Random Metal Text

A pretty complicated tutorial on how to achieve this random metal-effect. I will teach you how to use several techniques which can be very usefull in text-manipulation! This random metal text looks a bit like the NeedForSpeed-logo, don't you think?

Learn how to create this fancy metallic text...

• Step 1 Begin your document with black text of any choice;

  

• Step 2 Selecht the text and create a new layer and go to Select>Modify>Expand and choose a setting that expands your selection by doubling it;

  

• Step 3 Apply Smoothning on the object;

  

• Step 4 Add these layer-styles to the object and place it behind the text;

  

  

• Step 5 Select the silver and go to Select>Modify>Contract and choose 3 pixels.
  Then press CTRL+SHIFT+I to invert the selection and fill this with black.
  Select the silver once again and again press CTRL+SHIFT+I and click on the black layout and press DELETE.
  Then lower the opacity...

  

• Step 6 Duplicate the silver layer and delete all layer-styles and place it underneath everything a *tad* lower;

  

• Step 7 You *could* add fancy lines with the Pen-Tool or Polygonal Lasso-Tool if you want..

  

• Step 8 Merge the text together with the lines, if you have them and apply these layer-styles to it:

  

  

• Step 9 Et voil?! Your metal text is completed. Resize this to a smaller size and it will look even cooler!

  

Create a Spotlight

A very easy tutorial on how to create those well-known lights you see in the disco. Learn how to make these spotlights and create your own party ;)

Learn how to create the infamous disco-lights!

• Step 1 Open a new document with a predesigned spotlight or draw one yourself like I did;

  

• Step 2 With the pen-tool, draw a shape like the light I drew in the image below;

  

• Step 3 Rightclick and select "Make Selection";

  

• Step 4 Grab the Gradient-Tool and select a gradient from white to transparent;

  

• Step 5 Duplicate the layer and go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur of 3 or 4 pixels;

  

• Step 6 Lower the opacity of the blurred layer to 66% and the opacity of the orginal to 33%;

  

• Step 7 And then you are done and you can use your knowledge for the benefit of creating a spotlight!

  

  
  

Mafia-text

I used this text-style on my schoolproject Malavita. This is the perfect bloddy style that can be well suited for text with a mafia-theme...

This technique I used for the logo of my schoolproject Malavita

• Step 1 Open up a new document and add your desired text in white;

  

• Step 2 Add these blending-options to the text;

  

  

  

• Step 3 It will look like this;

  

• Step 4 Then grab some decent blood-brushes.

  

• Step 5 Change the blending-mode to overlay;

  

• Step 6 And press CTRL+G to group the layer with the text;

  

• Step 7 And then you are done. Feel free to add a shadow, a reflection or more blood...

  
  

Pattern Background

This nifty tutorial will teach you how to make repeating pattern-backgrounds. This tutorial will use standard shapes only!

Learn how to make a pattern background!

• Step 1 First of all, let me tell you that for this tutorial, you don't need fancy shapes, because Photoshop allready has a large variety of shapes like the ones below:

  

• Step 2 Create shape with some objects.
  Your shape doesn't HAVE to look like mine, but it has to "kinda" fill the square space;

  

• Step 3 Once done, merge all the shapes together and downscale it using CTRL+T;

  

• Step 4 Time to turn on the GRID with CTRL+'
  Once the grid is on, you must center your shape just by dragging it to the center. The grid will automatically center it;

  

• Step 5 Go to Edit>Preferences>Grid.. etc... and choose the options that will devide your document in 4(!!!) pieces. I choose these options;

  

• Step 6 Then select (WITH THE GRID ON) the lower-right corner and place it in the upper-left corner;

  

• Step 7 Do the same opposite-pasting with all corners;

  

• Step 8 Then select all corners and merge them together.
  The downscale them and place them in the middle;

  

• Step 9 Make a selection around it;

  

• Step 10 With the selection on, go to Image>Crop;

  

• Step 11 Then save it as a pattern by going to Edit>Define Pattern and then later go to Edit>Fill and fill the layer with your new pattern and use it whereever you like!

  
  

Tracing and Colouring

Finally you can grab your scetches and doodles, because this tutorial will teach you how to do lineart and color it at the same time. No rubbish with vector-shapes that takes too much time. Just simple lines which will make your drawing/cartoon look better!

In this tutorial, I will teach you how to trace your drawings in photoshop and then give them a nice color!

• Note:DO NOT USE, REPRODUCE OR PUBLISH THIS IMAGE FOR COMMERCIAL AND NON-COMMERCIAL USE! THIS IMAGE IS A DRAWING BY ME AND IS VERY WELL-KNOWN BY A LOT OF PEOPLE. IT'S ALSO SHOWED ON MICKM.COM-MERCHANDISE. IF YOU WILL RIP THIS IMAGE, YOU WILL HAVE A LAWSUIT UP YOUR ASS ;)

  Step 1 Open your drawingin photoshop;

  

  Note: TRACE AND COLOR YOUR DRAWING ON THE SAME SIZE YOU OPENED IT IN PHOTOSHOP. LARGE IMAGES WITH THICK LINES WILL LOOK VERY NICE ONCE DOWNSCALED!

• Step 2 Then, select the Brush-Tool and set the size of the brush to a size that would be suitable for your lineart.
  Then select the Pen-Tool and make sure you got the following settings:

  

• Step 3 When you trace the lines, you don't want to witness that all of a sudden, you can't continue because you only have 1 line at your disposal.
  What then to do is simple. Just draw a random line and when you're done, press ESC on your keyboard. That way, you deselect it, allowing you to make a new path.
  This is shown in the images below!

  

• Step 4 Then select the Pen-Tool and make sure you got the following settings:

  

  

• Step 5 When you got a nice path, or multiple paths, Right-click and a menu will pop up.
  Use that menu to give the path some lines!
  Press escape once more to remove the lines!

  

  

  

  

• Step 6 Use the Brush-Tool at a desired size to color the different layers ON A NEW LAYER EACH!

  

• Step 7 Then add shadow by making selections with either the Pen-Tool or the Polygonal Lasso-Tool, and fill them with black.
  Then group them with the origianl layer and lower the opacity!

  

• Step 8 Use a normal brush and brush little hairs (if needed);

  

• Step 9 THINK when you shade, because the sun can only come from 1 direction!

  

• Step 10 Finish the shading;

  

  

  

• Step 11 And now you see the transition of lineart into grayscale coloring (often used by Animators/Designer) and finally the finished product!

  
  

Anime Eyes

This is a perfect, but hard tutorial, on how to draw eyes for your anime-drawing. This may take some time and effort, but after this tutorial, you can experiment and make up your own variations!

This tutorial teaches you how to draw perfect eyes for your anime-drawings!

• Step 1 Go to the place where you need your eyes in your drawing, or just draw your own in a new document!

  

• Step 2 Draw the outer lines of the eye;

  

• Step 3 Then, give the eye some color, behind the outer lines!

  

• Step 4 On a new layer, set it to multiply and with the same color, draw a cirle and 2 diagonal lines and cover it up to make it look that shadow;
  Then lower the opacity and press CTRL+G

  

• Step 5 Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and blur it a little...

  

• Step 6 Place a white orb on a new layer and press CTRL+G

  

• Step 7 Add a simple black outer glow;

  

• Step 8 Then lower the fill to 0%

  

• Step 9 With the Pen-Tool, add some black shade and lower the opacity;

  

• Step 10 Add 2 white orbs on a new layer;

  

• Step 11 Then create a new layer, fill it with white or black and go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise and set it to the max;

  

• Step 12 Then Filter>Blur>Radial Blur and set it to ZOOM and BEST;

  

• Step 13 Then select a circle, and go to Select>Feather and choose 20px and press delete;

  

• Step 14 Place it under all grouped layers once you pressed CTRL+G;

  

• Step 15 Then change the base-color with CTRL+U and you're done!

  
  

The Pen-Tool

I revamped the old Pen-Tool tutorial, because it was missing some explanation. Also I found it may be a bit hard for some people. Right now I have explained EVERYTHING about the different pen-tools and did this at a level, even people who are new to photoshop can understand!

Learn how to use the best tool in photoshop... The Pen-Tool!

In this tutorial I will teach you how to use maybe the best tool there is in Photoshop. But maybe also the hardest to learn. I use this tool every time I use photoshop. For me the tool has no more secrets. And I want to achieve the same thing for you, because this is a GREAT tool to create vectors or to seperate a picture from the background!

 

• Step 1 When you select the standard Pen-Tool, you will have the oportunity to do many things.
  Just click around and notice it works the same as the Polygonal Lass-Tool, only now you can scroll while selecting.
  Notice the squares. These are Anchor-Points. More about those later!!!

  

• Step 2 If you click first somewhere in the screen, and then click, BUT you hold the mousebutton and drag the mouse across the screen. Notice that you can create a curve:

  

• Step 3 You can't create a straight line after a curve, therefore you must do something else first;
  Hold ALT and drag the anchorpoint somewhere else;

  

• Step 4 Then click somewhere else and notice that you can create a new curve from a straight line!

  

• Step 5 The Freeform Pen-Tool can be used for many drawing-purposes. It works a bit the same as the pencil in Flash, because it tightens the lines you draw.
  Not much cools can be done with this unless you're very skilled with a mouse or have a drawingtablet.

  

• Step 6 Select the +Add anchor-point-Tool and click anywhere on a line to create a new anchor-point to make a different curve or edit the current curve:

  

• Step 7 The +Remove anchor-point-Tool works the exact the opposite; click on an anchor-point to remove it and make the line continue along the other anchor-points!

  

• Step 8 The COnvert Point-Tool is used to modify existing anchor-points.
  Just select the tool and click on an anchor-point. Then drag it around to change the curve:

  
  

Vector Melon

This technique was used to create the logo of KiwiDesigns.nl. Now I'm gonna teach you how to get those vectorised melons!

• Step 1 Create a green circle in a new document with the color #28451F;

  Note:HOLD SHIFT WHILE SELECTION A CIRCLE TO MAKE IT PERFECTLY ROUND...

  

• Step 2 Create a smaller circle on a new layer in the green circle with the color WHITE;

  

• Step 3 Then, on a new layer, create an even smaller circle with a random color;

  

• Step 4 Select the layer and then create a radial gradient on a new layer with the colors #C60000 and #811010;

  

• Step 5 Create a new layer and fill it with black;

  

• Step 6 Go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise and set it to the max;

  

• Step 7 Go to Filter>Blur>Radial Blur and make it look like mine;

  

• Step 8 Press CTRL+G and set it to multiply;

  

  

• Step 9 Lower the opactity a little bit;

  

• Step 10 On a new layer create a black orb in the middle;

  

• Step 11 Then select it and select the blur-layer and go to Edit>Feather and choose 20px;

  

• Step 12 Use the standard photoshop-waterdrop shape to make the seeds;

  

  

• Step 13 Cut a round shape out of it;

  

• Step 14 Then add aome blackness to the melon by creating a black circle and press CTRL+G to group it!

  

  

• Step 15 Then lower the opacity and your melon is done!

  
  

Vector Pineapple

This technique was used to create the logo of KiwiDesigns.nl. Now I'm gonna learn it to you!

• Step 1 Open up a new image any size and create a black circle;

  

• Step 2 Create a circular gradient with the colors #EFE69F and #DAC153;

  

• Step 3 >Create a new layer and fill it with black;

  

• Step 4 Add Filter>Noise>Add Noise and set the slider all the way to the right;

  

• Step 5 Add Filter>Blur>Radial Blur and set it to zoom and 100%;
  Set it to overlay and press CTRL+G;

  

  

• Step 6 Merge all layers EXCEPT THE BACKGROUND and delete a circle in the middle;

  

• Step 7 Select the Move-Tool and duplicate the pinapple-layer;
  Now while holding ALT, press down a few times;

  

• Step 8 Merge the shadow layers and press CTRL+U to darken them and you're done!

  
  

Glossy Lips

A very easy tutorial to teach you how to get your lips all glossy like in those cheesy commercials! Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's MickM.com ;)

Ever wanted to have those glossy lips superstars have?

• Step 1 Get out a picture of yourself or someone where you want to apply the effect to;

  

• Step 2 Select the lips with a desired tool and press CTRL+C and CTRL+V;

  

• Step 3 Go to Filter>Artistic>Plastic Wrap and set it to the desired settings;

  

• Step 4 Depending on the lips, set it either to overlay or to screen or lighten, but also lower the opacity: