The first steps to make a good sig.

Author : Pacman View or add comments : (0)
Date : 2005-10-06 16:34 Average members rating : 9.00
Beginner Signature Tutorial ? The first steps to make a good sig.


So what do we need to make a good signature?
- A background, using filters or/and brushes / Blending
- A render would be cool. / Blending
- The Colours
- The Text / Font Styles
- Border / Pattern

First off, I?d like you to download those brushes, because we will use them. The Brandon?s Smoke Fractals, http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/20746854/.

Okay now install the brushes and run Photoshop.

Now we will first need to choose the Signature width and height. The bigger the sign is the more difficult it will be to make, as there will be more space to fill in. So we will just create a sign with 300*100. That would be fair enough. I usually start with a transparent sign, and I suggest you to do the same, just look at the picture.


Now we will reset our colours, pressing D.
In this tutorial we will only use brushes for our background.
So go select your brushing tool and select the brushes you downloaded.

Now that you have ones selected you will have to fill your background, with tons of black and then you will have to press X to change the colours position from background to foreground. So your next brushing will be white.

You will have also to play with the different brushes given.
Note: I don?t know what will be the outcome of the signature as I have chosen the brushes randomly, I didn?t had them in my computer, so this is the first time I use them.

Okay I better show up some images now

First Layer


I recommend you to always change the colours pressing X when you create a new layer

Second Layer


Third Layer ? Chose another Brush, still in the Brandon?s Pack


Fourth Layer


Fifth Layer


Sixth Layer


Now I think we are finished with our background. It is completely normal that your income is different then mine, that?s the idea.

Okay now we need to blend those layers.
You will have to choose in each layer but the first one, the blending modes?

So here are my layers blending modes. The income can turn really bad or good depending in your Backgrounds and brushings, so try to make different combinations.

1 ? Normal
2 ? Lighten
3 ? Soft Light
4 ? Overlay
5 ? Soft Light
6 ? Overlay

Now we will chose/add a render. So go find your best render to put on your sig. I will choose Vincent Valentine from Final Fantasy VII: AC

Here is the render


Position the render where you want and select the Lasso Tool (L).
Now make some selections like this ones (select the zones to delete from the render).


Now Right Click in the selection and choose Feather?, make it to 7 or 5.


Then press Delete a couple of times? Now duplicate your Render Layer CTRL + J
And go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, set the radius to 4 and set this layer to Hard Light (it may happened that the render come out too dark, then you should set it to Soft Light).

Now for the colours you can choose one by one the layers and colorize them with Hue/Saturation CTRL + U, or with Colour Balance CTRL + B, I would prefer colour balance. Okay then choose the first layer and add it some colour, then the second until the last BACKGROUND layer, don?t do this to the render. Try to keep the same tons of colours?

If you don?t see differences adding colours, then take off the visibility of above layers, and try to merge some layers. Then the out coming result should be more obvious.

Here is my result:


Now we should add some text.
Go grab your Horizontal Type Tool (T) and write what you want in it, with your favourite font, and make the size a little big.


As I have written in black and some zones in my background in black too, I will add a White Outer Glow to my Text. So go to your Blending options, on the layer text and add the styles that best fits your Background.

These are my blending options for the text; remember that the result may vary from your background.

Outter Glow


Bevel and Emboss


Stroke


Now if you want you can add a small text or not. I won?t add any.
I will go now for the border and Pattern.

**Optional Step.
Create a new layer above all, and hit SHIFT + BACKSPACE then chose to fill with your favourite pattern.


Then set your layer to Soft Light with and lower the Opacity.

And at last, the stroke.
Create a new layer, grab your rectangular marquee tool, and hit CTRL + A to select all canvas, now right click on it a choose Stroke


Now still with the selection loaded, right click again and select stroke again.


Now you can or not, set the layer to Overlay. And you are finished with your signature. I hope you show me your results. Mines quite crap.


Stay Well. And come back anytime.