Post by Sunjo on Jan 27, 2007 6:12:00 GMT
I got a idea to make this, and hopefully it will help you in at least one area of designing. Didn't know what else to name this topic besides maybe Photoshop Tutorial.. which is not really what this is.
:: Map of Thread ::
Hit ctrl+F in your browser and type in any of the names above to go right to that section.
.:: 1. Making a proper new document
Maybe you're wondering how to start making a sig, or how do get the size right?
I will show you in this part of the tutorial.
First go to "File>New..." In Photoshop and a window will pop up.
Here is a image of what you should and shouldn't have:
Once you have all the settings right, it will save them so you won't have to change them again. Just pick a size and click "OK".
.:: 2. Adding a Simple border
Don't know how to add a border yet without manually pixeling one?
Well I am about to show you how.
Once you've finished your sig it's best you add a border then, but you can always add one ahead of time and leave that layer on the top. (I will explain layers later)
When you've made your filesize/finished your sig select the Rectangular Marquee Tool Now, hit Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select the entire image. Then right click and select "Stroke..." and use these options:
And that's it!
.:: 3. Saving/Loading Brushes
Click here to go to the tutorial for Saving/Loading Brushes (images too big to post here)
Yes, I made that tutorial also. But it's best if I host it on a full screen webpage.
.:: 4. Saving/Adding fonts
There are many places to download fonts. But I think dafont.com is best. When you find a font you like download it to your desktop.
Once it's done use a program like WinZIP to unzip the files. Then click on your Start menu and go to "Run..." type in "fonts" and hit "OK".
Drag and drop your .ttf files from the folder you extracted to the "fonts" folder you just opened.
You can now use the fonts in Photoshop, that you just dragged and dropped.
.:: 5. Adding Text
To add text your firstly select the Text tool
Now drag from the top left of where you want the text, to the bottom right of where you think the text will stop. Example:
.:: 6. Depth
Depth is very important in sigs, if there is no depth your image is obviously flat-looking. But sometimes, not having depth is better than having depth.
1. First way to give the illusion of depth is to go to Image>Adjustments>Brightness/Contrast and add contrast/brightness to the image. This can help, but sometimes hurt. Use your best judgement when adjusting the brightness/contrast, don't just add brightness/contrast for all your sigs just because it can help the depth, because sometimes it can ruin the lighting.
2. Second way is blurring, blur darker parts of your sigs, and keep the lighter areas sharp. This creates the illusion of depth, and if used right can help the lighting alot.
3. Third and last way of giving depth to a sig is to add saturation to the background layers. Hit Ctrl + U in photoshop and move the saturation slider to the left until it is at about -10 or -20. The reason why this works is because the viewers eye is more attracted to the brighter foreground. This creates the sense of depth.
.:: 7. Lighting
Click here to go to my simple lighting tutorial.
But is this all there is to it, one lighting layer and you're done? Of course not. If you want to create good depth and lighting at the same time, darken the areas that are far away from the light source. Or darken the areas that you want to give depth to. And since adding depth includes blurring darker areas, you'll create depth AND good lighting.
Bad lighting (lens flare):
Why is this bad? Because it's too bright, and centered on one area rather than effecting the entire sig.
Good lighting:
Lens Flares are also a good way to give good lighting effects, but it is extremely hard to make lens flares look good. I personally have only pulled of a good lens flare in a sig once. Other times it was just better to use manual lighting effects. Lighting can be very complicated, and takes a while to get good at. Lighting in my opinion is the most important in a sig.
.:: 8. Blending
Blending your stocks into the background is a must, you can't just add a stock and hope it blends itself. There are many ways to blend sigs.
1. Reducing opacity of the stock and using a single color. This will blend the stock with the background, but it will reduce you to one color. Which is not good, you need variety of colors to make a good sig.
2. Brushing/Adding C4Ds over the stock. This is probably the best way to blend your stocks into the background/foreground. Just don't cover your images up too much, or you're just cluttering up the sig.
Examples of this style:
these sigs were given to me to use as examples
3. Erasing edges
You can make a outline of your stock with the lasso tool and feather it to about 10 pixels. Then erase at about 40% opacity. What this does is erase the edges of your stock partially to make them blend perfectly with the bg (on the edges at least) This is a more advanced way to blend, but is not as good as #2.
These are the main ways of blending stocks into the background. There are many more, but for now I will only mention those three.
.:: 9. Saving for Web
Time for more pictures! =P
Now that you're done with your sig you might want to 'current' it (add it to your signature). If so it must be below 30kb. To achieve this easily with no noticable quality reduction. Go to File>Save for Web
Click here to see all the specifics.
You can also hit the triangle button next to the "[Unnamed]" text and select "Optimize to File Size..." type in your desired file size and it will get as close as it can get to it. After you've made the size <30kb you can save it on your desktop.
.:: 10. Hosting
There are many image hosts, but I prefer tinypic.com. You can use imageshack.us if you want, but it's slower and sometimes reduces the quality after upload.
When you've decided click "browse..." then select your image (which will be on your desktop). And click "Upload". You've now hosted a image. :^_^:
.:: 11. Finishing
Well I've told you pretty much every important thing there is to do far as making a all around good sig. I hope you've learned at least a little.
If you have any suggestions for this thread, or need help feel free to PM me.
Thanks for reading!
-~Sunjo
-----
If you enjoyed this tutorial - Please register, it only takes a minute. (maybe less) =P
:: Map of Thread ::
- 1. Making a new file
- 2. Adding a simple Border
- 3. Saving/Loading Brushes
- 4. Saving/Adding fonts
- 5. Adding Text
- 6. Depth
- 7. Lighting
- 8. Blending
- 9. Saving for Web
- 10. Hosting
- 11. Finishing
Hit ctrl+F in your browser and type in any of the names above to go right to that section.
.:: 1. Making a proper new document
Maybe you're wondering how to start making a sig, or how do get the size right?
I will show you in this part of the tutorial.
First go to "File>New..." In Photoshop and a window will pop up.
Here is a image of what you should and shouldn't have:
Once you have all the settings right, it will save them so you won't have to change them again. Just pick a size and click "OK".
.:: 2. Adding a Simple border
Don't know how to add a border yet without manually pixeling one?
Well I am about to show you how.
Once you've finished your sig it's best you add a border then, but you can always add one ahead of time and leave that layer on the top. (I will explain layers later)
When you've made your filesize/finished your sig select the Rectangular Marquee Tool Now, hit Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select the entire image. Then right click and select "Stroke..." and use these options:
And that's it!
.:: 3. Saving/Loading Brushes
Click here to go to the tutorial for Saving/Loading Brushes (images too big to post here)
Yes, I made that tutorial also. But it's best if I host it on a full screen webpage.
.:: 4. Saving/Adding fonts
There are many places to download fonts. But I think dafont.com is best. When you find a font you like download it to your desktop.
Once it's done use a program like WinZIP to unzip the files. Then click on your Start menu and go to "Run..." type in "fonts" and hit "OK".
Drag and drop your .ttf files from the folder you extracted to the "fonts" folder you just opened.
You can now use the fonts in Photoshop, that you just dragged and dropped.
.:: 5. Adding Text
To add text your firstly select the Text tool
Now drag from the top left of where you want the text, to the bottom right of where you think the text will stop. Example:
.:: 6. Depth
Depth is very important in sigs, if there is no depth your image is obviously flat-looking. But sometimes, not having depth is better than having depth.
1. First way to give the illusion of depth is to go to Image>Adjustments>Brightness/Contrast and add contrast/brightness to the image. This can help, but sometimes hurt. Use your best judgement when adjusting the brightness/contrast, don't just add brightness/contrast for all your sigs just because it can help the depth, because sometimes it can ruin the lighting.
2. Second way is blurring, blur darker parts of your sigs, and keep the lighter areas sharp. This creates the illusion of depth, and if used right can help the lighting alot.
3. Third and last way of giving depth to a sig is to add saturation to the background layers. Hit Ctrl + U in photoshop and move the saturation slider to the left until it is at about -10 or -20. The reason why this works is because the viewers eye is more attracted to the brighter foreground. This creates the sense of depth.
.:: 7. Lighting
Click here to go to my simple lighting tutorial.
But is this all there is to it, one lighting layer and you're done? Of course not. If you want to create good depth and lighting at the same time, darken the areas that are far away from the light source. Or darken the areas that you want to give depth to. And since adding depth includes blurring darker areas, you'll create depth AND good lighting.
Bad lighting (lens flare):
Why is this bad? Because it's too bright, and centered on one area rather than effecting the entire sig.
Good lighting:
Lens Flares are also a good way to give good lighting effects, but it is extremely hard to make lens flares look good. I personally have only pulled of a good lens flare in a sig once. Other times it was just better to use manual lighting effects. Lighting can be very complicated, and takes a while to get good at. Lighting in my opinion is the most important in a sig.
.:: 8. Blending
Blending your stocks into the background is a must, you can't just add a stock and hope it blends itself. There are many ways to blend sigs.
1. Reducing opacity of the stock and using a single color. This will blend the stock with the background, but it will reduce you to one color. Which is not good, you need variety of colors to make a good sig.
2. Brushing/Adding C4Ds over the stock. This is probably the best way to blend your stocks into the background/foreground. Just don't cover your images up too much, or you're just cluttering up the sig.
Examples of this style:
these sigs were given to me to use as examples
3. Erasing edges
You can make a outline of your stock with the lasso tool and feather it to about 10 pixels. Then erase at about 40% opacity. What this does is erase the edges of your stock partially to make them blend perfectly with the bg (on the edges at least) This is a more advanced way to blend, but is not as good as #2.
These are the main ways of blending stocks into the background. There are many more, but for now I will only mention those three.
.:: 9. Saving for Web
Time for more pictures! =P
Now that you're done with your sig you might want to 'current' it (add it to your signature). If so it must be below 30kb. To achieve this easily with no noticable quality reduction. Go to File>Save for Web
Click here to see all the specifics.
You can also hit the triangle button next to the "[Unnamed]" text and select "Optimize to File Size..." type in your desired file size and it will get as close as it can get to it. After you've made the size <30kb you can save it on your desktop.
.:: 10. Hosting
There are many image hosts, but I prefer tinypic.com. You can use imageshack.us if you want, but it's slower and sometimes reduces the quality after upload.
When you've decided click "browse..." then select your image (which will be on your desktop). And click "Upload". You've now hosted a image. :^_^:
.:: 11. Finishing
Well I've told you pretty much every important thing there is to do far as making a all around good sig. I hope you've learned at least a little.
If you have any suggestions for this thread, or need help feel free to PM me.
Thanks for reading!
-~Sunjo
-----
If you enjoyed this tutorial - Please register, it only takes a minute. (maybe less) =P