Base Tutorial [PS CS2]
Since I've got a lot of time to waste, I decided to make a little tutorial based on how I prepare a base to make an icon. I've picked up different tricks from various tutorials in addition to my own experimentation. Hopefully it's useful. This was made using Photoshop CS2 and is image-heavy. This should be compatible with lower versions. I have no knowledge of Paint Shop Pro.
First thing's first: select an image you'd like to make an icon out of. For this tutorial, I'm going to select this picture of Ewan McGregor.
Now it's time to crop the image down to standard Livejournal size. Select the Crop tool:
And once it's selected, make sure the settings in the toolbar above look something like this:
The Width and Height values will make the cropped image standard icon-sized, and the Resolution value (72) will prevent any text that is added later from coming out weird. Carrying on then, use the crop tool and you'll end up with your base. There are all different ways to crop an image. If you plan on using a lot of text or brushes in your icon, it's a good idea to leave as much space on the icon as possible: basically, don't crop the picture so the subject is dead in the center. Here are a few bases I came up with (notice all the open space at the side?):
Another neat way to crop an image is to rotate the picture (Select All [Ctrl+A] then Edit >> Transform >> Rotate) and crop the image on different angles:
The possibilities are endless when it comes to cropping, so experiment for a while until you find something you want to work with. For the rest of this tutorial, I'm going to use this base:
The first thing I do to a base is sharpen it a bit. Some bases don't need to be sharpened as much as others, but I prefer having a crisp look. Anyway. Zoom in on your base (I usually go to 400%) and select the Unsharp Mask tool (Filter >> Sharpen >> Unsharp Mask):
By zooming in on the base, you can easily see the amount of "sharpness" in the icon as you adjust the settings accordingly. I usually tinker with the Amount value (between 75-105) and leave the other two values alone. I'm going to use these settings for this base, but experiment with your own base. Just be careful that you don't sharpen the base too much, or else it might become very pixelated:
After I sharpen the base, I like to smooth out the skin. For this purpose, we're going to use the handy-dandy Blur tool. (I know some people prefer to use the Smudge tool instead, but I find this easier to control.)
Next, select a small round brush (I use 3px) and adjust the Blur tool settings. If you're new to this tool, it might be best to start using it on a low strength (10% or so) so you can get the hang of it. I generally like to duplicate the base in case I make a mistake. One thing to remember is to try and avoid the lips/mouth, nose, and eyes. Here are the settings I'm using:
And this is what my base looks once I'm done with the Blur tool:
After you're done with the Blur tool, you can go back and use the Sharpen tool,
with the following settings,
and go over the lips/mouth, nose, and eye area. This is optional but can be helpful, especially if you may have blurred some of those detailed areas during the last step. Try not to use the Sharpen tool too much or pixelation will occur. XD
Now you're pretty much set to start making an icon. Some images may need a bit more work than a simple one like this, for instance, if it's originally very dark or whatnot, but hopefully some of these steps will help you along the way.
If you have any questions, comments, or other tutorial ideas, please let me know! :D
First thing's first: select an image you'd like to make an icon out of. For this tutorial, I'm going to select this picture of Ewan McGregor.
Now it's time to crop the image down to standard Livejournal size. Select the Crop tool:
And once it's selected, make sure the settings in the toolbar above look something like this:
The Width and Height values will make the cropped image standard icon-sized, and the Resolution value (72) will prevent any text that is added later from coming out weird. Carrying on then, use the crop tool and you'll end up with your base. There are all different ways to crop an image. If you plan on using a lot of text or brushes in your icon, it's a good idea to leave as much space on the icon as possible: basically, don't crop the picture so the subject is dead in the center. Here are a few bases I came up with (notice all the open space at the side?):
Another neat way to crop an image is to rotate the picture (Select All [Ctrl+A] then Edit >> Transform >> Rotate) and crop the image on different angles:
The possibilities are endless when it comes to cropping, so experiment for a while until you find something you want to work with. For the rest of this tutorial, I'm going to use this base:
The first thing I do to a base is sharpen it a bit. Some bases don't need to be sharpened as much as others, but I prefer having a crisp look. Anyway. Zoom in on your base (I usually go to 400%) and select the Unsharp Mask tool (Filter >> Sharpen >> Unsharp Mask):
By zooming in on the base, you can easily see the amount of "sharpness" in the icon as you adjust the settings accordingly. I usually tinker with the Amount value (between 75-105) and leave the other two values alone. I'm going to use these settings for this base, but experiment with your own base. Just be careful that you don't sharpen the base too much, or else it might become very pixelated:
After I sharpen the base, I like to smooth out the skin. For this purpose, we're going to use the handy-dandy Blur tool. (I know some people prefer to use the Smudge tool instead, but I find this easier to control.)
Next, select a small round brush (I use 3px) and adjust the Blur tool settings. If you're new to this tool, it might be best to start using it on a low strength (10% or so) so you can get the hang of it. I generally like to duplicate the base in case I make a mistake. One thing to remember is to try and avoid the lips/mouth, nose, and eyes. Here are the settings I'm using:
And this is what my base looks once I'm done with the Blur tool:
After you're done with the Blur tool, you can go back and use the Sharpen tool,
with the following settings,
and go over the lips/mouth, nose, and eye area. This is optional but can be helpful, especially if you may have blurred some of those detailed areas during the last step. Try not to use the Sharpen tool too much or pixelation will occur. XD
Now you're pretty much set to start making an icon. Some images may need a bit more work than a simple one like this, for instance, if it's originally very dark or whatnot, but hopefully some of these steps will help you along the way.
If you have any questions, comments, or other tutorial ideas, please let me know! :D