ForumsArt, Music, and WritingMaster's guide to airbrushing (photoshop)

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master565
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master565
4,107 posts
Nomad

Most people don't see photoshop as a good drawing program. Well i am here to prove them wrong. This is my tutorial on how to airbrush (which is an extremely useful technique) in photoshop.

For this i am going to assume you know how to use photoshop so i won't explain how to use the tools or anything of that nature. If you don't know, than this probably isn't for you.

Final Product
http://api.photoshop.com/v1.0/accounts/d76ee9e7b9994ae2a2249e148f420b67/assets/e0830fe203fe4af9af614dfda5789c4e/renditions/1024.jpg?md=1304654997000


Step one

Too start off, open up a new photoshop document with this template i drew.

http://api.photoshop.com/v1.0/accounts/d76ee9e7b9994ae2a2249e148f420b67/assets/26f76715ec654c5995c5b35927992ec2/renditions/1024.jpg?md=1304655166000

(if people really want to know how to draw something like that then in photoshop than i will explain it but it's not really important)

Step two

Use the magic wand tool to select each piece of the mouse and then go to edit>fill and fill each part with the colors i provided.

http://api.photoshop.com/v1.0/accounts/d76ee9e7b9994ae2a2249e148f420b67/assets/c0d4a423ac4c48e09a0650e391cfaf80/renditions/1024.jpg?md=1304654995000

You can change some of the colors if you wish but the light gray should probably stay that way.

Step three

This is the hardest step. Take a medium sized soft edged brush and lower the flow (located right next to opacity) to around 10%. Have your color set to black. Than what you do is use the magic wand tool to select the main parts of the mouse (the light gray parts) and go around the edge with a black brush. Than go over the top of the mouse with a white brush.

http://api.photoshop.com/v1.0/accounts/d76ee9e7b9994ae2a2249e148f420b67/assets/36eb944fa23d48d4884b32fb0063d0e3/renditions/1024.jpg?md=1304655166000

Step four

Do the same with the other parts of the mouse.

http://api.photoshop.com/v1.0/accounts/d76ee9e7b9994ae2a2249e148f420b67/assets/c35a0c41c4d4425ea79e166455d6aa0e/renditions/1024.jpg?md=1304654999000

(i rotated it a little for the next step)

Step 6 (optional)

Use the pen tool to create a path from the top of the mouse, this is going to be the wire so make it curved. Than go to the paths window, (make sure you have a 5 pixel hard brush with 100% flow) and select "stroke path with brush". Than you can just draw a simple USB cable at the end of it.

http://api.photoshop.com/v1.0/accounts/d76ee9e7b9994ae2a2249e148f420b67/assets/e0830fe203fe4af9af614dfda5789c4e/renditions/1024.jpg?md=1304654997000

And then you have a good looking mouse. I could have made the USB look a little better but it wasn't important.

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master565
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master565
4,107 posts
Nomad

Comments and criticism are always appreciated.

My photoshop thread.

master565
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master565
4,107 posts
Nomad

Pick a texture and I'll tell you if i remember how. For the most part its messing around with brushes and filters.

master565
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master565
4,107 posts
Nomad

Another mouse

http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af101/master565/other_mouse.jpg?t=1304712796

Strop
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Strop
10,817 posts
Bard

A surprisingly effective tutorial for an underrated tool. Interesting example too, showcases metallic surfaces well. Kudos.

Might wanna clean up the mouse on the bottom though!

master565
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master565
4,107 posts
Nomad

Might wanna clean up the mouse on the bottom though!


It was orrignally used against a dark surface so i didn't need it to be that great.

I might make another one showing how to make humans
master565
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master565
4,107 posts
Nomad

How to make a person

Here's another example for how to make a person.

Step one

Open a new document with this template i drew (once again, if anybody wants to know how to draw something like this template just say so)

http://api.photoshop.com/v1.0/accounts/d76ee9e7b9994ae2a2249e148f420b67/assets/5bcb54739908453cb0c577fa68bdc71d/renditions/1024.jpg?md=1304881277000

Step two

Fill it in with the colors you want.

http://api.photoshop.com/v1.0/accounts/d76ee9e7b9994ae2a2249e148f420b67/assets/2fdd14a67c5e46209539d66cdf998d88/renditions/1024.jpg?md=1304881191000

Step three

Select each part of the skin and using a soft edged brush with 10% flow, airbrush in shadows as if there was a light source from the right side.

http://api.photoshop.com/v1.0/accounts/d76ee9e7b9994ae2a2249e148f420b67/assets/3615889ca34241eb9907428bf7f08460/renditions/1024.jpg?md=1304881191000

Step four

Now to wrinkle the clothes. Select the shirt and on a new layer, drag the selected area to the side (this just makes it easier to see what we are going to do). In the selected take a 3px hard brush with the same color as the shirt, and draw in places where the wrinkles would be.

http://api.photoshop.com/v1.0/accounts/d76ee9e7b9994ae2a2249e148f420b67/assets/8397502e475b4247a23db569b9dd52de/renditions/1024.jpg?md=1304881194000

(you can't see my selected area here but that is where all those lines are)

Drag the selected area back onto the shirt and apply a Bevel and Emboss, and drop shadow as the layer effects. Then apply a motion blur filter with a distance of 50px and an angle of 0.

http://api.photoshop.com/v1.0/accounts/d76ee9e7b9994ae2a2249e148f420b67/assets/f19f86c5fb844e3b971de3706581fa8e/renditions/1024.jpg?md=1304881194000

Follow all the steps for the shirt for the pants too (you need to make a new layer for the pants also).

http://api.photoshop.com/v1.0/accounts/d76ee9e7b9994ae2a2249e148f420b67/assets/96eeaf9f743a4cee8a3517996682f448/renditions/1024.jpg?md=1304881199000

http://api.photoshop.com/v1.0/accounts/d76ee9e7b9994ae2a2249e148f420b67/assets/5a334694009147bf860ac365409cdb7c/renditions/1024.jpg?md=1304881199000

I also drew in some shadows on the pants and shirt with a soft edged brush just like i did on the skin.

Step five (pointless)

For no reason, i just stuck him in a random background i found.

http://api.photoshop.com/v1.0/accounts/d76ee9e7b9994ae2a2249e148f420b67/assets/fc8773e21c9b475ba5104669a91a8f92/renditions/1024.jpg?md=1304881291000

(wheres waldo)

Note: I didn't create hair or a face because those weren't the point of the tutorial.

Schmiddy1234
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Schmiddy1234
1,075 posts
Nomad

Lol this is cool!

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