Full Signature Tutorial

[Tap112]

This is my first tutorial (technically the 2nd - I made a really long blending tut. but my browser crashed and I lost it all right before I was about to post it). Anyway, I hope you find it useful. I will try to go over many techniques.

I am going to combine two techniques to make the background: filters and brushing. Using filters a lot usually makes the sig look bad, but when they are applied right it can create a very nice effect.

Making the background with filters
1.Open up a new document. The size I will be using is 430 x 160.
Filter -> render -> clouds. Then filter -> render -> difference clouds a few times until you get something you like. Create a level layer and select auto (Cntrl + L).

2.Duplicate the layer and go to Filter -> artistic -> film grain. Make the settings whatever you want. Something like Grain-3, Highlight area -2, Intensity-3. Set the layer to soft light. Merge the layers (Cntrl + E) and then duplicate (we will be doing a lot of merging and duplicating).

3. Filter -> stylize -> diffuse on the duplicated layer. Set to normal. Set the duplicated layer mode to lighten. Merge and duplicate again.

4. Filter -> blur -> glaussian blur. I recommend setting it between 3.0 to 4.0. Set the layer to lighten. Merge and duplicate.

5. Filter -> blur -> radial blur. Select quality best, zoom, and 100. Set the layer to screen. Change to opacity to 45-55%. Add a color balance layer and just add a very slight tone of the color of your choosing. Merge all the layers and duplicate.

6. Filter -> artistic -> paint daubs. Set it to whatever you like. I set it to brush size 1 with sharpness 15. This will give it a nice sparkle effect. Duplicate this layer and glassian blur it using the settings you used before. Lower the opacity of the blurred layer to 50-60%. Merge all layers.

7. Add color balance layers. Dont add to many; one or two, but like before, don't make it too colorful just yet. Experiment with using clouds and difference clouds on the color balance layers to make it less colorful and to give it a multi-color feel. Duplicate the layer and glaussian blur it at 50% opacity if you want to make it smoother.

I apologize for not providing pictures for any previous steps. Here is what I got:


Brushing
Now, we could have just color balanced the background and added our renders to that, but we are going to go a step further and combine the filters with brushing. We don't want to go overboard and completely cover the background we've created. Use whatever brushes you want.

1. Make a new layer. Brush on some black around the edges. Leave it at normal and 100% opacity. This is what I got:


2. Make a new layer and brush on some white over the black brushing with a different brush. Set the layer to overlay.


3. Make a new layer. Brush on some more white with the same or different brush. Set to overlay and opacity 30%.


You get the idea. You guys are big boys and girls. I don't have to babysit you through this. Keep adding layers of brushing on, alternating between black and white. Set your layers to whatever looks best. I used overlay, soft light, vivid light, or hard light the rest of the way. Play around with the opacities as well. This was my result after I finished brushing:


Adding Color
1.Now we are going to add some color. Add a color balance layer. Choose whatever color you want. Keep in mind the renders you are using and try to match their color. I went with a red theme.

2.Then make another new color balance layer. Set the layer to color and difference cloud it a few times. This is what I got:


Adding in the renders
The most important thing here is image seletion. Select some good quality pics that will look good! These are the pictures that I am going to be working with:

*Using the figure in the right hand side. Extract it and flip horizontal.*

*shrunken version ^*

The first image I will be blending is the second one shown above. We will be making it so that Jack's gun barrel sticks out of the sig. Depending on the browser you are using, you might have seen a white section below the images of our backgrounds above. That was not there originally, since I am taking apart the .psd it showed up. That came from the first step here:

[Step one is optional]
1. Adjust the canvas size to 160 px. so that the extra 20 px appear at the bottom of the background. Now re-size Jack so that he is 160 px in height. Move him onto the background. Use the magic wand tool to erase the white background attached to the render. Now take out the eraser and erase the bottom of his legs so that his body fits inside the sig, but do not erase the gun barrel - leave it so that sticks out. See how now it looks like Jack is standing inside the sig?

2. Now I will move the first render listed into the background. For this image, I will have to use to eraser to get rid of the parts I don't want. Zoom in and erase carefully.

Blending the renders
Do the following for both images.

Simplified version:
1. Set render layer to luminosity.
2. Duplicate layer. Motion blur 0 degrees distance 50. Set layer to overlay.

Complicated (confusing) version:
1. Duplicate the render layer. Add a motion blur of 0 degrees with a distance of 50. Set layer to overlay.

2. Duplicate the orignial render layer and set the layer to overlay with an opacity of 40% and put this layer under the original render layer.

3. Duplicate the layer made in step 1 and set the opacity to 70%. Set this below the other layers.

4. Duplicate again and set to hard light at 100%. Set this below the other layers.

5. Go back to the original render layer and set to luminosity.

6* This step is only specific to these images. Duplicate the original layer again and set to normal. Erase everything but the gun barrel sticking out and the muzzle flash. Go back and erase the muzzle flash on every layer except the one you just made (the one that is just the flash). See picture below you will know what I'm talking about - this will all make sense later.

7. When you're done blending select the area the size of the background with the rectangulare marquee tool and add a color balance layer. Then filter -> clouds the color balance.

This is what we have - looks pretty good - we're almost done:

Now, I followed all the blending steps above for the image on the left, but for the one on the right I changed it up a little. Go by trial and error, try blurring layers - setting them over each other, and so on.

Text
1. Click the text tool and click anywhere one the sig. Select the desired font and size, type in your name, and position text to desired location.

2. To make it look good you can do many things. This is what I did: go to blending options. Select stroke 1 px black outside. Add inner glow, gradient overlay, and bevel & emboss (not more than 4 or 5 px - I suggest 1-3). I also like to just stroke and set the layer to overlay to give it a transparent feel.

Border
There are many styles of borders. I am going to show you one.

1. Zoom in all the way and use the rectangular marquee tool to select the area of our background. Edit -> stroke 3 px white inside.

2. Make a new layer. Edit -> stroke 2 px black inside. Go to blending options and select bevel and emboss. Inner bevel smooth 5 px.

3. Zoom in to the area where the gun barrel is sticking out and carefully erase the border that is covering part of the barrel.

Extra's
Make a new layer and move it under the renders. Set it to overlay. Now, if you want to add any tech brush stokes or other design brush strokes do it now...before its too late.

Make sure to save as a .png so that the area below will be transparent.

Here's the final product:

Yay! We're done! Not HAHA. We're going to Image Ready WOOOOO!!

Animation
Open the sig in Image Ready.

1. Remeber step *6? We did that for this. Click the little eye over the layer that is just the muzzle flash. So now we should see the whole sig except for the muzzle flash.

2. Duplicate the frame. In the duplicate frame click the eye again so that you can see the flash. So there should be no flash in the first, but it should be there in the second.

3. Click tween. Select tween with first frame. Frames to add: 1. Deselect position. Move the 2nd frame to the end so that it becomes the third frame.

4. Now you have 3 frames. Copy the first frame and move it forward past all the others so that it is the last frame. Copy the second frame and move it so that it is now the last frame. Copy the third frame and move it so that it is the last frame. See what we just did? We just basically duplicated the series of 3 frames. Now we have 6 frames, repeating the blast twice.

5. Repeat. Now you have 3 gun blasts.

6. Duplicate frame one and move it to the end of the sequence. Now duplicate it several times. This will determine how long a pause in between blasts there is.

7. Save as optimized.

And this is the final result:


[You migh see shit here^around muzzle or under the whole sig depending on browser. If that's the case just go back and and fill that area with the color of the background that you will be using the sig on - grey if it's GF, black if it's DT for example.]

A tutorial by Tap112. Copy the method but pass this sig off as your own and I will kill you.

[Myth]

Eh, I might advise against more than one render.

Also look into more brushes.

[Tap112]

This is a tutorial. The purpose was to display as many different methods as I could in one work. I am a brushing fan myself, but there is not much one can say about brushing exept "pick this brush, brush over the sig, make a new layer, repeat" etc. If you would like to critisize my work I encourage you to post in my showcase.

[Phoenix_22]

Nice tutorial, very concise.

[3NIGMA]

Thank you, I finally know the proper way to color change. You have tought me much sensai, maybe someday, I will be as great as you.

[Tap112]

Originally Posted by 3NIGMA

Thank you, I finally know the proper way to color change. You have tought me much sensai, maybe someday, I will be as great as you.

Hahaha. Your time will come young grasshopper. The way I got to where I am at now is by just doing all the good tutorials I could find (<selfpraise> like this one </selfpraise). Eventually, I got to the point where I could remember all the techniques and now I don't need to use the tutorials anymore. I still look up tutorials for new effects and stuff. If you followed this tut, please post your work .

[Waylander_tt]

wow this is good thanks *adds to favorites*