[UN-OFFICIAL] Photoshop Tips

[Art]

Hey guys i'm here to give you some tips on photoshop all this information was given to me by George, so please use it wisely.

Tips:
- You should definitely read this tutorial - https://dawnstormgraphics.files.word...enronguide.jpg
- You should read how to label your layers correctly.
- You should read what Rules of Third is.
- You should never give up, if your work isn't looking good, start over and try again.
- Getting sad over starting a new work after wasting so much time is something you shouldn't do, I sometimes work on a project for 40 minutes and afterwards erase it because something else, something better popped up on my mind and takes me less more time + effort to re-build it.
- Not every signature requires a border or a text, some people like to make them clean without any extras at the end.

== What is CnC ==

CnC stands for Critique & Criticism / Comment & Critique.
More about CnC can be found here - https://freestylersworld.com/showthread.php?24256 | https://freestylersworld.com/showthread.php?57189
NEVER take CnC to heart, if you get mad/sad over a real critique then you shouldn't be a designer in first place.
If you are not ready to handle real critiques, please leave the group right now.

== How to do it? ==

If you ever have any questions/doubts you can always ask me personally (George) & Oni/Rain or ask anyone else in the group chat.
Experience and practice is the key to success, take your time and try to pick the most basic thing which is the render.
Look around your resources and watch what you can build with them so your tag could look amazing at the end.
Whether it's smudging style, copy/pasting the render multiple times and blend it with C4D or custom stocks/resources does not matter, there are no rules!

== Resources ==

First of all, credits to all the users/companies who released their resources for learning purposes.

You can find all kind of Resources including Wallpapers, Tutorials, Photomanipulation, C4D's, Textures, Stocks, Renders, Templates & MORE!
All tabs on the left are named with the resources they provide, you can click inside the folders and browse your favorite items.
If you find anything that you really love, you can favorite it inside your account and download them on PC.
I personally always do both of them so in-case I lose my HDD, I have a back up of my resources on DeviantArt, cool huh? ^^

Signature-lab - http://signature-lab.deviantart.com/gallery/
Fkn0wned - http://fkn0wned-graphics.deviantart.com/gallery/
InsanemindsGFX - http://insanemindsgfx.deviantart.com/gallery/
GFX-Resource (Highly Recommended) - http://gfx-resource.deviantart.com/gallery/
PimpedPixels (Highly Recommended) - http://pimpedpixels.deviantart.com/gallery/

== Tutorials ==

Smudging Technique & Tutorials;
(HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) http://maagg.deviantart.com/art/Devi...54325111&qo=13
http://eternalesque.deviantart.com/a...F54325111&qo=0
http://ultiokiller.deviantart.com/ar...F54325111&qo=1
http://iagoblack.deviantart.com/art/...F54325111&qo=2
http://eysaagfx.deviantart.com/art/S...54325111&qo=10
http://madam-mannal.deviantart.com/a...54325111&qo=14

Render Placement Tutorial;
http://adrian-alastair.deviantart.co...54325111&qo=22

Text Tutorial;
http://zenron.deviantart.com/art/Typ...54325111&qo=44
http://amich45.deviantart.com/art/Te...54325111&qo=20

Flow Tutorial;
http://xlewiz.deviantart.com/art/Flo...54325111&qo=21

Signature Tutorials;
http://mizoresyo.deviantart.com/art/...54325111&qo=53
http://mohamed-hhs.deviantart.com/ar...54325111&qo=55
http://indicon.deviantart.com/art/Ra...54325111&qo=48
http://jaxcullengfx.deviantart.com/a...54325111&qo=50
http://mirzaks.deviantart.com/art/Si...54325111&qo=17
http://infinity-dreamer.deviantart.c...54325111&qo=16
http://infinity-dreamer.deviantart.c...54325111&qo=15
http://indicon.deviantart.com/art/Ab...54325111&qo=36
http://flanofthevaria.deviantart.com...54325111&qo=24
http://da-hazard.deviantart.com/art/...54325111&qo=25

== Things to keep in mind ==

Don't give up if you fail first few times, it took me more than 10 retries until I create my very first basic signature/tag.
After a lot of practice & motivation to study, I can finally create anything due to the fact my imagination has improved a lot.
Being positive and accepting CnC is a huge plus.
If you need any of my .PSD files, a certain signature for instance, let me know and I will send it to you for learning purposes only of course.

---

All information about the DeviantArt Copyright Policy will be linked here --->https://freestylersworld.com/showthre...-of-DeviantART

[Yune]

-Learn the in and outs of the brush tool.
-Not all signatures need text. If you are gonna use text be very smart about how you use it.
-There's more to GFX then just signatures.
-Render's are overrated. Don't be afraid to start from a stock instead.

[Nikita]

Ty, helpful to beginners like me that wanna learn how to photoshop

[StephanM]

Play with all the tools first before actually starting on a real piece (just to get to know some basic features of what certain tools can do).
Also, work with layers! Do not work with just one layer.

[Resort]

For practice, it can be good to set up a thread where people request signatures. This way there will be a purpose in what you are making. Eventually from working on peoples signatures you will begin to develop a style and your skills will also improve. That's what I have found from my own experience anyway.

[EpicKLF]

Try your best at using layer masks to avoid erasing parts that you need to revert to later And have a habit of hitting ctrl - J before you edit a layer so you can backtrack in case you mess up

[Shino]

don't start of making signatures because who the **** still uses signatures, it's 2016. invest your time in learning to do photo manipulations and maybe if you enjoy it; you could make a career out of it.

this is my one and only tip

[Wucas Pls]

I would like to note that non destructive image editing mentioned by @EpicKLF is probably the most under rated tool in the whole Adobe Suite. The fact you can do not only image correction, but removal, lighting distortions, and a vast array of other editing without ever even touching the original image is pretty amazing. In all honesty, besides content aware masking, if I have to edit the original photo for most edits, I feel I have failed.

As for my pointers:

CAD imports are lame, don't use them. They were outdated 5 years ago and are still outdated now. Take textures from real life, brushes, or create your own in other programs. If you are letting a CAD render dictate things like color, layout, and direction you have already set up an unnecessary limitation.

Working in Black and White first is okay! I see alot of individuals forcing themselves to worry about lighting, color, placement, and direction all at once when in reality by setting up a workflow, you will increase your speed and efficiency ten fold. In a lot of scenarios I work primarily in Black and White to assure my lighting is completely accurate before I even start to re color a piece. Although this is not possible in some events, if color is not an a major focus of a piece, you can definitely save that for last.

Learn the Hotkeys. You want something that will make your life easier and speed up workflow, learn the freaking hotkeys. My CTRL key literally has no covering left due to my over use of the hotkeys. I probably press CTRL+U and CTRL+L 100 times a day each.

Copy Copy Copy Copy (but don't steal). When learning, copy everything you see without remorse. Humans learn best from recreation, and that is just an evolutionary trait we have. Don't be afraid to do the EXACT SAME THING someone else has done, but of course, don't post it as your own either. Creativity is in every human, but is useless if you don't have technical skills to display it correctly.

**** the system, break the law. Rules are rules to make a science out of design, but low and behold design doesn't work that way. Just because someone tells you it is wrong, does not mean it is. If you have a good eye (you understand how design works, color and lighting, and aesthetic values) there is literally no wrong way to do something.

[Art]

I see everyone has some of their own pointers and tips they would love to share. Should I edit a "Player Tip Section' into the thread and give credit for the information to the ones who give pointers? cause i love some of your guys tips and would love to add them into the thread