Photoshop | Illustrator | Flash | Graphic Design | HTML |Tutorials

Create A Glittering Gold Party Text Effect

2011-07-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

This tutorial explains how to use Photoshop layer styles, filters, and brushes to create an awesome sparkly text effect.

Step 1

Create a new document that is 1350 x 1000 px. Set the Foreground color to #525252, and the Background color to #0d0d0d. Create a Radial Gradient from the center of the document to one of it corners making sure that you selected Foreground to Background gradient preset.

Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise. Set the Amount to 5, the Distribution to Uniform, and check the Monochromatic box.

Step 2

Create the text using the color #ffeb0f. The font used is Titania and the size is 377px. Duplicate the text layer so you have two copies.

Double click on the copy text layer (the one on the top) to apply the following styles:

- Drop Shadow: Change the color to #383838, and the Size to 10.

- Inner Shadow: Change the color to #625841, the Size to 13, and the Contour to Half Round.

- Bevel and Emboss: Change the Depth to 450, the Size to 10, the Gloss Contour to Log, and check the Anti-aliased box. Also, change the Highlight Mode color to #fff119, and the Shadow Mode color to #8a7b3e.

- Contour: Just check the Anti-aliased box

This is what the text should look like:

Step 3

Press the Ctrl/Command key, and while still pressing, click on the text layer thumbnail (icon) to create a selection.

Set the Foreground color to #7d6905 and the Background color to #d3c614. Create a new layer on top of all layers and call it “texture”. Fill the selection with the Foreground color, and press Ctrl/Command + D to get rid of the selection.

Step 4

Now, we are going to use a couple of filters to create the sparkly texture. Start by going to Filter > Sketch > Notepaper. Change the Image Balance to 25, the Graininess to 10, and the Relief to 11.

Go to Filter > Texture > Stained Glass. Change the Cell Size to 2, the Border Thickness to 4, and the Light Intensity to 1. The Light Intensity property adds brightness to the center of the texture, so you can increase the value if you want more brightness in the center.

Finally, go to Filter > Stylize > Glowing Edges. Change the Egde Width to 2, the Edge Brightness to 10, and the Smoothness to 5.

Change the “texture” layer’s Blend Mode to Overlay.

That’s it for the text effect. Next, we’re going to add some sparkles using the Brush tool.
Step 5

Open the Brush panel (Window > Brush), and choose a hard round brush. Change the size to 10px, and set the Spacing to something around 322%.

Under Shape Dynamics, change the Size Jitter to 100%, the Roundness Jitter to 62%, and the Minimum Roundness to 25%.

Under Scattering, Change the Scatter value to 431%.

Finally, under Color Dynamics, change the Foreground/Background Jitter to 100%, and the Brightness Jitter to 50%. This will give the sparkles different brightness and color values.

Step 6

Right click on the text layer, and choose Create Work Path.

Make the color #d3c614 the Foreground color, and change the Background color to #ffff08. Create a new layer on top of all layers and call it “sparkles”, and grab the Direct Selection Tool.

Right click on the path, and choose Stroke Path.

Choose Brush from the Tool drop down menu, and make sure the Simulate Pressure box is un-checked.

This will stroke the path with the brush you’ve just created.

Change the “sparkles” layer’s Blend Mode to Linear Light.

Step 7

The last thing we’re going to do is add more shadow to the text, so that it blends more with the background, and has more depth. To do that, Double click on the original (bottom) text layer, un-check the Use Global Light box (as we want to change the direction of the shadow), and change the Angle to -20. Also, change the Distance to 8, and the Size to 10.

Change the Fill value of the original text layer to 0, so that only the shadow is visible.

Final Image

Source

How To Create Sunny White Clouds In Photoshop

2010-09-07T05:36:00.000-07:00

Create the Sky
Lets start by creating a new document which is 1024 x 768 pixels at a resolution of 300 pixels/inch, make sure Color Mode is set to RGB.

Create the Sky
Set your Foreground Color to #a4cccc and Background Color to #5ebbd5. Get the Gradient Tool, pick Foreground to Background gradient and fill the Background with a Linear gradient from bottom to top.

Apply Clouds Filter
Create a new layer and name it "Clouds". Hit D on the keyboard to set colors to Black and White. Go to Filter > Render > Clouds. Set Layer Blend Mode to Screen.

Add Layer Mask
Click the Add Layer Mask button on the Layers Panel. Go to Filter > Render > Clouds to apply a clouds filter to the layer mask.

Apply Curves to Layer
At the moment the Layer Mask is selected in the Layers Panel. Go back to "Clouds" layer by clicking the Layer Thumbnail. Hit Command+M to bring up the Curves dialog and tweak the curve as in the below image.

Apply Levels to Mask
Now select the "Clouds" Layer Mask and hit Command+L to open the Levels dialog and increase the contrast as shown in the below image.

Some Blur
Go to Filter > Blur > Radial Blur while the Layer Mask is still selected. Use these settings: Amount => 50, Blur Method => Zoom, Quality => Best. You can also change the position of the Blur Center..

Let the Sun Shine
Now let’s put some sunshine. Create a new layer on top and fill it with Black. Go to Filter > Render > Lens Flare, set Brightness to 175, pick 50-300mm Zoon lens, place the Flare Center at the top left of the canvas and hit OK.

Congratulations
Set Layer Blend Mode to Screen. This is my final image. Because we’re using clouds filter each time you repeat this tutorial you’ll get different results, the Curves and also the Levels adjustments will also change the final image. Hope you liked this tutorial and had fun making it.

Source

How to Create Newspaper Layout In Photoshop

2010-09-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

This tutorial will show you how to create an image that will look like a scanned newspaper page.

Step 1. Create a new document, size 630x900 and fill it with it a light, warm gray (color code #e4e4e4).

Step 2. To make the final result make more realistic, it’s necessary to mimic the way you can see the writing on the back page on a real newspaper.

To achieve this effect, open an image of a newspaper page you can find on the Internet (I chose this one), go to Image-> Rotate Canvas -> Flip Canvas Horizontal and then copy/paste it over the new document you just created. Set its opacity to 5%, so that the writing is only a bit visible.

Step 3. Newspaper articles often contain pictures, so I opened this one and resized it to 35%, and I placed it on the left like this:

Step 4. To convert the image to black and white, the best method is to go to Image -> Adjustments -> Channel Mixer… tick Monochrome and leave all the other settings as default.

Step 5. In order to create the headlines, I used Century Old Style Std, Italic, size 40pt and 24pt respectively. You may use any other font that is very legible and simple.

Step 6. To create the subtitles, I used Century Old Style Std, Bold, size 18pt. I left some space between them and the picture, and the headlines, in order to achieve an elegant, uncluttered look.

Don’t worry if the text you’ve done until now is not properly aligned. You can easily fix that later.

Step 7. Now it’s time to create the content of the news article. You need to create a text box: using the Type Tool, click on the desired starting point of the text box and drag down to create a rectangle.

Though it’s not visible in the screenshot above, the text box doesn’t go all the way to the bottom of the page. I’ve left a blank edge on the bottom of the page, because we’re later going to add the date and day of the week there, just like on genuine newspapers.

Step 8. Paste some text of your choice into the text box you’ve created (my source was Wikipedia). The font I used is Century Old Style Std, Regular, 14pt.

Notice that I’ve used a Sans Serif font. Because of their high legibility, most magazines and newspaper articles use Sans Serif fonts for the main body of text.

Step 9. Create a second text box as shown at step 7 and paste some text, using the font at step 8.

Step 10. The final step is to create a text box and add some text in the lower part of the page. I used the font Century Old Style Std, Regular, 12pt.

In order to verify and align the way the text and pictures fit on the page, go to View -> Show -> Grid. To change the position of a certain element, use the left and right arrow keys, or the Move Tool.

The final result:

Photoshop - Simple Photo Retouching Tutorial

2010-09-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

Here is the step by step detail on how to retouch photo using Clone Stamp Tool in Photoshop :

1. Open the photo/file in Photoshop you want to work with for the tutorial (go to the file menu in Photoshop and select open, from the open dialogue box select your desired file and click open.

2. Make a duplicate layer of the image by going to the layer palette and clicking & druging the background layer into the "Create a new Layer" box (located at the bottom of the layer palette and 2nd one from the right hand side). Take off the original background layer by clicking on its visibility icoon. This way we can preserve the original layer and will be working with the duplicate one. Look at the picture below to get a live view.

3. Select the "Clone Stamp Tool (S)" from the tool box (if you can't see the tool box, go to window menu and select "Tools"). Click right button on your mouse and an window will pop up where we can resize the clone tool depending on the spot size we are going to remove and as well as the hardness we need to select into 0% in this case. Now we are ready to start retouch and cleaning the spots.

4. Keep in mind that we have to clean every single spot one by one. Not all spots we can remove at a single click. So, decide which perticular spot you are going to touch up first, then press "Alt" on your keybord and click on the fresh portion of the image nearest to the spot where you think the color density is very similar. Release the "Alt" key and click on the spot. You are successfully removed the spot. Take a look at the image below.

5. In the same manner, touch up all the spots within the image.

One thing I want to notice that, make your tool size perfect (a little bit bigger than spot) and choose the appropriate hardness of the tool. If these things are not choosen appropriately, your image may not look professional after you have done.

Hopping the above tutorial helps you to handle retouching in photoshop.

How To Create Night Vision Effect In Photoshop

2010-05-07T10:42:00.001-07:00

In this tutorial you will learn how to create a night vision effect in Photoshop using the hue and saturation adjustments, blur filter and the burn tool. The night vision effect in this tutorial gives the result of looking through night vision goggles. I have used a free stock image which can be found at sxc.hu.

Night vision effect in Photoshop

Step 1

Open an image in Photoshop. It’s best to use an image which contains some scenery such as buildings or landmarks.

Step 2

Duplicate the background layer by pressing Ctrl + J on the keyboard. Then select Image > Adjustment > Hue/Saturation. Check the Colorize box at the bottom of the dialog window and then give your image a green colour. I have used the following settings, but you can use whatever setting you wish. I have set the hue to 124, the saturation to 43 and the lightness to -36.

Step 3

Add some noise to your image by selecting Filter > Add Noise. I have only added a small amount of noise to my image. The amount I used is 10% and the distribution is uniform.

Step 4

Take the burn tool with the range at Midtones and the exposure at 64%. And paint around the edges of the image. Apply about 5 -6 layers of burn around the edges, so you get a slightly blacken colour.

You should now have a night vision effect.

Realistic Paper Texture in 5 Minutes

2010-04-30T05:07:00.001-07:00

In this quick tip tutorial, we will learn how to create a realistic paper texture from scratch in just 5 minutes. To do this we will use some simple filters and effects. Let’s get started!

Step 1

Create new file 1280 x 1024 px. Create a rectangular selection in the center of the image, hit Q to enter quick mask mode. Go to Filter > Pixelate > Crystallize, use small cell size and click OK. Hit Q again to return to normal mode. Hit Cmd+shift+alt+N to create a new layer. Press D then Cmd+Delete to fill selection with white. To remove selection press Cmd+D.

Step 2

Activate the burn tool with exposure 20%. Paint the paper until it looks dark and dirty. Go to Filter > Texture > Texturizer, use Texture: Canvas and click OK.

Step 3

Double click the paper layer to open the Layer Styles dialog and activate the Drop Shadow effect. Don’t worry with the settings, just click OK. This shadow is very flat and unrealistic, but we’ll fix it.

Step 4

From the Layers panel, right click Drop Shadow and choose Create Layer. This step will separate the Drop Shadow from the paper.

Step 5

Select the shadow layer, hit Cmd+T to transform it. Right click it and choose Warp. Move the handles until the shadow looks irregular, just like a real one.

Step 6

Activate the Gradient Tool, in the option bar and choose Linear and Mode: Difference. Create a random gradient, from top to bottom, bottom to top, left right, and right to left. Just go crazy!

Step 7

Go to Filter > Stylize > Emboss. Hit Cmd+L and move the white and black sliders to the middle.

Step 8

Hit Cmd+alt+G. Change blending mode to Overlay.

Conclusion

That’s it! You can turn this into a thin paper by lowering its opacity. Below is the final paper on a wood texture. Click here or click on the image to see it in full size.

Source : psd.tutsplus

Metallic Toning Effect on your Portrait | Metallic Toning Effect Tutorial

2010-04-20T23:28:00.002-07:00

Not sure what to call this effect. It makes the color of the portrait quite metallic, like your skin was made of silver, bronze or maybe copper. I've seen it a couple of times in magazines when they have a big portrait of a stranger spread on a full page. So maybe it's about time I write something about this effect.

Who would be more perfect for this metallic effect other than the Iron Man actor, Robert Downey Jr. Take a look at the 'before' and 'after' image below...so you'll have an idea of what I'm talking about.

1. Naturally, you should start by opening your image in Photoshop.

2. Next, duplicate the image. Set the duplicate image layer to Overlay.

3. With the duplicate image layer selected, go to Filter > Other > High Pass. Our goal here is to sharpen the image a little bit, so you can see some details on the skin tone. If you already have a high resolution image, no need to set the radius too high. Mine is set to 5.

4. Now go to Image > Mode > Grayscale. If a message appear asking you to merge the layer, don't panic, just click 'Merge'.

5. Next, go to Image > Mode > Duotone. Select Quadtone on the Type dropdown menu. Then, click the 'Load' button on the right.

A window will open, select PANTONE(R) QUADTONES folder. And select the file Bl 541 513 5773 and click Load. You'll have something like below and click OK.

6. Now, change the mode back to RGB. Go to Image > Mode > RGB Color.

7. Duplicate the image. And set the duplicate layer to 'Color Burn'. Set the opacity to 20%.

8. We're gonna add some adjustment layers to amplify the effect. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves. Make an S-shape curve like the image below. The steep of your curve is up to you, whatever looks good on your image.

9. Now go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Level. Adjust the level as follows.

And we're done. You got yourself one explosive metallic portrait.

All the Crazy + Fun Stuffs To Do in Photoshop

2010-04-19T03:49:00.002-07:00

Photoshop isn't just for editing the brightness or increasing the contrast of your photo. There's no boundaries to all the crazy and fun stuffs you can do with Photoshop. With enough RAM, a pinch of imagination and some Photoshop skillz, you can create any effect you like. Compiled below are some tutorials to guide you thru the wonderful world of Photoshopping. Some effects can take only a couple of minutes and some could take hours, depending on how steep your learning curve is =)

Ghost-rider Skull Effect in Photoshop
How do you convince your girlfriend that you actually signed a contract with a demon to be a Ghost Rider? Here's how...show her your flaming skull picture. Of course, she won't believe you..well, we both know you're just hallucinating, right? Remember the time you insist that you're a Ghost Whisperer. That didn't turn out so good.

Turn an Earthling into a blue Na'vi
Avatar is so famous that some people is speaking Na'vi right now. If you like Avatar so much or feel like mocking the movie, let's try this effect. Tom Cruise made a handsome Na'vi. Let's turn Katie and little Suri into Na'vi people too. Then, they all can live happily ever after in a beautiful planet called Pandora (wherever that is).

How to Add Angel (or demon) Wings to your Portrait
So, you're not an angel or anything, but after watching that tooth fairy movie, you wish you had wings. Well, we don't have a magic wand to grant your wish, but Photoshop can feed some of your fantasy.

Retouch your Skin and remove all that Blemish
Hey! even our 'head-to-toe-perfect' celebrities use this technique...you don't have to be ashamed of yourself. So, nobody's perfect, and you're nobody, but that doesn't mean you can't be picture perfect.

Adding Tattoo to Your Skin Using Photoshop
So needle makes you shrink in fear, but you really wish you can prove to your online buddy who lives a few time zones away that you got yourself a tattoo last summer. Why you're lying to him in the first place, we don't wanna know, but this tutorial might help help you solve the problem..unless he's working with the CSI unit and has that cool program that detects fake photo.

Colorful Swirling Light Effect in Photoshop
You always have that perfect jump. Your friends said, you could be the next jumping model. Let's add some magical effects to that jump. Light swirling around you, coming out of your hands, that's gotta be cool.

Face Shattered Like Glass Effect in Photoshop
Your head doesn't explode, it shattered to pieces like a glass. Why would you want to learn this effect, I don't know..for your facebook profile picture maybe..

Transform a Young girl into an Old Woman in Photoshop
You won't need a time-machine to figure out how you look 50 years from now. Spend some times with Photoshop and you'll get an older version of you..or your friends or your enemies..depends on your intention here. Mmm..what a coincidence here. First, we have Tom turning blue and now we have Katie getting old. TomKat is really dominating the world here..

Make Button in Photoshop
Who knows, someday you'll wake up in the morning and decide your true calling is to be a digital button maker. Now, this tutorial might comes in handy for you to serve your purpose in life.

Severed Arm Effect in Photoshop
You scared your mother to death with this picture. Now you have to apologize to her for the rest of your life. Ryan Tedder would say, 'It's too late to apologize' but you can keep trying..and stop scaring your friends too. I know it's fun.

Blurry Ghost-like Effect
If somehow you're stuck in another frequency (however impossible that may sound), this would be your picture..well, at least it's what all the science fiction movies taught us. If you're still in the real world, and wish to have a picture like above, then Photoshop is the answer.

Turn yourself (or others) into Zombie in Photoshop
If you're stuck in Zombieland, remember this, "Don't Be a Hero". If you're stuck in a messed-up real world, and have nothing to do in Halloween, this effect could be fun to learn. Let's turn everyone in the neighborhood into zombies, shall we?

Glittering Fairy Eyes Effect
Ever dream of being a fairy and realize it's impossible to come true? Maybe we just settle with a picture instead. It's not so bad really, you still have that dusty glittering eyes.

Shattering Debris Effect on a Portrait
Get the grungy cool effect on your portrait with colorful gradient and shattering on the edge. This tutorial shows an effective and brilliant way of blending textures into an image.

Space Effect in Photoshop
So, you've never been to space. But it isn't rocket science to create a space effect on Earth. All you need is Photoshop and a little bit of imagination..won't be a problem, right? We all know your imagination goes beyond the seventh sky.

Destroyed City Landscape Effect
Feels like destroying all the famous building on Earth after watching 2012 movie? Problem is, you don't have that much of a budget like the director of that movie had. This tutorial will guide you how to spread the pain to the cities with a slightly lower budget.

Wicked Fiery Eyes Effect in Photoshop
You see the picture above, you know what this tutorial does to your eyes. Interested of becoming the yellow-eyed demon?..then let's do it. Click the link and fire up your Photoshop.

Create Realistic Company Stamp
Interesting stuff to learn if you ever need to forge a company stamp or decide it's cool to have the stamp of your unregistered company all over your digital works..sort of signature or something.

Cracking Face Effect
The secret lies in the texture you choose for this effect. With the right blending technique, you can be cracking in no time.

Color your Hair in Photoshop
Rainbow-colored hair..how much does it cost? More than you can afford perhaps. But a picture of rainbow-colored hair..that's free if you have Photoshop. This tutorial will guide you on how to color your hair in Photoshop.

Turn People to Fruit People
You're thinking of turning your boss into a pumpkin this Halloween, and emailing it to everyone at work? This tutorial can help you accomplish your evil plan. It's a pear but..pear, pumpkin..sounds similar to me. It's the same concept nevertheless.

Source:best-photoshop-tutorials

Illustrator - How To Make It With Mesh

2010-03-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think “what could I create next?”. Why not start with just 4 lines and 5 color swatches and see from there? Use the tools at hand and see where it ends up. Surprising results happen when you do. Here is where I ended up…

The basics

Create 4 lines

Create 4 vertical lines using the Rectangle tool. I used the Direct Selection tool (white arrow) and hold down the Shift and Alt/Option key to duplicate the 1st one to create the other 3 lines. While doing this it's best to turn on Smart Guides (View > Smart Guides or hit Command/Ctrl + U).

Add color

For the colors I browsed through my Kuler colors collection, saved the swatches of my choice on the desktop and then I've loaded them in Illustrator. To do this go to the Swatches palette's menu and choose Open Swatch Library and Other Library.... Browse to the palette you've saved, select it and hit the open button. Now click on the folder with the swatches in the new palette that appears on your screen. Now they will be added to your document's Swatches palette. Give each line a different color using your swatches. If you like, you could add a subtle linear gradient effect. That is what I did. I also decided to use my fifth swatch for the background of my creation using a separate layer (which I locked each time I needed to when I was editing my lines shape).

Make with Mesh

Select all lines and go to Object > Envelope Distort and choose Make with Mesh... from the submenu. Check the preview button to see the mesh before you click OK. To keep things simple and easy to edit I chose for 4 columns (1 for each line) and 2 rows (to have only 1 handle vertically in the center).

Start tweaking the lines mesh shape by dragging on the handles. I've used the Shift key a lot especially for the centered points where they come close together.

Add extra color effect

Next thing I did is duplicating the layer with the lines mesh on top of my original mesh. I click the layer target circle icon on the right in the Layers palette and then I changed the layer mode to Overlay in the Transparency palette. Then I moved the shape a bit until I got an interesting enough result. It depends on the colors you've chosen on what is the best layer mode to choose.

Experiment with the shape

Then I decide to see how things looked in landscape version and I also wondered which effect I would get when using the Warp, Pucker or Bloat tools. I experimented with a very big brush, 400 px to avoid small bumpy effects.

Final result

In the end I decided to go back to my portrait version and for some Warp effects. Last but not least I added some text. First I created a curved path using the Pen tool, then I selected the Type on a Path tool and added my thoughts behind my creation.

Illustrator Tutorial :- How To Use Mesh Tool

2010-03-09T10:52:00.000-08:00

An introduction to Gradient Mesh tool

Gradient Mesh tools are used to create a single multicolored object on which colors can flow in different directions , the color transitions achieved are smooth running from one color to another.

Once a mesh object is created you can easily change its color characteristics i.e. shade by adjusting each point of the mesh object . Meshes can be created on any of your vector , eps objects with the exception of compound paths and text objects until expanded.

You can not apply meshes to Jpeg , giff or other raster objects imported to your artwork.

In the following tutorial we will give an introduction to using of mesh tool.

Step1

Creating the Shape

Activate your smart Guides before you start Ctrl+U or view > Smart Guides

Start off by selecting the Ellipse tool(L) and Draw a perfect circle by pressing shift while you create

Step 2

Creating Mesh

select mesh tool and click exactly in the center of the circle your smart guide will help you identify that. this is your first mesh division. Our object is to create a cartoonish face i would like to divide the the circle as a face and will shade two sides as cheeks.

Step 3

Division of the shaded areas.

similarly click and divide the right side and the left side of the circle with clicking on the line running horizontally.

and further divide by clicking similarly on vertical line. The shape of the circle will look something like this.

Switch your tool to direct selection tool (A) and select all the nodes on the outer anchor points of the circle which you can do by keeping shift key pressed. when selected it will look something like this

Step 4

Shading your work

open up your color palette F6 and drag to a light shade of blue you will see the effect changing in your shape

If you miss an anchor point don’t worry just drag the color from your palette and drop over the missed anchor point

here is how it will look like at this point

'select the middle anchor points as show below and pick up a shade of pink

Step 5

Creating face elements

As the object over here is to create a face you can easily select any anchor point and using its handles change the direction of the color blending , here a chin is required so i will just play around a little with the lower anchor point in the middle. and shift it down a bit

be careful not to un-blend the perfect blending or your chin will have a cut!

Draw a few face elements.

using similar technique i will draw now eyes. Here are some steps i used to create a set of Cartoonish looking eyes

Place them over your face

here is the finished face you can save it as a symbol and place it over any interesting background . This character was created for a children’s program here is a preview of one of the screen shots of the final scene.

[Via]

Photoshop Brushes - How To Create Cute Faces On Fruits

2010-03-02T00:55:00.000-08:00

Step 1 – Open an image of a fruit in Photoshop

Choose File > Open, browse for the image file, then click OK.

Step 2 – Create a new layer

Choose Layer > New Layer to create a new layer. This layer will hold the image of the cute face.

Step 3 – Choose the brush

Make sure that you’ve loaded the brushes into Photoshop. Select the Brush tool then right click anywhere on the document window to see the list of brushes. Pick the face that you’d like to use.

Step 4 – Apply the cute face

Paint the cute face on the fruit. Use the transform tools (Edit > Transform) if you like to distort the face.

Step 5 – Blend the face into the fruits texture

Choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options. On the bottom of the window, hold the alt key then drag the white input slider towards the left until the face looks like it is drawn on the fruit. Click Ok when done.

Final Results

[VIA]

Illustrator - How To Make A Custom Brush

2010-03-02T00:39:00.000-08:00

It’s really a lot easier than you would expect. This tutorial was requested by many of my readers after I posted this Free set of 35 Abstract Illustrator Brushes. The possibilities are endless as far as brush making goes in illustrator, but I wanted to get you started in the right direction and let you take it from here. (The purpose is to tease you, so you want to try it on your own!)

It would actually be pretty hard to make this tutorial any more detailed. Making custom Illustrator brushes couldn’t be easier. However, there are a couple things you do need to know first. There are 4 types of brushes that you can create in Illustrator. (Calligraphic, Art, Scatter, and Pattern) I will be showing you how to make an Art Brush. I haven’t explored the other 3 in as much detail, but as soon as I have I will post about it. For now, I will show you how to make an art brush, and you can experiment with the other brush types in the same fashion, the only differences are settings, and how the brushes act when applied.

Make a Custom Illustrator Art Brush:

First, open a new Illustrator document and make any shape that your heart desires. You can literally make ANY shape into a brush, even a square if you feel like it. Here’s what I made. A couple of bars and some blocks scattered about. There is no need to worry about shapes at this point because once you try this a few times, you will get an idea of how the shapes will effect your brush.

Now select all of the shapes that you want to be a brush and in your Brushes palette, click on the little arrow in the upper left, and select “New Brush.”

You will get the option to choose 1 of 4 brush types. Choose “Art Brush” and click OK.

Now you should be in the Brush Options. IMPORTANT: Make sure you select “Tints” as the Colorization Method. This allows you to change the color of the brush as a stroke color. If you don’t select Tints, your brush will always be the color it is when you create it. There are lots of other settings you can play with here, including the direction of the brush stroke. Choose your settings and click OK.

You should now see your new Custom Brush in the Brushes palette.

Now create a shape to test your brush. I used a circle, like below:

Now make sure you have the stroke selected in the tools palette, and click on your Custom Brush in the Brushes palette to apply it to the circle to see what you get:

Custom Brushes are an easy way to get shapes that would have otherwise taken you hours to draw by hand. Now that you have your brush, you can start applying it whenever you want, and adjust the stroke size to get the effect/shapes you want. In the image below, all I did was use the same brush I just created, duplicated it, overlapped it, and adjusted scale, colors and stroke sizes. You can make multiple brushes in order to get way more complex, and the more you try it, the better you get. Seriously, this took about a minute with one brush (made from simple rectangles!). Imagine what you can do if you spend some time experimenting?

[VIA]

Illustrator - How To Use Live Trace

2010-03-02T00:31:00.000-08:00

A reader raised the question why I don’t use the Live Trace instead of tracing the sketch with the Pen tool. It’s simply because the lines of my sketch aren’t ‘clean’ enough to make it work with Live Trace. The outcome depends a lot on your orignal, as you can see here in these experiments. Not that you can’t do magic tricks with this tool, of course you can.

If I traced my pencil drawing first with a thin black marker and scanned this version of the image, it might have been perfect to use Live Trace instead. I simply wanted to show how the Pen tool works and how I draw most of my illustrations, that was the point of the movie.

If you are in the mood for some experimenting with the Live Trace tool then I could give you some info that might help you. In some case (most cases?) you'll get a pretty result already without tweaking too much on the settings. Take for example the picture below. I've just used the 'Photo High Fidelity' Live Trace option which gave this result (in a blink of the eye).

However if you're after more advanced control on how Live Trace will trace your image then this info can come in handy. After selecting your image you go to Object > Live Trace > Tracing Options. This will popup the Tracing Options windows which gives you the possibility to tweak with the settings. When you click the Preview checkbox you'll see the immediate effect on your image, unchecking it brings back the original image. So you'll need this while experimenting.

* The lower the number you set in the 'Path Fitting' option the tighter the image will be traced. But make sure it's not too low otherwise you could get a jaggy effect. The higher the number the smoother the effect but you might loose detail in the process. So experiment with this setting.
* The 'Minimum Area' option defines the minimum area that will be traced, which will help to avoid little specs of being traced. For example if you use 12px as minimum area, a 11px or smaller area won't be traced.
* The 'Corner Angle' option sets the sharpness of corner angles. The lower the number, the sharper the corners.

If you go to Object > Live Trace > Expand the image shows the paths and you can still tweak and edit whatever you like, but don't forget to ungroup the object.

Create Symbols Spray In Adobe Illustrator

2010-03-02T00:29:00.000-08:00

Say, you want to draw a tree in full Spring, a very green one. Not just an outline you want details too so that you actually see the leafs. Unless you have a ton of time on your hands or you’re paid by the hour, it would be a hell of a job to draw each leaf one by one. This would be one of the many situations where the Symbol Spaying Tool can be of assistance.

Step 1 - Create a few symbols to spray with

First of all you need to create a few symbols to have a bit of variation to work with. Instead of creating a symbol of only one leaf, I suggest to draw groups of leaves and make them separate symbols. To do this, just select the group of leaves and drag & drop them in the Symbols palette. I've used different shades of green for my leafs.

Step 2 - Set the Symbol Sprayer Tool

The second step is to double click the Symbol Sprayer Tool in the Toolbox and adjust the settings to your wishes. This can be a bit tricky and you might need to experiment a bit to find the setting that fits your purpose. I've used an intensity of 7 and a Symbol Set Density of 5. Furthermore I've changed all dropdown menus to "User Defined".

Step 3 - Let the fun begin and spray like you've never sprayed before

Once you've discovered the desired setting you can start spraying around. Oh and you don't have to worry about damaging the ozone layer here, you can spray like a madman :) Just click and drag, release the mouse when you think that there are enough leaves. I usually deselect each time I've released the mouse. This way you have all separate sprayings, so you can move them around and rearrange them a bit if needed.

Don't stop experimenting

If you're still not satisfied with the result, you can also tweak a bit by using the Symbol Shifter, Cruncher, Sizer, Spinner, Stainer, Screener or Styler Tool. These tools are hidden under the Symbol Sprayer Tool when you select and hold down the mouse. Think about the possibilities here in this tool and the amount of time you can save: a field full of flowers, a sky full of birds,... Ah Spring, can't wait till it's here. The weather forecast isn't looking that bad for this week.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial.

[VIA]