PS: [ Smudge Abstract Signature ] by xYunaxFantasiesx - Blogring.net

xYunaxFantasiesX^P · 11-06-2006, 09:44 PM

Tutorial Written by: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Adobe Photoshop 7+
Difficulty: 6/10

Level: High Novice to Intermediate
Image: Ai Otsuka, Channel-Ai
C4d: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

The image are low quality because I saved it at 8 instead of 12, the outcome will not be low quality.

1. Open a new document any size you want. Mine will be 335x145. Paste, ctrl+v, an image that has already been rendered onto the canvas, rename it Image then position it. Take the Eyedropper Tool

and choose a dark color from your image, this color will be the main background color. Then fill the background layer with that color.

2. Click on your background layer and make a new layer below your image layer and name it Background Lighting. Take your eyedropper tool and choose a light color. Take a 300 Soft Round Brush and brush in the middle of where your image should be to creat some lighting.

3. Right-Click on you Image layer and duplicate it 2-4 times. I will duplicate it 2 times.

4. We will now be setting the smudge setting. Grab your Smudge Tool

. Change the brush to a 65 Soft Round Brush.

and the Strength to 100%.
Go to your brush settings on the top left hand corner and use these settings:

5. On your Layer Pallette click on the eye to hide the first two Image Copy layer

Click on the 'Image' layer (the one that is not hidden) and smudge the Image all around and outward to the right like so :

Then change the blend mode to Color Doge for bright colors, Soft Light for mid-dull colors, or Overlay for dark colors. I will be using Overlay.

6. Now click on the Image Copy layer(2nd image layer), it should unhide itself. If not click on the empty block below 'Lock'.
Smudge that image layer. For me it doesn't really smudge outward a lot so I will move the whole layer a bit to the right with the Move Tool then smudge.Then I set the blend mode to Overlay again and unhide the last imgae layer. If you want you can duplicate the Image layer and smudge it again if you are not satisfied also try playing with the blend modes with each new image layer for different result.

7. Duplicate the Image layer and rename it to Liquified. Go up to Filter>>Liquify. A window should come up, use the default setting and smudge the lighter colors outward like this:

8. Then take the smudge tool using the same settings as before and smudge the layer you just liquified. Smudge the lighter areas outward (outward from the image for a focal point).

Then set it to Color Dodge, if your colors are not bright, if it is already bright use something like Overlay or Soft Light. Now move the Image Layer that you did not smudge above the liquified layer.

Now to color and even out the flow a bit.
9. Go to Layer>>New Adjustment Layer>>Gradient Map and choose a color that match your image then set it to a blend mode that matches your overall signature, lower the opacity if you have to. I used the purple/orange graident set to over layer at 100% opacity.

10. Now to add lighting, make a new layer, take a 150 Soft Round Brush light color(that cordinate the image) and brush where light seems to be hitting my image which in my case is the face and set the blend mode to Screen. I also set a lighting behind her hand.

11. The light areas(Liquified layer) all the way on the right throws off my lights so I will remove some of it with the polygonal lasso tool feather at 20 and I also blended in my image using the same method.

Now add some effects, more smudge/liquified layers, text, border and colors if needed. Especiially adjust the lighting with a curve, brightness & contrast, or level tool. Use some textures/c4d in the background if you want. When using c4d I suggest you to set the blend mode to Screend or Color Dodge then position it so that it flows with the image and make sure it's not all over the place, blend it in.
Now you're done.

Here is my result with some color adjustment, c4d added for a bit of depth, I placed it right bellow my image layer with lighting on top and cut off the rest of the c4d leaving only abit for flow. I also removed one smudge layer decreasing some darkness since earlier I had it on overlay which made the sig dark.

Without c4d

No color adjument and lighting lowered:

Tutorial (C) xYunaxFantasiesX @ Blogring.net

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