PSP Tutorials - Icon #1

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Step 1 Open up the texture, which you can view/save here. If you are more advanced at psp you can change the colour, however, this will cause more alterations further into the tutorial. Also open your photo. I shall be using this photo of Mikey Way(My Chemical Romance). Photos that are mainly black work better. Copy your photo (edit >> copy) and go back to your texture(Do not close your photo, we will need it later in the tutorial). Paste as a new layer (Edit >> Paste As New Layer). Move your photo to a position you're satisfied with using the move tool (second down on the left toolbar). I've moved the photo to the left. Go to your Layers Palette on the right of your screen (if you can't see this, go to View >> Toolbars >> Layers). Using the drop down, set your photo to 'Lighten'. Using the slider, change the opacity of your image until it is at an opacity you are satisfied with. I set mine to 25.

Step 2 Save and open this mask. Copy the mask(Edit >> Copy) and go back to your icon. Paste as a new layer (Edit >> Paste As New Layer). On your Layers Palette, using the drop down, select 'Screen'. Using the slider to change the opacity, slide it to 50, or you can mess around with different opacities to get it the way you want.

Step 3 Save this mask and open it. Copy the mask(Edit >> Copy) and go back to your icon. Paste as a new layer (Edit >> Paste As New Layer). On your Layers Palette, using the drop down, select 'Soft Light'. Using the slider to change the opacity, slide it to 50.

Step 4 - Part A Open back up your photo. You will need to resize it(Image >> Resize). Because my image is quite a large image, I resized it to 35%, which you can view here. The size you will need to resize by depends on the height and width of your image. Keep playing around until you get a size you like. Zoom up, and using the Selection Tool (Third down on left tools menu) select a 33pixel width by 25pixel height rectangle on your desired part of the image. I selected Mikey's face. Copy this (Edit >> Copy) and go back to your icon(again, do not close your photo). Zoom in(View >> Zoom In (You will need to zoom in alot)) and paste as a new layer(Edit >> Paste As New Layer). I mirrored my image(Image >> Mirror), but you don't have to. Using the Move Tool (Second down on left tool menu) move your rectangle so it is on top of the larger square in the bottom right corner. Move it so it has 2 pixels above, to the right and below of the white rectangle underneath.

Step 4 - Part B On your Layers Palette on the right, right click your current layer of your small 33x25pixel rectangle and Duplicate the layer. On your duplicated layer, go to (Selections >> Select All) then click once on your icon, the rectange should be selected. On your Layers Palette, right click on the current layer and go to (New Adjustment Layer >> Hue/Saturation/Lightness). Make sure 'Colorize' is ticked and click 'Ok'.

Step 5 Open this mask and copy(Edit >> Copy). If you colorized the earlier texture, then this is where you'll have trouble. You'll also have to colourize the mask. Go back to your icon and paste as a new layer(Edit >> Paste As New Layer). On the Layer Palette, using the drop down, select 'Screen'. Using the slider, change the opacity to 93.

Step 6 - Part A Go back to your resized photo. Using the Selection Tool(Third one down on the left toolbar) select a rectangle, this time 11pixels in width and 25pixels in height. I selectied Mikeys eye. Copy your rectange(Edit >> Copy) and go back to your icon. Paste it as a new layer (Edit >> Paste As New Layer). You will need to zoom in again. I mirrored my image again(Image >> Mirror). Using the Move Tool(Second down on the left toolbar) move your rectangle so it is next to the 33x25 rectangle you added earlier. Make sure there is a 2 pixel border around it, which shows the white rectangle screen you added earlier.

Step 6 - Part B (Selections >> Select All) and click once on your icon, your now smaller rectangle should be selected. On the Layers Palette, right click on the current layer. (Adjustment Layer >> Hue/Saturation/Lightness). Make sure 'Colorize' is selected and click 'Ok'.

Step 7 Next is time for a border. I used this border. Open and copy. Go back to your icon and paste as a new layer. On the Layers Palette, using the drop down select 'Screen'. On the slider, move it to 70, however, you can alter this to your liking.

Step 8 Font time. I have transfered my text to a screen which you can view here. Paste as a new layer, set as 'Screen' and change the opacity to 79. However, if you want to add your own text, I used 'Times New Roman', size 16, kerning -75, white #FFFFFF. I also left a space between each letter. The same opacity and screen settings apply.

Step 9 Final step. Open this mask and paste as a new layer. Set as 'Screen' and leave at 100 opacity. You can however create this brush yourself by using the brush tool, square, size 1, hardness 100, white #FFFFFF. Your icon is finished, unless you want to add anything else. To download the psp and look at the layers click here.
You can experiment with different photos, colours and the masks in different positions.