Ripelop's PS Tutorial - Let's make Mr. Destructo

[ripelop]

Hey guys. I'm sure that there are tutorials on here that cover all kinds of things, but I thought that I'd share my techniques in hopes that this will spur on the custom creators out there.

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Step 1:
Open "Ripelop card temps.psd". Then open the picture of the figure you want to make a custom for. Simply drag the layer from the file you want to create a custom from onto the template. We'll be working with the Vydar card, so make sure that the Vydar folder is visible and all other folders are hidden by clivking the eye next to the fodler group. An eye means it's visible, as where no eye means that it is hidden. This will also work for single layers, and will be used in later in this tutorial. Move the new layer into the Vydar folder, if it's not already there, and then into the HERO/SQUAD folder, and place it beneath the smoke layer. The order of the groups and layers within the groups is critical, so make sure that they go where they need to.

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Step 2:
I am using Photoshop CS3 Extended, so this picture shows the easiest way to cut out your character. Note that there are many different ways to achieve this affect in Photoshop, even if you aren't comfortable with this one, or if it doesn't cater to you needs enough. but for the sake of this tutorial, we will be using the Quick Select Tool (hot key = W). Just click and drag around the outside of the figure. For Mr. Destructo, i went ahead and traced around the outside of the base, too. We'll take care of that in the next step. Once you have the character traced, then you can move on to step 3.

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Step 3:
Make sure that you have the hero/squad layer selected. Then click on the ADD LAYER MASK button on the bottom right hand of your screen. It looks like a rectangle with a circle in the middle of it.

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Step 4:
Click on the layer mask of the hero/squad layer, and use the keyboard shortcut of CTRL+I to invert the mask. This will switch it from having the middle cut out to jut cutting out what we intended. You can see that there is a red layer in the Vydar folder. Go ahead and unhide that layer if it already isn't and hide all the layers in between the red layer and the hero/squad layer. This is going to show us all the nasty white edges that were left behind from the shotty cut job we did with the Quick Select Tool. Don't worry, though, we'll fix that in the next step... hopefully. This is a technique that takes a while to perfect, or atleast get good at. Practice, practice, practice.

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Step 5:
Make sure that you have the layer mask for the hero/squad layer selected. Then, go over to your brush tool and set your colors to the default black-white by clicking the black-white icon above the colors. Keep the black as the foreground color, and white as the background. Since we are working in a mask, a good thing to remember is that black is going to get rid of what we don't want to show. It's not going to erase it, but rather it's going to hide it incase you make a mistake and have to reveal some of your character. In that case, you would just use the keyboard shortcut of X to switch the foreground and background colors. Then paint over that portion with white to reveal it, and go back over what you don't need with black. You can mess around with brush hardnesses and flows to your liking, but I like to just set the hardness to 100 and get rid of all the edges that I don't need. We'll smooth the edges over in another step. This is a fairly basic tutorial, so I won't go into Overlay vs. Normal. Maybe in a later tutorial along with using the choke method on a mask.

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Step 6:
Go ahead and hide the red layer, and unhide all the layers that you previously hid in the last step. Now highlight the hero/squad layer and right click just to the left of the thumbnail in the layer and click on Convert to Smart Object. What this is going to do is combine the layer mask and the image into a hidden layer, and allow you to treat the mask and image as a single layer without merging them. You can double click on the thumbnail after you have converted it to a smart object to be able to edit the 2 layers. As far as I know, there is no limit to the # of layers you can combine into 1 smart object. We will be using this technique quite a bit.

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Step 7:
With our new smart object layer selected, we need to select the clipping path so Mr. Destructo's feet don't hang over his stats. We'll do this by CTRL+left click on the LAYER MASK for the smoke layer. With that selected, you should already have the hero/squad smart object layer selected, so just go to the bottom of the screen and add a layer mask.

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Step 8:
Now all we need to do is to position Mr Destructo where you want him to go in the background. Make sure that you are moving the image, and not the mask, they aren't linked.

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Step 9:
We need to get back to the original hero/squad image now. So, just double click on the hero/squad smart object thumbnail to do that. This opens up the original image and the mask we want to work with. At the top of your screen there is a filters drop down menu. Click on that and then navigate to Blur --> Gaussian Blur.

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Step 10:
You are going to be prompted to choose how much of the blur you want. For all intensive purposes, 0.7 works for Mr Destructo. What all this is going to do is blur the edges of the mask. It won't smear the image, because we are working with the mask, and not the image. then simply close that image, and save when prompted to do so.

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Step 11:
This step is pretty easy, just convert this layer to a smart object. Almost seems too easy, huh?

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Step 12:
Here's another simple step while we're at it. With our new smart object layer still selected, add a new layer mask. We don't need to select a clipping path, we'll use the gradient tool in the next step.

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Step 13:
Make sure that you have the newly created layer mask selected, then pick up the gradient tool. If you're new to Photoshop, you may find it hidden under the paint bucket tool, or keyboard shortcut G. Make sure that your foreground color is black and that your background color is white. Head on up to the tool bar at the top of your screen to make sure that you have the gradient set to fore ground to background, and linear.

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Step 14:
Next, click and hold in the indicated area going from bottom to top. Release the left mouse button when you've reached a comfortable spot for you. If you mess up, just draw another gradient right over it. To ensure that you draw a straight line, hold down SHIFT while you click and drag.

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Step 15:
We need to call back up that original hero/squad image layer, so to do this we have to dig into the 2 smart objects that we created. Just click the thumbnails of the smart objects untill you see the layer we want. When you do, make sure that you can see the card in the background. Then, just take and drag the whole layer onto the card. This is going to duplicate Mr. Destructo so that we can create his hittable region.

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Step 16:
Place this duplicated layer into the HITTABLE folder.

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Step 17:
Let's just go ahead and convert that to a smart object while we're thinking about it.

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Step 18:
Open up that smart object. Now we need to pick a nice solid red. You can see that the default red is a great one. Double click on the the foreground color to bring up the color picker. #ff0000 is a nice solid red.

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Step 19:
Right click to the left of the layer thumbnail and select Duplicate layer. There is also a keyboard shortcut for this, and it's CTRL+J. We are going to use this as a precaussion, and for when we add the line of sight indication dot.

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Step 20:
Select the Brush (keyboard shortcut B) and with that red as your foreground color, and the duplicated layer image selected, start painting over the image untill all that you can see is red.

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Step 21:
Bring up the color picker again for your foreground color. We are going to make the line of Sight indication dot, so we need a fairly bright green. #12ff00 is a nice one, and that's what I like to use. It's not a bad idea to go ahead and add that color to your swatches. If you're not familiar with swatches... get familiar. It makes it alot easier when you don't have to try to recreate that color over and over again.

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Step 22:
Go ahead and hide that layer we just painted on, highlight the bottom layer, and select the eclipse tool. It may be under the rectangle tool. Keyboard shortcut U. Mr. Destructo's LOS is the middle section of that glassy region. Start in that top left corner, and hold down SHIFT to create a perfect circle as you click and drag.

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Step 23:
Move that new shape layer to the top, hide the bottom layer, and unhide our red scribble layer. Then close that image, and save when prompted.

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Step 24:
Now, with our hittable layer selected, select your pointer tool (keyboard shortcut V) and then to your tool bar at the top of your screen to select Show Free Transform Controls.

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Step 25:
Then go to the top left corner and shift click and drag to constrain the proportions as it's sized down. Get it to the size that you want it and move it to the area that you want it, double click inside the dotted box to apply the transformation, then turn off Show Free Transform Controls. I do this because that dotted box annoys me.

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Step 26:
Now all you have left to do is edit the text. I'm not going to walk you through these steps, because all you have to do is select the text tool (keyboard shortcut... you guessed it... T), and click where there is text. Once you've changed one text area, you'll need to switch to another tool before you can click on another text area, but just rinse, lather, repeat until your hero/squad is finished.

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To save it, you'll want to Save As another .psd name as not to save over the old one. And then again as a .png is my reccomended format. You could argue that vs .jpg or .gif, or whatever your choice is, but it really doesn't matter unless you're looking for a high quality print.

If you want to re-size it, the keyboard shortcut is CTRL+ALT+I.


I hope that this was helpful, and I'm open to any questions that you may have. I am still ooking for a 600dpi scan of Master Win-Chiu-Woo. you might think that it's a bit much, but if you have the card and a scaner, I'd love to have that scan to make a template out of it that I can add it to the boards.

[NecroBlade]

Very detailed and nice to look at. I'm sure many people will find this helpful.

[Eckels]

Very nice tutorial.

And "The Great Robotic Beatdown" was good for a few laughs too

[robbdaman]

Solid tutorial but ick CS3. j/k

R~

[LilNewbie]

Excellent tutorial, ripelop!! Thanks for taking the time to put it together!

I added a link to this thread in the "How To" index thread.

Newb.

[ripelop]

I'm glad that you guys are digging this tutorial. I'm in the process of getting the Vydar temp posted to the download section.

I thought THE GREAT ROBOTIC BEATDOWN was a great idea myself, lol.

Well, tell your friends

-Ripe

[n1ck3l]

I like this way much more than my own... yours looks way better inthe end.

Thanks!

[ripelop]

For whatever reason, Truth isn't putting my file in the downloads section, so if you want it for this tutorial just email me. I'd say pm me... but I would never check it. My email should be in my profile, but if not its:

michael.stallcup@gmail.com

It now has both Vydar and Utgar. I've been busy as of late, but hope to get the others done soon. Also, still looking for a good scan of Aquilla to make a temp outta'.

-Ripe

[SVD997]

I need photoshop.

[HighElfCollier]

Howdy guys!

I have been trying to place the image that I made on the card template, and it is good except for where I blurred the bottom of the pic. There is white where it is blurred, but the rest of the background is blended with the card. I will post the card when I figure out how to post a pic (If anyone has some instructions, it's currently in a .pub file).

I eventually played around with the image enough that I figured out how to blur it myself since I do not have Adobe. If anyone else out there uses Paint Shop Pro, I'd love to know how you do it.

Thanks for the help!

[Skeletor]

Don't forget to grey out none targetable weapons on the little red guy kids!

[Dread Lord Hep]

Nice Tutorial.
Observing as a photoshop veteran, it does a decent job of explaining the process.

I did find an error though:

"Step 4:
Click on the layer mask of the hero/squad layer, and use the keyboard shortcut of CTRL+I to invert the mask."

the default for the invert command is CTRL+SHIFT+I.

Also, I would love the template you created...my e-mail is mithridates@gmail.com