Sig/Avatar tutorials by the makers [Index in First Post]

[escimo]

Originally Posted by Koominator

I would like the make a signature similar to this.

This is one of the signatures escimo made. Pardon me for posting this! I just really wanted to know.



Is there a specific tutorial on how to make those cybernetic lines and effects?

JRendell pretty much covered it. They're just brushes. I've uploaded the PSD for you to poke around. It's actually rather simple stuff in this case. I think you'll find it more useful than my ramblings.

Originally Posted by JRendell

They're just brushes. Your best bet for them would be on deviantArt. Here's some I found after a quick search; Z-design Tech Brushes.

Thanks. I was wondering which set I used for that sig. My brush collection is a huge mess.

[JRendell]

Originally Posted by escimo

Thanks. I was wondering which set I used for that sig. My brush collection is a huge mess.

Oh wow, those were the ones you used? Score!

[SweetHoney]

Originally Posted by Riker

Spoiler for Long:

I'm gonna expand on what BlackCatXIII has said.
Basically for a gif, the less movement or changes between frames there are, the smaller the filesize.


For example, look at this gif:



Not much movement, yes?
So the filesize should be small... woah ! 62 KB?
But only the eyes and mouth are moving!

...Or is it?
Upon closer inspection you will realise that the background isn't consistant.
This is very common when making gifs from anime footages. (esp. fansubs, as the videos are compresssed)
The variance in the background contributes to the filesize.

So let's get started on reducing the size!

Spoiler:

The trick is knowing which parts of the gifs you want to be moving and which parts to be static.
In this case, we only want the eyes and mouth to move, everything else should stay static.
So, we select the eyes and mouth, and delete the rest of the background EXCEPT for the first frame.
We need the first frame as the reference for the background.

Spoiler:

Finally, just make the first frame show up for the rest of the frames.

Spoiler:

Walla~



36 KB!
Thats better.

Till next time, folks.

Oh, and don't forget to worship the impish, but adorable Hagino Kana!
Or she'll throw another tantrum.

Thanks again for this Riker <3

[felix]

@SweetHoney

Extra little thing you should know about that.

It applies to transparency on png as well. Transparency is essentially a different channel so you can think of the transparency of the image as a whole other image on top of your non-transparent image.

What this means is, even if you hide part of a image with transparency, it's only visually hidden, but the data is still there; to optimize it either run it though a tool, or paint the invisible things with black or some other color to minimize the size (just select the layer mask to get a perfect selection).

[Azuryte]

Hi I have a quick question regarding the use of empty space & how not to make a signature too plain.

Right now I'm currently making a Facebook cover for my charity on a FB Page, as it stands the cover is basically the name of the organization, and what our mission is, however the problem is that its to plain, and looks "awkward" because of the simplicity and the empty space.

I'm really not sure what to do to make it looks better/what to add in general, currently I'm using paint.net since I don't have my mac w/ PS on it.

Any tips/advice? (can't add pictures).

Thanks >_<

[JRendell]

Hmm, it's kinda difficult to give some advice based on so little info.

What kind of charity is it? What sort of theme are you going for?

If your charity has a logo, maybe adding that in there somewhere, although that could make it look even more awkward Or, take some of the colours used in the logo and use them to make a background.

Sometimes, simplicity is best. It's a shame you can post an image of what you have.

[Godlike1889]

Originally Posted by JRendell

Hmm, it's kinda difficult to give some advice based on so little info.

What kind of charity is it? What sort of theme are you going for?

If your charity has a logo, maybe adding that in there somewhere, although that could make it look even more awkward Or, take some of the colours used in the logo and use them to make a background.

Sometimes, simplicity is best. It's a shame you can't post an image of what you have.

fixed


I agree with JRendell though, we can't really help you out without having a clear image of your idea

[Eragon]

Could someone tell me how to give lighting effect(assuming they are. I'm new to this) like the one on the sword in this pic.....please.

[JRendell]

Originally Posted by Eragon

Could someone tell me how to give lighting effect(assuming they are. I'm new to this) like the one on the sword in this pic.....please.

First off, what program are you using? If photoshop, read on;

Here's a basic lighting tutorial I did a long way back. If you follow it through you'll get to grips with how simple brushes and some layer filters can create some interesting lighting. Once you know the basics, you can then get a bit creative and play around until you create some awesome effects.

I'll also give you this .psd of one of my signatures which has lot's of lighting in. It might help.

Outbound Link to Hotfile

Lemme know if you have any more questions.

Originally Posted by JRendell

Signature Lighting Tutorial
For Photoshop CS3 and CS4

Okay people, a few of you have been nicely commenting on the lighting in my signatures, so I thought I'd make a tutorial. It's my first attempt at something like this, so apologies if some parts are explained well enough. I've decided to make the tutorial accessible to users of all skill levels, so if you're a veteran, expect some easy parts.

Anyways, in this tutorial you will learn about render lighting, as well as some decent gradient maps to add that *zap!* to your sig. After you finish with the tut and have create a sig with it, feel free to post your outcomes in my thread here. It would be great to see what some of you can come up with.

I will be using the above signature to demonstrate, so expect an outcome somewhat similar. Good luck.
__________________

Step 1
Open up a blank canvas. All of my signatures are at 370x160, but you can use whatever size you want. Make sure the background is set to Transparent and the resolution at 72.


Step 2
Pick your render and insert it into the document. Resize it to however you see fit using Transform. A good tip I learnt is to hold 'Shift' when resizing, as it keeps both the height and the width the same, stopping the image from becoming squashed/stretched. The render should be on a separate layer and you should now have two layers.
.

Step 3
Pick two colours from your render. One should be a lighter colour and the other a darker. Make sure that your lighter colour is set as the foreground colour. Now, select the gradient tool, and set it to Radial Gradient. On your 'bg' layer which should be beneath the render layer, draw from the bottom of the canvas to around the top, aiming for it to be just to the side of the render. See the image if you don't understand.
.


Step 4
Create a new layer and rename it to 'lighting'. Using the 'Paint Bucket' tool, default [G], fill this layer completely black, then set it's opacity to 70%. This layer should be above all others. Now get out some 'Basic Bushes' and select a Soft Brush at 80px. Hide the 'lighting' layer and now select the 'Eye Dropper' tool, default [I]. Once again select a bright colour from your render, not necessarily the same as before, but it doesn't matter. Now unhide the 'lighting' layer and get out you brush. Right now, it should look something like this.


Step 5
Still on the same layer with your brush selected, brush where you want light to be. Try to keep the brushing over the top of the render, as this is what we want to add light to. The aim of this layer is to create some artificial light, and we will add the source of that later, so consider this when brushing. Below you can see what I did.


Step 6
Now that you have added the brushes, set the 'lighting' layer to Linear Dodge and at 40% Opacity.
.

Step 7
Create a new layer and rename it to 'burned'. Now go to 'Image' then 'Apply Image' (you may have to click 'Show All Menu Items in order to see this). Now select your burn tool and set it's size to a Soft Brush at 300px. The 'Range' should be on Midtones and the 'Exposure' at 20%. Now, as if brushing, brush over the 'burned' layer. Note: try not to brush over where you want the lighting/light source to be. The aim of this layer is to darken the rest of the image so that attention is brought to the lighting and render. See below for what I did.


Step 8
Just like what we did in 'Step 7', create a new layer and Apply Image. Rename this layer to 'b/w gradient map'. Now hit Shift + D to set your foreground and background colours to default (black + white). Then, still on the 'b/w gradient map' layer, go to 'Image', 'Adjustments' and then 'Gradient Map'. Don't change any of the colours as they should already be black and white. Hit 'OK'. Set this layers opacity to 30%.
.

Step 9
Repeat 'Step 8', however set your foreground colour to #4300A7 and your background colour to #E66700. Rename this layer to 'p/o gradient map'. Set this layer to Soft Light. I kept the opacity at 100%, however it depends on your render as to what will look better, so set at whatever opacity you wish.
. .

Step 10
Note: This step is optional. Once again create a new layer and apply it. Then go to 'Filter', 'Sharpen' and then 'Sharpen'. I decided against doing this, but on other signatures I have created using this tutorial, I have carried out this step.

Step 11
Create a new layer. Get out your brushes again, but set the size to a Soft Brush at 300px. Wherever you brush is going to become the 'Light Source', so take this into consideration. I brushed at the top of the image. Rename the layer to 'light source'. See below.


Step 12
Add a border, some shapes and some text, and bob's yer uncle.
__________________

Thanks for reading and I hope this is of some benefit to some of you! All you have to do now is post the outcomes here. Post up if you are stuck or don't understand anything, or if you want to make a suggestion.

Peace out,

JR~

[GenjiChan]

Guys, how do you lower the avatar size without having to cut your frames shorter? I've seen other to have been using so many frames but the size is only 50kb (yes, I check some of them).

Is it because of the transparency? Whats your ideal setting? (1-100)

Is it the quality? What's you ideal setting? (1-100)

*GIMP user.

[Dist]

Read the tutorials. There are many good hints there. Also the avatar limit is now 100kb so it shouldn't be that hard to make what you want.

[GenjiChan]

Originally Posted by Dist

Read the tutorials. There are many good hints there. Also the avatar limit is now 100kb so it shouldn't be that hard to make what you want.

I just need the digits/numbers...

[felix]

You remove noise between frames and unnecessary motion in the avatar. The digit/numbers don't do squat by comparison.

[Dist]

Originally Posted by GenjiChan

I just need the digits/numbers...

There are no magical numbers to make avatar lower in size but retain quality. Experiment man, experiment. Do what Felix suggested, and there are other few things too as shown in the tutorials.

[Rennir]

Signature tutorial!

Spoiler for Size:

Part 1:

Part 2:

PSD for reference: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?5234da6bwayub2i

[JRendell]

Wow, nice one Rennir! Here's my result;



I like to use the clipping-mask and linear-dodge lighting effects too. I didn't bother with any text 'cause text is a ballache When I saw you using a fair amount of orange, I thought I'd try at making it look like an explosion happening behind my render. The smudging and clip-masking helped add to that I think.

One thing I will mention is the blurring at the end. I'd normally blend the background right at the beginning, before I've even stuck my render on there. That way you don't have to work around what you've already created.

I detest C4Ds too, but that's a personal thing

[Haladflire65]

Looks fantastic, JR! It's a really good tutorial Renn-kun, I think I'll try something out with it too

[Rennir]

Originally Posted by JRendell

Wow, nice one Rennir! Here's my result;



I like to use the clipping-mask and linear-dodge lighting effects too. I didn't bother with any text 'cause text is a ballache When I saw you using a fair amount of orange, I thought I'd try at making it look like an explosion happening behind my render. The smudging and clip-masking helped add to that I think.

One thing I will mention is the blurring at the end. I'd normally blend the background right at the beginning, before I've even stuck my render on there. That way you don't have to work around what you've already created.

I detest C4Ds too, but that's a personal thing

Thanks for trying it out

Yeah, they're pretty great techniques for any gfx artist's arsenal, especially splatter-brushed clipping masks because they're applicable in tons of situations. Don't worry about the text, because a lot of sigs look better without text too The explosion looks great, only thing I would say is to add some smaller particles using a splatter brush to accentuate the effect more. Everything else was pulled off well

Yeah, a lot of that stuff you can do either before or after I probably should've mentioned that. Sometimes I do it in the beginning and sometimes at the end, same with text, lighting, and a bunch of the other details

[Godlike1889]

Originally Posted by Rennir

Signature tutorial!

Spoiler for Size:

PSD for reference: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?5234da6bwayub2i

Well done bro, I love the outcome. I have always wondered how gfx artists managed to do that explosion-like effect ....Thanks for clearing that up!

I will definitely try the tutorial out when I done with my other projects ;D

[ranran]

Just sharing this new tutorial I just made.

Part 1.

Images

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Part 2.

Images

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