Graphics & Photography Tutorials Thread

[Live in Color]

Welcome to the first Graphics & Photography Tutorials thread. Here you can post tutorials on those hard to make banners for your forum signature, cool animations that you just have to show everyone, or that cool effect you made with the picture of your little French poodle.

Rules:

-You must follow the PokeCommunity Graphics & Photography rules, as well as the general rules.

-Posted tutorials can be text, text with pictures showing examples, or a link to a site that contains the tutorial.

-Your posts must contain either a tutorial, and example that was made using one of the above tutorials, or comments/criticism towards a tutorial.

-Do not post tutorials that you have not made, or do not belong to you.

Please follow these rules.

Thread approved by Sorano and Xenocrates. (Thanks!)

There is a form required for posting tutorials:

Program Used:
Required:
Skill Level:

To start things off I'll show my tutorial as an example.

Program Used: Adobe Photoshop

Required: Adobe Photoshop, a set of grunge brushes found online, I specifically use deviantArt, and an image that you would like to put in your banner. The image would be better being rendered.

Skill Level: Easy

I usually start off with a simple background such as Filter > Render > Clouds, then Filter > Render > Difference Clouds. Now, Image > Adjustments > Inverse. Then click Image > Adjustments > Levels, and dragging the middle arrow to the far right. OR just duplicating the render a lot, then adding a Filter > Blur > Motion Blur at 45º, then again at -45º, then a 2 pixel Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.

That's the base for your background.

I create a new layer then do some brushing with grunge brushes that can be downloaded from deviantArt. I do the brushes, on the new layer, black or white depending on how I want the banner to look. I set the brush opacity at about 60% and click 2-3 times per brush. Set the brush layer to a nice Overlay or whatever makes it look good over top of the base background.

That's basically your full background.

Over that I put the render in and position it properly. Then go to Edit > Transform > Scale and then grab a box in the top left, top right, bottom left, or bottom right and hold shift, then drag it to get the right size. When you have it click the Rectangular Marquee tool, then Apply. Then duplicate it and set the effect to Hard Light, gives a good effect.

To get an overall matching color, make sure your at the up most layer and go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance. Then just play around with the Midtones, Highlights and Shadows to get a nice color, don't go overboard though.

For the text you can add a Drop Shadow and/or Outer Glow to make it stand out, but change the colors of the Outer Glow if you are to use it, make it match.

Now use the Rectangular Marquee tool and select the banner and go to Edit > Stroke. Change the color to black and set it to 1 or 2 pixels, inside. Voila!

And example that I have used this tutorial on is this:

The render of Ed has a little effect to it. I took the Lasso Tool, and selected close to the edges, inside the render and set the feather to 15 pixels. Hit Ctrl+Shift+I and it will select everything outside of what you selected, then press Delete. Gives a nice effect!

Let's get these tutorials going! Questions? Ask away!

 

[BreD]

This is a sig / tutorial me and a friend did together.

Program Used: Adobe Photoshop CS2
Required: A good knowlage of photoshop, Time (as the tut is quite long), A stock / render, Fonts... Well i could go on for ever... so i guess it's kinda up to you looking at the tutorial.
Skill Level: Advanced.
https://img2.imagebanana.com/img/76ivmq4n/finalzorotut2.jpg
Another out come for the tutorial is:

 

[Live in Color]

program used: adobe photoshop cs2 (but cs3 is usable)
required: a c4d, a render (duh), color harmones 1 (gradient), soft brush
skill level: probably middle - advanced

this is my outcome:

forgot one part because i didnt have a soft brush.

I don't see a tutorial. You're just saying what is needed and posted an example. You gotta explain step by step how you did it.

The banner does look nice though, and it'd be cool if I knew how to do it.

 

[evilcheese]

oops sorry ok i edited. sorry i didnt realize that.

 

[Loki]

Woah, sorry about this guys, but me and Sorano didn't specify;

Don't post tutorials that don't belong to you/weren't made by you.

evilcheese; Is that your tutorial? If it isn't yours, please delete your post.

Relyt; Could you edit this into the rules please? Thanks in advance~

 

[evilcheese]

ok i deleted i didnt know that we were only aloud to post are own tutorial.

 

[Live in Color]

Woah, sorry about this guys, but me and Sorano didn't specify;

Don't post tutorials that don't belong to you/weren't made by you.

evilcheese; Is that your tutorial? If it isn't yours, please delete your post.

Relyt; Could you edit this into the rules please? Thanks in advance~

Ah sorry, I wasn't told that. :( I edited the first post though. Thanks for letting me know! :)

 

[Pikabloo]

Aaaah, let me post my little Hitsugaya spatter tutorial, then ^^

Program Used: Adobe Photoshop CS (it'll probably work with other versions)

Required: Spatter brushes, a render, pen-tooling knowledge (optional)

Skill Level: Between easy and medium.

Click here for the tutorial :3

And this is the outcome:

Have fun, and stuffs o_o

 

[Loki]

Xenocrates highly recommends Shira-chan's tutorial, because it really really helps. :D



In the meantime, I guess I'll post my rendering tutorial. Rendering itself isn't hard, but... well... you'll see. (I suck at explaining things and I have no patience to prnt screen my every movement.)

Alternate Rendering Method (That does not include the devil's work AKA the pen tool.)

Program Used: PS 7.0+ (I'm unaware if this works with lesser programs. I'm pretty sure you can use it with Elements though.)
Required: Polygonal Lasso for all you like me who can't figure out the pen tool to save our lives, and a stock (image).
Skill Level: Hard, only because I'm not good at explaining. If you're insightful, then this should be easy as pie.

Rendering Tutorial

 

[Live in Color]

Made this from Shira-chan's tutorial. :P With my own little text effect.

 

[Pikabloo]

Ooh, nice banner ^^ I like the background colour.

Anywhoo, I have two more tutorials I am willing to share:

Program Used: Adobe Photoshop CS (not sure if it works with older versions)
Required: Smudge settings/brushes, at least a small knowledge on smudging, a stock image/render
Skill Level: Medium-hard to very difficult, mainly cause I suck at explaining things >.>
Outcome:

Roxas Tutorial

---

Program Used: Adobe Photoshop CS (basically, any program with a pen tool)
Required: Nothing, I guess
Skill Level: Very easy to easy, again, due to my horrible explanations

Pen tool tutorial

 

[evilcheese]

i used the tutorial too and i got this:

 

[Uryū Ishida]

I was wandering is it possible to do that tutorial in paint shop pro 7? i know you might not have never used it.... i really need to get photoshop
EDIT:sorry it didnt quote..this question is for your first and i think only tutorial relyt

 

[Loki]

Shiranui; What kind of smudge brush should we use for the first few steps, and on what settings? xD;

 

[Pikabloo]

There's some smudge settings in Planet Renders. The smudge settings I used aren't mine, unfortunately D: And I forgot the link to the one I used... So, er, have fun searching? xD

-shot'd-

Oh, and I used a hard pastel brush (default with Photoshop CS), on 70% scatter with 2 count. And with the rest of the settings... Play around, I guess o_o

 

[Loki]

... xDD Alright that works. Thanks, I'll see if I can get an outcome tomorrow.

I'm pooped after this tutorial, especially since I hate showing people how I do my banners. I'm selfish, what can I say? |D But I thought this would be really useful.


Gradient Map and Selective Color Tutorial

Program Used: Adobe Photoshop CS2, but I know for a fact it works with PS 7.0+.
Required: Stock and a good taste in colors. :3
Skill Level: Super Easy. (I tried explaining really well, but if you think it's not super easy, tell me and I'll change the level. xD)

Note; For the first step, I said it works best with warm colors; That's only if you use the color settings I did.
- I also ended up not showing all the color settings I used, so I'm sorry about that. xD;

Lol look at the pretty signature at the bottom~ <3


I guess it's more of a 'demonstration' than a tutorial... xD;

Beginning;

Outcome;

 

[Live in Color]

Made this from Shira-chan's tutorial. :P With my own little text effect.

Okay Shiranui, I edited it a bit. Took your advice on the lighting. That tutorial was awesome!

EDIT: It's my current signature, not in that quote.

 

[BreD]

Thank you so much Shiranui!!!
I've been looking for a pen tool tutorial that's nice and simple like this for ages... and now i get it! xD
I made a wierd sig using pentool around the arm... it was just a test tbh.

 

[Hazuki]

My tutorial is an avatar...

Program Used: Photoshop CS2
Required: Um.... just an image and your Photoshop skills! ^^
Skill Level: Easy, maybe a bit too easy. D:

Link

Avatars made from this tutorial:

 

[evilcheese]

Program Used:adobe photoshop cs2 (but any version is ok)
Required:a 1px hard brush pencil tool
Skill Level:very easy


change this:

into this:

(yes i know rayquaza is spelt wrong)

How to use Scanlines​

Ok since I don't know how to create Photoshop tuts ill just type one up

This tutorial will show you how to make scanlines without pics sorry.

Ok start off with a 3x3 or 6x6 pixel transparent document depending on the size you want it.

Zoom in 1600 so that you can actually see and grab your 1px pencil tool (right click the brush tool) and make a diagonal line across.

Now go to edit >define pattern.

That's pretty much it just go to select > all on a new layer of your document that you want to apply your scanlines on.

Then go to edit >fill and the scanlines should be there.

(TIP: for blending I put my scanlines on soft light.)