PSP9 Tutorial.

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This is for PSP9, but it should be able to translate into other programs, I hope.


Remember that everything I say here is a guide to how I made *this* icon. Your icon won't be my icon! I may say "Sharpen twice", but your image might look best sharpened once, three times, or even not at all. I might say "Overlay", but your image might look better on "Multiply". Don't be afraid to play around with any of the settings or directions. Different pictures need different things to look their best, eh? And almost all of my opacities are set at multiples of three, and you're probably not obsessive over the number enough to have to copy that!

Step 01: Layer One
I crop and resize my original picture. This is my first layer.
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Step 02: Layers Two, Three, and Four
Duplicate the first layer three times. These are Layers Two to Four.
Set Layer Two on Screen @ 100% and sharpen twice.

The colours aren't as vibrant as I would want right now, especially with her hair. I want her hair very black. Set Layer Three to Overlay @ 54%.

Good! But I still want just a bit more colour for her skin. Set Layer Four to Soft Light @ 45%.


Step 03: Layer Five
Create a new raster layer. I used a dark base image from disapearicons set to Multiply @ 100%. Any dark image that you like should do. I choose this one because the place where it changed to lighter colours was a place where my Jasmine base had nothing going on.



That is what I get. It's not too prettiful, eh? I tried using a lower opacity on Layer Five, but I didn't like how that looked; too much of the texture disappeared for my tastes. If you like how your image looks now, great. If you have the same problem as me, onwards to the next step!

Step 04: Layer Six
Duplicate the base image. Drag it above Layer Five so that it's the sixth layer. Set to Normal @ 33%.

There! I like that look, and I like the colours that are right near her neck.

Step 05: Layer Seven
Create a new raster layer. Use the following brush on it, in a colour from your image. I used a brownish-purple shade (#796356) from near her neck. Set at Normal @ 66%.

I feel like mud right now, because I've just discovered the way I've been crediting my brushes in PSP doesn't actually let me see the author when I need to. I swear it used to! I don't know who made this, but my guess is quebelly. Any texture-type brush that is darker on one side should work well here.
This is what we have now:


Step 06: Layer Eight
Create a new raster layer. Use the following brush on it. I used a dark blue-grey (#4e4f58) from across the colour wheel of my previous brush. Set to Exclusion @ 66%.

There is more feeling like mud, because I don't know who made this. reyesphile perhaps? I picked this one up from a tutorial. Let this be a lesson to you all! Make sure you can actually access your brush credits!

This brush doesn't do much, but does lighten up the right side a teensy bit.

Step 07: Layer Nine
Time for text! I used the steps in this tutorial by charliemc to make the text and get it outlined. My text is in the blue colour I used for Layer Eight; the outline is the brown I used for Layer Seven. I used the font Jolly Roger at size 8, if I recall correctly.

Now, back to our actual icon! Rotate the image 90 degrees clockwise. Create a new raster layer. Paste your text selection onto this layer. Rotate the entire image 90 degrees counter-clockwise. The text was too harsh for my tastes, so I set the layer to Normal at 75%. Voila!



If you could help me tell who those brushes are by, I would love you forever and give you cyber-cookies. Looks like I'm spending the rest of today tracking down credits! D'oh.


Any questions or suggestions on how to make it a better tutorial are welcome. If you make an icon using this, I'd really love to see it - even if you memory this and don't end up using it for months, show it off then! :-)