Signature Tutorial
 

Hey everyone,

This is a signature making tutorial I just made, for those who wants nice and easy to make signatures(as you can see, it's not too long, nor too small).

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Step 1:
Start by making a new folder with Graal's Forums max Width(500pixels) and max Height(100pixels). Make sur your background is transparent.
Attachment 49468

Step 2:
Select a dark foreground color and a lighter background color, then go in :
Filter - Render - Clouds
Attachment 49469

Step 3:
Add an icon or an image you like on your work. You might need to resize it.
Attachment 49470

Step 4:
Make a new layer and select the rectangular marquee and do a nice rectangle in the middle of your work. Make sure you leave edges on the top and bottom. Then, right click on your selection, then select: ''Select Inverse''. Then, re-right click your selection and this time, click 'fill'. It should use your foreground color. Make sure you have a 20-50percent transparency on it.
Attachment 49471
Attachment 49472

Step 5:
Get the Horizontal Text tool and type in your nickname wherever you want. Then go to the Text Layer's options and make it atleast 50percent transparency so it blends, in my case, I used 29percent opacity.
Attachment 49473


Optional: You might want to have it all the same color or use color balance aswell. To have it all the same color, hit Ctrl + U and make sure you check the colorize option. For color balance, do CTRL + B. You might want to make the edges of your icon/image smoother aswell, either use a smudge or a blur tool to make it.
This last part is where you customize your signature and do whatever you want to make it look nice. You can add lines on the edges, texture or even more!
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Anyways, hope you enjoyed my tutorial! Leave your comments and questions!
:)

Examples of work using this technique:

What program are you using?

Photoshop CS2. But this can be done with many other programs like Paint Shop Pro.
^^

After you type, you could try right clicking the text layer and select 'Blending option' to give your text a nice stroke of white or something to add more definition to it.

Alternatively, you could do the same with an image.

Of course. Something I usually make and I didn't make this time is blending options on text. I usually give an outter glow and a drop shadow. :[

Woot 500th posts.

So.. I decided to make one, took about twenty mins, what do you think?


Attachment 49479

I used Paint.net


also, btw, can you save tilesets with paint.net or no?

I'm not very familiar with Paint.net unfortunatelly.

But I like your sig, very colourfull, I just think you blurred the character a bit too much, you should of just blurred the edges of it. :P

Thanks i will fix that.

Good tutorial.
Personally I think a lens flare looks pretty tacky, but I guess it's worked out here. Same with outer glows and strokes, they can look rubbish so I'm glad you didn't use them.

Depends on how you use your glows, when I use them, I try to give 50percent opacity MAX.

Anyways, I just done 1 more sig using this technique.
1rst one - Same steps from the tutorial
2nd one - Used Hue/Saturation colorize technique.

Attachment 49481
Attachment 49482

Good tutorial... on using filters on a specifically shaped canvas I guess.

I think the more important things to focus on when making a signature are:
focus (i.e., sharp parts and blurred parts & how things flow into each other);
light (including: light sources and how they hit the different elements of the sig, etc.);
and color balance (making sure the different colors work together well).

I used to be into this signature stuff hardcore, but I think it's better to start off with the more important things rather than just how to use filters etc.

decent tutorial, should help some people new to signature making!

I made my signature with the gimp.

Its not bad looking for a 5 minute job. :D