Cadaver - Icon Tutorials

Program: Photoshop CS3
Number of steps: A = 8, B = 6
Difficulty: Easy
PSD: Yes

I use Photoshop CS3 and I thank cath from caths_arts for her German-English PS translation list.

Oh dear, I wrote this tutorial months ago but never published it. Here we go:

A few days ago I found shalowater’s LJ and the beautiful textures she created. I hadn’t done any more dimensional icons for a while but all the lovely textures inspired me to look through my L&O: CI – Cadaver caps. I found two wonderful pictures of Alex and made two new icons.


A)



Step 1:
Take your cap, crop the part you want to include in the icon and do everything else like sharpening or lightening. [In the most cases I add a new fill layer in white and set it to soft light. Then I duplicate the base and set it in soft light on top. Merge all three layers together and sharpen it.]



Step 2:
Open texture1 and set it to Hard Light - opacity 100%. I like the darkening of the frame and corners but didn’t want to change Alex too much. Take the eraser tool to reduce the texture over Alex’s face.



Step 3:
Take texture2 and add it to your icon. Set it to Pin Light - opacity 100%. Again erase the texture over Alex’s face.



Step 4:
Like I told you, I found a lot of wonderful textures and wanted to use them all. Take texture3 and set it to Linear Dodge - opacity 100%. Erase the dots which bug your icon subject.



Step 5:
Add this violet changing texture4 and set it to Color - opacity 100%. I really like the cap coloration (love the green) but with the monochromation the icon and Alex’s expression get more powerful.



Step 6:
Put one more texture5 to your icon and set it to Screen - opacity 50%. Again erase the area over Alex’s head.



Step 7:
To give the icon a bit more contrast: new layer --> New Adjustment Layer --> Brightness/Contrast: Contrast: +30

Step 8:
To finish the icon duplicate the base and add it at top of your layer stack. Set your icon to Soft Light - opacity 40% and also go to Filter --> Blur --> Gaussian Blur: 2,0.



PSD A

B)



Step 1:
Take your cap, crop the part you want to include in the icon and do everything else like sharpening or lightening. [In the most cases I add a new fill layer in white and set it to soft light. Then I duplicate the base and set it in soft light on top. Merge all three layers together and sharpen it.]



Step 2:
I really like icons with not plain edges. Open texture6 and blow it to width: 211, high: 222. Set it to Hard Light - opacity 100% and moving over your icon subject until you like the result.



Step 3:
Take texture7 and add it to your icon. Set it to Screen - opacity 100%. I didn’t want Alex’s face covered with the text, so move it a bit to the left side.



Step 4:
Open texture8 and set it to Pin Light - opacity 100%. Not to disturb the balance of the text move also the cross a bit to the left side until it centers the text. Use the Smudge tool and extend the right line of the cross to the end of your icon.



Step 5:
Open texture9 and change the dimensions to width: 123, high: 122. Set it to Overlay- opacity 100%. Move the texture over the icon that the face is in the circle plus the ring follows the curve of Alex’s hair.

Step 6:
To finish the icon duplicate the base and add it at top of your layer stack. Set your icon to Soft Light - opacity 50%.



PSD B

Have Fun and Good Luck! I would love to see your results. Please credit havers when using my tutorials.

Scared Crazy - Icon Tutorial

Yeah, we'll get (maybe, cross my fingers and hope the best) at May 1st the kick-off of Criminal Intent season 10. I can't wait to see the promo pictures and hear about the filming. I saw the two posts at VINNIE VIDI VICI and TheReel. I only need the official certification to add it in my Kathryn 2011 list ;o)

For the waiting time, here my second tutorial.

I use Photoshop CS3 and I thank cath from caths_arts for her translation list.

For a challenge I made this Criminal Intent icon of Bobby and Alex – Scared Crazy. Thanks for second place.

Step One:

Take your cap, crop the part you want to include in the icon and do everything else like sharpening or lightening. [In the most cases I add a new fill layer in white and set it to soft light. Then I duplicate the base and set it in soft light on top. Merge all three layers together and sharpen it.]



Step Two:

Brightness/Contrast: new layer --> New Adjustment Layer --> Brightness/Contrast: Brightness +20

Step Three:

Hue/Saturation: new layer --> New Adjustment Layer --> Hue/Saturation: Saturation +30



These two steps are optional and you should modify the settings according to your icon. I don’t play often with the Hue/Saturation adjustment but this time I liked the little more golden touch I could create at the light parts (coats, hair) of my icon.

Step Four:

To let Bobby and Alex glow a little bit, add a new layer and set it to soft light. Take a small soft brush (size 12) in white. Draw the outline of both and also add white at the light parts of your icon. To reduce the effect a little take the eraser tool (opacity 30%, size 60).



Step Five:

Open this texture by meathiel and set it to lighten. I really like the shiny yellow at the left down corner, but a few dots are too strong for my taste. I used again the eraser tool (opacity 30%, size 60) and dapped over the big dots.



Step Six:

Duplicate your base layer and desaturate it. Set the layer to soft light and opacity 50%. Move it on top of your layer stack.



Step Seven:

Last point: Move the layer of step four (the white outline glow) on top of your stack. Ready!



Good Luck and I would love to see your results. Please credit when using my tutorials.

P.S. I found the souce of my first tutorial, the Maggie banner. Here one cinema.

Maggie - Tutorial

Go from this…

…to this:

This is my first tutorial. I hope you get what I want to show you. I use Photoshop CS3.
I thank cath from caths_arts for her translation list. I have to use it every time when working with tutorials.

I found this amazing Stir of Echoes Cap a couple of days before. It showed Kathryn Erbe as Maggie Witzky.

01. Open the picture with photoshop.



02. The picture is 800 x 534. Because Maggie’s face/hair line looked a little grainy, I resized to 600 x 401.

03. I also didn’t like the grainy green/yellow background. I took the blur tool in a big size and ran over all the places which bothered me.



04. To lighten the whole picture a little bit: new layer --> New Adjustment Layer --> Brightness/Contrast: Brightness +20

05. Maggie’s mouth caught me from the first moment. To highlight that area even more, I added a new layer and set it to soft light. Took a soft brush (size 12) and a dark red (6d000a). Over-draw the mouth area. Because even on soft light the red was too much, I took the eraser tool, opacity 50% and in the size (60) of the whole mouth. Push it ONE time on the layer.



06. I took these three textures Wallflower 2, Wallflower 4 and Grungy Flowers 4 of aethereality.net for the background. Move them where you like them. I think I resized one of the three, too. Set all three textures to Color Burn 100%.

07. Took the eraser tool and remove the structures over Maggie’s face and hair.

08. To make the little flower in the right corner a little bit more interesting, click again on the mouth layer, took a small brush, the same red or another and set another color focus.



09. I took this grunge flower texture of tiger_tyger and place it in the left down corner and set it to soft light. I erased the most of texture, blurred the edges and only let the flower complete my banner.



10. Took this icon texture of tiger_tyger and blow it to 600 x 401 before you set it with soft light on top of your layers.

11. Use the eraser tool in a big size and remove the last texture over Maggie’s face and whole body.



12. To sharpen Maggie’s face a little, I used the lasso tool, encircled the region and sharpened it (filter --> Sharpen --> Unsharp Mask: 50%; 1,0; 0 ).

13. Last step: the text. The font is called, Bickham Script Pro. I moved the font layer under the texture layers and added Layer Stile --> inner glow --> fee0b0 opacity 75%.


Good Luck and I would love to see your results. Please give credit when using.