full icon tutorial in PS7
my first tutorial ever. yup.
I'm using PhotoShop 7. I trust most of this will translate well enough to other versions of PS and to PSP.
I'm going to try and recreate this icon -
of Jeff Buckley.
It's sad how my memory's for shit. I only did this icon a few hours ago, and already I'm not completely sure what went on there. I tend to merge layers a lot (I'm reckless like that) so it's harder to trace back. oh well.
- use the 'Crop' tool with the 'Shift' pressed down to crop the original picture from this to this.
- Image >> Image Size... to resize the cropped pic to the 100x100 format.
a little tip I got from my friend
shape5 - for best results, never resize all at once. if your pic is 300x300 and you want it to fit icon standards, resize in jumps of 50 px, every time using a different form of resizing (Bicubic / Bilinear / Nearest Neighbor).
- duplicate the background layer (right-click on the layer and choose Duplicate Layer...).
- sharpen the duplicate ('copy') layer once. (Filter >> Sharpen >> Sharpen).
- this is what we have so far -
- merge layers (Layer >> Flatten Image).
- duplicate pic and set the copy to Color Dodge 88%.
- Image >> Adjustments >> Invert (or ctrl I) the copy layer.
- blur the same layer with Filter >> Blur >> Gaussian Blur set to 20.
- press ctrl f twice. this repeats the last filter you applied. (you can decide on the number of repeats according to taste).
- this is what we have now -
- place this gradient in a new layer, and set to Overlay 100%.
- here's what we get -
- flatten image and duplicate twice:
the first duplicate (middle layer) set to Screen 100%.
the second duplicate set to Multiply 100%.
- here's the result -
- flatten image and Blur >> Blur once.
- duplicate once and set the copy to Screen.
- go to Filter >> Render >> Lighting Effects, choose Spotlight and drag the focal point so it looks like this -
- add another layer with the same gradient as before, and set it to Soft Light 100%.
- here's the pic so far -
- flatten image and use the Rectangular Marquee tool to select the bottom third of the image.
- double click on the background layer in the layer palette, and then click ok, to turn it into a regular layer.
- copy the selection and paste on a new layer. set to Multiply 70%.
- duplicate the top layer once.
- Filter >> Blur >> Gaussian Blur both layers with a 2 px radius.
- you'll get -
- on a new layer, add brushes for texture and depth. for example keys brushes made by the Goddess Evenstar, in #1F206C. to get this -
- border time. use the Rectangle Tool on a new layer, to create a rectangle shape that covers almost the entire pic, but for the border-width you want.
- press ctrl a to select the shape.
- Select >> Inverse the selection, and now only the border-to-be is selected.
- create a new layer. set the color #1F206C to be in the background. like this -
- press ctrl backspace to fill the selection with the background color.
- delete the rectangle shape layer. yup. delete. no need for it anymore.
- Edit >> Transform >> Rotate the border layer so it's a little tilted. Edit >> Transform >> Scale to better fit the border to the pic.
- Filter >> Blur >> Blur the border layer twice.
- flatten image.
- ctrl a and Edit >> Stroke... to outline the entire icon on a new layer. do this twice, the bottom layer in #1F206C, 2 px Inside, and the top one in #8391F1, 1 px Inside.
- Filter >> Blur >> Gaussian Blur both layers with a 2 px radius. repeat once or twice, according to taste.
- set both stroke-border layers to Multiply 100%, to get -
- now comes the text. I'm a little bit insane, so I went to this image I have of an actual letter Jeff wrote, inverted it and cut out the letters I needed to create the font for 'Fall in Light', one of his songs. you can use a regular font.
- choose a color from his face, like #FFD6FF.
- duplicate the text twice and merge all three layers (click on the 'eyes' on the rest of the layers to deselect them, and then Layer >>Merge Visible).
- hold down ctrl and click the text layer Icon on the layer palette, to select the text.
- Select >> Modify >> Expand, and expand by 1 px.
- on a new layer ctrl backspace with black in the background (as before).
- drag and place the (pink) text layer on top of the black filled text layer.
and there you have it! this icon -
I hope this tutorial was even a little helpful. you don't have to like the icon (and definitely don't steal it, 'cause I made it exclusively forsamenashi..), but I thought some of the tricks might be useful to those who didn't know them.
I'd love to know if this helped you, and more than anything - I'd love to see what you did with it!! :O)
ETA: I added a short step I forgot. it's underlined for convenience. sorry... ::facepalm::
I'm using PhotoShop 7. I trust most of this will translate well enough to other versions of PS and to PSP.
I'm going to try and recreate this icon -
of Jeff Buckley. It's sad how my memory's for shit. I only did this icon a few hours ago, and already I'm not completely sure what went on there. I tend to merge layers a lot (I'm reckless like that) so it's harder to trace back. oh well.
- use the 'Crop' tool with the 'Shift' pressed down to crop the original picture from this to this.
- Image >> Image Size... to resize the cropped pic to the 100x100 format.
a little tip I got from my friend
shape5 - for best results, never resize all at once. if your pic is 300x300 and you want it to fit icon standards, resize in jumps of 50 px, every time using a different form of resizing (Bicubic / Bilinear / Nearest Neighbor).- duplicate the background layer (right-click on the layer and choose Duplicate Layer...).
- sharpen the duplicate ('copy') layer once. (Filter >> Sharpen >> Sharpen).
- this is what we have so far -
- merge layers (Layer >> Flatten Image).
- duplicate pic and set the copy to Color Dodge 88%.
- Image >> Adjustments >> Invert (or ctrl I) the copy layer.
- blur the same layer with Filter >> Blur >> Gaussian Blur set to 20.
- press ctrl f twice. this repeats the last filter you applied. (you can decide on the number of repeats according to taste).
- this is what we have now -
- place this gradient in a new layer, and set to Overlay 100%.
- here's what we get -
- flatten image and duplicate twice:
the first duplicate (middle layer) set to Screen 100%.
the second duplicate set to Multiply 100%.
- here's the result -
- flatten image and Blur >> Blur once.
- duplicate once and set the copy to Screen.
- go to Filter >> Render >> Lighting Effects, choose Spotlight and drag the focal point so it looks like this -
- add another layer with the same gradient as before, and set it to Soft Light 100%.
- here's the pic so far -
- flatten image and use the Rectangular Marquee tool to select the bottom third of the image.
- double click on the background layer in the layer palette, and then click ok, to turn it into a regular layer.
- copy the selection and paste on a new layer. set to Multiply 70%.
- duplicate the top layer once.
- Filter >> Blur >> Gaussian Blur both layers with a 2 px radius.
- you'll get -
- on a new layer, add brushes for texture and depth. for example keys brushes made by the Goddess Evenstar, in #1F206C. to get this -
- border time. use the Rectangle Tool on a new layer, to create a rectangle shape that covers almost the entire pic, but for the border-width you want.
- press ctrl a to select the shape.
- Select >> Inverse the selection, and now only the border-to-be is selected.
- create a new layer. set the color #1F206C to be in the background. like this -
- press ctrl backspace to fill the selection with the background color.
- delete the rectangle shape layer. yup. delete. no need for it anymore.
- Edit >> Transform >> Rotate the border layer so it's a little tilted. Edit >> Transform >> Scale to better fit the border to the pic.
- Filter >> Blur >> Blur the border layer twice.
- flatten image.
- ctrl a and Edit >> Stroke... to outline the entire icon on a new layer. do this twice, the bottom layer in #1F206C, 2 px Inside, and the top one in #8391F1, 1 px Inside.
- Filter >> Blur >> Gaussian Blur both layers with a 2 px radius. repeat once or twice, according to taste.
- set both stroke-border layers to Multiply 100%, to get -
- now comes the text. I'm a little bit insane, so I went to this image I have of an actual letter Jeff wrote, inverted it and cut out the letters I needed to create the font for 'Fall in Light', one of his songs. you can use a regular font.
- choose a color from his face, like #FFD6FF.
- duplicate the text twice and merge all three layers (click on the 'eyes' on the rest of the layers to deselect them, and then Layer >>Merge Visible).
- hold down ctrl and click the text layer Icon on the layer palette, to select the text.
- Select >> Modify >> Expand, and expand by 1 px.
- on a new layer ctrl backspace with black in the background (as before).
- drag and place the (pink) text layer on top of the black filled text layer.
and there you have it! this icon -
I hope this tutorial was even a little helpful. you don't have to like the icon (and definitely don't steal it, 'cause I made it exclusively for
samenashi..), but I thought some of the tricks might be useful to those who didn't know them.I'd love to know if this helped you, and more than anything - I'd love to see what you did with it!! :O)
ETA: I added a short step I forgot. it's underlined for convenience. sorry... ::facepalm::