Tutorials
Here's the first few tutorials I've got for people based on requests from ask the maker!
I should mention that I use GIMP, and there isn't a difference between Soft Light and Overlay, at least that I can tell. So be sure you check to see which one looks better in your program, because I will always say "Overlay" but it could be either for you.
Also, I'm almost always working from bottom to top. So I will list the lowest layer first, topmost layer is last.
Fair warning, the crops change on this because sometimes I had the in between layers saved, and sometimes I didn't, so pretend it's all the same
So, I started out with this image of Irelia in her super cute aviator outfit. That image sort of limited me on the way I could crop it, so I messed with it for quite a while. I find it way easier to reconstruct backgrounds than parts of a weapon, and a close crop wouldn't show off how cool she looked with her blades, so I ended up with a base about like this
After that, I did was do some basic coloring. I use curves all the time. Honestly, I don't have a set method, I watch to see if it does something I like while I move the sliders around. Here's a basic idea of what the curves looked like though.
So the curves gives us
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Now comes the fun part. SMUDGING. To reconstruct the background I clone stamped main sky background colors over the area that I was adding back in. From there, I really did just smudge everything. Lame, I know.
This became my new base. I added this texture (by spooky_window) set on Overlay/Soft light at 100% opacity. I noticed that she looked better without the overlay, so I erased the area covering her body, and blurred the edges where I erased the texture, so I could get the texture on the background but not her.
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I wanted a lot more blue in the background, so I took this texture by bijouu(?) and set it on Multiply 100%
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It looks like crap, but bear with me! Go back to the "new" base layer we made. Take that layer, and use a layer mask, or just erase everything around Irelia. To give you an idea, this is what my layer mask looked like. HORRIBLE I KNOW. But it doesn't have to be perfect. You can see some parts I liked darker, like her tights, but mostly I just cut her out and left her set to Normal 100% on top of the dark blue layers below.
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=
Now, I wanted to work with what I've made so far, so copy merge, or make a new layer from the visible layers, or flatten, etc. We'll call this layer A for clarity. Duplicate A and set it to Overlay/Soft Light 100%. Duplicate A again and set that to Burn at 23% Opacity. This gives a little more depth to the colors.
>>
Ok, make a new layer from the visible/copy merge. I am finally satisfied with the background, so I just have to touch up Irelia. I used the blur tool very VERY faintly just to get rid of some of the jagged edges and make it a little smoother. I just click sporadically all over the area when I do this, I never drag the mouse.
Now to get Irelia back to the colors I liked, I went back to layer A and made two new copies of it. I used a layer mask on both layers to make it so Irelia was the only part showing through. The first layer was set to Normal 100% and the second layer is set to Screen at 62%
>>
It needed a little something extra, for me at least, so I added a texture by lookslikerain. I *desaturated it and set it to Overlay/Soft Light at 100%.
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* =
You are going to hate me once you see how simple this icon is. XD It starts with this image of Maria Torres from Trauma Team. Some amazing person was smart enough to create the images with transparent backgrounds, so I didn't even have to cut her out.
My background is a humungous pile of textures:
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+
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twinstrikeish > twinstrikeish > spooky_window > erzsebet > lemonpunch
Normal 100% Overlay 100% Screen 100% Screen 100% Screen 100%
From there, I added Maria on top, set to normal. I used curves (close to these) to alter her coloring a bit.
>>
I used this texture set at Overlay 100% by spooky_window to tie it all together.
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=
This one is slightly more straight forward. It's mostly me going "Throw more textures on it!" until I was satisfied.
I started with this base, and decided I wanted to focus on just Sailor Neptune. I used the eyedropper tool to pick the color of her hair and used that as the background for the image. I added a texture by someone... (please let me know if you recognize it!) set on Screen 100% to try to replicate some of the sparkly/glowy/light blobs that are all over Sailer Moon art. From there I just used a layer mask on the base, and I only left Neptune's face showing.
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+
=
I knew I would need it to be darker and have some more contrast, so I used this texture (by another unknown) set on Overlay 100%
+
=
I copy merged/made a new layer from the visible layers. I also used curves to bring out the green and make it darker/more vibrant.
>>
Now we get more textures! From cittacostiera(?), unknown, and midnightroad. They are set to Overlay 100%, Screen 100%, and Overlay 38.4%
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+
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Now, for the finishing touches, I took that merged layer that I used curves on from before, and set it to Overlay at 48%. I also added two more textures, one by unknown set to Screen 8% and one more by drankmywar set to Overlay 40%.
+
+
+
=
Please let me know if something doesn't make sense or if you have questions!
I should mention that I use GIMP, and there isn't a difference between Soft Light and Overlay, at least that I can tell. So be sure you check to see which one looks better in your program, because I will always say "Overlay" but it could be either for you.
Also, I'm almost always working from bottom to top. So I will list the lowest layer first, topmost layer is last.
Fair warning, the crops change on this because sometimes I had the in between layers saved, and sometimes I didn't, so pretend it's all the same
So, I started out with this image of Irelia in her super cute aviator outfit. That image sort of limited me on the way I could crop it, so I messed with it for quite a while. I find it way easier to reconstruct backgrounds than parts of a weapon, and a close crop wouldn't show off how cool she looked with her blades, so I ended up with a base about like this
After that, I did was do some basic coloring. I use curves all the time. Honestly, I don't have a set method, I watch to see if it does something I like while I move the sliders around. Here's a basic idea of what the curves looked like though.
So the curves gives us
>>
Now comes the fun part. SMUDGING. To reconstruct the background I clone stamped main sky background colors over the area that I was adding back in. From there, I really did just smudge everything. Lame, I know.
This became my new base. I added this texture (by spooky_window) set on Overlay/Soft light at 100% opacity. I noticed that she looked better without the overlay, so I erased the area covering her body, and blurred the edges where I erased the texture, so I could get the texture on the background but not her.
+
=
I wanted a lot more blue in the background, so I took this texture by bijouu(?) and set it on Multiply 100%
+
=
It looks like crap, but bear with me! Go back to the "new" base layer we made. Take that layer, and use a layer mask, or just erase everything around Irelia. To give you an idea, this is what my layer mask looked like. HORRIBLE I KNOW. But it doesn't have to be perfect. You can see some parts I liked darker, like her tights, but mostly I just cut her out and left her set to Normal 100% on top of the dark blue layers below.
+
=
Now, I wanted to work with what I've made so far, so copy merge, or make a new layer from the visible layers, or flatten, etc. We'll call this layer A for clarity. Duplicate A and set it to Overlay/Soft Light 100%. Duplicate A again and set that to Burn at 23% Opacity. This gives a little more depth to the colors.
>>
Ok, make a new layer from the visible/copy merge. I am finally satisfied with the background, so I just have to touch up Irelia. I used the blur tool very VERY faintly just to get rid of some of the jagged edges and make it a little smoother. I just click sporadically all over the area when I do this, I never drag the mouse.
Now to get Irelia back to the colors I liked, I went back to layer A and made two new copies of it. I used a layer mask on both layers to make it so Irelia was the only part showing through. The first layer was set to Normal 100% and the second layer is set to Screen at 62%
>>
It needed a little something extra, for me at least, so I added a texture by lookslikerain. I *desaturated it and set it to Overlay/Soft Light at 100%.
+
* =
You are going to hate me once you see how simple this icon is. XD It starts with this image of Maria Torres from Trauma Team. Some amazing person was smart enough to create the images with transparent backgrounds, so I didn't even have to cut her out.
My background is a humungous pile of textures:
+
+
+
+
=
twinstrikeish > twinstrikeish > spooky_window > erzsebet > lemonpunch
Normal 100% Overlay 100% Screen 100% Screen 100% Screen 100%
From there, I added Maria on top, set to normal. I used curves (close to these) to alter her coloring a bit.
>>
I used this texture set at Overlay 100% by spooky_window to tie it all together.
+
=
This one is slightly more straight forward. It's mostly me going "Throw more textures on it!" until I was satisfied.
I started with this base, and decided I wanted to focus on just Sailor Neptune. I used the eyedropper tool to pick the color of her hair and used that as the background for the image. I added a texture by someone... (please let me know if you recognize it!) set on Screen 100% to try to replicate some of the sparkly/glowy/light blobs that are all over Sailer Moon art. From there I just used a layer mask on the base, and I only left Neptune's face showing.
+
+
=
I knew I would need it to be darker and have some more contrast, so I used this texture (by another unknown) set on Overlay 100%
+
=
I copy merged/made a new layer from the visible layers. I also used curves to bring out the green and make it darker/more vibrant.
>>
Now we get more textures! From cittacostiera(?), unknown, and midnightroad. They are set to Overlay 100%, Screen 100%, and Overlay 38.4%
+
+
+
=
Now, for the finishing touches, I took that merged layer that I used curves on from before, and set it to Overlay at 48%. I also added two more textures, one by unknown set to Screen 8% and one more by drankmywar set to Overlay 40%.
+
+
+
=
Please let me know if something doesn't make sense or if you have questions!