D.N.Angel iTutorial

You must have knowledge of PSP to use this tutorial. Since it's my first tutorial, I'm waaay too inarticulate lazy to try to explain things. o_O; Let me know if it translates well into PS. Or if you could understand it at all. XD;




Start with your image.
Size it down to 100x100


this is my base

select a section of your image.
Paste as new image.

Image > Grayscale
Adjust > Brightness and Contrast > Brightness/Contrast
play with this until most of the shading (gray) is gone.


this is my result

Open a new palette. 100x100 with a white background.
Paste your grayscale image.
Paste your color image (before or after this step you can play with the color balance and brightness and contrast).
Make sure your grayscale image is the top layer at this point, so you can see it.
Arrange the two images around each other to something you like.
Use the rectangle selection tool to select a 1px area between the two images. Fill it in (I used white... obviously).


this next gradient will be covering only the colored image. This is easily done by just arranging the placement of the layer.

100% soft light.
gradient by milkmoon

Now as a top layer over both images, in this order:

100% Hard Light
gradient by milkmoon

Then a texture (I'm not certain of its creator; if it's you let me know):

100% Soft Light

Nearing the end, here. ;D


texture by dorky_duck

We take this light texture and without resizing it, paste it as a new layer over our icon, making sure it's the top layer.
With the move tool I moooove the layer around until I have the main beam of light I plan to use in the bottom right-hand corner.
I use the lasso tool with feathering set at least to 13 and circle the top-left area that I don't want blocking my picture and cut it away. Since the lasso tool is set to feathering, it will blend away smoothly.

I rotate my image ( image > rotate > rotate 90 degrees) rather than my text so it won't have to be blurry. I keep rotating it until the side I want to put text on is on the bottom.

Font: Verdana (it should come with PSP)
Font style: Bold
Size 26
Leading 0
Kerning 0
Tracking 0.020 (to make the letters touch the sides; this will work only for a four-letter word, otherwise you need to adjust your tracking to your liking. And of course this is all optional to begin with.)

Create a new Raster Layer and make a 1px border with the rectangle selectional tool and fill it in (I used white).

Then, for some subtle detail, I use this brush:


made by Lush Brushes
To change this image into a brush, open it up and go to File > Export > Custom Brush
your file path should default to your PSP brush folder, so just click "OK" or whatever. Now your brush should be immediately accessible. Click your paintbrush tool and then find it and select it.

Size: 100
Hardness: 100
Step: 25
Density: 100
Thickness: 100
Rotation: 0
Opacity: 100

those should be your default settings, anyway.

Now without having to change its size, this border will be inside your 100x100 border. I use it as white, and just click it once over the icon, using the same raster layer as the 1px border.

I zoom in and with a small (size 5 or so) round eraser carefully go over parts of the brush that come into contact with my text (my opacity is set to 18).

Double-check and make sure your light texture is the very top layer. Move it to the top if it isn't.

Zoom out and appraise your work.

Make any other changes that are totally up to you. For me, the icon is finished.