Wolfberserker's Official Tutorial to Photoshop (will be completed in 2 to 5 days)

[Father Wolf]

befor u begin sorry if its wordy

this will be done in 2-5 days

Screen shots will be added in about 3-6 days

 

How to Make Banners by Wolfberserker

 

Many people have asked me “Wolf how do you, make those cool banners ect.”. All I say back is I Photoshop them. Well now the call will be heard. If you wish to get a basic grasp on graphic design, this will help even if you don’t use Photoshop.

 

First off this tutorial is for Adobi Photoshop Cs2 (and other Photoshop products), but the lessens learned can also be applied to other images editing software.

 

Quick things to remember:

1.Ctrl+Z = Go back and forth 1 step. (Ctrl+Z is your best friend)

2.Ctrl+T = Free Transphorm

3.All way have the fallowing Windows open:

A. Layer (These are very important)

B. History

C. Zoom

D. Tool box

4. Ctrl+Z+Alt = Go back more than 1 step (Ctrl+Z+Alt is your better friend)

5. If you go back any number of steps and edit you can not go back to your original step

6. Layers are the key to Photoshoping. Layers determine what goes first in a design, the upper layer will appear above the lower layer in the window. Usually there is only 1 image to a layer.

 

Things to get started on your banner making adventure:

1.At least Two images (since this tutorial will not explain brushes get a premade background ready)

2.Of course you will need Photoshop preferably Cs2

3.Time (about a hour to 2 hours)

 

Steps to fallow: This should make things easer for you to fallow.

Step 1: Rendering time

Step 2: Bannering it up

Step 3: Putting it together

Step 4: Effects make everything look cool

Step 5: To Text or no Text

Step 6: Finishing touches

 

Step 1: Rendering time

 

What is rendering? To be honest I just found out what this term means. Rendering is pretty much cutting out the images u have chosen. Rendering has to be done in any, yes any graphic art if you don’t your just copying. Now that you know what rendering is how do you go about doing it? Well there are several tools to get the job done. To the left of your widow there should be a tool box (Default). You can use one or a combo of some or all these tools are called:

Erasers, Magic Wand, and Lassos. Always I can not repeat this enough, watch what layer your on! That will save you hassel and back up time and space.

 

To get an image into Photoshop you need to go to the File button at the top left hand cornor and click it reveiling a menu. In the menu got to Open, highlight the images you with to render in for you banner, then hit Enter all the images will pop up in windows. Finally be for you get started on your Rendering you need to do something. When you bring an image into Photoshop it does something that prevents you from editing. Look down at your layers and you will see a layer call “Background” that has a lock symbol next to it. Right click it this will bring up a menu, after that go to “Layer from Background” in the menu and click that. Congrates you are ready to render.

 

Tools:

Eraser: Pretty basic tool, you erase what you don’t want. Make sure this is always set to brush never pencil because everything comes out choppy and we don’t want that. This is the slowest of all your tools but it always produces great rendering.

 

Magic Wand: Great and extremely fast, if the back ground is only 1 Color or the colors are close together on the color scale. The magic wand could select part of your image which unless you want it to, this is bad. You can change the Tolerance of the magic wand at anytime at the top left hand corner. You’ll see it; it has Tolerance then a text box next to it. What changing the tolerance does is select colors that far apart on the color scale. 10 - 30 are good numbers to stick to (if you need to get a lower Tolerance u should just stick to the Eraser). If you want to select more with the Magic wand hold shift and click where you wanted.

 

Magnetic Lasso: Not as fast as the Magic Wand but it is in the middle. When your cutting out a image with bold boarder lines then this is the one to choose. Fallow the lines of the image as good as you can. If you miss a spot get it later with one of the other tools. Trust me the Magnetic Lasso is not good for clean up. If your Magnetic lasso cuts something out you don’t want to cut out well go back to start and click it (it will have an O next to the lasso, when I say at the beginning of where u cut) then back up 1 and start all over. This tool will give you the most hardest time ever! Advice do not use this tool on people with pointy hair or anything that is small.

 

Polygragh Lasso: This slow tool is your best bet that you want screw up (since you can back up when using this one). This one you can’t just go across the lined and it will work for you like the Magnetic lasso, no this one is a straight line then click straight line click.

 

Finishing touches on all Renderings you do. First look at it your self, do you think you did a good job, and does it look like something that you would be happy to show other people? If it looks good then move to the next step. If it doesn’t get back to work don’t stop till you are finished and happy.

 

Finishing off Rending in Photoshop there is only one thing to do. If there are spots that you can’t seem to get with any of the tools above and is next to empty space (like hair), then you might want to do a “Defringe”. What “Defringeing” does is, around the image that is next to open space, it gets rid of a number of pixels (you decide) that are sticking out of the image. To do this got to the upper to left hand corner there should be a bar that has “Layers” on it. Click on it and scroll down the bar till you see “Matting”. Click “Matting” (should be 3rd or 2nd from the last button on the bar), after that you will see “Defringe” click it. A window should pop up that has Defringe than a text box beside it. Type 1 to 3 those are good numbers to stick to. Hit enter after you typed a numbed and watch the magic. If you don’t like this then just back up 1 step.

 

Step 2: Bannering it up

 

Now that your image is Rendered to the best of you abilities then its time to make the banner window. Go to File in the upper left hand corner and click it. The first option should say New. Click New and a Window should open up. In this Window there are several options with text boxes. The 3 boxes you are interested in are the Pixel/inches, the Height and of course the Width. If you like working with inches like I do, then make sure your Pixel to Inches is set to 72-75 (this will give you a good turn out). A normal size banner is between 150by300 – 175by400 pixels so type the numbers into the Height and Width (Reminder: Height is always be for Width in a __by__, ratio). If you are working in Inches then you what the dimensions to be 2.5by6 – 3by7. When you have done all that text work then its time to move on, click enter or hit Enter on your Key board. A white window will pop up, look down at your layers you should see a background layer. Click the layer (it should now be highlighted blue) and then Right click it, a menu should come up, go to delete and click. Your window should look like a bunch of white and grey squares (empty space).

 

Now to move your renders that you made to the banner window, so you first you go to your Render windows and with the Arrow tool grab you’re rendered images. Drag the image to your banner window. Next open your background image just like everything else (normally you don’t need to render your background because it’s just that a, background). Next drag the background over to the banner window. When the images are dragged to the banner window a band new layer is created. Make sure to order them right to your image is above your background. Do this by clicking your rendered image and dragging it up above the background layer.

 

Step 3: Putting it Together

Time to put your background and image into place that looks good to you and of course others. (Note: At this step you can still render things that you might have missed in the main rendering process, such as whites just make sure you’re on your rendered layer). Thing to remember when putting a banner or any graphic art: what is the thing you want to stand out or catch some ones eyes? Ether it’s your image or text choose which one is more important (note: it is never your background).

 

Now you have chosen the eye catcher of your banner lets start. Always you background should be big enough to cover the whole banner leaven no place blank. If the background or image is too big or small, you can do a free transphorm (Ctrl+T). I will explain transphorming below, but for now you have to place the foreground image in the right area. What most people do is placing a image in a place that looks good to them, going with your “gut” is normally a good idea with 1-2 images and 1 line of text. What most people do when they have 1 image is putting it off to ether the right or to the left of the banner and once and a while the middle. Those are exceptible but if you want to get creative move around your image a bit. Things to avoid are the top left corner and the bottom right corner of the banner for some reason the eye doesn’t like to focus on those areas, this doesn’t mean that things should be put there just don’t put your main thing of the banner there.

 

When free trasphorm is activated you can not switch layers or anything else all you can do it free trasphorm. You can tell when free transphorm is activated because of the box around the image that has black squares around the image. What free trasphorm does is it allows you to manipulate the image to your liking such as change size of the image, increase the images width or height , slant it, make one part of the image closer and the other farther, and turn the image. You can still move the image around by clicking and holding the image its self then dragging it where you want it. Changing only the height or width: for height go to the top of the square you will see 3 black boxes click and hold the middle one and drag (to increase or decrease the bottom of the image at the same rate hold the shift button as you drag), the same works with width, but the box for width is on the side of the image instead of the top. To change the height and width of the image at the same time and rate go to the top right hand corner and click and hold, then click and hold shift then drag like you did the height and width. To slant it click and hold the lines between any of the box then drag ether left or right. When Scewing or make one part of the image closer and the other farther, it works the same as change the height and width of the image at the same time and rate go to the top right hand corner and click and hold, then click and hold Ctrl. Finally to turn the image go to the top right hand corner but instead of clicking and holding on the black box go about 1 cm above it and your arrow should become 2 bent arrows. You then click and hold, using your mouse to drag it as it rotates.

 

Finishing up with putting it together a thing you can do is flipping. Like if you want a image to be put upside down or facing a different direction. For the best results go to the top of your Photoshop widow and hit edit scroll down to Transphorm and hit ether flip horizontal or vertical, depending on what you want.

 

Step 4: Effects make everything look cool

Best part of graphic design adding effects to make your images look good. There are so many effects in Photoshop that you will have to learn on your own but I will give the basic effect to make things look good.

 

Effects

1. Blending

2. Filters

3. Brush Tool

4. Sharpen/Blurs

5. See Throw

 

Blending: This is the most basic effect tool but u can do nearly anything with it. Darken an image, change an image color, add shadows, add lines around the whole image, there is so much to do that I don’t even know about, so you will need to play with it to get a feel. To get to blending go to your layer window and right click the layer you wish to blend. Then on the pop up window go to Blending after The common blending I do is basically, add drop shadow, add a soft black inner glow, and some times an outer glow to make the image stand out. Remember to watch your colors.

1. Drop/Inner Shadow:

2. Inner Glow/Changing Colors:

3. Outer Glow:

4. Outlines:

 

Filters: Filters are the easiest effects to add to an image. Just like Blending there are a lot of effects here, so try them out see what looks good. To get to filters go to the top of the Photoshop window and click filters. I will only explain a few of these bellow.

1. Sharpen:

2. Distort:

3. Grain:

4. Embross:

 

Brush Tool: What this tool does is change the color of the image. Pretty much you are coloring like you did when you where a kid. (Note: this is only for images you only want to change certant parts of a image and not the whole image its self). To get the brush tool look to your Tool box like you did when you where rendering and click the brush button. Then at the top below your File, edit, ect. You will see the brush box end the color box this is good I will get to those in a second. I bet you are wondering, how do you know what color you are using well down in you Tool box near the bottom you will see 2 boxes with colors in them focus on the one on top of the other. Clicking that top box will bring you a color grid. Just select the color you think that looks good. Now back to those top boxes, the brush box effect size and type of brush selected. Click the down arrow you will see a scroll bar what this sliding bar does is effect the size of your brush bubble. Keep your size small about 4-19.

[Cyber Altair]

hope you complete it, besides this is how to make a banner, not how to make an ubercool banner like your lol.

[Father Wolf]

hope you complete it' date=' besides this is how to make a banner, not how to make an ubercool banner like your lol.

[/quote']

 

im here to show u how to make a banner and what effects look good on it and throw out the tut when the screen shots get in you will see one of my banners come to life. aka my yugioh 5ds one that i just finished.

[Cyber Altair]

nice. hope you complete this one.

[God GAK]

Really cool tut wolf!

 

Thanks a lot for that defrinding thing, it is uber cool.

 

What i am really jealous of you and i desperately want to know is:

 

HOW THE HECK DO YOU MAKE SOOOOOO AWESOME BG's?

[Father Wolf]

Really cool tut wolf!

 

Thanks a lot for that defrinding thing' date=' it is uber cool.

 

What i am really jealous of you and i desperately want to know is:

 

HOW THE HECK DO YOU MAKE SOOOOOO AWESOME BG's?

[/quote']

 

glad u found something out of all that lol yeah i learnd about defrinding about 1 month ago its very use full.

 

what kinda bgs? embross, brush, grain, vortexs?

[God GAK]

Those super cool you make and we are all like "WOW! That guy is sooooooooo good!!!"