by Flodian Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:29 amBeginner grunge signature tutorial CS3
Preamble: Sub guys I'm Flodian and this is my very first photoshop signature tutorial. Today I am going to show you how to make one of the first types of signatures I learned how to make. It is very simple and can be done with almost all default settings (except for a few brushes). I am by no means pro or even considered very good in photoshop, but over the months that I have been learning photoshop I did pick up a useful tip here and there. So that is my job here today, to help you guys explore the plethora of possibilities of Adobe Photoshop.
Ever wonder how some people on forums have these totally awesome signatures? Chances are they either ripped it from somewhere on the internet or made it themselves using photoshop. Since it's alot cooler to have your own name on the signature we will be making our own signatures.
This tutorial is good for complete beginners with ZERO knowledge in photoshop. (But if you have some... obviously you will have an leg up. xD)
In this tutorial we are going to talk about:
* How to make a background
* What are renders and how to get them
* What brushes are, where to get them and how to use them.
* How to add color to your background.
* How to blend your render with the background.
* How to create light effects
* How to add text and a border
This is what we will be making today, a templar from the much anticipated Aion.
Before we actually start we need something that is not a preset in your photoshop. And that is brushes.
Brushes
Brushes is really one of the most used tools in your tool tray. It is much like the pencil tool in paint, except now it can have different shaps that goes along with it. For this tutorial we need brushes called Grunge Brushes (Hence the name for this type of signature.)
Below are some of the ones I used for this signature
http://www.mediafire.com/?zj4onwmafzj
http://www.mediafire.com/?lnydd4jzkty
http://www.mediafire.com/?dnmznmyzmdo
http://www.mediafire.com/?kn3vrtykwyi
Once downloaded to your computer you will need to add the brushes file into: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Your photoshop version\Presets\Brushes, now you might need to restart photoshop to load them.And NOW we can start.
Create the Background
First create a new document. File --> New ( Set your background content to white)
Normally I make signatures between the range of 350/125 --> 450/175. It really depends on what you want, for this signature I used 350 by 125.
Now look over at the bottom left of your screen. Find your foreground colors, make sure they are black and white. Another way to do this would be simple pressing the "D" button as that sets your main colors back to default which is black and white.
Now go to the top part of your photoshop and click the following
Filter>render>clouds
You should get something like this
You can hit Ctrl F to randomnize another one.
Now that we hae the basics of our background we need something to spice it up since right now... its not very interesting xD. For that we need some cool looking brushes. To use the new brushes that you got earlier...
Select the brush set you want and pick your favorite one.
Now make a new layer (CTRL+SHIFT+N) and with black as your color selected simply click on your background to brush it in, don’t overdo it just a few times to cover some parts is fine.
I got something like this
Create another layer, then select another brush from your brush pack. Now switch your foreground color from back to white, and brush in your signature.
Keep on brushing on to your signature. Each time remember to start a new layer and alternate between black and white. At the end I got something like...
Optional Step
For this step we will be bumping up the contrast for your background. You can skip this step if you are really lazy... but it's only 2 clicks really. Go to
Layer --> New adjustment layer --> brightness and contrast
Set your contrast to maybe +20 ~ +50 ish.
There isn't much difference, but it's these little things that add up eventually. Now that we are done with the main part of the background we can start coloring it. But before that we have to talk about renders.
Renders
Renders are basically pictures that have been cut out from the origional image. They are usually in .png formate, because their background is transparent. This will save you a LOT of time in making your signature, since most of the time we don't want the background that comes with the origional image.
Example
This is a render and the one we are using.See how the background has been taken out?
This is NOT a render since it still has the backgount with it.
To find these renders you can either cut them out yourself (which takes AGES just ask DjD) OR you can take them off rendering web sites. http://planetrenders.net/renders/ is a great place for almost all renders.
Now open your render and we can start coloring the background!!
Background Coloring
Open your render using photoshop. Erase any renderer logos whileyou chant phycological thanks. Then press the "V" button which selects the move tool for you, and drag your picture onto the signature. At this time the render will probably be too big to fit into our signature, but don't worry we dont need it to fit right now.
Right click on your layer and click duplicate layer. After that move around these two renders until they fill up your entire signature. (You can make more than 1 copy if needed, just make sure your render covers your entire background)
It would look something like this.
Now select your top layer and press Ctrl E to merge it down one layer.
Then go to the top of your photoshop again and find Filter --> Blur --> Motion Blur
I used the following settings
Now my sig looks like...
Now go to the right side of your screen and find...
Set the blending option to overlay and you should have something like..
Before we end off, I just want to point something out. I noticed that on my signature there were more interesting stuff on the left side of the tag compared to the right, and since most of the left side is going to be covered by my girl's wings, I want to flip the signature over so that I get the interesting stuff on the right. To do this simple make a new layer by pressing
(Ctrl + Shift + Alt + E)
Then go to Edit --> Transform --> Flip Horizontal and then your sign will be flipped!!!
Render Placement
It's time to open up your render again and finally put it into your signature. When you are doing this, it is important to watchout for a few things. Firstly to move it you need to use the move tool which can be found by pressing "V". Also make sure you have "Show transform Controls" selected at the top of your window. Then resize the picture to your liking and place it in.
The Rule of Thirds
This is more like a rule of thumb, it is really popular among artists.It is basically drawing imaginary lines dividing the image into thirds both horizontally and vertiacally. And the whole point is to place important elements of your art or our signature in this case at where the lines intersect.
So for this signature I wanted to highlight the girl's face and sword.
Lighting
Time for some lights. This will give your signature much needed depth. All renders have a natural flow about them so in making our lights we want to use the flow of the render and emphasize it, do not go against it. (If you don't get what this means it's alright, I'll write another tutorial about it later)
Now to make the lights we need a new layer. So..
Ctrl Shift N ---> Ctrl Shift Alt E
This will make a new layer as well as apply all your current layers onto the new layer.
Now go to the top of your window again
Filter --> Render --> Lighting Effects
I used the following settings
Now it looks like
And now we have our depth and we are almost done.
Sharpen Image
To make the templar stand out more we need to sharpen her up. But first things first, we need another layer
Ctrl Shift N ---> Ctrl Shift Alt E
After that go to Filter --> Sharpen --> Sharpen
Your signature now should look a lot sharper and will probably hurt your eyes. To avoid this take out your eraser again use maybe a 32 pix brush and erase everything except for the girl's face and the side borders.
Text and Borders
The final step of our signature. Putting in the text is probably one of the easiest yet hardest thing in making your signature. Often times you have a totally awesome signature however it is ruined by an ugly text. So for now I suggest we keep it simple and use some default fonts and avoid those crazy ones out there on the internet. Now finding the best place to put the text in your signature can be another problem. But we can use the rule of thirds again for this.
We want out text near our render but not covering anything important. Also note that out of the 4 imporant spots we need to hit we have already used 2 for the head and sword (3 if you count the girl's upper body). So really all that is left is the last spot on the bottom right.
The text right now looks kinda boring... we to make it look cooler we use some layer effects.
Again go to the top of your window
Layer --> Layer Style --> Outter Glow
Pick the color you want and click ok.
Now around my text it has a pink glow. AND NOW for the VERY last step! The border!!
Make a new layer with Ctrl Shift N, then Ctrl A to select all.
Now go to Edit --> Stroke
HIT OK AND YOUR DONE!!!
End
Well hopefully you have created something you like and gained some knowledge about photoshop. If you have anyquestions go to the graphics forum and post there. We will be more than happy to help you. Also if you like post some of your creations there. Good luck sig making. ^_^
~ Flodian见面佛
ps. Do not rip this tutorial without asking me first.
Preamble: Sub guys I'm Flodian and this is my very first photoshop signature tutorial. Today I am going to show you how to make one of the first types of signatures I learned how to make. It is very simple and can be done with almost all default settings (except for a few brushes). I am by no means pro or even considered very good in photoshop, but over the months that I have been learning photoshop I did pick up a useful tip here and there. So that is my job here today, to help you guys explore the plethora of possibilities of Adobe Photoshop.
Ever wonder how some people on forums have these totally awesome signatures? Chances are they either ripped it from somewhere on the internet or made it themselves using photoshop. Since it's alot cooler to have your own name on the signature we will be making our own signatures.
This tutorial is good for complete beginners with ZERO knowledge in photoshop. (But if you have some... obviously you will have an leg up. xD)
In this tutorial we are going to talk about:
* How to make a background
* What are renders and how to get them
* What brushes are, where to get them and how to use them.
* How to add color to your background.
* How to blend your render with the background.
* How to create light effects
* How to add text and a border
This is what we will be making today, a templar from the much anticipated Aion.
Before we actually start we need something that is not a preset in your photoshop. And that is brushes.
Brushes
Brushes is really one of the most used tools in your tool tray. It is much like the pencil tool in paint, except now it can have different shaps that goes along with it. For this tutorial we need brushes called Grunge Brushes (Hence the name for this type of signature.)
Below are some of the ones I used for this signature
http://www.mediafire.com/?zj4onwmafzj
http://www.mediafire.com/?lnydd4jzkty
http://www.mediafire.com/?dnmznmyzmdo
http://www.mediafire.com/?kn3vrtykwyi
Once downloaded to your computer you will need to add the brushes file into: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Your photoshop version\Presets\Brushes, now you might need to restart photoshop to load them.And NOW we can start.
Create the Background
First create a new document. File --> New ( Set your background content to white)
Normally I make signatures between the range of 350/125 --> 450/175. It really depends on what you want, for this signature I used 350 by 125.
Now look over at the bottom left of your screen. Find your foreground colors, make sure they are black and white. Another way to do this would be simple pressing the "D" button as that sets your main colors back to default which is black and white.
Now go to the top part of your photoshop and click the following
Filter>render>clouds
You should get something like this
You can hit Ctrl F to randomnize another one.
Now that we hae the basics of our background we need something to spice it up since right now... its not very interesting xD. For that we need some cool looking brushes. To use the new brushes that you got earlier...
Select the brush set you want and pick your favorite one.
Now make a new layer (CTRL+SHIFT+N) and with black as your color selected simply click on your background to brush it in, don’t overdo it just a few times to cover some parts is fine.
I got something like this
Create another layer, then select another brush from your brush pack. Now switch your foreground color from back to white, and brush in your signature.
Keep on brushing on to your signature. Each time remember to start a new layer and alternate between black and white. At the end I got something like...
Optional Step
For this step we will be bumping up the contrast for your background. You can skip this step if you are really lazy... but it's only 2 clicks really. Go to
Layer --> New adjustment layer --> brightness and contrast
Set your contrast to maybe +20 ~ +50 ish.
There isn't much difference, but it's these little things that add up eventually. Now that we are done with the main part of the background we can start coloring it. But before that we have to talk about renders.
Renders
Renders are basically pictures that have been cut out from the origional image. They are usually in .png formate, because their background is transparent. This will save you a LOT of time in making your signature, since most of the time we don't want the background that comes with the origional image.
Example
This is a render and the one we are using.See how the background has been taken out?
This is NOT a render since it still has the backgount with it.
To find these renders you can either cut them out yourself (which takes AGES just ask DjD) OR you can take them off rendering web sites. http://planetrenders.net/renders/ is a great place for almost all renders.
Now open your render and we can start coloring the background!!
Background Coloring
Open your render using photoshop. Erase any renderer logos whileyou chant phycological thanks. Then press the "V" button which selects the move tool for you, and drag your picture onto the signature. At this time the render will probably be too big to fit into our signature, but don't worry we dont need it to fit right now.
Right click on your layer and click duplicate layer. After that move around these two renders until they fill up your entire signature. (You can make more than 1 copy if needed, just make sure your render covers your entire background)
It would look something like this.
Now select your top layer and press Ctrl E to merge it down one layer.
Then go to the top of your photoshop again and find Filter --> Blur --> Motion Blur
I used the following settings
Now my sig looks like...
Now go to the right side of your screen and find...
Set the blending option to overlay and you should have something like..
Before we end off, I just want to point something out. I noticed that on my signature there were more interesting stuff on the left side of the tag compared to the right, and since most of the left side is going to be covered by my girl's wings, I want to flip the signature over so that I get the interesting stuff on the right. To do this simple make a new layer by pressing
(Ctrl + Shift + Alt + E)
Then go to Edit --> Transform --> Flip Horizontal and then your sign will be flipped!!!
Render Placement
It's time to open up your render again and finally put it into your signature. When you are doing this, it is important to watchout for a few things. Firstly to move it you need to use the move tool which can be found by pressing "V". Also make sure you have "Show transform Controls" selected at the top of your window. Then resize the picture to your liking and place it in.
The Rule of Thirds
This is more like a rule of thumb, it is really popular among artists.It is basically drawing imaginary lines dividing the image into thirds both horizontally and vertiacally. And the whole point is to place important elements of your art or our signature in this case at where the lines intersect.
So for this signature I wanted to highlight the girl's face and sword.
Lighting
Time for some lights. This will give your signature much needed depth. All renders have a natural flow about them so in making our lights we want to use the flow of the render and emphasize it, do not go against it. (If you don't get what this means it's alright, I'll write another tutorial about it later)
Now to make the lights we need a new layer. So..
Ctrl Shift N ---> Ctrl Shift Alt E
This will make a new layer as well as apply all your current layers onto the new layer.
Now go to the top of your window again
Filter --> Render --> Lighting Effects
I used the following settings
Now it looks like
And now we have our depth and we are almost done.
Sharpen Image
To make the templar stand out more we need to sharpen her up. But first things first, we need another layer
Ctrl Shift N ---> Ctrl Shift Alt E
After that go to Filter --> Sharpen --> Sharpen
Your signature now should look a lot sharper and will probably hurt your eyes. To avoid this take out your eraser again use maybe a 32 pix brush and erase everything except for the girl's face and the side borders.
Text and Borders
The final step of our signature. Putting in the text is probably one of the easiest yet hardest thing in making your signature. Often times you have a totally awesome signature however it is ruined by an ugly text. So for now I suggest we keep it simple and use some default fonts and avoid those crazy ones out there on the internet. Now finding the best place to put the text in your signature can be another problem. But we can use the rule of thirds again for this.
We want out text near our render but not covering anything important. Also note that out of the 4 imporant spots we need to hit we have already used 2 for the head and sword (3 if you count the girl's upper body). So really all that is left is the last spot on the bottom right.
The text right now looks kinda boring... we to make it look cooler we use some layer effects.
Again go to the top of your window
Layer --> Layer Style --> Outter Glow
Pick the color you want and click ok.
Now around my text it has a pink glow. AND NOW for the VERY last step! The border!!
Make a new layer with Ctrl Shift N, then Ctrl A to select all.
Now go to Edit --> Stroke
HIT OK AND YOUR DONE!!!
End
Well hopefully you have created something you like and gained some knowledge about photoshop. If you have anyquestions go to the graphics forum and post there. We will be more than happy to help you. Also if you like post some of your creations there. Good luck sig making. ^_^
~ Flodian见面佛
ps. Do not rip this tutorial without asking me first.
Last edited by Flodian on Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:43 am; edited 1 time in total
