PSP Tutorial
I'm new here, just wanted to say hey. I'm Regina, and I like monkeys and cheese. Really, that's all you need to know to understand me. I have a tutorial for making icons in PSP. It's kind of long, and image heavy, so I'm going to cut it. Feel free to ask any questions, or give me any comments you may have.
Basically, I'm attempting a sort of step-by-step to icon making using Paint Shop Pro.
saava has a great tutorial for Photoshop, so if PS is your program of choice, go check hers out. This will be much easier to follow if you have a basic knowledge of PSP and what things do. I have a kind of bare bones guide to the tools I use most often to make my icons here. It would probably be a good idea to keep it open if you're confused to which tools I'm referencing. (Sorry for the quality, I realized right before posting I had forgotten to make it, and had to make do with the horrid optimization on my mother's computer.)
I'm starting with THIS picture from Alanna's Screencap Site.
The first thing you want to do is crop your image. Always use the square selector to do so, as it keeps the image proportionate. The default on the selector is rectangle, in order to change it to square right click on the selector and choose "Tool Options". The box will look like this:
Once you've cropped the image, it's time to clean it up some before you start your icon. I get most of my caps from Alanna's, and they don't need extensive clean up. I most always do two basic things to a cap before using it under any circumstance, so I'll explain how to do that. Here is the new, cropped base image:
Go to Effects > Enhance Photo > Clarify , and set it anywhere from 1-5, depending on what looks best. For this image I used five to help lightened the hazy areas. The Clarify dialogue box looks like this:
Next is Fade Correction, which is accessed the same way as Clarify, Effects > Enhance Photo > Fade Correction. The setting is really subjective, just fiddle with it until you get the image looking sharper and clearer. The Fade Correction Dialogue box looks like this:
Once you've cleaned up the image a bit, you can resize it to icon size. Go to Image > Resize and this dialogue box will appear:
Select the Pixel Size option, and enter 98 into both boxes. Make sure you have the "Maintain Aspect Ratio" feature checked, which is located at the very bottom of the dialogue box. If you resized correctly, it shouldn't be a problem, but better safe than sorry.
Now our icon looks like this:
At this point, I always do a bit of selective filtering on the color of my icon. In this case I wanted to brighten it up some, so I placed a new layer, Layer > Duplicate with the layer option on screen. To access the layer options go to Layer > Properties. The following dialogue box will appear:
I left my opacity at 100%, but it can be reduced to a weaker amount if you would rather. Our icon now looks like this:
Next, flatten your image by going to Layer > Merge > Merge All. At this point, I want to add some background effect. I once again Duplicated the layer, Layer > Duplicate. I then added a Gaussian Blur at a strength of five, to get a strong blurred look. To do so, go to Effects > Blur > Gaussian Blur. The dialogue box will look like this:
I then used the retouch tool to colorize my image. I used the dropper to select a shade of red from Anya's dress, and then used the retouch tool set on "color to target" to colorize the image all over. The retouch dialogue looks like this:
I then reduced the opacity of the layer to 40, Layer > Properties, in order to erase the blurred image from the parts of the icon I wanted to display, like so:
To erase the blur from the characters, I used the eraser brush on the larger parts, and the lasso tool for the contours. I always set the lasso to point-to-point, with a feather of two, and anti alias. The feather amount is subjective, but the anti-alias is very important, or your lines will come out choppy. Below is a picture of the lasso tool dialogue box, as well as a large image of my use of it on the image.
When I was done, I reduce the opacity of my background of 80, and my icon looked like this:
Next, I wanted to add some texture to my background. I made my texture template by hand, but if you want to use it on your icons, feel free to save it. The color to target option of the retouch tool is very handy in making the texture match your image without redoing it each time. Here is the texture I was working with:
I flattened my image, Layer > Merge > Merge All , and copied the texture. I pasted it as a new layer, Edit > Paste > Paste as New Layer. I changed the blend mode to "Overlay" just like I did with the screened layer earlier. I then once again erased and cut out the texture layer from the parts of my image I wanted to display clearly, in this case Andrew and Anya. My icon now looked like this:
I then once again flattened my image, and added a new duplicate layer. I used the retouch tool to colorize this layer the same red I used earlier, making my icon look like this:
I then reduced the opacity to 30 and applied a gaussian blur of 1.0, to help soften and blend my icon.
Now that I'm done with the basic construction of my icon, it's time to add text. Always use a color from the existing icon for your text, so it doesn't clash or look garish. I used the font 04b_03 at size 6 with no anti-alias, like so:
Once I have my text position how I want it on the icon, I convert the text to a raster layer so I can work with it. To do so, go to Layer > Convert to Raster Layer. I then want to outline my text, so I create a new image, and specify that it be black, as that is the color I want my outline. To do so, go to File > New.
Then, go to Edit > Paste > Paste as floating selection to past your text. To get the outline, go to Selection > Modify > Expand and set it at 1 px.
I felt the icon still looked somewhat plain, so I decided to add some background text. I used the font 3 Grammes 5 to retype the word "Glamour", this time with the anti-alias on.
I rotated the text logway using the resizing handles on the font, than Rasterized it (Layer > Convert to Raster Layer). I set the image to overlay, making it slightly visible in my background.
Next, I added the slight shimmer effect with a brush. I don't now where I got the brush, and I would explain how I did it, but I'm sure there are people out there who are much better at brushes than I am.
For my last step, I flattened my image yet again, and went to Image > Add Borders. I checked the Symmetric option, as I wanted a 1px border all around my image. I entered 1 into the boxes, and added my border.
And that's that. I now have my finished icon:
I know this was very basic, and possibly confusing, so if you need any further clarification just comment and ask away.
Basically, I'm attempting a sort of step-by-step to icon making using Paint Shop Pro.
saava has a great tutorial for Photoshop, so if PS is your program of choice, go check hers out. This will be much easier to follow if you have a basic knowledge of PSP and what things do. I have a kind of bare bones guide to the tools I use most often to make my icons here. It would probably be a good idea to keep it open if you're confused to which tools I'm referencing. (Sorry for the quality, I realized right before posting I had forgotten to make it, and had to make do with the horrid optimization on my mother's computer.)
I'm starting with THIS picture from Alanna's Screencap Site.
The first thing you want to do is crop your image. Always use the square selector to do so, as it keeps the image proportionate. The default on the selector is rectangle, in order to change it to square right click on the selector and choose "Tool Options". The box will look like this:
Once you've cropped the image, it's time to clean it up some before you start your icon. I get most of my caps from Alanna's, and they don't need extensive clean up. I most always do two basic things to a cap before using it under any circumstance, so I'll explain how to do that. Here is the new, cropped base image:
Go to Effects > Enhance Photo > Clarify , and set it anywhere from 1-5, depending on what looks best. For this image I used five to help lightened the hazy areas. The Clarify dialogue box looks like this:
Next is Fade Correction, which is accessed the same way as Clarify, Effects > Enhance Photo > Fade Correction. The setting is really subjective, just fiddle with it until you get the image looking sharper and clearer. The Fade Correction Dialogue box looks like this:
Once you've cleaned up the image a bit, you can resize it to icon size. Go to Image > Resize and this dialogue box will appear:
Select the Pixel Size option, and enter 98 into both boxes. Make sure you have the "Maintain Aspect Ratio" feature checked, which is located at the very bottom of the dialogue box. If you resized correctly, it shouldn't be a problem, but better safe than sorry.
Now our icon looks like this:
At this point, I always do a bit of selective filtering on the color of my icon. In this case I wanted to brighten it up some, so I placed a new layer, Layer > Duplicate with the layer option on screen. To access the layer options go to Layer > Properties. The following dialogue box will appear:
I left my opacity at 100%, but it can be reduced to a weaker amount if you would rather. Our icon now looks like this:
Next, flatten your image by going to Layer > Merge > Merge All. At this point, I want to add some background effect. I once again Duplicated the layer, Layer > Duplicate. I then added a Gaussian Blur at a strength of five, to get a strong blurred look. To do so, go to Effects > Blur > Gaussian Blur. The dialogue box will look like this:
I then used the retouch tool to colorize my image. I used the dropper to select a shade of red from Anya's dress, and then used the retouch tool set on "color to target" to colorize the image all over. The retouch dialogue looks like this:
I then reduced the opacity of the layer to 40, Layer > Properties, in order to erase the blurred image from the parts of the icon I wanted to display, like so:
To erase the blur from the characters, I used the eraser brush on the larger parts, and the lasso tool for the contours. I always set the lasso to point-to-point, with a feather of two, and anti alias. The feather amount is subjective, but the anti-alias is very important, or your lines will come out choppy. Below is a picture of the lasso tool dialogue box, as well as a large image of my use of it on the image.
When I was done, I reduce the opacity of my background of 80, and my icon looked like this:
Next, I wanted to add some texture to my background. I made my texture template by hand, but if you want to use it on your icons, feel free to save it. The color to target option of the retouch tool is very handy in making the texture match your image without redoing it each time. Here is the texture I was working with:
I flattened my image, Layer > Merge > Merge All , and copied the texture. I pasted it as a new layer, Edit > Paste > Paste as New Layer. I changed the blend mode to "Overlay" just like I did with the screened layer earlier. I then once again erased and cut out the texture layer from the parts of my image I wanted to display clearly, in this case Andrew and Anya. My icon now looked like this:
I then once again flattened my image, and added a new duplicate layer. I used the retouch tool to colorize this layer the same red I used earlier, making my icon look like this:
I then reduced the opacity to 30 and applied a gaussian blur of 1.0, to help soften and blend my icon.
Now that I'm done with the basic construction of my icon, it's time to add text. Always use a color from the existing icon for your text, so it doesn't clash or look garish. I used the font 04b_03 at size 6 with no anti-alias, like so:
Once I have my text position how I want it on the icon, I convert the text to a raster layer so I can work with it. To do so, go to Layer > Convert to Raster Layer. I then want to outline my text, so I create a new image, and specify that it be black, as that is the color I want my outline. To do so, go to File > New.
Then, go to Edit > Paste > Paste as floating selection to past your text. To get the outline, go to Selection > Modify > Expand and set it at 1 px.
I felt the icon still looked somewhat plain, so I decided to add some background text. I used the font 3 Grammes 5 to retype the word "Glamour", this time with the anti-alias on.
I rotated the text logway using the resizing handles on the font, than Rasterized it (Layer > Convert to Raster Layer). I set the image to overlay, making it slightly visible in my background.
Next, I added the slight shimmer effect with a brush. I don't now where I got the brush, and I would explain how I did it, but I'm sure there are people out there who are much better at brushes than I am.
For my last step, I flattened my image yet again, and went to Image > Add Borders. I checked the Symmetric option, as I wanted a 1px border all around my image. I entered 1 into the boxes, and added my border.
And that's that. I now have my finished icon:
I know this was very basic, and possibly confusing, so if you need any further clarification just comment and ask away.