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PS tutorial - Part 2 (Coloring and Adjustment Layers)
Here's Part 1 of the tutorial.
1. SET BASE TO MULTIPLY (if you haven't done it already).
2. COLOR UNDER THE BASE.
We're going to create new color layers under the base, and set these layers to Normal.
If your mind is as sh1tty as mine when it comes to deciding colors, grab a colored panel or picture, and use the Eyedropper Tool to select colors. xDDD. The Eyedropper is found under the Polygon Tool, under the Text Tool. There! Instant Colors!
I choose unsaturated, or dull colors first as my base, then I build on that. It's okay if the first colors look terrible, we'll fix that later.
I start with the skin first, since it's usually the biggest area and it has the weirdest corners. You can get messy with the area corners since this will be covered by the other layers. Do not color on the background.
Make new layers above the skin layers. Remember, these color layers are set to Normal so be careful not to color on the skin or on the background. Just remember not to make leaks where they will be seen. Erase any leaks. Make new (colored) Layers above the previous ones. To avoid headaches, devote one layer to one color/part of the base. My, base, Hikaru, has a Layer for his Hair, his Skin, and his Shirt.
Do not leave gaps (even the smallest gaps between the colors. An easy way to see is to Fill the background with a dark color. See if the background bleeds through your color layers; paint over them if they do. You can make a new Normal Layer over this ugly background layer once you're good to go.
3. ADJUSTING BASE COLORS
If you think the colors are too weird, or if you would like adjust/change your colors, go to Lock which is under the Layer Type. This time Click on the first Lock, the BOX thing, beside the brush. This way, you can use Fill Bucket or just Paint the new Color over the old one without painting over other layers. Nodding to Amaretti because I learned this trick from her. xD
4. BACKGROUND (OR NOT)
A good philosophy of Amaretti is to choose the background before shading, so, if you think that's a good thing to do, then choose the background at this point. It's up to you to decide. The reason why she put a rough background first is to easily mitigate the light stuff, so that the subject will not look weird against the background. But, since this is a fairly small picture, and the backgrounds are often er...unrealistic (unlike when coloring panels), there's no need to choose a background first. If you're coloring a big picture, though, it is a good idea to have an idea what the dominant background color is.
Because I've decided Hikaru should have a white shirt, I selected a background. Just to make Shading (later) easier.
If you're currently crawling your way around Photoshop, Adjustment Layers can be found here:
Adjustment Layers are basically the same stuff found at Image >> Adjustments except that you can readjust if you're undecided on something.
A lot of tutorials have Adjustment Layer values, but I'm not going to feed you that. This section is for you to learn the principles on how the Adjustment Layers operate. Every base/effect will require different set of values and I'm here to give you a basic understanding of how these layers work. So, no values, you're going to manipulate stuff on your own.
Before we begin. Make sure that your Base Layer is highlighted/selected.
1. Go to Adjustment Layers >> Levels. A dialog box will pop out.
That Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask is just asking you if you want to Level just the highlighted Layer, or ALL the layers below your Level Layer. We just need to mess with the base for now, so:
2. Check that Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask. Then, hit Enter or Click Ok.
3. Values Suck. Just Slide it Back and Forth.
Forget the mumbo-jumbo numbers you see. Just pay attention to the markers/slides I circled. The middle marker/slide manipulates your black or "dark" areas. We'll call it Black Slide -_-". The marker on the far right is the White Slide, which manipulates your White or erm "light" areas. [1]
Moving the Black Slide to the right makes your lines darker and heavier, and moving it to the left makes them lighter. Moving the White Slide to the left or towards the middle will make your whites whiter.
Always look at your base and see kind of Levelling it needs. Mess with the Black and White Slides to achieve what you want.
BLACK SLIDE IN ACTION
So moving the Black Slide to the right AND moving the White Slide to the left will make your lines bolder, and will erase those tiny gray bugs you missed during cleaning. Caution though, Levelling will likely make you lose some detail, so do not be too Level Happy. -_-"
Can you use Levels on Colors too? Yes. You can make darken/lighten colors with Levels, but I advise against it. Levelling Colors degrade the color somehow, so I only Level the base.
WAIT DON'T GO! This part will not be painful. This part, as promised, still does not contain any values (which does not help you understand curves at all).
When do I use Curves?
† Tinting the base in a certain color
† For the overall picture to have a certain consistent color glow. Sort of a diplomatic color filter.
† When I want an easily controlled color consistency while still manipulating just a few colors of the picture.
† Thx to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
_nodrama101_: When you want to check if there are stray lines / dirt.
1. Adjustment Layers >> Curves Again, a dialog box will pop.
2. Bind the Curves Layer to your Base Layer by Checking Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask. Hit Enter or Click Ok. The Curves Dialog Box will pop.
Yes, Curves are more useful when there are colors involved but teaching you how they work on your base will be all you need to get Curves to work for you. Plus, we can avoid the complications. >.>;;
3. Values Suck. There are only two things (as of now) that you need to focus on: The Graph and the Channel. That's it.
Currently, (if you haven't played with anything yet) you'll be in the RGB Channel. Change the Channel to Red.
3a. RED CURVES
Click on the middle of the graph and drag it to the Upper Left. As you can see, your black lines turned into red. The higher you drag the graph, the more saturated/radioactive/bright the red will be.
RED TO LEFT: more Red
Now, try dragging the graph to the Right or Lower Right. The base lines turn green.
RED TO RIGHT: more Green
Just to make it less painful, put the graph back to the middle, so we can start with the other Channels without the Red Curve interfering.
3b. GREEN CURVES
Switch to the Green Channel. We'll do the same basic stuff. Grab a hold of the graph and drag it to the left; or to the upper/lower left. That should give your base bright green stuff.
GREEN TO LEFT: more Green
Now, drag it to the right:
GREEN TO RIGHT: more Purple / Magenta
Again, make it less painful, put the graph back to the middle, so it won't bother us with Blue Curves
3c. BLUE CURVES
Switch to the Blue Channel. Same same: grab the graph and drag. Drag to the left and:
BLUE TO LEFT: more Blue
BLUE TO RIGHT: more Yellow
3d. RGB CURVES / MASTER CHANNEL
Instead of Levelling, you can you Curves to make colors darker/richer or make them lighter without losing color detail (um, quickly). If you're unsure of what to achieve, just leave the layer and adjust later. xD
Whatever outcome you want to achieve, Curves can be a great tool for uniting your background and your base; or highlighting your base. What I is that I make the base look better with the background; or I make the base less "inky." I usually nudge the Blue Curve to the right to get a little yellow, then I nudge the Red Curve up left. That way I can get brown lines for my base.
I encourage playing with the Curves. It's quite easy to get the hang of it. You'll find that Color Balance work basically the same way. ^.~
On to Part 3: Coloring/Shading; Making it Look Pretty
In this Installment:
1. How an Expert Does it. Where I learned the Basic Stuff; Why I can't really use it.
2. Basic Coloring
3. An Adjustment Layers Guide that makes you smile. :P
HOW AN EXPERT DOES IT:
I'd like to point you to Amaretti at Deviant. If you're thinking she's not awesome enough, then take a look at this. She has an awesome coloring tut on her deviant.
In a nutshell, her method is like this:
1. Every Layer (base + Color) is set to Normal.
2. Lock and Erase so that all that's left in the base are black lines.
3. Put Color Layers on Top of Base.
Why this method is difficult (for me) and troublesome
First, Amaretti is using VERY clean bases. Unless you have very clean lines, there will be issues. When coloring for a manga like Hikaru no Go or Deathnote, which has a lot of shading, black, gray lines, it's very hard to lock and erase all the white lines. If your base is VERY Clean, and has minimal shading, then Amaretti's method is a winner.
Another problem is that she's using a pen tablet. I'm using a mouse. That practically makes it painful to CLEAN until VERY CLEAN; AND we're going to have to be a bit...patient at coloring, since we won't be able to rely on the pen tablet goodies like brush pressure and such. That said, we're going to use the principles on her tutorial to color.
COLORING WITH MINIMAL HEARTACHE
1. SET BASE TO MULTIPLY (if you haven't done it already).
2. COLOR UNDER THE BASE.
We're going to create new color layers under the base, and set these layers to Normal.
If your mind is as sh1tty as mine when it comes to deciding colors, grab a colored panel or picture, and use the Eyedropper Tool to select colors. xDDD. The Eyedropper is found under the Polygon Tool, under the Text Tool. There! Instant Colors!
I choose unsaturated, or dull colors first as my base, then I build on that. It's okay if the first colors look terrible, we'll fix that later.
I start with the skin first, since it's usually the biggest area and it has the weirdest corners. You can get messy with the area corners since this will be covered by the other layers. Do not color on the background.
Make new layers above the skin layers. Remember, these color layers are set to Normal so be careful not to color on the skin or on the background. Just remember not to make leaks where they will be seen. Erase any leaks. Make new (colored) Layers above the previous ones. To avoid headaches, devote one layer to one color/part of the base. My, base, Hikaru, has a Layer for his Hair, his Skin, and his Shirt.
Do not leave gaps (even the smallest gaps between the colors. An easy way to see is to Fill the background with a dark color. See if the background bleeds through your color layers; paint over them if they do. You can make a new Normal Layer over this ugly background layer once you're good to go.
3. ADJUSTING BASE COLORS
If you think the colors are too weird, or if you would like adjust/change your colors, go to Lock which is under the Layer Type. This time Click on the first Lock, the BOX thing, beside the brush. This way, you can use Fill Bucket or just Paint the new Color over the old one without painting over other layers. Nodding to Amaretti because I learned this trick from her. xD
4. BACKGROUND (OR NOT)
A good philosophy of Amaretti is to choose the background before shading, so, if you think that's a good thing to do, then choose the background at this point. It's up to you to decide. The reason why she put a rough background first is to easily mitigate the light stuff, so that the subject will not look weird against the background. But, since this is a fairly small picture, and the backgrounds are often er...unrealistic (unlike when coloring panels), there's no need to choose a background first. If you're coloring a big picture, though, it is a good idea to have an idea what the dominant background color is.
Because I've decided Hikaru should have a white shirt, I selected a background. Just to make Shading (later) easier.
ADJUSTMENT LAYERS PRIMER
If you're currently crawling your way around Photoshop, Adjustment Layers can be found here:
Adjustment Layers are basically the same stuff found at Image >> Adjustments except that you can readjust if you're undecided on something.
A lot of tutorials have Adjustment Layer values, but I'm not going to feed you that. This section is for you to learn the principles on how the Adjustment Layers operate. Every base/effect will require different set of values and I'm here to give you a basic understanding of how these layers work. So, no values, you're going to manipulate stuff on your own.
Before we begin. Make sure that your Base Layer is highlighted/selected.
ADJUSTMENT LAYERS: LEVELS
1. Go to Adjustment Layers >> Levels. A dialog box will pop out.
That Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask is just asking you if you want to Level just the highlighted Layer, or ALL the layers below your Level Layer. We just need to mess with the base for now, so:
2. Check that Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask. Then, hit Enter or Click Ok.
3. Values Suck. Just Slide it Back and Forth.
Forget the mumbo-jumbo numbers you see. Just pay attention to the markers/slides I circled. The middle marker/slide manipulates your black or "dark" areas. We'll call it Black Slide -_-". The marker on the far right is the White Slide, which manipulates your White or erm "light" areas. [1]
Moving the Black Slide to the right makes your lines darker and heavier, and moving it to the left makes them lighter. Moving the White Slide to the left or towards the middle will make your whites whiter.
Always look at your base and see kind of Levelling it needs. Mess with the Black and White Slides to achieve what you want.
So moving the Black Slide to the right AND moving the White Slide to the left will make your lines bolder, and will erase those tiny gray bugs you missed during cleaning. Caution though, Levelling will likely make you lose some detail, so do not be too Level Happy. -_-"
Can you use Levels on Colors too? Yes. You can make darken/lighten colors with Levels, but I advise against it. Levelling Colors degrade the color somehow, so I only Level the base.
ADJUSTMENT LAYERS: CURVES
WAIT DON'T GO! This part will not be painful. This part, as promised, still does not contain any values (which does not help you understand curves at all).
When do I use Curves?
† Tinting the base in a certain color
† For the overall picture to have a certain consistent color glow. Sort of a diplomatic color filter.
† When I want an easily controlled color consistency while still manipulating just a few colors of the picture.
† Thx to
_nodrama101_: When you want to check if there are stray lines / dirt.1. Adjustment Layers >> Curves Again, a dialog box will pop.
2. Bind the Curves Layer to your Base Layer by Checking Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask. Hit Enter or Click Ok. The Curves Dialog Box will pop.
Yes, Curves are more useful when there are colors involved but teaching you how they work on your base will be all you need to get Curves to work for you. Plus, we can avoid the complications. >.>;;
3. Values Suck. There are only two things (as of now) that you need to focus on: The Graph and the Channel. That's it.
Currently, (if you haven't played with anything yet) you'll be in the RGB Channel. Change the Channel to Red.
3a. RED CURVES
Click on the middle of the graph and drag it to the Upper Left. As you can see, your black lines turned into red. The higher you drag the graph, the more saturated/radioactive/bright the red will be.
RED TO LEFT: more Red
Now, try dragging the graph to the Right or Lower Right. The base lines turn green.
RED TO RIGHT: more Green
Just to make it less painful, put the graph back to the middle, so we can start with the other Channels without the Red Curve interfering.
3b. GREEN CURVES
Switch to the Green Channel. We'll do the same basic stuff. Grab a hold of the graph and drag it to the left; or to the upper/lower left. That should give your base bright green stuff.
GREEN TO LEFT: more Green
Now, drag it to the right:
GREEN TO RIGHT: more Purple / Magenta
3c. BLUE CURVES
Switch to the Blue Channel. Same same: grab the graph and drag. Drag to the left and:
BLUE TO LEFT: more Blue
BLUE TO RIGHT: more Yellow
3d. RGB CURVES / MASTER CHANNEL
Instead of Levelling, you can you Curves to make colors darker/richer or make them lighter without losing color detail (um, quickly). If you're unsure of what to achieve, just leave the layer and adjust later. xD
Whatever outcome you want to achieve, Curves can be a great tool for uniting your background and your base; or highlighting your base. What I is that I make the base look better with the background; or I make the base less "inky." I usually nudge the Blue Curve to the right to get a little yellow, then I nudge the Red Curve up left. That way I can get brown lines for my base.
I encourage playing with the Curves. It's quite easy to get the hang of it. You'll find that Color Balance work basically the same way. ^.~
On to Part 3: Coloring/Shading; Making it Look Pretty
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