Prepping and Coloring an image in PS:CS2
I made this tutorial using Photoshop CS2, but it will work fine in PS Elements and will probably transfer just fine to other graphics programs.
You will be using the blur tool, polygonal lasso tool and feather as will as fill layers and several blend modes. There is no Selective Color in this tutorial.
We will be going from this
to this 
(See the end of tutorial for actual size of finished image)
In this tutorial I am going to show you how to prepare and sharpen an image and how to color it without using Selective Color. You will end up with a sort of old colorized photograph "look" that you can then add other textures to like scratches or creases and you can put a white border around it to make it look like a picture from a scrapbook.
Keep in mind that there are many ways to prep an image and I am just showing you one way. Please feel free to use this method in conjunction with whatever method you normally use. Also, any settings or colors I have mentioned in this tutorial can be adjusted for the image you use to get the best affect.
I'm going to use this picture of Alexander Skarsgard, soon to be known hither and yon as Eric Northman the Viking Vampire. There is not much wrong with the photo. It's a little dark and a little soft. Also somewhat pixelated in the dark areas. But it's a nice picture, he looks very natural here.
The first thing I'm going to do is duplicate the image. We will leave the original base layer alone and work on the duplicated layer.
Zoom in to 200%. Click on your "blur tool". Use a soft round 13 pixel brush set at about 18% strength. Click - example 1 - see parts in pink
The idea here is to smooth out the pixels, not make his skin look like a flat featureless plain. So just go over his skin with the brush. Avoid his eyes and hair and any defining lines around his mouth and nose.
See the right side (your left side) of his face that is a little shadowed? Click here - example 1 - parts in white You'll want to smooth out all those dots and smooth out that wierd pixely spot near his eye. Don't forget his neck.
Feel free to switch to a smaller brush size(9 pixels perhaps) to get into the little spots, like around his eyes and near his mouth and nose.
Take your time.
When you're done smoothing go back to normal viewing at 100%. It's amazing what just smoothing out the skin can do.
See the difference? Here's the two zoomed-in side by side - click
Duplicate your smoothed layer. Make sure this new layer is selected. Click on Filter>sharpen>unsharp mask.
Make sure the 'preview' box is checked.
These settings all depend on your graphic. The ranges I've described below are guidelines. You might need to adjust them for the image you are using. The numbers I ended up with are in paranthesis.
Amount - between 76 and 96, sometimes higher depending on your image (83)
Radius - between 1.5 and 2.5 pixels (2.5)
Threshold - around 31 to 33 levels (33)
Look for white or bright edges. If you see those you've sharpened too much.
If you don't want to mess with the unsharp mask you can just select Filter>sharpen>sharpen. Sometimes this will pixelate the eyes and other areas too much though.
Once you've sharpened to your satisfaction, set this layer to screen at 50%.
Duplicate your smoothed layer again and leave it between your screened/sharpened layer and the smoothed layer. Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and set it to about 1.2. Set this layer to screen at 50%.
Make a new layer and fill it with pink (ffcccc), set it to "linear burn" at about 18%.
Make another new layer. Fill it with a nice peachy-tan color. I used (e4cea5). Set it to "multiply" at about 45%.
Make one more new layer. Fill it with a nice light cream color (fff3dd). Set it to "color burn" at about 62%.
Experiment with other fill colors, gradients and blending modes. It all depends on your graphic.
The blue background part
I thought the background was too washed out so I made a new layer and filled it with a bright blue (6fb1f3) and set it to "color burn". I used the Polygonal lasso tool and made a selection around all of Alexander. Then click on Select>feather and type 10 into the box that pops up. Now hit the 'delete' key on your keyboard.
I duplicated the layer and then I used a mask to erase the extra areas that were covering Alexander that were too blue. Or you can use your eraser tool for this as well. I set the opacity to 52%.
I put these two layers just beneath the pink linear burn layer for a softer look.
The last layer
In order press Alt + ctrl + shift + e. You'lll get a new layer that combines all your previous layers. Go to Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation. Click on Hue/Saturation. In the box that appears slide the saturation all the way to the left at -100. Click OK. Set this layer to "soft light" at about 39%.
Make sure the top layer is still selected. Go to Filter>Sharpen and click on Sharpen. (If you feel your image is sharpened enough you can leave this part out)
That's it. Now you can add your textures, frames, text, etc. to use on a small header or Friends Only banner. Or you can crop it and make an icon.
The Layers
As you can see there is an extra mystery layer in there. I added a little blue color to his eyes. :)
Please let me know if you see any mistakes or if something is not clear and easily followed. If you have any questions please ask.
I screwed up and posted this with a link back to my journal yesterday and I would like to apologize. I haven't read the rules in a while and forgot about that one. Yes, I have now reviewed the rules. :)
Thanks. :)
phlourish_icons
You will be using the blur tool, polygonal lasso tool and feather as will as fill layers and several blend modes. There is no Selective Color in this tutorial.
We will be going from this
to this (See the end of tutorial for actual size of finished image)
In this tutorial I am going to show you how to prepare and sharpen an image and how to color it without using Selective Color. You will end up with a sort of old colorized photograph "look" that you can then add other textures to like scratches or creases and you can put a white border around it to make it look like a picture from a scrapbook.
Keep in mind that there are many ways to prep an image and I am just showing you one way. Please feel free to use this method in conjunction with whatever method you normally use. Also, any settings or colors I have mentioned in this tutorial can be adjusted for the image you use to get the best affect.
I'm going to use this picture of Alexander Skarsgard, soon to be known hither and yon as Eric Northman the Viking Vampire. There is not much wrong with the photo. It's a little dark and a little soft. Also somewhat pixelated in the dark areas. But it's a nice picture, he looks very natural here.
- Prepping the image
The first thing I'm going to do is duplicate the image. We will leave the original base layer alone and work on the duplicated layer.
Zoom in to 200%. Click on your "blur tool". Use a soft round 13 pixel brush set at about 18% strength. Click - example 1 - see parts in pink
The idea here is to smooth out the pixels, not make his skin look like a flat featureless plain. So just go over his skin with the brush. Avoid his eyes and hair and any defining lines around his mouth and nose.
See the right side (your left side) of his face that is a little shadowed? Click here - example 1 - parts in white You'll want to smooth out all those dots and smooth out that wierd pixely spot near his eye. Don't forget his neck.
Feel free to switch to a smaller brush size(9 pixels perhaps) to get into the little spots, like around his eyes and near his mouth and nose.
Take your time.
When you're done smoothing go back to normal viewing at 100%. It's amazing what just smoothing out the skin can do.
See the difference? Here's the two zoomed-in side by side - click
- Sharpening, screening and gaussian blur
Duplicate your smoothed layer. Make sure this new layer is selected. Click on Filter>sharpen>unsharp mask.
Make sure the 'preview' box is checked.
These settings all depend on your graphic. The ranges I've described below are guidelines. You might need to adjust them for the image you are using. The numbers I ended up with are in paranthesis.
Amount - between 76 and 96, sometimes higher depending on your image (83)
Radius - between 1.5 and 2.5 pixels (2.5)
Threshold - around 31 to 33 levels (33)
Look for white or bright edges. If you see those you've sharpened too much.
If you don't want to mess with the unsharp mask you can just select Filter>sharpen>sharpen. Sometimes this will pixelate the eyes and other areas too much though.
Once you've sharpened to your satisfaction, set this layer to screen at 50%.
Duplicate your smoothed layer again and leave it between your screened/sharpened layer and the smoothed layer. Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and set it to about 1.2. Set this layer to screen at 50%.
- Adding colors without using Selective Color
Make a new layer and fill it with pink (ffcccc), set it to "linear burn" at about 18%.
Make another new layer. Fill it with a nice peachy-tan color. I used (e4cea5). Set it to "multiply" at about 45%.
Make one more new layer. Fill it with a nice light cream color (fff3dd). Set it to "color burn" at about 62%.
Experiment with other fill colors, gradients and blending modes. It all depends on your graphic.
The blue background part
I thought the background was too washed out so I made a new layer and filled it with a bright blue (6fb1f3) and set it to "color burn". I used the Polygonal lasso tool and made a selection around all of Alexander. Then click on Select>feather and type 10 into the box that pops up. Now hit the 'delete' key on your keyboard.
I duplicated the layer and then I used a mask to erase the extra areas that were covering Alexander that were too blue. Or you can use your eraser tool for this as well. I set the opacity to 52%.
I put these two layers just beneath the pink linear burn layer for a softer look.
The last layer
In order press Alt + ctrl + shift + e. You'lll get a new layer that combines all your previous layers. Go to Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation. Click on Hue/Saturation. In the box that appears slide the saturation all the way to the left at -100. Click OK. Set this layer to "soft light" at about 39%.
Make sure the top layer is still selected. Go to Filter>Sharpen and click on Sharpen. (If you feel your image is sharpened enough you can leave this part out)
That's it. Now you can add your textures, frames, text, etc. to use on a small header or Friends Only banner. Or you can crop it and make an icon.
The Layers
As you can see there is an extra mystery layer in there. I added a little blue color to his eyes. :)
Please let me know if you see any mistakes or if something is not clear and easily followed. If you have any questions please ask.
I screwed up and posted this with a link back to my journal yesterday and I would like to apologize. I haven't read the rules in a while and forgot about that one. Yes, I have now reviewed the rules. :)
Thanks. :)
phlourish_icons