Full-icon tutorial
I'm using Photoshop 5, but it is generally assumed that everything I can do, you with higher versions can do better.
This has been reduced in size so as not to eat up bandwidth.
Using your preferred method of resizing and cropping, get the image to 100x100. Then, duplicate the image as a new layer. Sharpen the top layer, then duplicate the top layer in the same image. With this third layer, select a layer blend mode that allows for maximum contrast. I chose Screen.
I then flattened the layers and went to Replace Color. Selecting a color from Keira's cheek, as that was the most fleshy part of the image, I toned the saturation and the lightness up and set the fuzziness to about 140 to get a more "washed out look.
Then chosing replace color again, select the dark areas of the image (in this instance, Keira's hair). Adjust the hue, saturation, lightness and fuzziness of the image again.
Then I just added text. Obviously, this version is different from the version in my userpic. I'm not smart enough to have saved the layers of that version, but this is the general idea. Any questions, just ask.
This has been reduced in size so as not to eat up bandwidth.
Using your preferred method of resizing and cropping, get the image to 100x100. Then, duplicate the image as a new layer. Sharpen the top layer, then duplicate the top layer in the same image. With this third layer, select a layer blend mode that allows for maximum contrast. I chose Screen.
I then flattened the layers and went to Replace Color. Selecting a color from Keira's cheek, as that was the most fleshy part of the image, I toned the saturation and the lightness up and set the fuzziness to about 140 to get a more "washed out look.
Then chosing replace color again, select the dark areas of the image (in this instance, Keira's hair). Adjust the hue, saturation, lightness and fuzziness of the image again.
Then I just added text. Obviously, this version is different from the version in my userpic. I'm not smart enough to have saved the layers of that version, but this is the general idea. Any questions, just ask.