Ampharos "Glow" Tutorial
It's time once again for some fun learning from Halo. Once again, I bring you something I stumbled upon while working on a batch of icons. This time we'll be learning how to turn this into this. This coloring gives us a nice soft yet vibrant coloring that can be used in all of the major graphics programs. The coloring works well on screen caps from animation, graphic novel art pages, or illustrations. You can use all the steps and make a complete icon or you can stop before the brushes and patterns and change things up to suit your tastes. This tutorial was made using Photoshop CS but can be achieved in any program that offers layer types.
The first step you'll need to take in creating your icon is to prepare your icon base. Using this image of Ampharos, I followed the process I outlined in the first four steps of my Vibrant Color tutorial. However, for this icon I waited until after I resized my image to use the Gaussian Blur and set it to .3px instead of the .5 or 1px suggested and used the auto levels in Photoshop on my image and its duplicate to enhance the colors further. Doing this is an entirely optional step based on your personal preferences. With base in hand, you're now ready to color your icon.
The base already has good coloring in it with the initial prep work alone. However, I wanted to bring out the blues and the lines on the artwork as well as tone down some of the other colors. To achieve this, I used a dark blue with strong hints of green in it. On a new layer, fill it in with #00173C. Set the layer type to Exclusion and leave the opacity alone. If the color is too muddy looking you can lower the opacity anywhere between 40% and 60%.
The color looks good but we want to enhance the blue and bring out the green more in the subject and the background. For this, we'll need a light bright blue. On a new layer, fill it in with #95C6FC. Set the layer type to Color Burn (or Burn in PSP) and leave the opacity at 100%. Again, you can change the opacity anywhere between 40% and 60% if you want a subtle look to your icon.
The color still could use some brightening to it while enhancing the pink on Ampharos' forehead jewel. To achieve this I used the color picker and chose the pink on Ampharos' forehead and darkened it slightly. On a new layer, fill it in with #EF7C97. Set the layer type to Overlay. The color looked a bit too cloudy so I lowered opacity for this icon to 40%. What you choose will depend on the image you're working with.
The icon is looking good but I wanted to enhance the yellows, brighten the glow, and soften some of the overall color. For this job I used the color picker once more and chose a yellow from Ampharos' body and lightened it slightly. On a new layer, fill it in with #FFFBA3. Set the layer type to Soft Light. I wanted a subtle affect to my icon so I lowered the opacity to 45%. Again, what you choose will depend on your image.
I liked how things look so far but I wanted to balance out the colors and darken the overall look slightly. For this job, I picked a peachy color that was a bit on the pink side. On a new layer, fill it in with #FFDDB0. Set the layer type to Multiply. It looks a bit muddy and slightly orange so I lowered the opacity to 40%. Depending on your image, you can set the opacity anywhere between 30% and 50%. Remember to play around with your settings.
At this point, the coloring can be considered finished. However, I wanted to lighten and soften the overall color a bit. There are two ways we can achieve this on a new layer. In Photoshop, go to Edit > Fill >White. In PSP and other programs, flood fill the layer with #FFFFFF. Set the layer type to Color erasing all color from the image making it black and white. Depending on how much of the color you want to tone down, change the opacity of this layer to whatever suits your needs. For this icon, I decided 30% worked best for my image.
There are several things you can do to finish off your icon depending upon your personal tastes. For this icon, I decided to add a subtle grunge brush in #FEFBF7. Because the darker parts of the brush covered Ampharos' face, I flipped it horizontally. I then lowered the opacity to 50% to give it a more subtle look on the icon.
At any point, I could consider the icon finished but I wanted to add more to the icon. Inspired by other icons around Livejournal, I decided to add some subtle horizontal lines to the icon. This can be achieved two ways. In Photoshop, create a new 1x2 transparent image and zoom in as far as you can go. Then, with your pencil tool add a one pixel dot at the top of the image. Go to Edit > Define Pattern, give the pattern a name, and hit okay. To use the pattern on a new layer go to Edit > Fill > Pattern and choose your new lines. For other programs you can take this transparent PNG and paste it onto a new layer. Set the layer type to Soft Light and then lower the opacity to what looks best for your icon. For this icon, I set the opacity to 30%.
Again, we can consider the icon finished or we can go another step further. I like taking the extra steps and add a bit of oomf to my icons. I decided a bit of text would enhance the icon further. For this icon, I chose the Cooper Black font in a green from the icon itself (#CCDBAE) and typed in the word "glow". After placing the text where I wanted it, I then decided to add a one pixel stroke in #1E1E1E. In Photoshop, this can be achieved by using the little "F" at the bottom of the layer pallet. I then decided to lower the opacity of the text to 45%. I thought the text looked a little plain so I added a gradient overlay to it. Using the same "F" on the layer pallet I chose Gradient Overlay and then clicked on the gradient to edit it. Clicking on the little boxes below the arrows I set my first color to #DBDCB3 and the second color to #A8A99A.
At this point, you can consider your icon finished. However, I decided to give the icon one final touch and give it a nice border. On a new layer I gave the icon a two pixel stroke in #FEFBF7. Then, I chose a complimenting color from my icon and used this border brush on it. The icon is now ready to be saved and enjoyed. Remember to play around with your settings because no two images will be the same.
Other icons featuring this coloring can be found here.
The first step you'll need to take in creating your icon is to prepare your icon base. Using this image of Ampharos, I followed the process I outlined in the first four steps of my Vibrant Color tutorial. However, for this icon I waited until after I resized my image to use the Gaussian Blur and set it to .3px instead of the .5 or 1px suggested and used the auto levels in Photoshop on my image and its duplicate to enhance the colors further. Doing this is an entirely optional step based on your personal preferences. With base in hand, you're now ready to color your icon.
The base already has good coloring in it with the initial prep work alone. However, I wanted to bring out the blues and the lines on the artwork as well as tone down some of the other colors. To achieve this, I used a dark blue with strong hints of green in it. On a new layer, fill it in with #00173C. Set the layer type to Exclusion and leave the opacity alone. If the color is too muddy looking you can lower the opacity anywhere between 40% and 60%.
The color looks good but we want to enhance the blue and bring out the green more in the subject and the background. For this, we'll need a light bright blue. On a new layer, fill it in with #95C6FC. Set the layer type to Color Burn (or Burn in PSP) and leave the opacity at 100%. Again, you can change the opacity anywhere between 40% and 60% if you want a subtle look to your icon.
The color still could use some brightening to it while enhancing the pink on Ampharos' forehead jewel. To achieve this I used the color picker and chose the pink on Ampharos' forehead and darkened it slightly. On a new layer, fill it in with #EF7C97. Set the layer type to Overlay. The color looked a bit too cloudy so I lowered opacity for this icon to 40%. What you choose will depend on the image you're working with.
The icon is looking good but I wanted to enhance the yellows, brighten the glow, and soften some of the overall color. For this job I used the color picker once more and chose a yellow from Ampharos' body and lightened it slightly. On a new layer, fill it in with #FFFBA3. Set the layer type to Soft Light. I wanted a subtle affect to my icon so I lowered the opacity to 45%. Again, what you choose will depend on your image.
I liked how things look so far but I wanted to balance out the colors and darken the overall look slightly. For this job, I picked a peachy color that was a bit on the pink side. On a new layer, fill it in with #FFDDB0. Set the layer type to Multiply. It looks a bit muddy and slightly orange so I lowered the opacity to 40%. Depending on your image, you can set the opacity anywhere between 30% and 50%. Remember to play around with your settings.
At this point, the coloring can be considered finished. However, I wanted to lighten and soften the overall color a bit. There are two ways we can achieve this on a new layer. In Photoshop, go to Edit > Fill >White. In PSP and other programs, flood fill the layer with #FFFFFF. Set the layer type to Color erasing all color from the image making it black and white. Depending on how much of the color you want to tone down, change the opacity of this layer to whatever suits your needs. For this icon, I decided 30% worked best for my image.
There are several things you can do to finish off your icon depending upon your personal tastes. For this icon, I decided to add a subtle grunge brush in #FEFBF7. Because the darker parts of the brush covered Ampharos' face, I flipped it horizontally. I then lowered the opacity to 50% to give it a more subtle look on the icon.
At any point, I could consider the icon finished but I wanted to add more to the icon. Inspired by other icons around Livejournal, I decided to add some subtle horizontal lines to the icon. This can be achieved two ways. In Photoshop, create a new 1x2 transparent image and zoom in as far as you can go. Then, with your pencil tool add a one pixel dot at the top of the image. Go to Edit > Define Pattern, give the pattern a name, and hit okay. To use the pattern on a new layer go to Edit > Fill > Pattern and choose your new lines. For other programs you can take this transparent PNG and paste it onto a new layer. Set the layer type to Soft Light and then lower the opacity to what looks best for your icon. For this icon, I set the opacity to 30%.
Again, we can consider the icon finished or we can go another step further. I like taking the extra steps and add a bit of oomf to my icons. I decided a bit of text would enhance the icon further. For this icon, I chose the Cooper Black font in a green from the icon itself (#CCDBAE) and typed in the word "glow". After placing the text where I wanted it, I then decided to add a one pixel stroke in #1E1E1E. In Photoshop, this can be achieved by using the little "F" at the bottom of the layer pallet. I then decided to lower the opacity of the text to 45%. I thought the text looked a little plain so I added a gradient overlay to it. Using the same "F" on the layer pallet I chose Gradient Overlay and then clicked on the gradient to edit it. Clicking on the little boxes below the arrows I set my first color to #DBDCB3 and the second color to #A8A99A.
At this point, you can consider your icon finished. However, I decided to give the icon one final touch and give it a nice border. On a new layer I gave the icon a two pixel stroke in #FEFBF7. Then, I chose a complimenting color from my icon and used this border brush on it. The icon is now ready to be saved and enjoyed. Remember to play around with your settings because no two images will be the same.
Other icons featuring this coloring can be found here.