I used Improver (filter from Xero) and smudge tool to clean it up:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/efulgent_tutorial16.jpg
16. Then I added a couple of my pre-made textures:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/efulgent_tutorial17.jpg
17. And finally, I flattened the image and applied KPT Equalizer filter to add some sharpness and contrast.
Here's the final result (http://www.misplaced.co.uk/uglybusiness/800/effulgent.jpg).
I usually use the same scenario when I make fanart.
Hope this was helpful! :)
How to create custom gradient maps in PS 7.
1. Click this button in the layers palette and choose Gradient map from the drop-down menu:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/gm01.gif
2. To use gradients you already have, click this little arrow:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/gm02.jpg
and choose the one you like.
3. To edit a gradient map or create new one, click the pictogram of gradient:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/gm03.gif
4. This dialogue window will appear:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/gm04.gif
The little squares shows how many colours you have and what is their sequence; if you 'activate' any of them by left clicking, you can move it and change its colour. To add more colours, click the edge of the gradient pictogram and you'll get new square to play with. To delete the colour simply drag its square away from the picture. The squares at the bottom of the gradient are to add colours, the ones at the top are for transparent zones:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/gm05.gif
When you get what you like, press OK. Or, if you want to save the gradient and use it later, click New, this will add the new gradient to the library.
That's it... hope I didn't miss anything :)
P.S.: I'm self-tought, so this is like all what I know about making gradient maps. If anyone knows more about them and would like to share I'd be really grateful :)
Zugma - I love your art and in particular am fond of Oz the beasts of mine piece and the Faith ships that never come in piece. The both have a similar kind of texture, how do you achieve this? Also how do you achieve the overall pieces?
Ooh, I'm afraid I deleted the PSDs of these, and I already don't remember every step :(
In general outline, well, for Oz piece (http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/800/beasts.jpg), I didn't do anything special. I positioned the caps and stock images (the moon and clouds) on dark background, masked them, adjusted their opacity and mode (some at normal, some at screen, some at soft light, depending on how bright I wanted them to be), created new layer, pressed Ctrl+Shift+Alt+E and applied median filter (radius=1). Then I again masked parts where the effect looked too strong (the faces, the moon, some other details). This technique is very similar to the one Ailsa explained in this thread, and I don't think I can explain it better :) Then I added my beloved gradient maps and my old self-made texture. Sorry, but I have no idea how I made it :o It was like a year ago and I only know that there was a lot of thoughtless buttons pressing. Here it is:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/stockandtex/tex01_thumb.gif
Full (800x600) size (http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/stockandtex/tex01.gif)
I set it to screen and lowered the opacity until the texture become very subtle; then I added text, flattened the image and applied some filter(s) from sharpen menu (probably unsharp mask and/or sharpen).
Ships piece (http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/800/coma.jpg)... The first stage (images positioning, masking etc.) was the same as I told above I think. For texture, I used stock photos trying to achieve some sort of painted/texturized look. There were a cloudy sky, a rag of... um, where's my dictionary... gauze, two images of sea waves, and this pic:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/stockandtex/blur.jpg
(have no idea what is it and where I got it from, lol). I set them to soft light, lowered opacity and masked some parts. Also I added self-made textures, this one:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/stockandtex/tex02_thumb.jpg
800x600 (http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/stockandtex/tex02.jpg)
and this one:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/stockandtex/tex03_thumb.gif
800x600 (http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/stockandtex/tex03.jpg)
(The first one I made using motion blur, rectangular marquee tool and paint bucket, for the second one I took some random pic, blurred it and applied SuperBladePro filter from Flaming Pear.)
After that, I adjusted colours of the textures (since they were too bright) using Hue/Saturation thing (Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation or simply Ctrl+U). I then fixed colours of the whole piece using the technique I described on the first page of this thread (gradient maps and painting), flattened image and duplicated the layer. Then I applied Sharpen filter two or three times until the pic went slightly grainy; masked the overfiltered parts, added text, flattened the image again and sharpened it one more time. That's all.
I'm not good at explaining, especially in English, lol, so if something was unclear I'm sorry :) Feel free to ask about vague parts and I'll try to clarify myself.
Rosely asked me to tell how I made this (http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/trance.jpg) pic. I didn't really do anything new or special, it was mostly stock images and gradients. As for stock images, I suggest reading Vrya's (http://vrya.net/ts/) tutorial, she both makes art and explains better than me :) As for my collage... well:
1. I chose three main caps, resized and positioned them onto very dark blue background, then masked the parts I didn't need:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/trance_tut01.jpg
2. Then I felt I needed a vertical line, so I added it (using someone's texture/background, only I don't remember who it was :( Probably Tre).
I desaturated the texture (ctrl+shift+U), set it on soft light and masked the edges. Then I added some colour using my beloved gradient maps:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/trance_tut04.jpg
(By the way, this gave me what to start from with the texture; that's why I didn't clean the caps up.)
Here's the result:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/trance_tut03.jpg
3. Then I opened my 'Stock' folder and threw all I found there on the canvas between the gradient maps:
- a key to represent Dawn (on soft light, because it was too bright)
- two pics of raindrops on window to symbolize tears (soft light)
- a cracked tombstone because of Joyce' death (soft light, opacity 41%); you can't actually see it... but you see the cracks, which are also symbols of dying in my very own system of symbols :)
- a pink sunset which just had nice colour to it (soft light)
- a piece of greenish cloudy sky because it had lovely pattern; I use this pic a lot lately to add 'worn' look to texture - soft light
- a road sign because of the words on it and because I had to fill empty space at the top :) - soft light
- I'm not sure about English word, in some clubs, there are big balls hanging from the ceiling and covered with pieces of coloured mirrors - a close-up of this ball, only I blurred and desaturated it. I added it because of interesting shadowy pattern it created. (Soft light)
- and finally one more cap of Buffy (screen, opacity 14%)
I masked the edges of all these pics with big soft round brush.
Here's the result:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/trance_tut05.jpg
And screenshot of my layers palette:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/trance_tut06.jpg
4. The bottom of the pic was too dark, so I added some light with soft round brush (first layer on screen, second one on normal):
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/trance_tut07.jpg
5. And one more screencap (Dawn's room) on soft light, to made the texture on the bottom more interesting:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/trance_tut08.jpg
Also I added family photo (on screen) and the pic of light going through a Venetian blind (on soft), and the text:
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/trance_tut09.jpg
6. I flattened the image and sharpened it with Sharpen filter. After that, I added this (http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/stockandtex/tex03.jpg) self-made texture (soft light, 29%) and masked it over the faces. Then I created new layer and pressed ctrl+alt+shift+E, sharpened the new layer again, and masked overfiltered parts (text etc.).
7. I felt like big Buffy and Joyce were competing, so I pressed B, chose soft round brush and faded Buffy down a bit (I described the method already in this thread):
http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/trance_tut10.jpg
8: This is the final result (http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/800/trance.jpg).
The piece took me two evenings (approximately 6 hours), because I was trying to find the best placement, texture and colours, and made many wrong things before I got what I wanted (as usual :D).
Caps are from Nocturnal Light (http://www.nocturnal-light.net/). Stock pics come to my folder from many places, I don't remember exactly, sorry; my usual sources are http://www.sxc.hu/ , http://www.freeimages.co.uk/ , http://www.stock.b-man.dk/ , http://www.freefoto.com/index.jsp . Gradients are from www.freephotoshop.com and mine.
Hmm... I think that's all :) If something wasn't clear, feel free to ask :)
The Darkness, always5by5, and Linzy_Jane asked how I made this pic (http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/800/wasinheaven.jpg). The cookie that The Darkness promised me back then probably got stale *sigh*, but here's the tutorial anyway :) Sorry it took me so long.
1. I chose screencaps, positioned them onto the blue background, improved and masked. I do not always improve my screencaps, but this time I thought it would be appropriate, as the caps were dim, plus their rough texture wouldn't go well with the idea. (If you want to know how I improved them, please ask. I don't tell it here and now because I don't want this tutorial to be long and messy :))
This is what I got:
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/iwasinheaven01.jpg
2. Then I thought that the background is too dark, so I changed its colour into lighter blue. I also added some white underneath the shot of jumping Buffy (just painted with big soft brush):
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/iwasinheaven02.jpg
3. Next I added 5 stock images of sky and clouds. I set them on soft light and masked:
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/iwasinheaven03.jpg
4. But then I realized I didn't like the placement of big Buffy, and moved her. Which revealed an unimproved area of the screencap, but I was too lazy to go through all the improving routine again so I left it as it was, just masked it a little. I decided that my mistake wouldn't be noticeable when I add the geometrical shapes. (Plus, I love the smudge tool ;))
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/iwasinheaven04.jpg
5. For the colour I added 3 gradient maps and some random pic, don't remember what it was (I blurred it with Gaussian Blur filter). All these I set on soft light.
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/iwasinheaven05.jpg
And here are the gradients I used:
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/iwasinheaven06.jpg
6. Buffy's eyes were too dim, so I selected the irises with lasso tool, feathered the selection (don't remember, something about 2-3 pixels) and added 3 adjustment layers: Curves, Hue/Sat. and Selective Colour. The aim was to make the eyes lighter/more blue-ish/more contrast.
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/iwasinheaven07.jpg
The Curves settings:
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/iwasinheaven08.gif
The Hue/Sat. settings were: Master; Hue=0, Sat.=-63, Lightness=0.
The Selective Colour: Neutrals; Cyan=10, Magenta=-1, Yellow=10.
7. I saved a copy of the pic and flattened it. Then I created new layer, set it on soft light, chose the Polygonal lasso tool and draw a triangle. I inverted the selection (ctrl+shift+I) and painted along the edges of the selection with big soft brush, using black colour. I repeated these steps umm 8 times, trying to make shapes different but matching. Each shape had its own layer which was set on soft light. I also drew 4 circles with Elliptical marquee tool and coloured two of them with black and the other two with very pale pink. The shapes looked too eye-catching, so I lowered their opacity (50...80 %) and masked some parts with big soft brush.
Screenshot is too big to be pasted in the page (http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/iwasinheaven09.jpg)
8. I added textures. (You can find them on my site ;)) Texture 1 (http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/bg/zugma-006.jpg), texture 2 (http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/bg/zugma-025.jpg), texture 3 (http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/bg/zugma-011.jpg), texture 4 (http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/bg/zugma-004.gif). I desaturated textures 1, 3 and 4. The first one I set on soft light, opacity 100; the second one on soft, opacity 17, the third on soft as well, opacity 50, and the last one on soft, opacity 47 (and masked some parts). I then realized that the pic lost some contrast and colour, so I added one more gradient map:
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/iwasinheaven10.jpg
9. Then I made the text (the big transparent text I set on soft light, opacity 30...60, white colour) and the border, flattened the image and applied KPT equalizer filter (sorry, I don't remember the settings). The KPT filters aren't free, so, if you don't have ones, I suppose you can get similar results using curves and filters from Sharpen menu, although it would be longer and more complicated. The filter made the pic brighter and sharper.
This is the final result:
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/wasinheaven-thumb.jpg
800 (http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/800/wasinheaven.jpg)
Screencaps are from Buffy Screenshots (http://www.buffyscreenshots.com/) and Nocturnal Light (http://www.nocturnal-light.net/). Gradients by Crumbling Walls (http://www.livejournal.com/users/crumblingwalls/). Stock pics: have no idea, probably from some of the resources I've already listed above. Fonts: Charlesworth and Garamond Italic. Textures: mine.
Phew! That's all :)
Improving blurry photograph ("drawn/painted" effect)
Original image:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/original-tn.jpg
full size (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/original.jpg)
Improved image:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/improved-tn.jpg
full size (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/improved.jpg)
To follow this tutorial, you'll need: Photoshop 6.0 or higher; knowledge of basic instruments, blending modes, and commands; patience :) Also, note that for the best result the image you’re going to work with should have good contrast and lighting.
1. Resizing
My photo was very small, so I enlarged it. If your image needs resizing as well, try not to enlarge it more than up to 200%, 'cause if you do, my tricks won't help: the quality will be too low to work with.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/01.jpg
2. Sharpening contours
I duplicated the layer and applied filter > other > high pass to the copy. The smaller is the image, the smaller should be radius; in my case, radius was something around 0,7.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/02.jpg
Then I changed blending mode of the layer to overlay. If you think your image needs more sharpening, duplicate the overlayed layer. I duplicated it once and set the copy's opacity to 50%.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/03.jpg
3. Smoothing
After High Pass filter, the contours were sharp enough, but the image became too grainy. I hit ctrl A, ctrl shift Ñ, ctrl V. (These commands make a "photograph" of all visible layers. You can simply merge all layers if you wish, but I prefer my way 'cause it allows coming back and fixing mistakes I tend to make in the process :)) To the new layer, I applied filter > noise > median. In my case, the radius was around 5; the bigger the image, the bigger the radius.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/04.jpg
Immediately after Median I hit ctrl shift F (you can also use edit > fade median) and chose these settings: blending mode: normal; opacity: 50%.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/05.jpg
4. Smoothing a little bit more
The image already looked "drawn"; but I decided I'd like to increase this effect a bit, so I used filter > blur > smart blur (with small values: 3 for radius and 6,5 for threshold).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/06.jpg
5. Blurring
I copied all visible layers by hitting ctrl A, ctrl shift Ñ, ctrl V. Then I picked the blur tool (strength = 20...50, brush size depends on the size of the image, but shouldn't be too big) and carefully blurred the rugged areas on Tom's cheeks, nose, whites etc. (It is important not to touch the contours; you can change brush size/pressure if necessary.)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/07.jpg
6. Brightening up the eyes
Okay, this is where some real precision's needed. Once again, I hit ctrl A, ctrl shift Ñ, ctrl V. Zoomed the image in (200%) and picked dodge tool (exposure: 10...20; highlights; soft brush, the size depends on the area you're going to work on). Very carefully (and remembering to zoom out periodically and check how the image looks at its normal scale) I lightened up the whites. No uniformity; I left the dark areas relatively darker than brighter ones. In places, the whites became a bit too pink; I used sponge tool (at very small flow) to desaturate them. Again ctrl A, ctrl shift Ñ, ctrl V; again dodge tool (this time the brush was very small, around 2...7 pixels). I lightened up his irises, not completely, but the lighter areas (they're usually situated at the bottom of iris and opposite to the catchlight(s)). I also lightened the catchlights and (a little) the contours of his inferior eyelids.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/08.jpg
7. Adding some "make-up"
Ñtrl A, ctrl shift Ñ, ctrl V. Then I picked the Burn tool at the approximately same settings as above, only the range was - Shadows. I decided it was appropriate to darken his pupils, eyelashes, eyebrows a little bit; I also deepened the shadows on his eyelids (using a larger soft brush and very small exposure). Also, I emphasized shadows under the edge of his lower lip and around the wing of his nose to give those clenched jaws and tense nostrils even more expressiveness.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/09.jpg
8. Brightening the irises
I still wasn't satisfied with the eyes. So, I created new empty layer on top of everything and set it to Dodge blend mode. Then I chose small soft brush and a not too dark, not too saturated color, something between blue, green, and grey (the color actually depends on the color of the eyes, so it'll be different in your case). On the new layer, I carefully colored up the irises, making them brighten up and look more "alive". If you think the effect is too strong, try playing with layer opacity or remove the bits you don't like with Eraser tool. If you don't like the color, hit ctrl U and play with the settings, just don't forget to check the "colorize" box. Only try not to overdo the eyes, well unless you're creating a portrait of a hungry hellfire-eyed demon.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/10.jpg
9. Defining irises’ contours
(This step is optional and depends on what you want to achieve and what you like; decision is up to you.) I created a new document, say, 100 by 100 pixels. Picked the Elliptical Marquee tool and, holding Shift, drew a circle in the new document. Its size was approximately same as Tom's iris' or a little bigger. Edit > stroke > 1...3 pix (depending on the picture; I used 2, I think); inside; color is black. Keeping the selection, I used filter > blur > Gaussian blur at a very small radius, just to blur the circle a little bit. Selected the canvas (ctrl A); edit > define brush. Closed the new document without saving. Now, in my Tom picture, I created a new layer, set it to Multiply, chose the little circle brush I just created from the very end of my brushes palette, and carefully stamped a circle right over the edge of Tom's iris (using dark grey or black color). I erased the parts that covered his eyelids and played with the layer opacity a bit until the effect looked natural. I made the same to the other eye. The circle brush I saved for the future works :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/11.jpg
10. Merging down
...all layers.
11. Sharpening
This last step also depends on what you prefer and is optional. Filter > sharpen > sharpen. Edit > fade sharpen > now look yourself, considering which effects you're going to use in the collage or wallpaper based on your photo. Just remember not to oversharpen the image.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tut/improved.jpg
The end of Part One :)
Part Two is going to be a walkthrough tutorial for this wallpaper -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tomriddle-sm.jpg
1024x768 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tomriddle1024.jpg) || 800x600 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/tomriddle800.jpg)
And will be written eventually, hopefully before this year ends ;)
Necessary credits: although this technique was made up by me, its forming was influenced by tutorials by Ailsa @ Plastic Trees (http://www.plastic-trees.net), Sarah @ Never Forget (http://www.each-morning.org/nf), Val @ Touchstone Art (http://www.touchstonesart.com/), Julie @ Restless Slayer (http://www.restless-slayer.com), and an article on sharpening photographs from some Russian portal, the link to which I have lost, unfortunately.
Any questions? Comments? Please feel free to PM me.
Tom Riddle Wallpaper: Part Two *A cookie goes to Heather for her patience ;)*
For this part, requirements are same as above.
1. Manipulating clothes and hair
I created new document (1024x768, 72 pix/inch, transparent) and pasted the improved picture of Tom into it. (1)
I disliked the way it was cropped so that Tom had neither shoulder nor forehead. So I decided to manipulate. I started with his shoulder, 'cause it seemed easier to fix. I masked away the edge of the picture with soft round brush, created two layers underneath and drew the missing parts of the robes and background. (The mask was needed to make the transition from photo to drawing less noticeable.) (2)
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/tomriddlewall/01.jpg
I then marked the imaginary contour of Tom's head using small round brush and colours picked from the image:
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/tomriddlewall/02.jpg
And played a little with smudge tool on his forehead to extend it:
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/tomriddlewall/03.jpg
The hair was more complicated task, 'cause I couldn't draw it and didn't have a decent quality photo of Tom to manipulate. So I looked through HQ pictures of celebrities I had and found one (I think that was Eliza Dushku %)) with lovely curly hair. I blended two or three fragments of that hair into the contour I'd marked before, trying to imitate Tom's hairstyle, and merged these new hair layers together. To make the colour of the new hair match, I used Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. Finally, I applied Filter > Noise > Median (radius = 1 or 2) to the new hair, then Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen, so that the effects looked similar to ones in Tom image, and decided that that would do. The manip was very rough, but that didn't matter as I wanted my wallpaper dark, and knew that shadows would hide the flaws. I can't make screenshots for these steps 'cause I merged the layers, but the final result looked like this:
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/tomriddlewall/04.jpg
2. Positioning, masking, and colouring
I created new layer underneath Tom and filled it with dark grey that matched the colour of the clothes. I moved Tom and masked away major part of the original white background with soft round brush. I got this:
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/tomriddlewall/05.jpg
Then I added a bunch of gradient maps on top of Tom layer and masked some of them with semi-transparent soft brush:
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/tomriddlewall/06.jpg
But then I realized that that was way too acid, so I merged Tom layer with the background, duplicated it and moved the copy on top of the gradient maps, setting its opacity to 38%. It looked better:
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/tomriddlewall/07.jpg
But I didn't like that white halo around Tom. I created two new layers and on them, painted over the glowing with soft brush (using dark grey colour). I set these layers to soft light and multiply and masked away some parts:
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/tomriddlewall/08.jpg
3. Adding smoke
For smoke, I used a stock photograph of smoke from Jenni Lou (http://www.fractured-simplicity.net/daydreaming). I pasted it on top of other layers, duplicated few times; then resized, rotated, and masked each copy. I set all the smoke layers to screen at different opacities:
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/tomriddlewall/09.jpg
4. Adding texture
Now thin-lined texture, but a little explanation first.
I have a habit of starting a wallpaper and never finishing, but can't make myself get rid of the PSDs: I keep dreaming that some day, I'll get all inspired and actually finish them. Which never happens, but my WIP folder is full with half-baked drafts. Sometimes, though, I use them as textures in my other works. I did so to my Tom wall.
Okay, I have to get over my embarrassment and show the crappy draft I used :D Here it is:
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/tomriddlewall/10.jpg
(You can see that its left side contains vertical stripes/lines. I don't remember how I'd make them; I think I used rectangular marquee tool and fill, and probably large soft brushes to add some variety to the colour. And a gradient map.)
So, I pasted the above draft on top of my Tom wall. I applied Filter > Blur > Motion blur (vertical) to get rid of details I didn't need, and set it to screen; then masked away Buffy's face. I didn't like the colour, so I hit Ctrl U and changed it. The settings I went with were: Edit: Master; Hue: +87; Saturation: 0; Lightness: +1. After that, I duplicated the layer, flipped it and also masked.
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/tomriddlewall/11.jpg
5. Shadowing and colour fixing
The wallpaper became too light, so I decided to darken it. I created two new layers and painted on them with very big soft brush. I set these layers to soft light:
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/tomriddlewall/12.jpg
I thought that colouring was a bit plain, so I added three more gradient maps on top of everything:
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/tomriddlewall/13.jpg
And added some more shadowing, using the same technique as above:
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/tomriddlewall/14.jpg
6. Merging down
...all layers.
7. Sharpening, adding "noisy" effect and other final touches
I darkened the wall a little bit more using Gradient Smithy filter from Mehdi. I think you can achieve similar effect using gradient maps, only they should be dark. Then I sharpened it (Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen) and applied either Fuzzifier filter from Xero or default Add Noise filter (I can't remember which one). I then thought that the background looked bare, but I was pretty tired to return and fix all those layers, so I cheated and used my other wallpaper from the villains set to cover bare parts :) Here it is:
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/1024/snape21024.jpg
(It was made following same scenario as this one, and I used it in the same way I used my Buffy draft, only the blending mode was set to lighten instead of screen.)
Finally, I created new layer, hit Ctrl A and went Edit > Stroke > inside, 1 pix. (I picked a greenish colour from the piece.)
7. Adding text
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/tomriddlewall/15.jpg
And phew! That is all! :)
Tutorilal for Heather: Severus Snape icon.
(Forgive me honey for making you wait again! I made this tutorial qiuckly, hope it turned out clear enough. If it's not clear, feel free to ask questions, I'll do my best to explain :))
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/icons/snape_icon_by_zugma.jpg
http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/snape_icon_tut_by_zugma-sm.jpg
View the tutorial (http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/tutorials/snape_icon_tut_by_zugma.jpg)
Download the .PSD (http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/downloads/snape_icon_by_zugma.zip)
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