It's a three-in-one tutorial post! I had intended it to be just one, but realized I had three sets of screenshots stored up and so I decided to dump them all in one post. All screenshot images are linked (and optimized.)

The first coloring tutorial shows how to achieve a more vivid look without giving her skin or hair an unnatural tone. No hyper-saturation.

I suggest playing around with all the settings, since the end result is dependent upon the colors of each image you choose to work with.


(original image / PSP7 / PSPX)


Instructions for PSPX

1. From the menu, click on "Adjust" and then click "Color Balance"
2. Use the settings as shown [screenshot]
3. From the menu, click on Adjust," then "Hue and Saturationn," and then click "Hue/Saturation/Lightness"
4. Use the settings as shown [screenshot]
5. From the menu, click on "Adjust," then click on "Add/Remove Noise" and select "Edge Preserving Smooth" set to 1 [screenshot]

The Why: I used a cooler blue color balance adjustment in step #2 so that her skin wouldn't be too yellowish when I increased the saturation levels in step #4. The edge preserving smooth just smoothed out some pixelated edges on her face.

Instructions for PSP7

1. From the menu, click on "Effects," then "Enhance Photo," and then click "Automatic Color Balance"
2. Use the settings as shown [screenshot]
3. From the menu, click on "Effects," then "Enhance Photo," and then click "Automatic Saturation Enhancement"
4. Use the settings as shown [screenshot]
5. From the menu, click on "Colors," then "Adjust," and then click "Gamma Correction" and set at 0.80 [screenshot]
6. From the menu, click on "Colors," then "Adjust," and then click "Brightness/Contrast" with the settings as Brightness = 10 and % Contrast = 5 [screenshot]
7. From the menu, click on "Effects," then "Enhance Photo," and then click "Automatic Saturation Enhancement"
8. Use the settings as shown [screenshot]
9. From the menu, click on "Effects," then "Noise, and then click "Edge Preserving Smooth" set to 1

The Why: Again, I used cooler blues in step #2 so that later saturation enhancements wouldn't make her skin tone too yellow or red. The gamma adjustment and brightness/contrast from step #5 and #6 deepens the colors, allowing step #8 to brighten the saturation even more. Same reasoning as above for using the Edge Preserving Smooth.


The second coloring tutorial is quick and easy, and shows one way to add warmer brown tones to bases:

—»


Warm Brown Coloring

[all-in-one screenshot]

1. Open your base image and add a new raster layer, settings = blend mode Exclusion at 100% opacity
2. Fill layer with color #000040
3. Add a new raster layer, settings = blend mode Soft Light at 60% opacity
4. Fill layer with color #663300
5. Add a new raster layer, settings = blend mode Color(Legacy) at 40% opacity
6. Fill layer with color #ffdead
7. Duplicate background (base) layer, move duplicate layer to top, settings = Soft Light at 50% opacity
8. Duplciate layer, settings = Screen at 20% opacity
9. Merge(Flatten) all layers and save

** PSP 7 has no Color Legacy, but Color works pretty much the same. If I want a more reddish hue, I'll substitue the color #b22222 for the color #663300 in step #4. Changing the opacity levels in step #5 can give the image a kind of tinted sepia look.

Edited to add that again you should play around with the opacity levels for #3 and #5, since you might need something lighter or darker depending on the image. You might not even need to bother with steps #7 and #8.


The last tutorial is a basic one for making stock photo icons. These types of bases come from professional, high quality images and won't need much (if any) color adjustment.

So this tut won't deal with color, hue, saturation, brightness, or contrast stuff. It's geared toward new icon makers and will show, step-by-step with screenshots, how to make this icon:




Basic icon, using brushes and a texture

All the resource images used:





I chose the dot texture because it compliments those fancy little sugar candy things on the icing. Finding a quality base, and a texture that will look good with it, is half the battle toward iconing nirvana. :)

01. Copy the dot texture and paste as a new layer on the base. [screenshot]

02. Click on "Layers" in the menu, and choose "Properties." The Layer Properties dialog box will pop up. The layer settings should be blend mode Multiply at 100% opacity [screenshot]

* note that in this preview the texture has already been mirrored/flipped -- steps #3 and #4 below -- so that you can see it more easily

03. The dot texture needs to be moved to the other side. Click on "Image" in the menu, then "Mirror" [screenshot]

04. The texture still needs adjustment, so click on "Image" in the menu, then "Flip" [screenshot]

05. Now the dot texture just needs to be moved a little to the left. Select the "Move" tool and reposition as needed [screenshot]

06. In PSPX, this is what your layers will look like in the Layers toolbar [screenshot]

07. Add a new raster layer [screenshot]

08. Raster Layer 2 settings should be blend mode Normal at 100% opacity [screenshot]

09. Click on the Paint Brush tool [screenshot]

10. From the brushes dialog box, choose a tiny text brush [screenshot]

11. Apply the brush, in the color you prefer (select from either foreground or background color from Materials toolbar) to the Raster Layer 2 [screenshot]

12. Create another new raster layer, this one at blend mode Dodge at 100% opacity

13. Choose a border brush, apply it in the color #ffffff (white) to Raster Layer 3 [screenshot] **

14. Click on "Layers" from the menu, then choose "Merge All (flatten)", and save your new icon [screenshot]

** This step is optional. The icon doesn't need a border, but adding a slight one adds just a touch of an edge to the cupcake. Some people like borders, some don't. Your icon, your choice. :) This is one of my borders, from this set.

The tiny text brush is from colorfilter.

If you're looking for quality stock bases, I have a few listed here at the journal. Nice bases are often posted at icon_extras or resourcelove, and at several base communities like bangarang_bases and bases_by_maggie.