2010 - tutorial #01 - ladies of glee
From this to 
Program: Photoshop CS5 - but I’m avoiding using the features only available within the program to make this as translatable as possible.
Level: Basic/Beginners.
Note: This was written for teachelite, to prove I know a little about what I make. Having written it, I'm not sure I do. Hopefully others will find it helpful though.
Preface: This is wordy. I didn't have any idea how much it took to write up a detailed summary all the while making it seem as simplistic as possible. So please forgive me if you don't find all of this necessary. It's been a long time since I was truly a beginner, and I hope that this is both helpful and useful in teaching techniques. I think the most important thing I'm emphasizing throughout this tutorial isn't how to color an image used in exactly the same way I did - and come out with an almost identical icon (in fact, I think if you tried to use this coloring technique on another image, it probably wouldn't work =/) but rather that the tools used can be explored in a myriad of ways, and this tutorial is hopefully encouraging you to do that.
There are a couple of places in Photoshop that you'll need to be familiar with for this tutorial. This is going to sound condescending, but a beginners tutorial implies little to no experience, so I'm going to lay it out for you.
This is how my photoshop looks when it is open. Yours may or may not look similar, but when it's open, I can see all that's necessary for this tutorial.
This is basically your drop down menu control panel. Whenever I say File, Edit, Image, Layer, Select, Filter or Window, you should be able to find these drop down menus up here.
This is your tool box. It has the marquee tool (But it shall forever be known as the selection/crop tool, because that's what I use it for), the pointy arrow that allows you to move things, your paint fill option, your eraser and most importantly, it has the power of color in the boxes at the very bottom. Those will be important in this tutorial.
Finally, this part shows the layers of your icon. It's hand to be able to see what you've done. The bottom row of icons are also very handy, and again, that will come in later.
Further Information:
File > New (Ctrl + N) - This will allow you to create a new canvas (new document) in photoshop.
Image > Image Size (Alt + Ctrl + I) - This will allow you to resize whatever image you’re working with.
Window > Layers (F7) - This is where you’ll be able to see a progression of your icon. You’ll also be able to control the blend mode of each layer, and the opacity (which is just the strength) of each layer.
Now that we've covered where everything will be situated, let's begin shall we?
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Step 01: Re-sizing the image.
This step (as will all) will alter completely depending on the image you’ve chosen to work with. Ideally, HQ (high quality) images and screencaps are the best to work with, however working with lower quality images isn’t unnecessarily hard, they just give you less room to crop at a larger size and work with your icons as a size larger than 200x 200 pixels.
This is what a HQ image looks like, and this is what a lower quality image looks like. You will notice the general differences (size, height & width) along with the differences in quality. And you can see that the lower quality image would be harder to work with in terms of cropping as opposed to the larger image.
With this image, we’ll be resizing the image to fit a 350x350 canvas (new document in photoshop). I’m aiming to have some blank canvas on either side of the image, which means you do not want the image to be 350 pixels in width.
To resize the image: Image > Image Size > (Ctrl + Alt + I) - We need to change the width here from 815, to 325 on this canvas
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Step 02: Creating a new canvas.
I always begin my work in a new canvas, varying between 200x200 and 300x300 in size. Although we are resizing the image to fit a 350x350 canvas, the image will be resized again.
Make sure when you create a new canvas, ensure that:
1. Color Mode is set in RGB Color.
2. Background Mode is transparent.
This is how I’ve always worked with new images. RGB Color is important as it holds the colour in the image, and Background Mode as transparent means your image is your background, and you are therefore able to work with it as your base layer.
To get to a new canvas: File > New > Width: 350 pixels, Height: 350 pixels, Background: Transparent (Ctrl + N).
Create the new canvas (feel free to rename the image as opposed to leaving it as untitled 1) and paste the original resized image into the new canvas. To copy your image:
Select > All (Ctrl A) >> Edit > Copy (Ctrl C) >> Select the new canvas >> Edit > Paste (Ctrl V)
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Step 03: Base Preparation.
Preparing the base sets the tone of the entire icon. If your image is a little grainy or dark, you can use this step to eradicate some of these initial issues and ensure your image is nicer to work with.
The first step here is to realign the image we’ve just pasted into the new canvas. Make sure you’re using the arrow tool to move your image, as it allows you to move your image around the base without altering it in any other way.
I want to focus on the three girls in the front, so I move the image upwards until they are at the center. (This is what my canvas looks like now).
Now that the image is where I want it, I’m going to work at making the base more usable. Generally, the higher quality the images, the less the base (my bottom layer) will need to be edited, but generally I use the same technique with every image I use.
I generally leave the bottom layer as is (in case something goes horribly wrong and need to start again), and instead duplicate the base layer.
To do this:
Layer > Duplicate Layer > Feel free to name the layer however you wish. I generally leave it as is, as it helps me know which layer is where.
With this first layer, I’m going to use the filter Smart Blur to soften the image a little. Become accustomed with your filter options. Exploring what each can do for your icon will help with creativity. While I use these to prepare my base, I also use them to help finish my icons off, sometimes to give them a little bit of a different look.
Filter > Blur > Smart Blur > Set the Radius and Threshold to something low - I wouldn’t go higher than 3.0 for both of them, because you don’t want to distort the image, just make it a little smoother. I’ve set them both to 3.0 for this image, but now we’re going to lower the opacity of this layer so it doesn’t overwhelm the image too much.
Find your layers (Window > Layers - or F7) and make sure you’ve clicked on to the correct layer you want to edit. In this case, we’ve only got two layers, and we want to edit Layer 1 Copy. Once it’s highlighted, find the opacity, and lower it to 50%. In doing this, you’ll keep the smoothness of the Smart Filter, without overwhelming its impact of the icon.
Duplicate the base layer once more (Layer > Duplicate Layer) and drag to the top - by drag to the top, I mean select the layer you have just duplicated and on your layers, make sure that you pull it upwards so it’s the top layer in your psd. It should now look like this.
Now we’re going to add another blur filter, Gaussian Blur. (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur). Playing with the Radius will give your image a different level of ‘fuzziness’. I set mine at 1.0, as I’m once again going to lower the opacity of the layer. This time set the layers opacity to 30%. You don’t want to blur your icon too much in the early stages, you just want to continue to soften the image.
Now we’re going to add a layer, and put it into the blend mode screen. To do this, I normally copy the merged layers and paste them as a top layer. It just seems to make the icon work better as a whole. It is important that you select all first, otherwise you won’t be able to copy merged.
Select > All (Ctrl + A) >> Edit > Copy Merged (Ctrl + Shift + C) >> Edit > Paste (Ctrl + V).
The new layer should automatically paste itself as the top layer. Now you’ll need to click where it said ‘Normal’ and select ‘Screen’. There are lots of options here, and while you’re exploring making icons, I encourage you to explore what each of these blending modes can achieve.
Finally, we’re going to resize the image to 275x275. Image > Image Size > Width: 275, Height: 275.
Now you’ve finished your base preparation, you may notice your icon is a little blurred. Feel free to go back and play with the opacity of each of the previous layers, or leave them out entirely. I’m not too concerned that it looks a little blurred. In the final stages of making the icon we can easily fix this.
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Step 04: Coloring your icon.
Please note: I have no set process of coloring my icons. At times I’m sure the layers barely add anything, and the same effect could be achieved with possibly five layers. But this tutorial isn’t to teach you how to color this image… (well, it sort of is), but rather to teach you how to use the wonderful toys that are adjustment layers and perhaps explore other things you can achieve with them.
I’ll therefore only be explaining what I do to adjustment layers very swiftly and sweetly. Explaining them each time (when some appear 8 times) would make it redundant. And I want you to feel happy to explore your own ideas, rather than copy mine directly.
Step 4.01
I’m starting out with a curves layer to lighten my icon. Other options to lighten the icon include Levels & more screen layers, but lately I’ve been relying on curves. You’ll want to become familiar with Layer > New Adjustment Layers. We’re starting with Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves.
This is what your blank curves layer will look like. Next to the pointer, you can see RGB, which basically means it controls all the color tones together as a whole, meaning the whole image is affected. Ideally, if you want to lighten the icon as a whole and make it brighter, this is the only setting you’d play with. If you click down however, you will see three other options, Red, Green & Blue. If you select each of these individually, Curves as an adjustment layer will let you play with certain colors within the image.
Red: Dragging upwards towards the left hand corner will highlight the red in the image, while dragging downwards towards the right hand corner will highlight the cyan.
Green: Dragging upwards towards the left hand corner will highlight the green in the image, while dragging downwards towards the right hand corner will highlight the magenta/pink.
Blue: Dragging upwards towards the left hand corner will highlight the blue in the image, while dragging downwards towards the right hand corner will highlight the yellow.
The output and input mark the point you’ve landed on. You can add as many of these to each curves layer as you want or need. Further more, you can then play with the blend mode of each curves layer to achieve different affects. We’ll be doing that in this tutorial quite a bit, but remember that you can explore further on your own image.
So - our first Curves layer looks like this.
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves > RGB
Output: 145
Input: 112
We don’t change the opacity or the blending mode of this layer. All we need it to do is brighten the image.
Step 4.02
The next layer we're going to add is Color Balance. Again, this works similar to curves, in that it helps you determine how to manipulate some colours in an image without using others. It also works in the same way as Curves - Red/Green, Cyan/Magenta, Blue/Yellow. Midtones, Shadows and Highlights work to emphasise different parts of the image, but it will depend on your image how much it affects each part. Once again, you can play with the blend modes and settings to change how your icon looks.
Our first Color Balance layer looks like this:
Midtones:
Cyan/Red: -10
Magenta/Green: -5
Yellow/Blue: +15
Shadows:
Cyan/Red: -10
Magenta/Green: + 10
Yellow/Blue: + 15
Step 4.03
Our second curves layer looks like this:
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves >
RGB
Output: 131
Input: 122
Red
Output: 194
Input: 203
Green
Output: 130
Input: 122
Blue Point 1
Output: 134
Input: 121
Blue Point 2
Output: 197
Input: 211
The opacity has been lowered to 40%. We then duplicate the layer and change the opacity to 15%, and the blending mode to Multiply. This adds a little bit of darkness and depth to the icon.
Step 4.04
We’re now going to add a new fill layer with a solid color. The color is a little yellow, and so to counteract that we’re going to add a blue layer of solid color on to soft light. This will dull the yellow.
Our first fill layer looks like this Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color > Leave all the adjustments as usual, but change the number here to 5fa8e0. This will change the solid color you are using. Now we need to set the layer to Soft Light at 50% opacity.
Step 4.05
Now we’re adding a Hue/Saturation layer. If you’re using CS4 or above, feel free to use a Vibrance layer here instead. Normally I would, but as I’m trying to keep this as translatable as possible Hue/Saturation it is. This layer will give your icon a little more vibrance and brightness. Please don’t abuse it though, as that’s where things get out of hand.
Our first Hue/Saturation layer looks like this:
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue Saturation > Master Saturation + 10
I don’t play with the Hue or Lightness, nor do I play with individual colors on their own. If you want to however, go for it. But remember, don’t abuse it. You don’t want to over-saturate your icon and make it look radioactive.
Step 4.06
Next is another Color Balance layer, which looks like this:
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance
Midtones:
Cyan/Red: +10
Magenta/Green: 0
Yellow/Blue: -5
Shadows:
Cyan/Red: +10
Magenta/Green: 0
Yellow/Blue: -10
Step 4.07
Next is another Curves layer, which looks like this:
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves >
RGB
Output: 132
Input: 119
Blue
Output: 133
Input: 119
We lower the opacity of this layer to 15% and set it to Multiply. Next we duplicate this layer, return the blending mode to normal and set it to 55% opacity.
Step 4.08
Next is another Hue/Saturation level, which looks like this:
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue Saturation > Master Saturation + 10.
All we want to do is add a little bit of brightness again.
Step 4.09
Now for our first selective color layer. This lets you play with the different levels of color within a color. It’s handy as long as you don’t abuse it in a way similar to Hue/Saturation. Our first layer looks like this.
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Selective Color >
Reds
Cyan: -10
Magenta: - 10
Yellow: - 10
Black: +10
Yellows
Cyan: +20
Magenta: -30
Yellow: -20
Black: -25
Neutrals
Cyan: +5
Magenta: 0
Yellow: +5
Black: +10
Blacks
Cyan: 0
Magenta: 0
Yellow: 0
Black: +10
Step 4.10
Now for another Curves Layer, which should look like this:
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves >
RGB
Output: 196
Input: 187
Red
Output: 104
Input: 112
Green
Output: 124
Input: 119
Blue
Output: 132
Input: 122
Step 4.11
Now we’re finally going to make everything nice and neat. We’re going to add another fill layer and then erase over the girls who are at the center of our icon. We’re going to hit this button, which is going to give us a new layer. Then we’re going to hit this button, and change the color to efd7cb. You want to make sure the tan color we just chose is on the top swatch of the two, which ensures that it will be the color will be the one that fills the blank canvas we have. Then select this, and fill your new layer.
Your image should now be completely tan, without a trace of anything underneath. This next step is probably the hardest in this tutorial, not because it’s complicated, but because you’ll need a steady hand and patience (at least in the way I do this).
Once you’ve added the new fill layer, you want to select the magnifying tool and put it on the + option, which will allow your image to be made larger, and the erasing easier. After you’ve pressed the + magnifying two or three times (again, more, if the image is more detailed) you need to pick the eraser tool.
Up the top, you’ll be given options as to what you can do with this eraser tool. I generally work with a hard edged eraser sized anywhere between 1 and 20 pixels, with the opacity on 80%, but again, it will all depend on the image, and what exactly you want to erase.
We want to take away all of the color from over the top of the three girls sitting down, and leave the block of color everywhere else.
Now lower the opacity of the fill layer to at least 50%, or lower (down to 20% is as low as I would go) - so you can see where you want to erase. Now it’s just a matter of keeping your hand steady and slowly erasing. Remember that if you don’t have your erasing opacity on 100% (I suggested 80%), you’ll have to erase the same area at least twice to ensure none of the solid fill color remains behind.
Once you’ve erased everything to your satisfaction, return the fill layers opacity to 100%. If you notice that you’ve missed spots, try lowering the opacity back down and erasing again. If it’s not perfect, don’t freak out. Ctrl + Alt + Delete is your friend. It will undo your handiwork, and let you start all over again.
Step 4.12
Erased everything to your satisfaction? Now we’re on to another color balance layer that looked like this:
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance
Midtones:
Cyan/Red: +10
Magenta/Green: 0
Yellow/Blue: -30
Shadows:
Cyan/Red: +10
Magenta/Green: 0
Yellow/Blue: +20
Step 4.13
Next is another curves layer, which should look like this:
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves >
RGB
Output: 132
Input: 124
Blue
Output: 139
Input: 113
Step 4.14
Next is another Hue/Saturation layer, which should look like this:
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue Saturation > Master Saturation + 15
Step 4.15
The last layer is a Gradient Map. I like these, because you can mix and match colors to give your icons an interesting look, such as this or this. But mostly, they can be used in Black & White to help give your icon a little bit of sharpness and take off a little bit of the colors edge.
Before you add your Gradient Map, make sure the color pallet at the bottom of your toolbar looks like this. If you have the black & white the wrong way around, your Gradient map will turn out like this. If that's the case, simply click on the little arrows between the two color swatches to reverse the colors, or once you've added your Gradient Map, hit reverse here, which will achieve the same affect.
Then go Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map. Your image should now be in black & white. Adjust the blending mode to soft light, and lower the opacity to 75%. If need be, lower it further. It all depends on the image you are using, and the effect you want to achieve.
Now I’ve finished coloring. This is what my image looks like, and this is the PSD of what I’ve just done.
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Step 05: Textures.
Even though my icon is completely colored, I still generally add some textures before finishing off.
First, I open this texture by masterjinn. Select > All >> Edit > Copy >> Edit > Paste (Ctrl + A, Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V) the entire texture into my image and drag it left, so the image is covered like this. I then set the layer to screen at 50%.
Repeating the process with the same texture, before setting it to a blend mode, I press Ctrl + I, which inverts the colors of the texture. Where it was once generally dark, it’s now a lot lighter, which will change the effect the texture has on the icon. I set this layer to Soft Light at 50% opacity, which instantly lightens the icon.
Next, I open this texture by realproof, Select > All >> Edit > Copy >> Edit > Paste (Ctrl + A, Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V) the entire texture onto my image, arranging it till it looks like this. This texture, I set to Soft Light at 75% opacity. It adds a nice visible texture to the image.
The final texture I open is this by innocent_lexys. You’ll notice that it’s 100x100 pixels, and our image is still at 275x275. This is easily fixed. Select > All >> Edit > Copy >> Edit > Paste (Ctrl + A, Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V) the texture onto the image. Edit > Transform should make the texture look like this, which will allow you to drag the edges outwards and distort the size of the image, without distorting the size of the image below. Once you’ve dragged it outwards and it looks something similar to this, hit back on to the arrow tool, and click apply when the option comes up.
Set the layer to Soft Light blending mode at 50% opacity. This is what my icon looks like after I've added textures, and this is the PSD.
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Step 06: Finishing your icon.
We’re almost done, and your image should look like this. Now the final touches.
Resize your image (Image > Image Size) to 200x200 pixels. This will make the final process of blurring and sharpening easier.
Select > All >> Edit > Copy Merged >> Edit Paste (Ctrl + A > Ctrl + Shift + C > Ctrl + V) the canvas. This means you’ll be merging everything below your top layer and pasting them all on top in one neat image.
With that layer, Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur (With a radius at 1.0). Set this layer to 20% opacity.
Select > All >> Edit > Copy Merged >> Edit Paste (Ctrl + A > Ctrl + Shift + C > Ctrl + V) the canvas. With this layer, Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen. Leave this layer at 100% opacity for now.
Resize your image (Image > Image Size) to 100x100 pixels. Consider now whether your image is too sharp looking. If you think it is, play with the opacity of the sharpened layer. I’ve taken the opacity of this icon back to 90%, just to take away a touch of the sharpness.
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Step 07: Saving your icon.
File > Save As (Ctrl + Shift + S) > Add a file name, and click down your format options to png.
PLEASE NOTE: ALWAYS SAVE YOUR ICON IN PNG FORMAT. I cannot stress this enough, hence the attack of the CAPS. Saving in jpeg decreases the quality of the icon dramatically. Saving as png maintains the higher quality of the icon, and makes it nicer to look at.
Once you’ve saved your icon, you’re done! (Which is the most *headdesking* thing to say, but it’s true!)
This is the final icon PSD.
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Some Tips & Tricks
Tip 01: Using the Marquee tool (on the square setting) + shift will give you a perfect square crop, and keep in tact the aspect ratio of the image. We didn't crop this way in the tutorial, but this comes in very handy when you are cropping in squares.
Tip 02: After each step, consider saving your developing icon. My computer tends to spasm at times and shut down, and more often than not I’ve lost an icon that I’ve really liked, and had to begin from scratch again. If you save after every second or third step - you’re likely to loose less on the off chance that your computer begins to hate you.
To save an icon: File > Save as (Ctrl + Shift + S) > Name your image, and ensure that your image has the format as PSD. This means the file will remember all the layers of your icon.
Tip 03: If you right click on the layer you are going to copy, you can select duplicate layer and achieve the same result as the above process.
Tip 04: If I were adding text to an icon, between Steps 6 & 7 would be the time when I would add it. The less you add on top of the text, the (generally) better it looks. I also don’t think resizing text works (I could easily be proven wrong) but I choose to add it on the 100x100 icon. I also choose to Gaussian Blur a duplicate layer of text and either lower the opacity, or erase around it (both techniques you should be familiar with after this tutorial) to ensure it doesn’t look to pixelated or sharp.
Tip 05: Actions can be useful. This is an old tutorial I wrote up some years ago explaining actions. You need to remember that actions can be used for something other than applying the same colors to every single image open (which is how some icon makers abuse them). The base preparation step in this tutorial? Is saved into my actions - because I apply it to almost every image I open in photoshop.
The same goes for making animations such as this. Actions allowed me to save a certain coloring and apply it to each image - which shortened the process dramatically.
Again, this is a tool that shouldn't be abused (and in my time, I have abused it - so I'm speaking from experience) however it is a tool that can be used to your advantage at the same time, as long as it's in moderation, or for the right reasons.
Tip 06: It's important to pick the right background color for when you want to fill a background. You don't want something that will clash too harshly. I often use the eyedrop tool to pick a color from within the picture, like with this icon. However, the color doesn't always have to match completely, like here. Beyond that, there are also some color combinations often compliment each other in odd ways (I find purple/yellow and blue/orange to be two such combination's) - but again, it's a matter of exploring and finding what suits the particular image you're working with.
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Endnotes: So - in spite of it’s length, I’ve done nothing that cannot be achieved with a little patience and perseverance. What I hope I have done though, is explained a couple of things to you, and encouraged you to step outside your boundaries and perhaps use some of the devices available to you in a different way!
Of course, if you have any further questions please feel free to ask. I'll try to help you as best I can.
Program: Photoshop CS5 - but I’m avoiding using the features only available within the program to make this as translatable as possible.
Level: Basic/Beginners.
Note: This was written for teachelite, to prove I know a little about what I make. Having written it, I'm not sure I do. Hopefully others will find it helpful though.
Preface: This is wordy. I didn't have any idea how much it took to write up a detailed summary all the while making it seem as simplistic as possible. So please forgive me if you don't find all of this necessary. It's been a long time since I was truly a beginner, and I hope that this is both helpful and useful in teaching techniques. I think the most important thing I'm emphasizing throughout this tutorial isn't how to color an image used in exactly the same way I did - and come out with an almost identical icon (in fact, I think if you tried to use this coloring technique on another image, it probably wouldn't work =/) but rather that the tools used can be explored in a myriad of ways, and this tutorial is hopefully encouraging you to do that.
There are a couple of places in Photoshop that you'll need to be familiar with for this tutorial. This is going to sound condescending, but a beginners tutorial implies little to no experience, so I'm going to lay it out for you.
This is how my photoshop looks when it is open. Yours may or may not look similar, but when it's open, I can see all that's necessary for this tutorial.
This is basically your drop down menu control panel. Whenever I say File, Edit, Image, Layer, Select, Filter or Window, you should be able to find these drop down menus up here.
This is your tool box. It has the marquee tool (But it shall forever be known as the selection/crop tool, because that's what I use it for), the pointy arrow that allows you to move things, your paint fill option, your eraser and most importantly, it has the power of color in the boxes at the very bottom. Those will be important in this tutorial.
Finally, this part shows the layers of your icon. It's hand to be able to see what you've done. The bottom row of icons are also very handy, and again, that will come in later.
Further Information:
File > New (Ctrl + N) - This will allow you to create a new canvas (new document) in photoshop.
Image > Image Size (Alt + Ctrl + I) - This will allow you to resize whatever image you’re working with.
Window > Layers (F7) - This is where you’ll be able to see a progression of your icon. You’ll also be able to control the blend mode of each layer, and the opacity (which is just the strength) of each layer.
Now that we've covered where everything will be situated, let's begin shall we?
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Step 01: Re-sizing the image.
This step (as will all) will alter completely depending on the image you’ve chosen to work with. Ideally, HQ (high quality) images and screencaps are the best to work with, however working with lower quality images isn’t unnecessarily hard, they just give you less room to crop at a larger size and work with your icons as a size larger than 200x 200 pixels.
This is what a HQ image looks like, and this is what a lower quality image looks like. You will notice the general differences (size, height & width) along with the differences in quality. And you can see that the lower quality image would be harder to work with in terms of cropping as opposed to the larger image.
With this image, we’ll be resizing the image to fit a 350x350 canvas (new document in photoshop). I’m aiming to have some blank canvas on either side of the image, which means you do not want the image to be 350 pixels in width.
To resize the image: Image > Image Size > (Ctrl + Alt + I) - We need to change the width here from 815, to 325 on this canvas
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Step 02: Creating a new canvas.
I always begin my work in a new canvas, varying between 200x200 and 300x300 in size. Although we are resizing the image to fit a 350x350 canvas, the image will be resized again.
Make sure when you create a new canvas, ensure that:
1. Color Mode is set in RGB Color.
2. Background Mode is transparent.
This is how I’ve always worked with new images. RGB Color is important as it holds the colour in the image, and Background Mode as transparent means your image is your background, and you are therefore able to work with it as your base layer.
To get to a new canvas: File > New > Width: 350 pixels, Height: 350 pixels, Background: Transparent (Ctrl + N).
Create the new canvas (feel free to rename the image as opposed to leaving it as untitled 1) and paste the original resized image into the new canvas. To copy your image:
Select > All (Ctrl A) >> Edit > Copy (Ctrl C) >> Select the new canvas >> Edit > Paste (Ctrl V)
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Step 03: Base Preparation.
Preparing the base sets the tone of the entire icon. If your image is a little grainy or dark, you can use this step to eradicate some of these initial issues and ensure your image is nicer to work with.
The first step here is to realign the image we’ve just pasted into the new canvas. Make sure you’re using the arrow tool to move your image, as it allows you to move your image around the base without altering it in any other way.
I want to focus on the three girls in the front, so I move the image upwards until they are at the center. (This is what my canvas looks like now).
Now that the image is where I want it, I’m going to work at making the base more usable. Generally, the higher quality the images, the less the base (my bottom layer) will need to be edited, but generally I use the same technique with every image I use.
I generally leave the bottom layer as is (in case something goes horribly wrong and need to start again), and instead duplicate the base layer.
To do this:
Layer > Duplicate Layer > Feel free to name the layer however you wish. I generally leave it as is, as it helps me know which layer is where.
With this first layer, I’m going to use the filter Smart Blur to soften the image a little. Become accustomed with your filter options. Exploring what each can do for your icon will help with creativity. While I use these to prepare my base, I also use them to help finish my icons off, sometimes to give them a little bit of a different look.
Filter > Blur > Smart Blur > Set the Radius and Threshold to something low - I wouldn’t go higher than 3.0 for both of them, because you don’t want to distort the image, just make it a little smoother. I’ve set them both to 3.0 for this image, but now we’re going to lower the opacity of this layer so it doesn’t overwhelm the image too much.
Find your layers (Window > Layers - or F7) and make sure you’ve clicked on to the correct layer you want to edit. In this case, we’ve only got two layers, and we want to edit Layer 1 Copy. Once it’s highlighted, find the opacity, and lower it to 50%. In doing this, you’ll keep the smoothness of the Smart Filter, without overwhelming its impact of the icon.
Duplicate the base layer once more (Layer > Duplicate Layer) and drag to the top - by drag to the top, I mean select the layer you have just duplicated and on your layers, make sure that you pull it upwards so it’s the top layer in your psd. It should now look like this.
Now we’re going to add another blur filter, Gaussian Blur. (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur). Playing with the Radius will give your image a different level of ‘fuzziness’. I set mine at 1.0, as I’m once again going to lower the opacity of the layer. This time set the layers opacity to 30%. You don’t want to blur your icon too much in the early stages, you just want to continue to soften the image.
Now we’re going to add a layer, and put it into the blend mode screen. To do this, I normally copy the merged layers and paste them as a top layer. It just seems to make the icon work better as a whole. It is important that you select all first, otherwise you won’t be able to copy merged.
Select > All (Ctrl + A) >> Edit > Copy Merged (Ctrl + Shift + C) >> Edit > Paste (Ctrl + V).
The new layer should automatically paste itself as the top layer. Now you’ll need to click where it said ‘Normal’ and select ‘Screen’. There are lots of options here, and while you’re exploring making icons, I encourage you to explore what each of these blending modes can achieve.
Finally, we’re going to resize the image to 275x275. Image > Image Size > Width: 275, Height: 275.
Now you’ve finished your base preparation, you may notice your icon is a little blurred. Feel free to go back and play with the opacity of each of the previous layers, or leave them out entirely. I’m not too concerned that it looks a little blurred. In the final stages of making the icon we can easily fix this.
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Step 04: Coloring your icon.
Please note: I have no set process of coloring my icons. At times I’m sure the layers barely add anything, and the same effect could be achieved with possibly five layers. But this tutorial isn’t to teach you how to color this image… (well, it sort of is), but rather to teach you how to use the wonderful toys that are adjustment layers and perhaps explore other things you can achieve with them.
I’ll therefore only be explaining what I do to adjustment layers very swiftly and sweetly. Explaining them each time (when some appear 8 times) would make it redundant. And I want you to feel happy to explore your own ideas, rather than copy mine directly.
Step 4.01
I’m starting out with a curves layer to lighten my icon. Other options to lighten the icon include Levels & more screen layers, but lately I’ve been relying on curves. You’ll want to become familiar with Layer > New Adjustment Layers. We’re starting with Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves.
This is what your blank curves layer will look like. Next to the pointer, you can see RGB, which basically means it controls all the color tones together as a whole, meaning the whole image is affected. Ideally, if you want to lighten the icon as a whole and make it brighter, this is the only setting you’d play with. If you click down however, you will see three other options, Red, Green & Blue. If you select each of these individually, Curves as an adjustment layer will let you play with certain colors within the image.
Red: Dragging upwards towards the left hand corner will highlight the red in the image, while dragging downwards towards the right hand corner will highlight the cyan.
Green: Dragging upwards towards the left hand corner will highlight the green in the image, while dragging downwards towards the right hand corner will highlight the magenta/pink.
Blue: Dragging upwards towards the left hand corner will highlight the blue in the image, while dragging downwards towards the right hand corner will highlight the yellow.
The output and input mark the point you’ve landed on. You can add as many of these to each curves layer as you want or need. Further more, you can then play with the blend mode of each curves layer to achieve different affects. We’ll be doing that in this tutorial quite a bit, but remember that you can explore further on your own image.
So - our first Curves layer looks like this.
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves > RGB
Output: 145
Input: 112
We don’t change the opacity or the blending mode of this layer. All we need it to do is brighten the image.
Step 4.02
The next layer we're going to add is Color Balance. Again, this works similar to curves, in that it helps you determine how to manipulate some colours in an image without using others. It also works in the same way as Curves - Red/Green, Cyan/Magenta, Blue/Yellow. Midtones, Shadows and Highlights work to emphasise different parts of the image, but it will depend on your image how much it affects each part. Once again, you can play with the blend modes and settings to change how your icon looks.
Our first Color Balance layer looks like this:
Midtones:
Cyan/Red: -10
Magenta/Green: -5
Yellow/Blue: +15
Shadows:
Cyan/Red: -10
Magenta/Green: + 10
Yellow/Blue: + 15
Step 4.03
Our second curves layer looks like this:
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves >
RGB
Output: 131
Input: 122
Red
Output: 194
Input: 203
Green
Output: 130
Input: 122
Blue Point 1
Output: 134
Input: 121
Blue Point 2
Output: 197
Input: 211
The opacity has been lowered to 40%. We then duplicate the layer and change the opacity to 15%, and the blending mode to Multiply. This adds a little bit of darkness and depth to the icon.
Step 4.04
We’re now going to add a new fill layer with a solid color. The color is a little yellow, and so to counteract that we’re going to add a blue layer of solid color on to soft light. This will dull the yellow.
Our first fill layer looks like this Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color > Leave all the adjustments as usual, but change the number here to 5fa8e0. This will change the solid color you are using. Now we need to set the layer to Soft Light at 50% opacity.
Step 4.05
Now we’re adding a Hue/Saturation layer. If you’re using CS4 or above, feel free to use a Vibrance layer here instead. Normally I would, but as I’m trying to keep this as translatable as possible Hue/Saturation it is. This layer will give your icon a little more vibrance and brightness. Please don’t abuse it though, as that’s where things get out of hand.
Our first Hue/Saturation layer looks like this:
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue Saturation > Master Saturation + 10
I don’t play with the Hue or Lightness, nor do I play with individual colors on their own. If you want to however, go for it. But remember, don’t abuse it. You don’t want to over-saturate your icon and make it look radioactive.
Step 4.06
Next is another Color Balance layer, which looks like this:
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance
Midtones:
Cyan/Red: +10
Magenta/Green: 0
Yellow/Blue: -5
Shadows:
Cyan/Red: +10
Magenta/Green: 0
Yellow/Blue: -10
Step 4.07
Next is another Curves layer, which looks like this:
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves >
RGB
Output: 132
Input: 119
Blue
Output: 133
Input: 119
We lower the opacity of this layer to 15% and set it to Multiply. Next we duplicate this layer, return the blending mode to normal and set it to 55% opacity.
Step 4.08
Next is another Hue/Saturation level, which looks like this:
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue Saturation > Master Saturation + 10.
All we want to do is add a little bit of brightness again.
Step 4.09
Now for our first selective color layer. This lets you play with the different levels of color within a color. It’s handy as long as you don’t abuse it in a way similar to Hue/Saturation. Our first layer looks like this.
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Selective Color >
Reds
Cyan: -10
Magenta: - 10
Yellow: - 10
Black: +10
Yellows
Cyan: +20
Magenta: -30
Yellow: -20
Black: -25
Neutrals
Cyan: +5
Magenta: 0
Yellow: +5
Black: +10
Blacks
Cyan: 0
Magenta: 0
Yellow: 0
Black: +10
Step 4.10
Now for another Curves Layer, which should look like this:
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves >
RGB
Output: 196
Input: 187
Red
Output: 104
Input: 112
Green
Output: 124
Input: 119
Blue
Output: 132
Input: 122
Step 4.11
Now we’re finally going to make everything nice and neat. We’re going to add another fill layer and then erase over the girls who are at the center of our icon. We’re going to hit this button, which is going to give us a new layer. Then we’re going to hit this button, and change the color to efd7cb. You want to make sure the tan color we just chose is on the top swatch of the two, which ensures that it will be the color will be the one that fills the blank canvas we have. Then select this, and fill your new layer.
Your image should now be completely tan, without a trace of anything underneath. This next step is probably the hardest in this tutorial, not because it’s complicated, but because you’ll need a steady hand and patience (at least in the way I do this).
Once you’ve added the new fill layer, you want to select the magnifying tool and put it on the + option, which will allow your image to be made larger, and the erasing easier. After you’ve pressed the + magnifying two or three times (again, more, if the image is more detailed) you need to pick the eraser tool.
Up the top, you’ll be given options as to what you can do with this eraser tool. I generally work with a hard edged eraser sized anywhere between 1 and 20 pixels, with the opacity on 80%, but again, it will all depend on the image, and what exactly you want to erase.
We want to take away all of the color from over the top of the three girls sitting down, and leave the block of color everywhere else.
Now lower the opacity of the fill layer to at least 50%, or lower (down to 20% is as low as I would go) - so you can see where you want to erase. Now it’s just a matter of keeping your hand steady and slowly erasing. Remember that if you don’t have your erasing opacity on 100% (I suggested 80%), you’ll have to erase the same area at least twice to ensure none of the solid fill color remains behind.
Once you’ve erased everything to your satisfaction, return the fill layers opacity to 100%. If you notice that you’ve missed spots, try lowering the opacity back down and erasing again. If it’s not perfect, don’t freak out. Ctrl + Alt + Delete is your friend. It will undo your handiwork, and let you start all over again.
Step 4.12
Erased everything to your satisfaction? Now we’re on to another color balance layer that looked like this:
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance
Midtones:
Cyan/Red: +10
Magenta/Green: 0
Yellow/Blue: -30
Shadows:
Cyan/Red: +10
Magenta/Green: 0
Yellow/Blue: +20
Step 4.13
Next is another curves layer, which should look like this:
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves >
RGB
Output: 132
Input: 124
Blue
Output: 139
Input: 113
Step 4.14
Next is another Hue/Saturation layer, which should look like this:
Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue Saturation > Master Saturation + 15
Step 4.15
The last layer is a Gradient Map. I like these, because you can mix and match colors to give your icons an interesting look, such as this or this. But mostly, they can be used in Black & White to help give your icon a little bit of sharpness and take off a little bit of the colors edge.
Before you add your Gradient Map, make sure the color pallet at the bottom of your toolbar looks like this. If you have the black & white the wrong way around, your Gradient map will turn out like this. If that's the case, simply click on the little arrows between the two color swatches to reverse the colors, or once you've added your Gradient Map, hit reverse here, which will achieve the same affect.
Then go Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map. Your image should now be in black & white. Adjust the blending mode to soft light, and lower the opacity to 75%. If need be, lower it further. It all depends on the image you are using, and the effect you want to achieve.
Now I’ve finished coloring. This is what my image looks like, and this is the PSD of what I’ve just done.
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Step 05: Textures.
Even though my icon is completely colored, I still generally add some textures before finishing off.
First, I open this texture by masterjinn. Select > All >> Edit > Copy >> Edit > Paste (Ctrl + A, Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V) the entire texture into my image and drag it left, so the image is covered like this. I then set the layer to screen at 50%.
Repeating the process with the same texture, before setting it to a blend mode, I press Ctrl + I, which inverts the colors of the texture. Where it was once generally dark, it’s now a lot lighter, which will change the effect the texture has on the icon. I set this layer to Soft Light at 50% opacity, which instantly lightens the icon.
Next, I open this texture by realproof, Select > All >> Edit > Copy >> Edit > Paste (Ctrl + A, Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V) the entire texture onto my image, arranging it till it looks like this. This texture, I set to Soft Light at 75% opacity. It adds a nice visible texture to the image.
The final texture I open is this by innocent_lexys. You’ll notice that it’s 100x100 pixels, and our image is still at 275x275. This is easily fixed. Select > All >> Edit > Copy >> Edit > Paste (Ctrl + A, Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V) the texture onto the image. Edit > Transform should make the texture look like this, which will allow you to drag the edges outwards and distort the size of the image, without distorting the size of the image below. Once you’ve dragged it outwards and it looks something similar to this, hit back on to the arrow tool, and click apply when the option comes up.
Set the layer to Soft Light blending mode at 50% opacity. This is what my icon looks like after I've added textures, and this is the PSD.
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Step 06: Finishing your icon.
We’re almost done, and your image should look like this. Now the final touches.
Resize your image (Image > Image Size) to 200x200 pixels. This will make the final process of blurring and sharpening easier.
Select > All >> Edit > Copy Merged >> Edit Paste (Ctrl + A > Ctrl + Shift + C > Ctrl + V) the canvas. This means you’ll be merging everything below your top layer and pasting them all on top in one neat image.
With that layer, Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur (With a radius at 1.0). Set this layer to 20% opacity.
Select > All >> Edit > Copy Merged >> Edit Paste (Ctrl + A > Ctrl + Shift + C > Ctrl + V) the canvas. With this layer, Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen. Leave this layer at 100% opacity for now.
Resize your image (Image > Image Size) to 100x100 pixels. Consider now whether your image is too sharp looking. If you think it is, play with the opacity of the sharpened layer. I’ve taken the opacity of this icon back to 90%, just to take away a touch of the sharpness.
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Step 07: Saving your icon.
File > Save As (Ctrl + Shift + S) > Add a file name, and click down your format options to png.
PLEASE NOTE: ALWAYS SAVE YOUR ICON IN PNG FORMAT. I cannot stress this enough, hence the attack of the CAPS. Saving in jpeg decreases the quality of the icon dramatically. Saving as png maintains the higher quality of the icon, and makes it nicer to look at.
Once you’ve saved your icon, you’re done! (Which is the most *headdesking* thing to say, but it’s true!)
This is the final icon PSD.
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Some Tips & Tricks
Tip 01: Using the Marquee tool (on the square setting) + shift will give you a perfect square crop, and keep in tact the aspect ratio of the image. We didn't crop this way in the tutorial, but this comes in very handy when you are cropping in squares.
Tip 02: After each step, consider saving your developing icon. My computer tends to spasm at times and shut down, and more often than not I’ve lost an icon that I’ve really liked, and had to begin from scratch again. If you save after every second or third step - you’re likely to loose less on the off chance that your computer begins to hate you.
To save an icon: File > Save as (Ctrl + Shift + S) > Name your image, and ensure that your image has the format as PSD. This means the file will remember all the layers of your icon.
Tip 03: If you right click on the layer you are going to copy, you can select duplicate layer and achieve the same result as the above process.
Tip 04: If I were adding text to an icon, between Steps 6 & 7 would be the time when I would add it. The less you add on top of the text, the (generally) better it looks. I also don’t think resizing text works (I could easily be proven wrong) but I choose to add it on the 100x100 icon. I also choose to Gaussian Blur a duplicate layer of text and either lower the opacity, or erase around it (both techniques you should be familiar with after this tutorial) to ensure it doesn’t look to pixelated or sharp.
Tip 05: Actions can be useful. This is an old tutorial I wrote up some years ago explaining actions. You need to remember that actions can be used for something other than applying the same colors to every single image open (which is how some icon makers abuse them). The base preparation step in this tutorial? Is saved into my actions - because I apply it to almost every image I open in photoshop.
The same goes for making animations such as this. Actions allowed me to save a certain coloring and apply it to each image - which shortened the process dramatically.
Again, this is a tool that shouldn't be abused (and in my time, I have abused it - so I'm speaking from experience) however it is a tool that can be used to your advantage at the same time, as long as it's in moderation, or for the right reasons.
Tip 06: It's important to pick the right background color for when you want to fill a background. You don't want something that will clash too harshly. I often use the eyedrop tool to pick a color from within the picture, like with this icon. However, the color doesn't always have to match completely, like here. Beyond that, there are also some color combinations often compliment each other in odd ways (I find purple/yellow and blue/orange to be two such combination's) - but again, it's a matter of exploring and finding what suits the particular image you're working with.
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Endnotes: So - in spite of it’s length, I’ve done nothing that cannot be achieved with a little patience and perseverance. What I hope I have done though, is explained a couple of things to you, and encouraged you to step outside your boundaries and perhaps use some of the devices available to you in a different way!
Of course, if you have any further questions please feel free to ask. I'll try to help you as best I can.