Icon Tutorial - Simple is As Simple Does

I was looking for some tutorials here when I realized - ACK - there were no tutorials on the front page! The horror! So I went to Photoshop, made an icon, and wrote a tutorial! (I know, scary) So here it is, for your viewing pleasure:



This is a very basic 'see my layer palette' tutorial where I won't go real in-depth for any of the steps. You see my panel, I write in a short non-sentence form what is going on on that layer and walah! That's the tutorial.


Here's my base: (cropped from a larger image by moi)


Select the little adjustment tool at the bottom of your layers palette and choose 'Gradiant Map'. Use this gradient and set it to Soft Light.


Go back to your adjustment layer tool and this time choose 'Channel Mixer'. Don't change anything except the Monochrome box at the bottom. Check it. Set to Multiply.


Now make another adjustment layer and select 'Selective Color'. Click the scroll box at the top and choose 'Yellows'. Here are my settings, but you can play with yours: Cyan -25, Magenta +18, Yellow -37, and Black -15.


Make another gradiant map adjustment layer. Use this gradient by crumblingwalls and set to Color.


Make a new layer (normal this time!) and use this brush by me using #000000 and set to Overlay.


Use that same brush again except using #FFFFFF and set to Soft Light. This is what your icon should look like:


Now add this tiny text brush, by me again, and use a redish color to start (doesn't really matter) and then go to Blending Options (the little F at the bottom) and check Gradiant Overlay. Change the gradiant to the one we used before (by crumblingwalls) and mess with the angle a little bit. Set it to Lighten. (the gradiant)


The simply add a 1px stroke border around the whole thing. You're done! Hope it wasn't confusing. >.<