photoshop tutorial: how to make soft icons. (eng ver)
hello! some people have been asking me how to use preset actions and add a psd to an image in photoshop, so just to make it easier, i decided to explain both here in this tutorial on how to make soft icons! i hope i can answer all of your questions, but in case still have any when you finish reading this post, feel free to send me a message! let's get it started then 😊💌
1. choosing an image.
first of all, choose an image to make the icon. any size is fine, but i prefer to keep mine at 500x500 pixels.
2. using preset actions.
so, for the next step, we're going to apply actions to your image. "uh, what exactly are actions?" glad you asked! to sum it up, actions are basically a sequence of premade edits that can be applied to any picture, at any time. it kinda works like a filter. for soft icons, i use sharpness and grain actions. you can find the actions option on these tabs:
(window > actions)
(to load a downloaded action, just click on that icon in the corner that is next to the two arrows facing right, then choose "load actions" and open your file).
these are the actions that i use: sharpness and grain.
to apply an action, click on the button that i highlighted. (i usually apply the sharpness action twice when i'm making icons). important: the only layers that should be visible in this step are the ones that you want to apply the actions in, otherwise, the effect will be applied to all of the layers.
okay, your image should look like this now:
this is completely optional, if you want to reduce the grain, just follow these steps:
lower the opacity until you're satisfied with it.
select the two layers and merge them down.
3. adding a psd.
adding a psd is a pretty simple task, but a lot of people seem find it difficult. in this case, a psd works like a filter to your image. the first thing you'll need to do is to find a psd that matches with the aesthetics of your image, then you have to download it and open it in photoshop.
now you're gonna drag it to the layers panel. (just click on the psd with the left click of your mouse and drag it). it'll look like this:
the psd is on that little "box" thing highlighted in blue. now drag it to the layer that you want to use it.
and that's the final result:
well, the tutorial ends here! i hope it was useful and i'm sorry if anything was confusing (if you still have questions, hit me up!) it was my first time making a tutorial!
· FAQ ·
Q: where can i find the actions that you used in this tutorial?
A: you can find them in the section "using preset actions". just click on the words "sharpness" and "grain" that are highlighted. (oh, the actions aren't mine btw, all of the credits go to the creator)
em seguida, clice >nessa< ferramenta que fica embaixo das suas action, e selecione a pasta onde vai ficar sua action. nomeie-a e comeca a desenvolvê-la
duplique a camada do documento, aplique gaussian blur, e ajuste a opacidade da camada. em seguida, duplique a camada denovo e aplique smart sharpen, e depois ajuste a opacidade.
no final, faça as alteraçōes que desejar na sua acton, como por exmplo mexer no contraste. eu geralmente aumento o contraste para +8.
clique >aqui< e sua action está pronta.
obs: eu usei o cs6, mas não faz diferenca a versão que está sendo usada
So firstly you have to install an action you have downloaded, so you go to the Layers bar and click in Actions and then the menu button which should be there, it might look like this
After that, the potions will pop up, and you have to click on Load actions
Then you just choose the action from whatever folder you'd downloaded it into and press ok. It should appear in the Actions section and that's it, it's installed and ready to be used.
You can now make your frames and layers, what you have to do is resize and set delay on you gif before applying an action. As for adjustments or psds, you can either apply them before or after playing an action, it doesn't really matter. As for text, I would recommend to apply it before becase I usually end up with some screwed gif when I save it. ANYWAYS, you resize and set delay and then go to the Timeline bar. There must be a button which says Convert to video timeline when you hover on it, in cs6 it looks like this:
OR select all frames and click on the options button:
and choose the same option. The timeline will look like this:
Then you go and select all linked layers (the ones with an eye thingy on)
and go to Filter -> Convert for smart filters and click ok. This is what you'll end up with:
After that, keeping converted layers selected, go to Actions, click on your installed action and press play
Aaand your pretty gif is done! You can now apply psds or whatever adjustment you want or leave it as it is and save it as you usually do, just make sure to set Looping options to Forever
Lately I've been crazy bout downloading actions for that quick vintage effect. Since it bothers me to make a perfect vintage set. Then my co-artist told me that I could download it via google. So I did. (Yes I’m stupid enough not to be aware of these kinds. It’s a constant learning process guys! lol) Anywho, I'll share the basics on how to upload it and usage of these actions. Like it's my first time! lol.
First you can choose and download the ones that I got here. (To get you start with)
It connects to the deviantart acct of the source and you just have to click download
**After you download you need to transfer it to the "Actions folder"**
-Copy the downloaded file either from your download folder/desktop
-Paste it here:
Application>Adobe Photoshop>Presets>Action
(if you're using Mac & and find it in your Local Disk D if you're using Windows)
Open your image to edit.
Open your actions tab and click the arrow down at the upper right corner of it.
Choose 'Load Actions' to upload your downloaded actions.
