Tutorial.
*hopes my tutorial is better*
Warning: A LOT of layers and a LOT of pictures.
Here is the base image if you would like to follow along.
1. It's good quality, but boring and nothing much. Let's give you a run down of the basics we're going to be using to make this icon.
Some are missing, but these are the most important ones mind you.
Okay, lets start now. Go to adjust *points to example above* then Brightness/Contrast. For my icon, I'm using 10 for Brightness, and 10 for Contrast.
2. Once again, go to adjust, then go to highlight/midtone/shadow.
These are the settings I have for my icon:
3. Go to layers, then duplicate. Simple enough.
4. Go to adjust, hue and saturation, then colorize. Hue: 80. Saturation: 25
Not quite exactly what I want. Too green.
5. Go to Layers, then Properties. A window should pop up. Set the blend mode to Overlay at 100.
Pretty colors.
6. Now the resizing, not cropping. Go to Image, then Resize. Here should be your settings IF you're using the same base image as I am. If you're not, experiment.
Click OK. Thats a fair size for cropping, don't you think?
7. Go to Layers, Merge, Merge All (Flatten.) Now Layers again, then Duplicate once more. Now, pick a semi-dark color. I'm using a shade of red. The code for this red is #D04040. Use the Bucket Fill to fill in the picture. It should look like this:
8. Go to Layers, and then Properties once more. Set the blending mode to Overlay at 30. This brings back some of the color in Sam's face.
9. Go to Layers, Merge, Merge All (Flatten.) Now go to Layers, then Duplicate once more. Getting tired yet? Now pick a teal color, in this case I'm using the color #0F6080. Use the bucket fill once more to fill in the picture with the teal color. You guessed it, go to Layers, then Properties, but now set the Blending Mode to Exclusion at 20. Now it has an old look.
10. Done with layers? Not quite. Merge all layers once more. Go to Layers, and Duplicate for the last time this tutorial. Go to Adjust, Blur, Gaussian Blur at 4.00. Now in go to Layers, and then Properties. Set it to 50, with Blending Mode as Overlay.
Merge all layers (flatten.) Whoo! We're finally done with layers.
11. But not with color. Go to Adjust, Color Balance, Color Balance. Experiment around with the main idea of green.
12. Done with colors. Now cropping time. Set it at 100 x 100 pixels, we don't need a one pixel border. It looks sort of cheesy that way. Remember, you have to have room for words. Here's my cropped image:
13. Okay then, go to Adjust, Sharpen, then Unsharp Mask. Experiment until you find something you like.
14. In your color thing, click on the pretty star *cough* the color box that is currently teal. Why I didn't just say that, I do not know. *hyper*
It should pop up a box. At the top of the box, go to Gradient.
15. Go to Edit, then New, and type in a random name. Mine is greenblue or something like that. Now, you will have a gradient single colored. We don't want that. Click on the first little arrow and it should pop up another box, pick a color and click OK. Do the same with the next arrow. You should have a two color gradient now.
The arrows are pointing at the little color arrow boxes I'm talking about so no one gets confused...I hope.
This is my gradient:
Click OK of course.
16. This is the border I am working with. I will not explain how to get the border onto your computer because I'm partly sick today.
Okay, I lied, one more layer. Go to Layers, and then New Raster Layer. Hover the border brush over the image and stamp it on, making sure it exactly matches with the edges and sides. It should come out in a gradient border. Then go to Layers, Properties, and lower the opacity until you are happy with it. This is what I have:
17. Get the pen tool, and make sure your settings are this at the top.
Contiguous: unchecked Create as Vector: checked Mode: the pencil is clicked Segment type: the middle wavy one Line Style: The first choice when you click it Width: 1.00 Anti-Alias: checked Join: the first one when you click it Miter Limit: 15
Make two clicks diagonally. It should look like this:
18. Go to Selections, then Select None. Click the text tool, and hover the cursor over the line you just made until it looks different. Click, and now type whatever you want. I'm typing "just a" in Times New Roman, font 7. Make sure "warped" is unchecked while you type it out. Switch to the move tool and then move it around to your liking.
19. Follow this if you don't have your layer palette:
20. Highlight the Vector Layer and then delete it.
If you want, you can double click the "Promoted Selection" and set it to Soft Light to make the words blend in sort of with the background.
This is your icon so far:
21. Repeat the step with the pen and the text, I'm writing "gardener" in font Violation. Delete the Vector layer again. This is my icon:
22. Now the final touches. Lied again, you have to Merge all the layers. Then you duplicate the background once more. Go to Effects, Texture Effects, then Blinds. Make sure the width is two, you are free to experiment with the opacity.
23. Use the eraser tool to erase the blinds covering the words, and I used the eraser tool to erase the dark part of Sam's face. This is my final icon:
Commeeeeent. Pretty please?