Tutorial for Adobe Photoshop 7.0
This is a very basic tutorial that I made for my sister, who specifically asked for some tips on making the text into this particular style. I thought I'd share it in case anyone else is interested in learning how to do some of this stuff.
The tutorial is written in a very basic way, so if you don't know a lot about working with graphics, it should still be pretty accessible. It was written for Adobe Photoshop 7.0, and I honestly have no idea how well it would work for other versions or programs.
Here is the icon I'm doing the tutorial for:
Start with your original image:
Here is the picture I'm working with. I didn't insert it in the tutorial as an image because it's actually a little bit large.
First, find the right way to crop so that you get what you want in your icon. Then, resize it to 100x100 pixels:
Now, go to Layer > Duplicate Layer, and do it twice. Your Layers window should look like this:
Click to select the first "Background copy" layer and then go to Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen. I usually do this twice, but some images may require more or less sharpening. Then I set the layer mode to Soft Light.
Next, click to select the top layer ("Background copy 2") and then go to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate. This step does not work on all icons, so if it ends up not looking right, feel free to bypass this part all together. Next, change the layer mode to Screen. This is what the image looks like now:
Now, I usually start working with blank layers. Create a new layer by clicking Layer > New > Layer. I leave the settings at the default because it basically sets up a transparent layer. Your Layers window will look like this now:
From here on out, every step I do will be on a new layer. This makes it easier to see what each individual change does to the overall look of the icon, and makes it easier to undo a step or delete something that doesn't look right.
First, I typically play with gradients. I have quite a few, but the ones I use most often were made by
crumblingwalls. The first gradient I'm applying starts with a darker orange (#D56A50) and moves toward a lighter orange (#FEAB4C), and change the blend mode of the layer to Soft Light.
This is the gradient:
Then on a new layer, I'm applying a gradient that starts at #985B6D and ends in #747392. I set this layer to Overlay.
Here is the second gradient:
And right now, my image looks like this:
Now, I make another new layer. On this one, I'm going to apply a texture. This is the texture I want to use, but feel free to play around. You can also save this one to use yourself.
I just copy this texture and paste it into the new layer. Then I set the layer's mode to Soft Light and mess with the Opacity and Fill of the layer until I think it looks good. For this instance, I set the Opacity to 15% and the Fill to 90%. Now, the image looks like this:
For the next new layer, I'm going to apply an exclusion layer. In this case, I fill the layer with a dark blue, #090B40. Then I set the layer mode to Exclusion and I changed both the Opacity and Fill to 80%. My image currently looks like this:
On another new layer, I'm applying another gradient. This one starts at a pink-orange, #FF8C6F, and ends with a pale orange, #FFBA6B. Again, I set the layer mode to Soft Light, and in this case I changed the Opacity to 50%. I left the Fill at 100%.
Here is the gradient:
And here's what the image looks like:
On a new layer, I'm going to apply a brush made bydactyliotheca. This is what the brush looks like:
I'm using a pale orange-yellow, #F7C864, for this brush. I lined up the left and bottom sides of the brush with the left and bottom sides of the icon, and used it once. Then I set the layer mode to Color Burn. This is what it looks like now:
Now, on another new layer, I'm going to use a light texture. The one I've selected was made byinxsomniax, but you may find that other textures work better. It's always best to judge the icons case by case; sometimes there won't be any use for a light texture at all. The light texture I'm using is this one:
Once I've put the light texture in the new layer, I'm setting the layer mode to Hard Light. Now, here it gets a little tricky, and this is why it's difficult to work with light textures. Obviously it's too dark and heavy to leave it as it is, but if you change the Opacity or Fill, the light becomes muted and pointless. What I'm doing is deleting all of the light texture in this instance except for the heavy bright line coming at a right diagonal from the upper corner. Once I've gotten it down to just the part I like, I'm going to change the Fill of the layer to 80% and then use Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur at a Radius of 1.8 pixels. Here's what my image looks like now:
On a new layer, I'm going to apply another texture. This one was made byoxoniensis, though at the settings we're using it doesn't really matter what texture you use as long as it isn't too cluttered. For this one, it's just a series of tiny dots covering the icon. Again I set the layer mode to Soft Light, and this time I set the Opacity to 80%.
Here is the texture:
And here's what we look like now:
Now I'd like to apply text. This is also a tricky step because you need to put a lot of thought into the position, appearance, and content of text on an icon. In some cases, text may not be appropriate, but it's not usually difficult to find something to use. There are also a lot of text brushes that you can use, with the settings already designed for appropriate use on an icon. Some good ones that I use from time to time are available fromteh_indy, hotoko, miggy, crazy_perfume, and hitzusin. I typically prefer to use my own text because then I'm able to have complete control over the look and content.
Since text is automatically applied to a new layer, there's no need to create one for this step. I almost always work with a pure white (#FFFFFF) or off-white colour for my text. I can always go back and use a gradient or change the Opacity and Fill to change how it looks later. Arial Black and Arial Narrow are good fonts for putting clear text on an icon. I typically use the Small Caps font option and set my Anti-Alias to Crisp or Strong.
For the word DARK, I am using Arial Black, size 3, in Small Caps with the Tracking (spacing between characters) set to 285 and the Anti-Alias set to Strong. You can control all of your text options by opening the Character window (Window > Character opens it up in Photoshop for you). Below that, for the word POWER, I'm using the same settings except I changed the font size to 4. Here is what the image looks like now:
This text obviously leaves something to be desired. I like to make text like this stand out a little by using shadows. To do this, right-click on the text layer DARK and select Blending Options. Select the option Drop Shadow. In the submenu for Drop Shadow, I usually leave the blend mode on Multiply, but raise the Opacity to 100%. For the options below, you'll see Distance, Speed, and Size. I usually set these to 1, 0, and 2, respectively. You'll see the shadow appear closer and more noticeably near your text. I also usually fiddle with the Angle of the light source for the shadowing (and leave Use Global Light set to the default, which is ON). For this icon, I set the Angle to 135. Also: take note of the fact that if you change the angle on one text layer, it's applied to all of them. This means you have to find an angle that looks good for everything you're working with.
Here's what we look like now:
I also usually like to fade the text a little bit. To do so, I'm going to change the Opacity on both text layers to 90%. This is what the text looks like now:
Now, I want to add a little emphasis to the text without changing how it looks. I'm going to create a bar extending partially across the icon, to underline the text. To do this, I'm going to use a default square brush in Photoshop with the Pencil tool in a new layer. I'm going to make the bar the same colour as the text (#FFFFFF) and set the size of the brush to 3 pixels. Then, I just draw the line wherever I want to have it show up on the icon. Here's what it looks like now:
Next, I'm going to apply the same Blending Options to the bar that were applied to the text. Instead of setting the layer Opacity to 90%, however, I'm going to change it to 80%. This will keep the bar as an emphasis to the text, and will keep it from drawing attention away from the text. Here's what it looks like now:
It looks pretty good to me! I like to have a nice border on my icons, though. I think it gives them a finished look. You can use whatever you like for your border, just make sure that it doesn't draw attention away from the icon's content, and also make sure you don't cover anything important up with the border. For this icon, I'm going to apply a very thin line border brush around the outside. I'm using a super dark brown (#271206), and setting the layer mode to Colour Burn. Here's the finished product:
So, as you can see, this wasn't a very hard icon to make. Every icon you make will be different, so don't be afraid to experiment with layers, blends, colours, and more. It's only through experimenting that you're going to become familiar with your graphics program and confident in your skills using it!
I hope that this tutorial was helpful, and if you have any questions, feel free to comment. I'll try to help if I can. :) My icon resourse post is available here, and has a pretty comprehensive list for brushes, gradients, images, etc.
Also, as this is my first tutorial, I'd appreciate any feedback as to the user-friendliness, etc., of the tutorial itself. I'd love to hear about what I can do better for next time. :)
The tutorial is written in a very basic way, so if you don't know a lot about working with graphics, it should still be pretty accessible. It was written for Adobe Photoshop 7.0, and I honestly have no idea how well it would work for other versions or programs.
Here is the icon I'm doing the tutorial for:
Start with your original image:
Here is the picture I'm working with. I didn't insert it in the tutorial as an image because it's actually a little bit large.
First, find the right way to crop so that you get what you want in your icon. Then, resize it to 100x100 pixels:
Now, go to Layer > Duplicate Layer, and do it twice. Your Layers window should look like this:
Click to select the first "Background copy" layer and then go to Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen. I usually do this twice, but some images may require more or less sharpening. Then I set the layer mode to Soft Light.
Next, click to select the top layer ("Background copy 2") and then go to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate. This step does not work on all icons, so if it ends up not looking right, feel free to bypass this part all together. Next, change the layer mode to Screen. This is what the image looks like now:
Now, I usually start working with blank layers. Create a new layer by clicking Layer > New > Layer. I leave the settings at the default because it basically sets up a transparent layer. Your Layers window will look like this now:
From here on out, every step I do will be on a new layer. This makes it easier to see what each individual change does to the overall look of the icon, and makes it easier to undo a step or delete something that doesn't look right.
First, I typically play with gradients. I have quite a few, but the ones I use most often were made by
crumblingwalls. The first gradient I'm applying starts with a darker orange (#D56A50) and moves toward a lighter orange (#FEAB4C), and change the blend mode of the layer to Soft Light.This is the gradient:
Then on a new layer, I'm applying a gradient that starts at #985B6D and ends in #747392. I set this layer to Overlay.
Here is the second gradient:
And right now, my image looks like this:
Now, I make another new layer. On this one, I'm going to apply a texture. This is the texture I want to use, but feel free to play around. You can also save this one to use yourself.
I just copy this texture and paste it into the new layer. Then I set the layer's mode to Soft Light and mess with the Opacity and Fill of the layer until I think it looks good. For this instance, I set the Opacity to 15% and the Fill to 90%. Now, the image looks like this:
For the next new layer, I'm going to apply an exclusion layer. In this case, I fill the layer with a dark blue, #090B40. Then I set the layer mode to Exclusion and I changed both the Opacity and Fill to 80%. My image currently looks like this:
On another new layer, I'm applying another gradient. This one starts at a pink-orange, #FF8C6F, and ends with a pale orange, #FFBA6B. Again, I set the layer mode to Soft Light, and in this case I changed the Opacity to 50%. I left the Fill at 100%.
Here is the gradient:
And here's what the image looks like:
On a new layer, I'm going to apply a brush made by
dactyliotheca. This is what the brush looks like:I'm using a pale orange-yellow, #F7C864, for this brush. I lined up the left and bottom sides of the brush with the left and bottom sides of the icon, and used it once. Then I set the layer mode to Color Burn. This is what it looks like now:
Now, on another new layer, I'm going to use a light texture. The one I've selected was made by
inxsomniax, but you may find that other textures work better. It's always best to judge the icons case by case; sometimes there won't be any use for a light texture at all. The light texture I'm using is this one:Once I've put the light texture in the new layer, I'm setting the layer mode to Hard Light. Now, here it gets a little tricky, and this is why it's difficult to work with light textures. Obviously it's too dark and heavy to leave it as it is, but if you change the Opacity or Fill, the light becomes muted and pointless. What I'm doing is deleting all of the light texture in this instance except for the heavy bright line coming at a right diagonal from the upper corner. Once I've gotten it down to just the part I like, I'm going to change the Fill of the layer to 80% and then use Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur at a Radius of 1.8 pixels. Here's what my image looks like now:
On a new layer, I'm going to apply another texture. This one was made by
oxoniensis, though at the settings we're using it doesn't really matter what texture you use as long as it isn't too cluttered. For this one, it's just a series of tiny dots covering the icon. Again I set the layer mode to Soft Light, and this time I set the Opacity to 80%.Here is the texture:
And here's what we look like now:
Now I'd like to apply text. This is also a tricky step because you need to put a lot of thought into the position, appearance, and content of text on an icon. In some cases, text may not be appropriate, but it's not usually difficult to find something to use. There are also a lot of text brushes that you can use, with the settings already designed for appropriate use on an icon. Some good ones that I use from time to time are available from
teh_indy, hotoko, miggy, crazy_perfume, and hitzusin. I typically prefer to use my own text because then I'm able to have complete control over the look and content.Since text is automatically applied to a new layer, there's no need to create one for this step. I almost always work with a pure white (#FFFFFF) or off-white colour for my text. I can always go back and use a gradient or change the Opacity and Fill to change how it looks later. Arial Black and Arial Narrow are good fonts for putting clear text on an icon. I typically use the Small Caps font option and set my Anti-Alias to Crisp or Strong.
For the word DARK, I am using Arial Black, size 3, in Small Caps with the Tracking (spacing between characters) set to 285 and the Anti-Alias set to Strong. You can control all of your text options by opening the Character window (Window > Character opens it up in Photoshop for you). Below that, for the word POWER, I'm using the same settings except I changed the font size to 4. Here is what the image looks like now:
This text obviously leaves something to be desired. I like to make text like this stand out a little by using shadows. To do this, right-click on the text layer DARK and select Blending Options. Select the option Drop Shadow. In the submenu for Drop Shadow, I usually leave the blend mode on Multiply, but raise the Opacity to 100%. For the options below, you'll see Distance, Speed, and Size. I usually set these to 1, 0, and 2, respectively. You'll see the shadow appear closer and more noticeably near your text. I also usually fiddle with the Angle of the light source for the shadowing (and leave Use Global Light set to the default, which is ON). For this icon, I set the Angle to 135. Also: take note of the fact that if you change the angle on one text layer, it's applied to all of them. This means you have to find an angle that looks good for everything you're working with.
Here's what we look like now:
I also usually like to fade the text a little bit. To do so, I'm going to change the Opacity on both text layers to 90%. This is what the text looks like now:
Now, I want to add a little emphasis to the text without changing how it looks. I'm going to create a bar extending partially across the icon, to underline the text. To do this, I'm going to use a default square brush in Photoshop with the Pencil tool in a new layer. I'm going to make the bar the same colour as the text (#FFFFFF) and set the size of the brush to 3 pixels. Then, I just draw the line wherever I want to have it show up on the icon. Here's what it looks like now:
Next, I'm going to apply the same Blending Options to the bar that were applied to the text. Instead of setting the layer Opacity to 90%, however, I'm going to change it to 80%. This will keep the bar as an emphasis to the text, and will keep it from drawing attention away from the text. Here's what it looks like now:
It looks pretty good to me! I like to have a nice border on my icons, though. I think it gives them a finished look. You can use whatever you like for your border, just make sure that it doesn't draw attention away from the icon's content, and also make sure you don't cover anything important up with the border. For this icon, I'm going to apply a very thin line border brush around the outside. I'm using a super dark brown (#271206), and setting the layer mode to Colour Burn. Here's the finished product:
So, as you can see, this wasn't a very hard icon to make. Every icon you make will be different, so don't be afraid to experiment with layers, blends, colours, and more. It's only through experimenting that you're going to become familiar with your graphics program and confident in your skills using it!
I hope that this tutorial was helpful, and if you have any questions, feel free to comment. I'll try to help if I can. :) My icon resourse post is available here, and has a pretty comprehensive list for brushes, gradients, images, etc.
Also, as this is my first tutorial, I'd appreciate any feedback as to the user-friendliness, etc., of the tutorial itself. I'd love to hear about what I can do better for next time. :)