Enhancing Bad-Quality Caps using PSP7

As requested, here is a tutorial for the icon below using PSP7. It requires a basic knowledge of PSP7 (i.e. create a new layer, changing blend modes, et cetera). As always, don't create a clone icon; this tutorial is just meant to help you find ways to enhance bad-quality screencaps.








I started out with this cap of Stacey Farber as Ellie from a recent episode of Degrassi: The Next Generation. Originally, I was trying to help bananalova669 with her problem, but I ended up making an entire icon (*g*).


[Note: When you're using a bad quality original photo, I usually go for a far-out icon (as opposed to a close-up icon). Generally, it makes the imperfections less noticeable.]


Sorry that there's only 1 picture for the first 11 steps; I just took it directly from the comment on the original post.


1/ I smoothed out Ellie's face, hair, and the background with the Retouch tool on Soften, then used the Smudge tool to smudge her hair where the CTV thing was showing.
2/ Crop and resize to 100x100.



3/ Sharpen
4/ Then I smoothed out the other little grains with the soften tool again.(Mostly near her eyes; be careful with this one.)
5/ Duplicate the background
6/ Go to Effects->Enhance Photo-> Fade Correction, set to 15.
7/ Soften up below her eyes and her hair a bit more.
8/ Now she looks purple, so go to Effects -> Enhance Photo -> Auto Color Balance; Strength 100, the Remove Color Cast box checked (temperature at the standard 6500)
9/ Now go to Effects -> Enhance Photo -> Automatic Contrast Enhancement; Bias Darker, Strength Mild, Appearance Bold
10/ Now since Ellie's all blue and nasty, I used the Auto Color Balance again, strength 100, remove color cast box checked, but at temperature 5400, this makes her more orange-ish and therefore less Smurfish.
11/ Then I duplicated that layer, and did another Auto Color Balance, same as before except for temperature 4000; then I set the layer to Normal at 75%.


That all gives you this.



Next I copy merged (Edit -> Copy Merged) and pasted that as a new layer. I put a Gaussian Blur (Effects -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur) with a radius of 2.00 on the layer, and set the layer to soft light, giving me this:



I then created a new layer, filled it with #0B1B30 and set it to Exclusion. I then placed it below the blurred Copy Merged layer, giving me this:



Next, I created a new layer and filled it with the gradient below by crumblingwalls, set on Soft Light at 45%.
->


I created another new layer, filled it with another gradient by crumblingwalls, and again set it on Soft Light at 45%.
->


For the next layer, I actually have no clue what I exactly did. It looks like I used the airbrush to brush on #F3DBBE in random places and then put a big gaussian blur on it, probably multiple times with a radius of atleast 10.00. The layer itself looks like below (the white is not on the actual layer). I ended up setting it on Overlay at 51%..it really lightens up the icon a bit.
->


This one I actually know what I did. I created a new layer, filled it with the below gradient by crumblingwalls, and set it on Burn at 18%.
->


Now it's time for textures and/or brushes. I created a new layer and used the brush below in #2A3900 and left it on Normal at 81% opacity. I erased the parts that covered Ellie's face. If you know who made this brush, please tell me so I can credit him/her.
->


Then I made yet another new layer and used the text brush below, by me, in #FFE6C9. I love it, I use it all the time. Anyways, on top of that, I used the border brush below (again, I can't remember who made it, your assistance is appreciated!) in the same color, yes, on the same layer. I used the Freehand Selection tool (feather 20) to select part of Ellie's face, and then deleted the selection once or twice. I then set the layer to Screen at 22% opacity.
& ->


Next I added the same border brush as above in #2A3900 and left it at Normal 100%.



Now for text. I chose the line "don't waste your time on me" from "I Miss You" by Blink 182. Unfortunately, "on me" didn't fit the way I wanted it to, so "don't waste your time" was good enough. I created a new layer and used Georgia, size 4, color #B5B882, and kerning set to 200, and then duplicated the layer. Both layers stayed at Normal 100%.



I thought the text might have been a little bit hard to read, so I created a new layer and just used the airbrush tool in #283700 to put some color behind it. Then I gave it a Gaussian Blur, probably set to about 10 or 20. Experiment a little. "Just keep clicking stuff and see what you like best," to semi-quote what someone else has said before. Then I set the layer on Multiply, 100%, and dragged it below the text layers.
->


At this time I thought that the icon still needed a little something, so I pulled out one of my favorite decoration brushes. It's some letter in one of those Wingdings fonts. I was just bored one day and started typing out everything in Wingdings or whatever and made this one into a brush. I used #E5E9A7 and put the layer on Screen at 24%, above the blurred stuff layer but below the text.
->


And voila, the icon is finished!



If you have any questions, comments, etc, or if you need me to clear anything up for you, just leave a comment and I'll help you if I can.


Merry Christmas, by the way! [And/or Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or anything else anyone celebrates.]