got it bad || ♥ || {and that ain't good}

Icon Tutorial: Bright Colors w/o Using Curves

Mon, 02 Jan 2006 12:40:15 GMT

We'll be making these:

This seems to be a common problem for people using programmes that do not have curves. I'm using PSP8 and I know it doesn't have curves, apart from for brightness/contrast and those just confuse the hell outta me anyway. So, I came up with this very simple tutorial which should hopefully help you.

We'll be starting with this picture of Kate from Lost(which I literally just cropped and that's all):

PART 1: Yellow Effect 1
I don't perticularly like this one, but I'm going to show you anyway:

TO GET:

PART 2: Pink/Blue Effect
This is my favorite. It makes skin pinker and the overall icon blue:

TO GET:

PART 3: Yellow Effect 2 (Lighter)
This one is a little less 'in-your-face' compared to the first one:

TO GET:

PART 4: Green Effect
Using practically the same colors but differently:

TO GET:

As you can see, it's just a case of experimenting with colors and opacities to see what you can get.

Also, you may want to sharpen the screened base layers.. in some of these I probably did but forgot to mention ;) And don't always follow the number of screened layers exactly... you're base may be lighter or darker so you should experiment with that too.

Hopefully this has helped.

Icon Tutorial: Stacy Dupree

Fri, 23 Dec 2005 19:50:07 GMT

We'll be making this:

I did this in PSP, but it can be translated

1.) Crop and resize your picture to 100x100. Go to adjust>color balance>color balance... (sorry I don't know how to do this in PS). Set it to:

-69, 42, -26

Then click edit>repeat

You'll have something like this:

2.) Duplicate this layer so you have the picture twice. Move the second one (the one on top) so that only the right edge is showing and it is covering the left of the first picture. In my case, it is covering half of Stacey's face. Merge layers.

You'll have something like this:

3.) Take this light texture by the amazing dearest and paste it on. Set the layer to screen and move it around to where you want it. Do the same for the other one, making sure the white part covers part of the icon but not too much:

and

Duplicate the base and put it to the top. Set this on soft light, 100%. Merge all layers.

You'll have something like this:

4.) For text, I started with PlumBAE (available from DaFont.com) set on size 26, color white and kerning on normal. Type a random word. (I typed the word 'color' but it doesn't really matter 'cause I had no intentions of the whole word being shown.)

Next I wrote 'STACY' in Georgia, size 6, kerning 1000 and again in white. Position this appropriately and before merging the layers, go to effects>3D effects>drop shadow. Take a random color from your icon (preferably dark) and set both offsets (vertical and horizontal) to 2, opacity 96, blur 3.00. Click okay and merge layers.

You're done!:

(Stacy Dupree pic from Orange Gold & Green)

Melissa George Layout

Sun, 09 Oct 2005 20:47:51 GMT

Style: Generator
Website: Required
Best view: all *shrug*
Custom Colors: All Text = #D75367 Everything Else = #FFFFFF [needed]
Credit: gotitbad or shadowsms in your user info please.

Preview: here

Additional Info: Not a lot to say. This is my first ever layout that I'm sharing, though it was originally made for use on my LJ (hence the lyrics from In The Shadows, though you're welcome to change those), but then I chose to use my Play one instead... anywho, that's all.

OVERRIDES

GLOBAL_HEAD<=
<style type="text/css">

</style>
<=GLOBAL_HEAD

LASTN_WEBSITE<=
<style type="text/css">
table table table table .meta {visibility: hidden}
table table table table table .meta {visibility: visible}
</style>
<blockquote><center><b><a href="http://livejournal.com/users/YOURUSERNAME">feel</a></b> me <b><a href="http://livejournal.com/users/YOURUSERNAME/friends">touch</a></b> me <b><a href="http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=YOURUSERNAME&mode=full">heal</a></b> me, come take me <b><a href="HTTP://YOURWEBSITEHERE.COM" target="_blank">higher</a></b></center>
</blockquote>
<style type="text/css">

</style>
<caption><br></caption>
<=LASTN_WEBSITE

LASTN_TALK_READLINK=><a href="%%urlread%%"><b>%%messagecount%%</b></a>

LASTN_HEAD=><title>YOUR TITLE HERE</title>

LASTN_TALK_LINKS<=
<tr> 
<td align="right" colspan="2" width="95%"
bgcolor="%%color:weak_back%%" class="comments">
%%readlink%%<a href="%%urlpost%%">+</a> 
</td> 
</tr> 
<=LASTN_TALK_LINKS

Feel free to change any of the custom things if you don't like them, the lyrics as navigation for example, and the comment links. Where it says YOUR S0METHING HERE, that's all you have to change :) Oh and if you hate the header, or like the layout but not Melissa or whatever, feel free to use your own header, but please still credit me for the coding!

Wed, 05 Oct 2005 20:31:01 GMT

1 Lena Katina LJ Header (or whatever you wanna use it for)

Feel free to use it, but credit pleeease!! Images from Taty.co.uk and brushes by dearest

Icon Tutorial: Allison Cameron (again)

Mon, 05 Sep 2005 19:20:59 GMT

We'll be making this:

I did this in PSP, but it can be translated

1.) Crop and resize your picture to 100x100. I won't go into a full tutorial on cropping, there are plenty already, but be original, don't just crop it so your person is in the middle. In this case, I wanted a space next to Cameron, and her on the right.

Next, duplicate the layer and set it to screen, 100%. Desaturate (ctrl+h). Merge layers

You'll have something like this:

2.) New layer. Fill with #0B2F3B and set to exclusion, 100% (I <3 Exclusion Layers). Duplicate your base and drag it on top of all layers. Set it to soft light,100%. Merge all layers.

You'll have something like this:

3.) On a new layer, use this brush in white. (Dunno who it's by, sorry) and mirror it. Set the layer to soft light, 100%.

Paste this texture by TBE onto your icon and set it to softlight, 66%. Go to Adjust>Hue & Saturation>Colorise and set it at hue 255 and saturation 53. (make sure you selected the texture's layer because that's the only one you want colorised).

Duplicate the base and drag it to the top set at soft light, 100%. Merge All.

You'll have this:

4.) Duplicate your icon and set the top layer to screen, 46%. Desaturate (ctrl+h). Merge all. Get the soften brush and carefully go over any parts around the icon that you think need softening. I have my softening brush at size 9, 40% oppacity. DON'T soften the main focus of your icon (in other words I didn't soften Cameron) unless it REALLY needs it (I didn't).

Paste on this texture by dearest (who rocks) and set it to screen, 100%.

5. Add text (mine's in georgia, size 2) and a little brush if you like (I took my fave cross brush by dearest which yeah... I use too much lol). And you're done!

I <3 Comments :)

2 Brush Sets: Random Initials & Nickel Creek

Fri, 26 Aug 2005 18:26:46 GMT

DOWNLOAD IMAGE PACK

DOWNLOAD IMAGE PACK

EXAMPLES OF USE:

OTHER INFO:

[x] Brushset 2 was originally meant to be for a Without A Trace iconset (hence JM, MS and SS) but hey that never happened so I used them for House and some other stuff instead ;)

[x] Brushset 3 uses lyrics from Nickel Creek's "Reasons Why" because I wanted to use them for a bunch of House/Cameron icons. These brushes would never have happened if it wasn't for violette_b, so hugio thanks to her :)

[x] Credit if you use either, and comments are appreciated!

Icon Tutorial: Allison Cameron

Fri, 26 Aug 2005 16:48:19 GMT

We'll be making this: from this.

This was made in PSP 8 but I'm sure it can be translated :)

1. Crop and resize the picture to 100x100. Duplicate the layer, desaturate (ctrl+h) and set the layer to screen. Merge layers. Sharpen.

Duplicate the layer again and desaturate again. Set to screen. You should have something like this:

It's too pale now, but it will get fixed ;)

2. Paste this gradient onto your image. Set it to burn at 66%.

Make a new layer. Set it to exclusion and fill it with #0B3547. Duplicate and set the top layer to soft light, 70%.

Make a new layer. Set it to burn and fill it with #D0C4AA set to 62%. Merge all layers.

You should have this:

3. Paste this gradient by __rockmonkey__ and set it to multiply, 62%

Duplicate the base layer (in this case Cameron) and drag it to the top. Set to soft light, 100%. You should have this:

4. Paste this texture by dearest and mirror it. Set it to soft light 100% and erase any parts covering Cameron.

Use random brushes on a new layer (I don't know which ones I used, I just went mad lol) set to normal at 26%. Again, erase anything covering Cameron. You should have this:

(^ this isn't actually what I got, I kinda forgot to save this stage so I had to quickly redo it so it's not exactly the same)

5. Type some stuff (anything literally) at size 1, Georgia, white and position it where you like. Then take a random cross brush (I used one by dearest because, well, she rules) and, in white, position it next to the teeny text.

Merge everything and you're done!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask, and comments on the tutorial are appreciated :) I'd love to see what you come up with!

Wallpaper: 2 House M.D

Wed, 03 Aug 2005 14:10:55 GMT

2 House M.D Wallpapers (Cameron & House)

Feel free to use them, but don't put them on your sites or crop them into icons, ok? Huge thankies to dryope of house_daily for the season 2 promo pics, and House Caps for the... well... House caps lol.

Another Brushset coming soon... or another 3 lol

Wallpaper: 1 House & Tutorial

Mon, 25 Jul 2005 16:03:46 GMT

Alrighty, I bring you my first ever wallpaper tutorial! This is a very simple wallpaper, because well my tutorial skills pretty much suck so I didn't want to try anything too hard.

Okay, today kids we're going to be making this:

Before we start, a few details you may need to know:

1.) Tutorial was made for PSP 8 so I don't have a clue whether it will work on other programs
2.) This is aimed to help you, not help you make exact copies of my work. For this reason I will not be actually giving you the brushes I use, but I will credit where credit is needed.
3.) This wallpaper is for adding effects not blending so if you don't know how to blend, look for another tutorial first.
4.) Pictures used in wallpaper from house_daily

1.) Open up the blended wallpaper (duh) and also open a blank 3x3 pixel image with a transparent background. You may want to minimize the wallpaper for a moment to work with the other one.

2.) On the 3x3, grab the 1 pixel brush and, set at 100% oppacity, draw 3 dots diagonally down the teeny image (zoom in first of course) in a dark blue. I chose #0B2839 but this changes everytime. Here's what I got:

3.) Minimize this and maximize the wallpaper again. Create a new layer and set it to difference. On the materials pannel, click on the color square and go across to pattern. Magically, anything open at the time is now a pattern there, so select the 3 dotts one (it should now look like a bunch of lines) and make sure the angle is set to 0%. Click ok and floodfill the difference layer on your wallpaper with the pattern. You may want to change the opacity of the layer depending on the image you chose. Merge all layers

4.) Before this, I have usually chosen a theme. This one I have gone for a sort of magic and cute theme, and my brushes reflect this. I chose my favourite sparkly one (I don't know who made it, but if you recognise it, tell me so I can download more, it rocks! Oh and of course credit...) and created a new layer set to dodge. I played around with the brush opacity and rotated it until I had a layer I was happy with. Don't go overboard with the brushes.

I did the same with a couple of other brushes, a butterfly and some text brushes (again... I don't know who they are by so please enlighten me!).

5.) I was happy with it, but it still looked a little to dull. I created a new layer at softlight and then filled it with this gradient:

Much better!

6.) Next I added text. In blippo light SF, size 48, white, I wrote 'jessifer' (Jesse Spencer & Jennifer Morrison) and put a 2 pixel black stroke around it. I have to admit, I don't like this bit it didn't go quite right, but if you play around with it you should be able to get it how you want.

Next, under this, in blippo light SF, size 10 , white, I put the lyrics to the first verse of 'Do You Believe In Magic' (by Aly & A.J.... dunno who sang the original lol) to fit in with my theme. This time I did not put a stroke around it, but instead went to effects> drop shadow and played around with it until it was how I liked it.

7.) After merging it all, I duplicated the layer and set it to overlay. Jennifer's face in the bottom picture was too light though, so I changed the saturation (ctrl + h) to -40. Merge it all, and hooray, you've made wallpaper!

Any questions, feel free to post away!

Brush Pack: Wacked Up Boxes

Sun, 24 Jul 2005 22:01:22 GMT

Download Image Pack

Examples Of Use:

O u t s i d e R e s o u r c e L i s t

Sat, 23 Jul 2005 17:18:46 GMT

.Resources.

Here I take a moment to credit all those people who's resources have inspired me in the past. I wish to point out that I will be making a seperate list for my own resources and that is why they are not included, and also if you see something of yours which I have used, please feel free to tell me and I will add you.

.Brushes.

dearest
inxsomniax
100x100_brushes
_joni

.Textures.

dearest
inxsomniax
icon_textures
myrasis

.Pictures/Screencaps.

house_daily
cap_it
Getty Images
Sweet Embrace
House Screencaps

More coming soon.