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Photoshop Tips | |
Just some tips I found to be useful if you're using Photoshop. :]
Icons/Avatars
I download icon brushes/textures obsessively and I'm not afraid to use it! Don't go for bland icons without those pretty effects.
No one ever said you can't use brushes or textures! You can find some great ones from the livejournals listed in my
credits page.
When it comes to cropping images, be creative! For example, let's take this picture
and see the many different ways you can crop it without being "traditional"
and making your focus the subject's face.
Gradients are your friends! Make new layers and use your gradient tool on them.
Then play around with the layer modes to add more color to your images.
After cropping images, sharpen it at least once. This way, the details of the image can still be brought out.
Small text can look really nice in icons because the graphics themselves are so small. Just pick a font and make the size really small.
Then type in a bunch of jibberish (viewers won't be able to make out the text anyway). I prefer Arial size 1 with 1000 spacing
(you can alter spacing between letters here).
Blends
Although brushes and textures might add nicely to the graphic, don't put in too much or it will look overdone! Try not to cover your
subject's face (assuming it's a person) with textures unless that's the look you really want to go for.
Be careful with the overlay mode. Using that blend mode too many times can result in a very bright graphic and no one would be able to
see what the image was!
If you have an empty spot in your graphic, add a stock picture! For some sites with good stocks, click here.
Remember, if you're trying to convey a certain mood in a blend, do not use colors or effects that are completely opposite of what you wanted
the graphic to be about.
Try not to use outerglow or dropshadow effects for your text. It makes it look tacky.
Be smart in choosing the font and font colors! If your text looks blech, the rest of the graphic will, too!
It's usually best to place text in an empty area. Do not put it over someone's face!! Also, several lines of text looks better than one really
long sentence in big letters.
Do not use too many different colors (especially if some are too dark and some are too light) in your blends. It will make your graphic look
very fruity. Also, try to use colors that match (meaning brown, green, and purple together might not be the best idea).
It's best not to blend pictures of two pictures of people facing in the same direction unless you have no other images to work with.
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