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Level 5

Level 5
Oo_Alias_oO
Posts: 10,166
Registered: ‎01-11-2006
Message 14 of 17 (17,656 Views)

Sig Tips & Tricks -Tutorials-

 
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Level 3

Level 3
Odogg21
Posts: 1,316
Registered: ‎16-08-2005
Message 1 of 17 (19,910 Views)

Re: Sig Tips & Tricks

[ Edited ]
To start things off, a sig that took about 5 minutes has very few layers and was quite popular. It's nothing special, but at least it shows how simple it can be.



Original image:







Layer 1

The original image with: Filter > Brush Strokes > Spatter applied with the saturation upped to make it more green and the levels tweaked to harden the contrast.







Layer 2

Duplicate layer 1 with: Filter > Artistic > Paint Daubs applied, desaturated and a Soft Light blending mode.







Layer 3

Vamp with a layer mask to remove the background and the saturation upped.







Layer 4

The original image desaturated and levels tweaked to give more contrast with a Soft Light blending mode.







Layer 5

Duplicate layer 4 with: Filter > Brush Strokes > Spatter with a Soft Light blending mode. A layer mask was added to remove the face area.







Layer 6

I couldn't find the font so I used text from a Roy Campbell :smileywink: desktop picture and tweaked other strokes to make the V. Added a bit of outer glow with noise and a Soft Light blending mode then duplicated it to strengthen it.







Layer 7

Black inner glow with noise.







Place those layers on top of each other and you get...





Cheers Nav/Dev. Be good if you could add stuff aswell :smileyhappy:



Next, experiment with type:



Below are the layers from this sig...







Each layer has a white, pink or purple colour overlay and either a soft light or overlay blending mode and was made using nothing more than the font Trashco from dafont.com.



Message Edited by MojoSwift on 15-05-2008 11:41 AM
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Level 3

Level 3
Odogg21
Posts: 1,316
Registered: ‎16-08-2005
Message 2 of 17 (19,908 Views)

Re: Sig Tips & Tricks

Pixel Stretch/Brushes:

These are the steps I used to make a sig I use on another forum.

Original Image



Layers 1 + 2



The first layer is made by copying a slice from the original image that's 1 pixel wide x 100 pixels high and then duplicated until it covers the full width of the sig, I also used the dodge tool to lighten certain parts. Layer 2 is white diagonal scan lines with 50% opacity and an Overlay blending mode applied.

Layers 3 - 9



The brushes are from deviant art. Top to bottom:
Normal blending mode, 100% opacity, colour - black.
Overlay blending mode, 50% opacity, colour - black.
Overlay blending mode, 100% opacity, colour - black.
Normal blending mode, 100% opacity, colour - black.
Normal blending mode, 100% opacity, colour - black.
Overlay blending mode, 100% opacity, colour - black.
Overlay blending mode, 100% opacity, colour - white.

Layer masks were used to remove certain parts.

Layers 9 - 11



The top layer has a soft light blending mode and 50% opacity. Below that is the original image. Then finally a copy of the original image with Filter > Brush Strokes > Spatter. All have a layer mask to remove the background and any other parts I didn't want.

After that it's just the text: PSL has a gradient colour overlay from dark to light red and Odogg has a layer mask with bits airbrushed out to make it a bit rougher and it's got the same border as the Vamp sig.

Final sig...

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Level 2

Level 2
druggedUK
Posts: 4,519
Registered: ‎30-07-2003
Message 3 of 17 (19,638 Views)

Re: Sig Tips & Tricks

Simple Layering Techniques

These are just a few, easy to do techniques that can really help give that extra edge to you backgrounds or your sigs. They aren't anything amazing, but it's often simple touches that make a great difference.

Blurring

This is easy peasy stuff, but I use it very often. it really brings out the vibrance in the colours and the contrasts.



-I started off with a picture like this.

-Duplicated the layer (CTRL+J) - (I duplicate a lot of layers in sigs, just mess about with the size/colour/effects and then blend them and see what happens.)

-Applied a Gaussian Blur of about 5px.

-And then applied Overlay in the blending options for that layer (I find Overlay or Soft Light work best).

-Et Voila;



Spattering

This is fairly easy too. It helps blend and merge things together.

With this image again...



- Duplicate the layer.

- Increase the size slightly (optional, depending on if you're trying to blend something in, or if you just want to change how it looks. If it's the latter, then you may not want to bother doing this)

- Filter > Brush Strokes > Spatter

- Play around with the values.

- Apply a blending style (Darken, in this case)

- Play around with opacity (60%)

- There you go!



You can see here because of how the edges are slightly faded and less sharply cut than before that this would merge nicely into a background more than before.

:smileyhappy:

If anyone asks about any specific styles, I might be able to give them a go, but I might go through a whole signature tutorial as I find it a bit hard to actually think of what features I commonly use and I think useful.
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Level 2

Level 2
druggedUK
Posts: 4,519
Registered: ‎30-07-2003
Message 4 of 17 (19,636 Views)

Re: Sig Tips & Tricks

WORKING WITH TEXT!!! Okay, this is a bit of a tutorial on using text on a sig - you will have to decide on suitable colours and placement, but this is just how to get fonts looking more interesting. To show you don't need a 'good font' I'll be using Times New Roman in the example. Step 1. To start, you need to make sure you have the 'Character' Pallet up. Go to Window > Character (Tick it). Step 2. Right, here's what i'm starting out with... (Times New Roman, 72pts) It looks OK I suppose, but we want better for our sigs, don't we? :smileywink: Step 3. Right, I'm gonna make it bold, to do this, you can use the drop down list on the Pallet next to the font name. But, not all fonts have this option, so Photoshop has a Faux Bold option, this is a button on the pallet that is a bold T. We've selected both bolds now at this stage. It already looks a tad better, but we are nowhere done yet. Step 4. Next I'm going to make it all capitals. Firstly, Highlight the capital letter at the beggining of the word, and press the 'TT' button on the pallet, for the rest of the letters, highlight them, and select 'TT'. Step 5. Next, i'm going to make the letters wider, and decrease the gap between them to make them look more as one. To increase the width I changed the value in the 'T with a <--> underneath it' box to 110%. To change the size of the gaps between letters, I changed the value in the 'AV with a <--> underneath it' box to '-100'. More in a minute. :smileyvery-happy:
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Level 2

Level 2
druggedUK
Posts: 4,519
Registered: ‎30-07-2003
Message 5 of 17 (19,634 Views)

Re: Sig Tips & Tricks

WORKING WITH TEXT!!! Pt.2

Step 6.

Righty'o. Next, I want to add a it of colour variation. Making a new layer, get the gradient tool and select a black to white gradient, and make sure it's radial (the little box next to it which is a white circle fading out to black). Draw the gradient line from the middle of the writing to the edge.

Right click that layer and click 'Create Clipping Mask', so it only shows in the shape of the word. Next, change it's layer blending style to 'Luminosity' and play around with opacity levels (Mine is at 60%).



Step 7.

Next, i'm going to add a Stroke to it, a Bevel and a drop shadow.

First, double click the layer in an empty space (IE, click the layer on the layer panel, but not the word, the space next to it), alternatively you can right click it and select 'Blending Options.

Then, start with the stroke, just add a simple dark grey 1 pixel stroke to it.

Next, select the bevel, and change a few settings. Make sure you have; 'Inner Bevel', 'Chisel Hard', Depth: 1000%, Direction: Down, Size: 1, Soften: 3. Then in the 'Shading section' change the highlight opacity to 0, and for the shadow part change the colour to a darker version of the text colour (ie. Dark Green), change the Mode to 'Normal' and make sure the opacity is 100% (although you could probably change that a bit. :smileyhappy:

Then onto the drop shadow, use the same colour use just used for the Shadow part of the bevel (or similar) and again, change it to normal. Set the distance to '3' and the size to '5'.



Step 8.

The final part, is to duplicate the layer. Then on the original layer (which is now below it) remove all the effects apart from the stroke, and nudge it a couple of pixels down, and a couple right. Also, you can make the stroke slightly lighter. :smileyhappy:

I also have done the same again, making everything slightly lighter.

START



FINISH




I hope that was helpful, of course, exact values are there to be played around with and experiemented with. :smileywink:

From this, there's a multitude of different font things you could do, this is just a bit of an intro.
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Level 5

Level 5
Oo_Alias_oO
Posts: 10,166
Registered: ‎01-11-2006
Message 6 of 17 (19,632 Views)

Re: Sig Tips & Tricks

Abstract Sig

- The first step is to find a nice colourful image that has colour spread across it.
- For this one I will be taking a very random image:



- Now that thats in the sig, the next step is:
- Filter > Brush Strokes > Splatter > Spray Radius 24 > Smoothness 1
- This will give a nice sprayed on ‘bity’ image.
- Now insert your render into the middle of the sig.
- Dublicate it!



- Now select the smudge tool and then the brush icon.
- Choose brush 46
- Now smudge all of the render around outwards like this and set too Hard light:



- Now this is the stage where I go a little mad... I good C4D Renders.
- I will be using this one:



- Put it above the ‘bity’ layer and mess around with it until it looks cool.
- Now add in some scan lines and smudge them out a bit.
- Now it may be looking a little boring and dull, so get a nice bright image such as the Sun and shove it in the back and put it on overlay or something.



- Now I used some Winter Breezes brushes and put them behind the sig.
- Now add a 3px white border and set it to overlay.
- Now you can fiddle with the render here to make it blend in better, I feathered it so it blends better.



- Now add some text, I inserted Alias in white and set it to soft light, then duplicated it.
- Now you have just got to go random I guess, add some custom shapes in like so:



- That can be the sig done really, depends how you want it. But for the sake of a tut im going to add a gradient map.
- Click on the adjustment layer (new to new layer) icon. Then click on gradient map.
- Now just find a nice coloured gradient and choose it!
- I choose a purple/orange one for mine.
- Then go through the layer option choice and select what looks best with the sig, I choose Hue.
- Hey presto, its done.


Sorry if its vague, its just hard to describe what goes on inside my head.
Hope it gives some insight into what I do XD
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Level 3

Level 3
ratchetnclank
Posts: 20,423
Registered: ‎26-02-2007
Message 7 of 17 (19,756 Views)

Re: Sig Tips & Tricks

heres what we will be making :



First paste your stock onto the the new canvas.


Make a new layer and put some white on with a soft white brush.



Then paste the stock on again (full size) and press ctrl +alt +G to turn into a clipping mask. move around until you get something you like erase some white on the previous layer to remove some image or add some to put more image in.


Create new layer (CTRL + Shift + N)
then go to image >apply image.
Filter>sharpen>sharpen. this give the image more definition


then new layer image >apply image.
Filter blur> gaussian blur. Erase over your focal point or render with a soft brush of 0% hardness. This will give depth to the sig.


Next new layer. Image >apply image. Filter>blur>gaussian blur set to soft light.
This darkens the sig and give the render better quality.




Then new layer image>apply image. Filter> blur> motion blur. find an angle that fits well with your render then use around 50-70 pixel blur.
set this to lighten.erase any you dont like .this give the render an effect as if the are moving.
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Level 3

Level 3
ratchetnclank
Posts: 20,423
Registered: ‎26-02-2007
Message 8 of 17 (19,732 Views)

Re: Sig Tips & Tricks

next new layer. take a soft white brush of 0% hardness of size 160-200. Find a spot where it will be a good source of light on the render, hover the tool over so only half or less is on the canvas and the rest is outside. click once. Now we do gradient maps. click the little ying-yang looking icon below the layer tab. select gradient map. choose the black and white gradient map leave the options as default when the pop-up box appears. then set this layer to multiply and 10-20% opactiy. This give back the darkness that was lost when the motion blur was added. sorry its a bit scrappy compared to the others =\ next choose another gradient map the purpl and orange one, set this to soft light of 40-50% opactiy. next click the ying yang and select photo filter i chose warming and set to around 30%. then click ying yang and choose brightness/contrast and play around to get the right lighting levels. Next add the text, for mine i used a simple font. In blending options i set drop shadow on made it blue, and the distance to 0. Outer glow to a light blue colour. colour overlay to white. next choose the ying yang and choose colour balance. play around with the slider until you get natural colours. now add your border i used the same blending options as on my text. I thought it was a little to light on the right hand side still, so i chose the gradient tool on and chose the raidial option, the one that looks like a ball. I used a dark blue to white gradient set this to colour 27% opacity. There you have it the finished product mainly manipulated by lighting options. This was made for you guys so please dont rip.
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Level 3

Level 3
Odogg21
Posts: 1,316
Registered: ‎16-08-2005
Message 9 of 17 (19,731 Views)

Re: Sig Tips & Tricks

Some great advice Drugged and nice tutorials Alias/ratchetnclank :Thumbs:

Some more from me...

Bevel, emboss and a little gloss:

Original Image



I created this myself in Illustrator but the following steps can be applied to text as well as shapes in Photoshop.

Layer 1



Open the layer style window by clicking the icon at the bottom of the layer palette that is a black circle with an 'f' in the middle. The effects I added were:

Inner Shadow:
Blend Mode - Multiply (black)
Opacity - 40%
Angle - 120 degrees
Distance - 5px
Choke - 0%
Size - 5px

Bevel & Emboss:
Style - Inner Bevel
Technique - Smooth
Depth - 1000%
Direction - Up
Size - 8px
Soften - 0px
The shading options were left at the defaults.

Contour:
Cove - Shallow

Satin:
Blend Mode - Overlay (white)
Opacity - 100%
Angle - 0 degrees
Distance - 5px
Size - 0px
Contour - Gaussian

Gradient Overlay:
Blend Mode - Normal
Opacity - 100%
Gradient - Dark red to light red
Style - Linear
Angle - 90 degrees
Scale - 100%

Layer 2



A duplicate of the original image with the following layer styles to add some extra highlights:

Blending Options: Custom
Fill Opacity - 0%
(everything else left default)

Bevel & Emboss:
Style - Inner Bevel
Technique - Smooth
Depth - 1%
Direction - Down
Size - 0px
Soften - 2px
Use Global Light
Gloss Contour - Cove Deep
Highlight Mode - Screen, White, Opacity 75%
Shadow Mode - Opacity 0%

Contour:
Half Round
Range - 40%

Layer 3



A duplicate of the original image with the following layer styles to add the silver border:

Blending Options: Custom
Fill Opacity - 0%
(everything else left default)

Bevel & Emboss:
Style - Inner Bevel
Technique - Smooth
Depth - 1000%
Direction - Up
Size - 3px
Soften - 0px
Use Global Light
Gloss Contour - Cove Deep
Highlight Mode - Screen, White, Opacity 75%
Shadow Mode - Multiply, Black, Opacity 75%

Contour:
Linear
Range - 50%

Finishing Touches

I then duplicated the above 3 layers and vertically flipped them...



Then added a forum background colour to transparent gradient to fade the flipped layers...



I know all that probably looks complicated but it's really not. Experimenting with the layer style settings can produce some really nice effects in no time.
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