Make a Sig [How to]

Subject: Make a Sig [How to] Sun Nov 30, 2008 10:15 am

Not sure if this should be here or in guides, but if it's an issue it can be moved. tediz's topic trying to get help with making his first sig inspired me to do this. So I'm going to teach you how to make your first basic sig with your character, a background, and some text. I even made some pictures. So as Donnie Hoyle would say, "Strap on your stupid and let's get at it."

STEP 1- GET YOUR CHARACTER INTO PHOTOSHOP
For step one I'm using WoW Model viewer to re-make my character Croswender. I'm not writing a tutorial on how to use that, so figure that out on your own. Once you have your character made up, press Alt=Print Scrn to take a screengrab of WoW Model Viewer, or hit F12 in the program to take a screenshot.
-----IF YOU USED PRINT SCRN-------
Open up a new file in photoshop, the dimensions should be fine. Press Ctrl+V and paste the screengrab into your new file.
-------IF YOU USED F12---------
Open up the screenshot that WoW Model Viewer took. It would be in the base folder that WoW Model Viewer is in.

STEP 2- SELECTING YOUR CHARACTER
Now that you have a window in PS that has your character in it, you need to remove him from the Background. Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool and select the area around the character. It should look like this:

Then select the Magic Wand Tool and Alt+Click the background inside the area you selected, making sure that the "Anti-alais" and "Contiguous" options are unchecked. For this I set the Tolerance up really high (around 90) just to make sure I wiped out the Background. Your image should now look like this:

Press Ctrl+C to copy your character

STEP 3- STARTING THE SIG
Now it is time to go to File->New. Set the Width and Height to an acceptable size for a sig (I used 535X150). Once the new document is open press Ctrl+V to paste your character into it. It should look like this:

Oh oh! It's way too big, and all jaggy! Well don't worry about that. It is very simple to fix. Go back to your Rectangular Marquee Tool, and then right click on your image and select "Free Transform". Now shrink that puppy down to where you want it, once it's approximately where you want it go up to the top where it has percentages for height and width and make them both the same number. Then just select another tool and when the window comes up asking if you want to apply the changes, click apply. Look at that! Jaggies are all gone!

STEP 4- PUTTING IN A BACKGROUND
That white background just won't do, so we need to spice it up. Go into your favorite browser and look up something for the background. For mine I chose WSG, because I spend a lot of time in there while I'm playing. Find your image and then right click on it and select "Copy Image". Next, go back into photoshop and paste it in. It should end up on top of your character, so go to your layers, click on the new one that was created when you pasted the background, and drag it down under the layer with your character. It should look like this now:

But oh noes again! Your character barely sticks out from that background, it's just too light and it all looks so cluttered. Well don't worry, that's easy to fix too. While you're still in the layer with your background go up to Image->Adjustments->Brightness/Contrast. Make sure the option "Use Legacy" is checked and bring the brightness and contrast down to make the background darker.

Isn't that better?

STEP 5-ADDING EFFECTS
This is all fine and dandy, but Croswender has Mongoose on his polearm, and so should this image. Go onto the layer with you character in it and use the lasso tool to select around the part of your weapon that has the enchant.

Then just like in STEP 2, deselect the background by Alt+Clicking it with the Magic Wand Tool.

Now press Ctrl+X to cut the select portion out, and then Ctrl+V it paste it back in on its own layer, and move it back into place.
Go to your list of layers and right click on the layer that you just created by pasting the weapon back in and select "Blending options"

Click on "Outer Glow" and play with the settings as you see fit. Next go to Color Overlay and use the settings below to start you off, and tweak them as needed.

STEP 6- ADDING TEXT
Use your text tool and create a text layer that says whatever you want. Use your Free Transform to get it to be the size you want. I used two text layers here to make a cooler looking effect. All you need to do is make the one layer, type your text, and then click somewhere else on the image with the Text Tool to make a new layer.

Now I want to have an outline around the text just because I like how that looks. So first you have to go to Layer->Rasterize->All Layers to make the text layers into normal layers.

Then go to your top text layer and press Ctrl+E to merge the two text layers together to make one layer. In the now merged layer right click and go to blending options and click on "Stroke" and play with the settings. Here are the ones I used:

Now save it as any type of image you want (I like to use PNG) and guess what? You made your first sig!

and it's not a shabby one either!
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(Yes I saw this on an actual website...)

Ganxta Joined : 30 Nov 2008 Posts : 1

What about the people that don't have photoshop? can you probably make a tutorial for something else?

Subject: Re: Make a Sig [How to] Sun Nov 30, 2008 10:39 am

Nope, because that's all I got. It's the internet. Find photoshop.
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(Yes I saw this on an actual website...)

Subject: Re: Make a Sig [How to] Sun Nov 30, 2008 1:01 pm

Very nice guide, i enjoyed it and hope many others do too!
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Subject: Re: Make a Sig [How to] Sun Nov 30, 2008 1:34 pm

Thanks. I might eventually make a mini-guide about making shadows and highlights like in my current sig, because it can really give your character a cool look.
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(Yes I saw this on an actual website...)

Bandito Age : 14 Joined : 04 Nov 2008 Posts : 132

thanks so much for this
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Subject: Re: Make a Sig [How to] Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:36 pm

Yeah that sounds good ! Razz

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Initiated Joined : 30 Nov 2008 Posts : 11

Nevermind i was provided with Cs2 and i made it thank you so much for your help

Ganxta Joined : 30 Nov 2008 Posts : 2

good Tut

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Hunter 4Ever

Subject: Re: Make a Sig [How to] Mon Dec 01, 2008 5:58 pm

Good guide, I might even use it someday ;D
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"Profits to saccharine sweet, the Wall Street bankers weep."

Account Terminated Joined : 25 Nov 2008 Posts : 38

This guides armature work compared to others. No blending, c4d, shadowing, depth, flow, nothing. Just a render over a background with some glow and text added.

Bandito Age : 14 Joined : 04 Nov 2008 Posts : 132

Initiated Joined : 29 Nov 2008 Posts : 24

I think he was just pointing out that this is a very beginner tut... as he stated there is nothing there to make it really stand out, which is all fine and dandy i guess until you actually start learning how to use photoshop... i would also like to point out that there is no border Razz

Initiated Joined : 30 Nov 2008 Posts : 11

Initiated Joined : 30 Nov 2008 Posts : 11