2nd Lesson

**Subuatai de Bodemloze** · March 02, 2010, 10:53 AM

Lesson 2

Ok, guys welcome to the 2nd lesson! This one should be easier (I hope) and funnier then the previous lesson. If there is a part you don't understand or somewhere where I'm unclear, don't hesitate to notify me.

1.The Render What you first need is a render. I suggest you use the one you rendered in the previous lesson.
Altough some of you might have rendered pieces that wouldn't fit so good in a sig, so then I suggest you to look for renders on Planetrenders.net (you need to be registered).

Now we can start with the actual signature.

2. The Size The right image size is very important. Noobs tend to make their sig as big as possible, but smaller sigs can achieve a far better effect for the most time. I usually use a size around 430x140, with a transparent background.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

3. Positioning your Render Now put your render into it. It is probably too big, so press ctl+t to resize it. When you resize it keep the "shift" key pressed down, the render will keep it's proportions. How big you want it and where to put it depends on the render itself and your intentions, but generally it's best to put it close to the middle of your sig.

You better duplicate your render layer , just to be sure. Right click on the layer and choose duplicate layer. Set one of them to be invisible.

4. Background Basics

Now a background comes in. Make sure that it's big enough and matches the render's style. Resize it (don't forget to press "shift"!) and position it to your liking.
Put the background layer above the render, so you can concentrate on it.

From now on there are thousands of things you can do, but we are going through some very basic, more advanced will come later in the course.
I want to make it look like my rendersoldier is moving, so I select the background layer (which ironically is in the foreground atm ) and click "filter->blur->motion blur". Play around with the settings a bit. Now put one of your render-layers on top of it. (We don't need the invisible one, we just kept it to have backup)

5. Improvements
We're now going to blend the Render with the background. Select the eraser tool from your toolbar and select a soft brush with ~50 pixels. Use something close to these settings:

Now just go around your the edges of your render and slightly erase some parts of it. If you have done something wrong, press ctrl+alt+z to undo your last step.

Now we go on and improve it. Create a new layer on top of all others, select "image->apply image" and duplicate the layer(copy) (by selecting the layer and pressing CTRL+J). We duplicate it just to have backup.
Select the top layer and set the layer mode to soft light and lower the opacity until you like it.

Layermodes:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Now Create a new layer. and with the marker tool select 2 main colours of your sig. (you can of course also choose other colours if you want to)

Go ahead and choose the "Gradient tool"

Drag your mouse over your empty layer while holding down "shift" and you'll get this

Set the layer mode to "overlay" and lower the opacity until you like it.

As you can see, my render is a bit dark. Create a new layer and brush with a white 50 px soft brush on the render.

Now put the brushed layer on soft light

After that create a new layer and choose "image->apply image" again.

To get some focus to the render select your blur tool and blur around the render.

Find some splatter brushes, if you don't know how to implent them in Photoshop, check this guide. Create a new layer and brush in some different splatter brushes with fitting colours.

Then set the layer to soft light.

Take forth your Text tool(the icon shaped like a 'T'). Press somewhere on your screen where you want text, and write your username. Use a text size of 20pt - 36pt. Font choice is up to you, I chosed "Trajan Pro".

I'm not happy with the placement of the text, so I decided to rotate the text a bit. I did this by pressing CTRL+T and then rotating the text by placing the mouse outside a corner of the selection and then rotated it.

I'm still not happy with the focus on the sig, so we will be adding a sharpen filter.
Create a new layer, go "image->apply image". Now go "filter->sharpen->sharpen".

Now our picture became sharp, but I only want the render to be sharp, since that is our focus.

So now take forth your eraser, make sure the opacity and flow settings are on max. Choose a 75px big soft round brush.

To create a nice focus, I will erase these parts of the layer we applied the sharpen filter to.

Now erase the parts where you don't want focus.

Now we gonna add a border. Create a new layer, go "image->apply image". Double click on your layer, a window with blending settings should pop up.

Use these settings;

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Now you're done with the editing, now the most boring parts await, the saving

Go "File->Save" and save it as a .PSD first.

After you have saved it as a .PSD, save it as a .PNG by going "File->Save as".

Homework:
Follow the lesson above and post your signature in .PNG and .PSD format. I also want you to post the image you used as background and also the render you used. If you have a doubt how to proceed somewhere, download my PSD file. If you still have doubts after you have checked my PSD, make a post in the Lesson Help Thread.

**Hesus de bodemloze** · March 02, 2010, 01:09 PM

**Killerbee** · March 02, 2010, 01:24 PM

Help - You're going way too fast ! The GIMP lessons were 1 per 2 weeks or so

**Hesus de bodemloze** · March 02, 2010, 01:30 PM

I am ready for lesson 3.

**abbews** · March 02, 2010, 01:33 PM

Wait a bit!? This should be posted on saturday/sunday? Wow, sorry if I wasn't clear subby.

This one isn't finished yet, will leave the thread as it is but lock it and open it when the lesson is ready.

**Subuatai de Bodemloze** · March 02, 2010, 02:05 PM

my bad

**abbews** · March 07, 2010, 01:17 PM

Ok guys, the lesson is up!

**Killerbee** · March 07, 2010, 01:23 PM

Ite, am currently on the non-GIMP pc, so can't post my sig, but it's the one I made for the GC, and I did pretty much everything that's explained in this tuto, except the text and the splatters (but will add them jsut for lesson purpose)

And no offence, but this lesson looks just a tad like the one Fev made

**abbews** · March 07, 2010, 01:32 PM

It's the one Fev made, almost. As some of you know, he should have been my assistant (after Ratbag's outrage) but he got IRL problems and left the site. He gave me permission to use his tutorial, since he couldn't make a lesson.