Blue Overlay

This Tutorial shows how you can place a blue overlay on your image with MS Paint.

1. Finish your Sig / Av or whatever Image that you want to use.

2. Upload it your your host (If you do not have a free hsot check out www.photobucket.com )

3. After uploading it go to the URL of the Image and Secelt all by press " Ctrl + A" on your Key board. your Image should now have a blue overcoat on it.

4. Print Screen by pressing " Prt Scrn" above the Insert button on American US English Keyboards.

5. Open Paint up and press " Ctrl + V" to past the Image into paint.

6. Crop the image to as smll as possable then erase the blue around the image, remake the background outside of the image and you are finished.

Creating A Moon

Anyways, this is the end result, I prefer the second myself, though both aren't all that grand, but they are moonish.

How to make the moons;

1: Use the circle tool in a medium light grey and make teh size of moon you want.

2: Fill in with a much paler grey.

3: Using the second choice spray paint and a darker tone of grey selected, shade in one side almost near solid colour and edge the spray around the moon to your liking.

4: With a lighter colour, add a highlighted area of sorts. touch up to your liking and tada!

You could probably use different colours and whatnot.
This is my first tutorial, so don't tell me it bites, I already know that. Just tell me how bad.

Abstraction Avatars

*Takes a sharp breath inward* Here goes my first Tutorial: Needed: Good Knowledge of Paint Tools

1. Click Image > Attributes > and set it to 75 x 75

2. Find a color (I used blue) and using the paint bucket tool fill in the ENTIRE space.

3. Using the Free-Form Select I drew a whole lot of squiggles with out letting go of my mouse. (Do not fill in the entire square with squiggles it’ll look bad!)

4. Then once you think you have enough squiggles let go of your mouse button and move the image around. Then click on Image > Flip/Rotate. Flip/Rotate as much as you want.

5. Open another Paint document. Repeat step 1. Then find the color you used for your first document and pick a lighter shade of the color you used. Repeat step 2. Move it around and then push (on your keyboard) Ctrl + c.

6. Flip back to your first document and push (on your keyboard) Ctrl + v. Set to the second option.

7. Then using your second paint document click File > New. If it asks you if you want to save it click NO.

8. Repeat Step 5. and 6. with an even lighter color. Do this as many times as you wish, just don’t cover the first layer that you put.

9. Zoom in 8x. Now you can be as creative as you want. You may copy the pattern I’ve shown below.

10. Zoom out and examine your new avatar.

Simple Textures

1. Make a new image and make it whatever size you will be making into a texture.

2. Select a color, for this tutorial I will be using green.

3. Select the fill tool, which looks like a paint bucket.

4. Fill the area with your color.

5. Double-click on the color you selected and a color window should pop up.

6. Click "Define Custom Colors >>".

7. On the area that shows an arrow and the color that you have selected, going from black to your color to white, move the arrow up a little bit.

8. Click "Add to Custom Colors".

9. Click "Ok".

10. Use the spray can and move across the area, coloring in areas, filling in more at different areas.

11. Continue steps 5 through 10 until you are satisfied.

12. Copy the area of your texture.

13. Copy and paste several times to create larger scale work.

Finished Texture:

Glass effect using gradients (PSP9)

open up an image 100X100 select a colour for your foreground colour box. I'm using #94288e

For your background colour box select a lighter shade of the same colour. i'm using #c337bb

click on the foreground colour box and select gradient with these settings

and fill the image

create a new layer and select the top half of the image and colour pick directly below the selection

click on the background colour box and chose a much lighter shade and reverse the colour boxes.

then fill the selection.

and adjust the opacity of the layer till it looks right for you. I have it at about 80%.

and that's all there is to it ;D

Signature Backgrounds

Im gonna let you in on a little secret of mine. What little secret? Well, in a few of my sigs i use a 'certain' way to get great looking effects by doing few, and easy steps. I do it using Paint Shop Pro 9. This is being done in PSP 9, but it may be possible to do in other programs, im not sure. (It depends if there is a 'Negative Image' option, or a similar one.)

1. Ok, first off, make a new image. Any size, mine is 300x100pixels (Width by Height)

2. Now, if your canvas is transparent, fill it with either black, or white. This next bit doesnt involve much skill, but you need some brushes. (search deviantart for some if you have none already - I am using some brushes from there that were created by destiny) Now, select your brush tool, and using the colors black and white (#000000 - black and #FFFFFF - white) randomly place brushes on your canvas. It doesnt have to look great or anything, mine doesnt at this point:

3. Now, duplicate that layer, and set the blend mode to 'Difference', now go to Adjust > Color Balance > Negative Image. My result:

And voila, thats it lol. I also added a bit more brushing on a new raster layer, just to give it a little more. But it wasnt much brushing, and i set the blend mode to overlay.

Then i added a new layer (raster) and added a border:

To add color, simply make a new layer below your border layer, and then paste a render into it, now go to blur and use motion blur, and then duplicate your layer a few times moving each layer about, then merge the render layers together and set the blend mode to either Overlay, Hardlight, or Softlight. And voila, color yay!!! Also add text and anything else you want ;)

Starry Sky

This tutorial will help you if you intend to make a realistic night sky.

1. Start with a dark background color. Black, dark blue, whatever. Example

2. Here's the trick. GO to Effects-->Artistic Effects-->Balls and Bubbles. The settings you will need are as follows: Select the "Automatic multiple Balls or bubbles" option. Coverage: 10 (change this depending on how many stars you want) Average size: 0 Size Variation: 50 Balls or Bubbles type: Intersecting It might not look very "starry" yet, but just wait. Click the "surface" tab. Make the settings as follows: Opacity: 0 Shininess: 100 Gloss: 0 Under the Maps tab, just make sure nothing is checked. Under Illumination: Ambience Maximum: 100 (min doesn't matter) Individual Light properties: Make there be only one light, either by adding or removing some. Make the color of that light white and set the hightlight size to 10. Finally, click OK.

YOu should get something like this: Here

If you wish to make a more detailed sky, make several layers of these stars and set the opacity levels differently. You can use this technique to make snow by increasing the highlight size too.

Happy starmaking!

Abstract Signature

This tutorial will teach you how to make an effective abstract signature. Photoshop users: This effect can be reproduced in that program but you need to know what you are doing.

Creating a Sig

Resource: A sig tut for GFX n00bs.
About: A basic sig guide that shows the steps on how to make a signature for PSP XI.

Easy Borders

1. Ok lets start this off by first taking out your image that you want to add a border too. This could be a signature, avatar, or even a box.

2.Next you need to decide what color you want your border to be (personally I think black looks the best since it stands out a lot more). To do this just simply look around your screen till you see the word STYLES underneath this should be 2 boxes connected by a two-headed arrow. Click on the bottom box and change the color to black.

3. Now simply go to the menu bar and go to image -> add borders and put your settings at 1 for everything and check the symmetric box if it is not. 4. This will merge all your layers and add a 1pixel border around the whole image.

-Injection

Inside Borders

heres a EX of an inside border

What you do is create a sig lets say 400 x 100 like this sig then after you make it make another image a little bit smaller if it was 400 x 100 make the new image 395 x 95 or 385 x 85 then add borders to it with with these settings

then sellect the magic wand

then put it directly over the border like this:

then select it so its only highlighting the whole border like:

after you cut it right click on an empty space and past it just to see that u got just the border like this:

after making sure go to your sig go to it and right click and past the new border you made and put it right in the middle like this:

then add a border and there you go!

Jay Z tag Tutorial

Create a stylish signature using an image of Jay Z. Make use of the clipping mask, brushes and the colour balance tool.

Light Beam

1. Start a new image 300x500 Pixels Raster bg 16 million colors Transparent bg

2. Fill the raster/bg with black. Go to the layer properties, and set the blend mode to darken, and the opacity to 80%.

3. Create a new raster, with the blend mode as color. Name it "color" fill it with 88C4FF. [u]All[/u], and I repeat all, layers after this should go under this layer. So at the end, the layer "color" should be at the top.

4. Make a new vector, and name it "beam". Select the Pen tool. Choose line segments as the segments type, anti-alias, width 20, foreground color white. Draw a line straight down the middle. Estimate the length to about the image below Convert the layer to a raster layer. Then go to Adjust>>Blur>>Gaussian Blur. Put the radius to 7.50 Should now lookl like:

5. Create a new raster layer and name it circle. Go to the selection tool, choose a circle, and make a circle at the bottom of the beam, look below to estimate where it should be. Fill the selection with white. Go to Gaussian Blur again, this time with a radius of 15.

6. Create a new raster, and name it "motion". Select the airbrush, using sizes 5-15, hardness 100, step: 1, density: 100, 0 rotation, opacity 100, blend mode normal, rate: 5. Just click dots right next to the beam, don't stop until you have quite a good number of them, all around it, but not by the circle. When done, go to Adjust>>Blur>>Motion blur and enter these settings: Direction: 180 Strength: 50 Then go back to motion blur, with the same direction and 100 strength.

7. Create a new vector, and name it "rings". Go to the shape tool. Choose retain style, create as vector, and anti-alias. Width of 1. Make 3 elipses with more width that height, and be sure to make it look like it could be a circle going around the beam if done properly. You can look at the image below to look for an example of width and height, and location. Convert it to a raster layer. Set white as the foreground color, and black as the bg color. Choose the color replacer tool, and click with the left button of the mouse over all of the elipses. They should turn white. Go to Effects>>3D Effects>>Drop Shadow, and enter these settings: Offset: Horizontal: 0 Vertical: 0 Attributes: Opacity: 100% Blur: 10 Color: White Shadow On New Layer: Unchecked Repeat that again. Then go to Adjust>>Blur>>Blur

Note: Just pretend that gray line on the edge isn't there. I messed up. You can play around with the circle layer, and make it look like something else. I, myself, like making it look like it's hitting something and refracting off, you can see that in the other examples above^^. Also, you can apply different bg's and try that out, though I suggest something dark like. If you have any extra effects that you found pleasing, post the extra steps for others to use please. Also, please post what you get by using this tutorial.

PSP8 Tutorial - Photo to Portrait

First, load up the image you want to use. i'll be using this:

First, load up your image, and make sure you have the window selected. Press CTRL+A, and make sure that you can see the 'Photo' Toolbar. go to enhance photo, and click on 'one step photo fix':

You should get something like this:

Keep using one step photo finish, untill you get the image you want!

My final image:

Scan Lines

Want scan lines like:

or like:

??

all you have to do is make a sig or image and fall this screen shot:

then make it with thease settings:

to make the scan lines like the 1st sig. and

if you want it like the second sig. and if u want it any other way just mess with the settings and there you go!

If you want an render or text to blend in with the scan lines, just click on the layer like:

and do the same go to effexts > texture effects > then blinds and set the same settings you did for the sig and there yeah go!!

Oddness Prevails Signature Tutorial

It more than likely can be done in PS, so if you wanna give it a shot, feel free to, just don't be asking me "how do I do this bit in PS", 'cos I more than likely won't know.

In the tutorial you should learn quite a few new things. Ranging from using effects and resources to get colour onto your signature, to using the pattern material to create a "clipping mask" kind of effect (clipping mask = PhotoShop feature).

A Beginners Guide to Photo Impact

A Beginners Guide to PhotoImpact

Introduction:

OK, I don't know how many people actually use this, but as crappy as is may seem at first, it is pretty good software. It is made by Ulead and has a GIF animator with it (which I need to read my manual on how to access). But we wont bother with that right now.

The whole What It Can Do story isn't far off from the PaintShop Pro series, I think the only differences are that you will have to work twice as hard in PhotoImpact to get results that you would in PaintShop Pro and that the interface and how you use it is completely different.

Me myself, I am not an expert, but I am better than your average Joe.

Contents:
* Setting Up Your Interface To Best Advantage
* Using Text, Paintbrush And The Gallery
* The Do's And Don'ts Of Effects
* Creating A Matching Avatar And Signature
* Conclusion

Setting Up Your Interface To Best Advantage

Right, I assume by now you have started in PhotoImpact 8? :-/ If you haven't then please do, otherwise we will get absolutely nowhere. When you have started it up and it has loaded ect... Click 'File >> New >> New Image'. This should bring up a menu called 'New Image' of course.

Now a lot of people, including myself, when they start will come to make a picture but some of the colours or fill effects out of the gallery ect will not display properly or will not display at all. They have forgotten one of the basic (or didn't know in the first place) rules, it's called 'Colour Setting' or 'Data Type'. That's right, you see the words 'Data Type:' at the top of the menu? There are 5 icons next to it. They all represent colour type, by choosing one of these you are choosing wether you want your color to be in: 'Black & White' 'Black - Grey - White' '16-Bit' '256-Bit' or 'PhotoImpact Full Color'. To use ALL of the features you will need to set this to the last icon, the one with Red Green and Blue on it. Just click the icon to set it.

Next you will come to a section called 'Canvas:'. 'Canvas' is basically your background. If you want to make transparant images, with wierd shapes without that awful white, black or whatever colour you have background, transparant is the one to have. But for now, we are going to make a 'Mess-About-Image'. This is just me telling you what paintbrush to use, what they are for, what colours work right and how they can become important later so we don't need it other than basic white. Just select 'White'.

Next, 'Image Size:' section, for now just select 'Standard' and choose '512 x 482 pixels' for now.

The section labeled 'Resolution:' leave, this is unimportant and has nothing to do with anything important at the moment.

So now, click 'OK', you should have a blank window come up. Click the maximize button, it makes things a bit organized for the point that we are at. Now, do you also see another window/menu called 'Easy Palette - (read only)', if you don't then click 'View >> Toolbars & Panels >> EasyPalette'. There, all set up.

Chapter Conclusion: You have learned the basics of how to setup your image and features and how to set up your basic workspace.

Using Text, Paintbrush And The Gallery

We will now start, well what exactly are you looking at here? Just a blank white thing on your screen on what seems to you now a completely oblivious computer program. LOL, sorry about that, now you will see on the left, a menu, images from your basic arrow/curser to a contrast button with '+' and '-' on either side. NO? You should do becuase it's PhotoImpacts' default setting, that's why I didn't include it in the last chapter. If not then click 'View >> Toolbars & Panels >> Standard Toolbar' also do the same for the 'Attribute Toolbar': 'View >> Toolbars & Panels >> Attribute Toolbar.

Now we are ready to pant our blank space ;D

The first thing you want to do is familiarize yourself with 'Text', you all know what 'Text' is, but I am going to teach you how to use it. From the menu on the left click the big 'T' icon. Move your curser over to the center of your white space, click in the center of you white space and type 'My Image!'. Also you will notice that when you clicked 'T' the 'Text Panel' came up. Now hihlight all of the text, in the 'Text Panel' click the font dropdown list and choose some funky font, preferably 'Comic Sans MS'. Now, I am going to teach you something cool, you will see a coloured (probably black) square next to the align icons, click it. Below all the basic color icons click 'Gradient Fill'. Lets give this text a little more spice than one color eh? When the gradient fill menu pops up click 'Multiple Colors' and click the little colours icon underneath. Yet again another menu will pop up called: 'Palette Ramp Editor', and don' be put off by the fact that it says 'Editor'. At the bottom you will see some thumbnails, choose the blue one at the end, '004' and click 'OK'. That will close that menu and take you back to the Gradient Fill one, click 'OK' there as well. Now, make you font size about 38 big. Click the arrow icon on the left menu and click anywhere on the screen but not on your text. You will see that you text has a cool gradient fill to it, that's basically how to manipulate text.

Now onto using the paintbrush, this is a wierd one to use. Just click the paintbrush icon, click and drag anywhere on the screen for a while, you will create a simple black line. You can change the colour of this, do you see two squares, one overlapping the other? Underneath a mask and a ruler icon? Click them, a menu called 'Ulead Color Picker' should come up, you will have icons at the top, and color icons at the bottom, pick a simple blue. Now drag your mouse on te screen and draw another simple line. Well, this paintbrush is a little boring don't you think? Click the paintbrush icon again but this time click and HOLD until a dropdown menu comes up, you will see other types of paintbrushes, airbrish, marker ect... select the 'Particle' brush. Now draw a line, pretty cool eh? It's like DNA! This is ideal for creating your own trademarks. Have a play about with other brushes and see what you come up with.

Now, onto the gallery! That's the 'Easy Palette' by the way, now we have a 'White' background, we want to change this, but you are going to ask yourself, why didn't we just change it while setting up our workspace? Becuase we are going to use the Gallery to make a funky background instead of a boring color. In the Easy Palette click the '+' sign next to the fill gallery. Choose 'Gradient' and scroll down on the right hand side until you come to 'G18', double click it. UH-OH! Problem, our paint lines have dissapeared! But the text hasn't! Don't panic, this is normal, this is becuase the paint was not a 'Path Object' or even an 'Object', it was just something that you could 'Stick' on the end. So, go through the gallery and mess about with it but leave the 'Effects Gallery' alone for now!

Chapter Conclusion: You have learned how to use text, the brushes, colours and the gallery. Use them wisely!

The Do's And Don'ts Of Effects

OK, by now you should have ended up with something that said 'My Image!', with a wierd background, and a couple of stupid stuff you have just added, meh... it's pretty... plain? How about some effects, lets twist this picture into 'Abstract'. Click 'Effect >> Illumination >> Cool', menu should pop up, the middle thumbnale image preview (defualt) I don't really like, so double click the one in the top left hand corner. The colour has been 'Illuminated', but we aren't going to stop there! Click 'Effects >> Artistic >> Creative Warp'. Choose a creative warp for your background. Something exagerated and funky and then click 'OK'. Wait for it to apply.

The Do's And Don'ts: Never, use th same effect twice on one picture, it looks stupid. Don't use too much effects, it spoils the image. Don't use effects if you are using a background gradient that you might need to keep. DO save your work before using effects. DO use effects if nessesary.

Chapter Conclusion: You have learned how to use effects properly and the Do's And Dont's. Use carefully.