PIForums' Art School [Study Room]

[Darkrai]

Welcome to PIForums' First Art School!

In this (recently built) Art School, founded by [Dootakun], you won't be able to draw like Picasso or DaVinci. Instead, you'll take small and basic Photoshop Lessons. As you go further, lessons will start to be more complicated (as lessons are supposed to be), until you have mastered the basic tools of the awesome design program that is Photoshop.

These lessons will consist of small tutorials, some of them taken from websites (credit will be given), and some created by me.
If you want to post the results of the tutorials, or post any questions and doubts about them, post in the Show Room (http://piforums.info/showpost.php?p=46011&postcount=1), where a teacher will get you as soon as possible.

~~*~~

List of Lessons
Lesson 1 - The Tools (http://piforums.info/showpost.php?p=45986&postcount=2)
Lesson 2 - Backgrounds (http://piforums.info/showpost.php?p=46600&postcount=3)
Lesson 3 - Renders (http://piforums.info/showpost.php?p=47661&postcount=4)
Lesson 4 - Gradients on Backgrounds (http://piforums.info/showpost.php?p=47663&postcount=5)
Lesson 5 - Brushes (http://piforums.info/showpost.php?p=47769&postcount=6)

~~*~~

Step in this School. You won't regret it!

[Darkrai]

Lesson 1 - The Tools
Does not require practice

This tutorial was taken from New Tutorials.Com (http://www.newtutorials.com/photoshop-toolbar-tutorial.htm)

This tutorial was written to introduce new users to Photoshop toolbar and each specific tool.

http://www.newtutorials.com/toolbar/toolbar.gif


Marquee tool (M): This tool is used to select/cut different parts of an image.
Move tool (V): Used to move images or selected pieces of an image.
Lasso tool (L): Used to select specific parts of an image.
Magic wand tool (W): Used to select specific parts of an image.
Brush tool (B): Used for painting in Photoshop. Also, can be used to add color to the old pictures/images.
History Brush Tool (Y): Basically works like undo in Word.
Eraser tool (E): Used to erase part of an images.
Paint Bucket Tool (G): Used to fill image/selection with any color.
Blur Tool (R): Used to blur an image or a small part of an image.
Dodge Tool (O): Dodge tool used to modify pictures/images.
Direct Selection Tool (A): Used to direct select a specific part of a shape.
Type Tool (T): Used to add text to your image.
Add Anchor Point Tool: Used when editing a shape.
Rounded Rectangle Tool (U): Used to draw shapes.
Eyedropper Tool (I): Used to select any color from an image just by clicking on it.
Zoom Tool (Z): Used to zoom in and out.
Edit in Standard Mode (Q): Goes to standard mode.
Edit in Quick Mask Mode (Q): Goes to quick mask mode.
Standard Screen Mode (F): Goes to standard screen mode.
Full Screen Mode (F): Goes to full screen mode.
Jump to ImageReady (Ctrl-Shift-M): Used to transform work created in Photoshop to ImageReady.

Here is a brief explanation of some of the Photoshop Tools. As you may have noticed, some of the buttons from the Toolbar have a little arrow, on the right inferior corner. If you right click that button, you see more tools. For example, if you right click on the Paint Bucket button, you see the Gradient tool. If you click on it, the Paint Bucket tool was replaced by the Gradient tool.

[Darkrai]

Lesson 2 - Backgrounds
Does not require practice

There are several ways of putting a nice background on a banner, avatar, etc. Copy-Pasting[-Cropping] is the easiest way of doing so.
What does this method consist of? As you see by the name, you browse for a background, copy it, and paste it. If it is too big, you can do two things:
(A) You can use the Move Tool; if the file already has the dimensions you desire, move the background until you found the best "spot";
(B) You can use the Crop Tool; if the file has the dimensions of the background, and they aren't the ones you want, instead of moving the background, you can simply select the piece you want with the Crop Tool, then crop it. You'll only have the background you selected.

~+~+~+~

Here's a summary and visualization of these procedures:

Step 1
Create a new file, with a transparent background. If you have already copied the background before opening a new file, Photoshop automatically puts in the dimensions of the copied image. If not, then simply put the dimensions you want for the banner/avatar/etc.
Image (http://i13.tinypic.com/2j0k32p.png)

Step 2
Using the Paint Bucket, make the background black.
Image (http://i12.tinypic.com/2ajcccx.png)

Step 3
Paste the image you copied, pressing the buttons Ctrl+V.
Image (http://i12.tinypic.com/2udumq1.png)

Step 4
Use the Crop/Move Tool (see options [A] and [B]). If you use the Crop Tool, select the desired background, then click the mouse's right button. Select "Crop".
Image 1 (http://i17.tinypic.com/4ieq2w6.png)
Image 2 (http://i18.tinypic.com/34goa6d.png)


There you have it!

[Darkrai]

Lesson 3 - Renders
Does not require practice

What are Renders? They are nothing more than images. The images you put on your banners.
How to put a render on your banner? Quite simple. Copy, and paste it. Simple, isn't it? However, there are some cases that can give you a migraine...

http://i14.tinypic.com/4dmi7lt.png

OH NOES! It has a gray background! How do I erase it?

Never fear! 3 cleaning ways are here!

(1) Erase it manually, pixel by pixel. It's very boring, I know. There are much much easier ways, that with a simple click, it all goes away. But that's only when the background only has one color. Imagine you want to clean a TCG pic, with all that shine and stuff. Manual erasing is needed.

(2) Use the Magnetic Lasso Tool: instead of doing an entire manual cleaning, you select the "render" (it will not be a perfect selection, however). After selecting it, right click, and select "Layer Via Cut" (it will cut the selection from the layer). Then, delete the layer with the remaining and unwanted background. After that, you'll have to do a manual cleaning.

(3) Erase it with the Cleaning Bucket. Select the Paint Bucket, then put in these settings.

http://i17.tinypic.com/2chnaxh.png

Then, click on the background, and VOILÁ! Bye bye background!

(4) Erase it with the Magic Eraser Tool. Right click on the Eraser Tool, and select the Magic Eraser. Then click on the background, and it will disappear.
http://i14.tinypic.com/4dd4k9d.png

(5) Use the Magic Wand Tool. Click, it'll select the area, and you can hit the delete button. HUZZAH, the background is gone!

[Darkrai]

Lesson 4 - Gradients on Backgrounds
Requires Practice

This lesson consists of two simple tutorials, found on N-Sane. They are basically the same, but the final results are completely different.

Organic Raw Flesh Tutorial (http://www.n-sane.net/effects/organic-raw-flesh/index.php)

Electric Plasma Gel Tutorial (http://www.n-sane.net/effects/electric-plasma-gel/index.php)

While doing these two tutorials, you won't use ony gradients; you'll use more tools, like Rotation, Blending Modes, Hue/Saturation, among others. So, these tutorials are also a way to get to know more tools.

If you want, you may post your results at the Show Room, ask for comments and constructive criticism, and even ask questions.

[Darkrai]

Lesson 5 - Brushes
Requires Practice

First of all, let me say that default brushes suck. Some of them can be of use, while others simply suck.
You may download brushes, and load them into your Photoshop. Deviantart has several brushes that you may download. You do that.

~+~

This tutorial is a bit harder, if you have any questions, post at the Show Room.

Fractal Tutorial (http://www.serebiiforums.com/showpost.php?p=3420403&postcount=1)

It has a banner tutorial, and how to load brushes.
If you don't get the first step of the tutorial, create a background of your own.

How to smudge with a soft brush? A soft brush can be found at the default brushes: those circular ones from the beginning. Select one, and use it as 15px.

The blendings modes might not be the best. Mess with them, and found the ones you like.

[Darkrai]

Exercise 1!
Obviously needs practice

To post results, post at the Show Room, stating which exercise you did.

This exercise will test your abilities of Background creation.
Consider the following render.

http://www.pokebeach.com/images/gallery/sugimori/1.png

(1) Create a banner, 320x100 px, transparent background, and fill it with black.

(2) "Create" a background. You can copy/paste/crop a background [however, this won't increase the grade at all; it will only decrease it, actually]; you can use gradients and/or brushes [you can use the plasma/flesh tutorials to create the background]

(3) Put in the render (no background).

Don't do anything else after pasting the render (you can obviously move the render). No blending effects, no duplication, no layer effetcs. Nothing else.

(4) Post it at the Show Room for evaluation.

[Darkrai]

Exercise 2!
Needs practice

To post results, post at the Show Room, stating which exercise you did.

This exercise consists in doing a free banner.
I'll only give you the render and size, and you can do whatever you want. Blending modes, opacity, blending options, any text with any font...anything.

http://www.pokebeach.com/images/gallery/sugimori/344.png

Post it at the Show Room for evaluation.

[fusion376]

Nice tutorials, It might be helpful to me.