How to Make a Photoshop Avvie

Teeeeo. · 2006-09-03T02:42:42Z

Hello, and welcome to my first tutorial on Avvies in Photoshop. This tutorial will only cover the basics, and future ones will show how to filmstrip, airbrush, aura etc your avvies. This only covers exclusions, basic light textures, and border-making. The image used in this tutorial is: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y165/TeodoreLispelle/Avvies/Tutorial%201/34.jpg (Image Credit to heat-land.com) Now to avvie it: 1. Crop the part of the image you want, then shirnk the image to 100x100 pixels, or, if not a perfect square, make the larger integer of the width/height 100 pixels for the average avatar size. Sharpen it once, or more depending on the quality of the image. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y165/TeodoreLispelle/Avvies/Tutorial%201/1.png NOTE: If there are shiny/blotchy areas in the first image, before you do the second step, use the blur tool at 50% strength to blend them out so it looks more airbrushed. 2. Make 2 copies of this image, by right-clicking it and choosing 'Duplicate Layer...' Don't worry about layer names. Set the first copy to Screen 25% opacity, and set the top copy to soft light 100%. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y165/TeodoreLispelle/Avvies/Tutorial%201/2.png 3. Create a new blank layer. Using the paintbucket tool, floodfill the new layer with the colour at #030437. Set the layer to exclusion 100%. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y165/TeodoreLispelle/Avvies/Tutorial%201/3.png 4. Create another blank layer. This time, floodfill the colour at #FFDFAD. Set this layer to Multiply 50%. Duplicate the BACKGROUND ONLY , and set this new copy on top with soft light 100%. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y165/TeodoreLispelle/Avvies/Tutorial%201/4.png 5. GRADIENT TIME! Using new layers each time, and in this order, gradient these: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y165/TeodoreLispelle/Avvies/Tutorial%201/Gradient1.png soft light, 79% http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y165/TeodoreLispelle/Avvies/Tutorial%201/Gradient2.png lighten, 35% http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y165/TeodoreLispelle/Avvies/Tutorial%201/Gradient3.png Overlay, 50% They all add up to this: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y165/TeodoreLispelle/Avvies/Tutorial%201/5.png 6. Using the below light texture, I set it to screen 100% over everything. http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/1381/01fa9.png --> http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y165/TeodoreLispelle/Avvies/Tutorial%201/6.png NOTE: If you need to, you can move that last layer around so that the light particles don't interfere with the picture. 7. Then, put another soft light copy of the background on top, at 58% opacity, to make the image show through better. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y165/TeodoreLispelle/Avvies/Tutorial%201/7.png 8. Add any words, tiny text, or brush patterns you need to now, on a new layer. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y165/TeodoreLispelle/Avvies/Tutorial%201/8.png -------------- MERGE ALL LAYERS --------------- Now for a border. 9. Using the single column marquee tool, highlight the space 1 pixel from the left edge. (ex. a 1 pixel gap between the edge and the marquee)(NOTE: YOU MAY NEED TO ZOOM IN TO PERFECTLY ALIGN IT) Using a large brush, switch to colour white, or #FFFFFF. Fill in the area in the single marquee you made. Don't worry, the colour won't leave the single marquee. Do the same thing to the right side. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y165/TeodoreLispelle/Avvies/Tutorial%201/9.png 10. Using the single row marquee tool, do the same thing to the top and bottom, filling in white lines 1 pixel away from the edge. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y165/TeodoreLispelle/Avvies/Tutorial%201/10.png 11. This time, using the signle column marquee, select the gap in between the white and the edge, making sure you are selecting the pixel right against the edge. Using the brush, fill in the marquee with black, or #000000. Do the same to the right side. Using the row marquee, do the same to the top and bottom. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AND IT'S DONE! http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y165/TeodoreLispelle/Avvies/Tutorial%201/Finish.png Remember, don't follow these instructions exactly, use your own images and colours and effects. Experiment with it! If you have any questions, ask me. Duh :P Lemme see what you can do! Post what you made with this tutorial on this thread!

Teufelshund

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Thu May 24, 2007 12:51 pm

Teufelshund says... · Thu May 24, 2007 12:51 pm

Great tutorial!

Much of this tutorial can still be done on less-powerful editing programs... If any of you are stuck with MS Paint, get GIMP (http://www.gimp.org/). It is almost on the same level as Photoshop, and it's free.

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Kepe

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Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:50 am

Kepe says... · Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:50 am

This was a great tutorial. As a person with only 'paint' you have made me really want photoshop.

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chocolatechipmuffin

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Tue Feb 26, 2008 2:22 am

chocolatechipmuffin says... · Tue Feb 26, 2008 2:22 am

*sobs*
my photoshop won't let me use anything but pdf images...which are pretty much non-existent...
the HELP info thing said i had to use the GIF & PNG plug-ins to be able to use those kinds of images, but i can't get them to work!
help?

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Tree

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Mon Mar 09, 2009 9:52 pm

Tree says... · Mon Mar 09, 2009 9:52 pm

OOh thats good. I do not have photo shop, though. I hope it can work with what I have! I will try it and see if it wurks. Thank you thank you tank toy hank you thank you tank toy thank you thank you tank toy thank you thank you tank toy !1!!! this will help so much! Oh my I really need a picture thing.

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Poptimist

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Wed Mar 18, 2009 10:05 am

Poptimist says... · Wed Mar 18, 2009 10:05 am

Good tutorial!
This an easy and fast illustrated tutorial I have ever seen.
You use basic tools of photoshop to make your avvie customized!
Good job! hehe.
5 stars over all.

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KayKel16

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Thu Aug 06, 2009 7:51 pm

KayKel16 says... · Thu Aug 06, 2009 7:51 pm

What program did you use again?

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KayKel16

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Thu Aug 06, 2009 9:01 pm

KayKel16 says... · Thu Aug 06, 2009 9:01 pm

Can you do a tutorial for Paint.net? It's exactly like photoshop....

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Mizzle

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Wed Nov 04, 2009 11:26 pm

Mizzle says... · Wed Nov 04, 2009 11:26 pm

Okay, people--since you are all experts on Photoshop as it seems, I have a really important question. (Or, it's important to me, anyways!)
Would Photoshop be a good investment if I like graphics and photography, and like editing and making avvies? If so, which Photoshop would be the best...and the cheapest?

Thanks for anyone who answers...
PM me if you can answer my questions please.
-Mizzle

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Because after all, those wings will take you up so high."
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cheez_burger

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Sat Feb 20, 2010 9:14 pm

cheez_burger says... · Sat Feb 20, 2010 9:14 pm

Account inactive?

Cheez!

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BenFranks

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Sat Feb 27, 2010 2:01 pm

BenFranks says... · Sat Feb 27, 2010 2:01 pm

I only have Photoshop 6.0, jealous of my Dad's CS3.

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Day

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Sat Apr 03, 2010 9:56 pm

Day says... · Sat Apr 03, 2010 9:56 pm

Really nice tutorial. I felt that everything was easily understandable which is key for any type of tutorial. I have decided that this is beneficial enough to be put into my photoshop bookmarks folder. For me though I preferred the darker colors from step 4 to the lighter, but that is obviously just my preference.

I encourage you to make another tutorial. Some ideas are a lighting tutorial (possibly editing a landscape???), a signature tutorial, or rendering.

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Winterblossoms

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Fri Apr 16, 2010 12:03 pm

Winterblossoms says... · Fri Apr 16, 2010 12:03 pm

Ohhh~ It's Kumi-chan!

I love BoA, too! Her version La-La-La-Love Song is awesome. XD

Anyway, this was really helpful! Thanks!

Innuendo, oh my~ ♥

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Prism180

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Fri Dec 17, 2010 3:04 am

Prism180 says... · Fri Dec 17, 2010 3:04 am

Wow great tutorial. You're encouraging me to do one myself!

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LilySoulMahon

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Fri Jan 07, 2011 10:39 pm

LilySoulMahon says... · Fri Jan 07, 2011 10:39 pm

Really useful, im going to try this as soon as I find a picture I really like.
Id been wondering since I joined how to get a good Avvie, though I like my little Blue Frog.
Im just hoping to do it correctly because knowing me i'll mess it up, lol.
Anyway thanks for the information

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sherineahmed

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Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:50 pm

sherineahmed says... · Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:50 pm

greaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat job! this is all what i can say. thanks for giving us 2 hours of your time!!

x)

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