excuse me.. do you have a tutorial on how you make the banners of your themes?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀• GFX TUTORIAL !
honestly a bunch of people asked me how to make banners like I do, but chat im gna be fr there's no set tutorial because if u check some of my headers, they're quite different! but ill try to explain my process heh
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝒇 . how to make banners !
⠀⠀⠀₊˚ thank u anon for asking!! if anyone wants to make banners like these, hopefully this tutorial will help u!!
⠀⠀resources 𝑖𝑖. pinterest
i usually use pinterest for overlays and pngs like these u can check some of them out here in my pinterest or just type up gfx overlays and itll show up!
for pictures of idols when I make smau headers or navi headers, I recommend choosing photos that match!! In most cases, I use photoshoots of the idol I chose. for example if it was jake, I would use something like this!
⠀⠀inspo 𝑖𝑖. pinterest
most of my header ideas come from pinterest! they have many gfx edits on there and its very helpful if u don't have a solid image on what u want! you can check out my pinterest once again for some ideas ( here are some I found on pinterest )
another important thing is to have a matching colour scheme!!! guys im telling u thats literally what brings it together!! STICK TO THE COLOUR SCHEME like genuinely imagine ur colour scheme is like white pink and yellow and u go ahead and put like a blue png on there. executed on the spot.
take a look at the pictures above, they have a matching colour scheme that compliments the edit! pro tip if u have a concept on what u want ur header to be ( for example grunge ) use colour schemes that match the concept ( so for grunge you would use for example red black and grey )
⠀⠀software. 𝑖𝑖. photoshop, procreate, ibis paint
now this is the part where u have to actually make it. I reccomeed ibis paint ( guys have u seen soov headers ) cuz its lowk mad easy to make stuff on there plus its free, but personally for me I would choose either photoshop and procreate ( I moved on from procreate to photoshop cuz the quality on procreate was buttcheeks ) icl I got photoshop for free ( @aewon my goat thank u ) and it took me like a few tries to get the hang of it ( okay I lied I made the gigi header on the first try ) BUT Its really easy honestly its just the system that looks intimidating.
⎯⎯ anyways here are some things I like to add on my headers based on what I have already made
( shapes ) guys the rectangle shapes thing with a gradient in it always does it for me. they fill up spaces u dont know what to add in really easily. just put some text over it and align it and call it a day LMFAOOO
( pngs ) okay hear me out, pngs but only ones that FIT the concept. say ur making a game themed banner, I would put either pixel pngs or those cute game consoles yk!! I wouldn't slap a postcard onto it, that wouldn't fit the vibe
( texts ) the go to fonts I use is coolvetica, la graziela demo and retro gaming. honestly these fonts fit literally almost any concept!!! its lowk fire! something I like to do is use my cursive font ( la graziela demo ) and type one letter and zoom it in. it looks really cute trust!!
( effects ) guys pixelate effect is literally my bsf cuz why do I use it in everything!!! it literally is so perfect I use it in EVERYTHING! guys trust it brings it together so well!! especially when its like blending in to the unpixelated area! another effect I love to use is grain! chat I basically use it for everything. genuinely its like going out without any setting spray on like TF!! add ur grain, it makes it look so much more expensive ( but not that much, it just has to be really subtle )
( overlays ) okay this again! but these overlays are some I use for quite literally anything ( u can see it if u zoom hard enough ) but add them in the right places and put the blending mode on lighten and ur good to go!!
⠀⠀results 𝑖𝑖. the finished product
well, if u have enough practice and a creative mind, it should look something like this!!
guys this was lowk so fun!! hope this helped u guys I literally pulled out every header I made lmfao 💭 lmk if u want one on how to make themes heh
carplay inspired template // by chamhwis !
originally created for this set. please like/reblog if you download ! to use this template, all you need is basic knowledge of photoshop (clipping masks, changing colors). this template does not include coloring layers. the font used is poppins !
DOWNLOAD HERE
** please read the rules i've included in the psd & reach out if you have any questions.
feel free to tag me in your creations if you use this! i track #hijaehyukkies or you can @ me in a reply or send me a link directly to anything you make ♡
haiii i'm the anon who asked about gfx, thanks sm for the help!! ( ´∀｀)
what's your usual thought process while you make them? (placement of pngs, backgrounds, etc. i think this is also related to filling empty spaces!)
do you have any tutorials or other sources that helped you learn gfx ?
again tysm for helping me outt >< enjoy ur week nd stay hydrated <3
okay wow this is really long over due ( and im so sorry for that ) but feel free to ask me any questions about gfx heh ill try my best to help !
⠀O1. honestly my thought process depends on what im making. it adheres to the concept im going with. so for example if its cyber core or something like that id add specific pngs that suit the concept like game controllers and pixel type pngs !
and as for the placement of the pngs I try to fill empty spaces one by one if that makes sense. I usually start from the corner and work my way in and look at a lottttt of inso from my pinterest boards ( or you could just search up gfx ideas ) anything to make it look pleasing yet not overwhelming. honestly a quick tip from me, don't try to add too many pngs because I use to do it a lot and it does not work out
like look at the difference its insane over the two years of me doing gfx like yikes...
another thing you might frequently see in my works is that I blend a lot of pngs in the background as in if you take this hanni header for example you could see there are a bunch of strawberry cheesecakes in the background and that makes the hanni cut out pop more yk? id chose a specific point where I want it to stand out a lot and start building some things around it that would compliment the focus point and the overall look of the header if that made sense.
so to sum it up, just try to do what feels right and start working from a small point and expand from there onwards. I dont really know if this is the same for other gfx designers and what their thought process is but this is what helped me and if you want a similar style to mine, this is probably what I would do ! 💌
⠀O2. im gna be so honest, I haven't ever followed any tutorials. my attention span is too short for me to be sitting down and watching how people make graphics like thats so honk shoo mimimi... idk how but making graphics just came to me like I could analyse my inpso from pinterest and just make something with a smiliar style in mind. like I could prolly break it down into sections and have a clear goal on what I want to make. and making graphics on how I do it today took me a crazy amount of practice considering I started in like early 2023 which is insane so I think it comes to you over time if you get what I mean.
I do understand everyone is different when making headers and they have different processes but id recommend looking at Inspo which looks simple to achieve and has enough clarity to make you know what you want. you could also start planning it out ahead of time as in sketching it out and then making it.
okay I hope that helped you and feel free to ask me any more questions you have!! have a good day 😝
do u have any advice for making gfx? i really like yours and your concepts are always so creative
ahh, thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means to me 🥹 i'm really hard on myself about my gfx. but i absolutely love making them, and i'd love to share some advice with you!
i'm not sure if you already make gfx or not, so i'll include some things about getting started along with general advice / stuff geared to someone who already has some experience so that hopefully, wherever you are in your journey, something here might be helpful. i hope i'm not just giving you info you already know JBDJB 😭 so feel free to come back and let me know if you need something different ... if you have specific questions about a particular set or anything else like that, i always welcome that too! this got long, so i'll put it below the cut.
1. getting started
- i'll write this point assuming you've never made a gfx before, so if you have, feel free to skip it! the only program i use is photoshop for gfx. and the main thing with these that i didn't know at first is that you can (and should) use a bigger canvas than what you would for gifs ! my typical size for a gfx panel is somewhere around 1080x1200 px. if you are placing gifs anywhere in them, you will likely have to resize down to meet tumblr file size limits.
- some things that you should know how to do in ps: creating a clipping mask, rasterizing/resizing, smart filters, eyedropper tool, and different blending techniques such as overlays. if any of these things sound like 'omg what???' (they did to me as a beginner) let me know and i'm happy to explain more!
- for total beginners, my biggest recommendation is to start by using templates. this helps you get a feel for what layers go into a gfx in the styles that you like, and makes it easier to start making some cool things and boost your confidence before you feel comfortable starting entirely from scratch and developing your own style. you can search 'psd template' here on tumblr, or on deviantart (i'll talk more about sites i use to find things below). just make sure you read each creator's own rules before you use something. i also make templates! you can find them here. i don't require credit and you can edit mine basically however you want, aside from combining them with other templates.
2. finding inspiration
aside from things i see right here on tumblr, source material that just really speaks to me, or ideas that pop into my head while i'm driving (seriously ... almost all my gfx ideas come to me while i'm in my car or out taking a walk 😂), my favorite places to look for inspo are behance and deviantart (both of which are also great for finding elements you can use for free!).
usually i have at least a baseline idea before i go into any gfx, so i know what to search for to find some design ideas -- for example, 'yearbook design,' 'retro advertisement,' 'lyric poster,' 'zine,' 'y2k,' 'film photo story,' etc are all things i've searched before. if i have used a source for inspiration, it will always be linked in my caption, so definitely take a look if there are any in particular that you love to see that inspo source! (as a general note, you should always link back to your own inspiration sources, it's just the right thing to do)
3. my process (from idea into photoshop)
once i have an idea and i've gathered some inspiration, i usually sketch out my basic layout idea into a notebook. with gfx, composition is something you need to keep in mind within each individual panel as well as the set as a whole. i think about what i want the main focus to be and what basic elements i want in each panel. then i will start gathering my resources and start getting things in photoshop! often, i don't really know what it's going to look like until i start putting it together. that's kind of half the fun though.
throughout making most of my gfx, i consult at least one friend on layout, colors, etc especially if i'm not liking something or i'm just stuck and don't know what would make it better. i HIGHLY recommend getting feedback and utilizing other sets of eyes to get your best quality work. i know there are some things i just can't possibly think of on my own, especially when i've been thinking about and looking at something for way too long. once my panels are finished i export them as a png and arrange them on tumblr to see the whole thing together before i post!
4. finding elements i.e. fonts, textures, pngs, etc
again, behance and deviantart are great places for this! on behance, it's best to search 'freebie' with what you're looking for because otherwise all the options may be stuff you have to pay for. but they have SO many textures, pngs, fonts, any resource you can think of.
with deviantart, be mindful of people who just compile texture/png packs from other sources/artists, because that's basically impossible to properly credit (and you really should do your best to do that). but DA is a great source for things like brushes and hand-drawn elements, and templates too! again, just be sure to read all of op's rules before using their resources.
-places to find fonts: behance, fontspace, dafont, and ofc google!
-places to find free pngs/icons (i use these for all of my social media templates and more): flaticon
-photos you can use for free are available on unsplash
-mockups you can use for free are available on behance, unblast, and pixel surplus
5. other important bits
- as i've mentioned a few times throughout CREDIT is so important when you are using other people's resources, and using anyone else's work as your inspiration. i always credit when required and often credit even when not required, and just in general always try to mention where i find all my resources especially for sets that i've used a lot of different things for. of course, we can only do our best with this, and i've definitely made mistakes or just lost where i found something in the process of making things, so just have good intentions and try to do what you can to ensure you're giving credit where it's due - it also helps other people find things that they can use for their own work!
- don't be afraid to experiment and try things out, i think really what i love so much about gfx is that there are literally infinite possibilities, styles, and ways to improve. keep an open mind and know that nothing is out of your range if you can find the right resources.
happy creating, and please know i'm available to talk about anything you have questions on, or if you want to utilize me for feedback !! <3
hello! How are you? I was wondering what apps/websites you use to make your themes? Thank you have a good day!
Hai I’m good thanku for asking!!! I use photoshop to make my themes but if u don’t have ps u could use ibis paint x or procreate. I also get ALOT of my resources and gfx inspo from pinterest heh I’ll link my pinterest here if it helps!!
how do you upload your gfxs so hq?? whenever i try to upload a picture or something gets super blurry and won’t show full res until i click on it
hi!!! i think its the same for me its kinda blurry and you have to click for the proper hq ?? i usually just keep the pictures resolution so i dont have the reverse problem,, not hq enough
and if you’re talking about the gif i resized this one to 540/whatever the original size will do (those are the tumblr size for gifs!)
you can message me so i can see exactly what youre talking about if you want (also i love gfxs lol i wouldnt miss an occasion to check them out i promise im nice !), hope i helped :)
Hey, i'm the anon that asked about the little mix dna cover, i just sent a image and asked "how to do", sorry for that, i was like desperate i think haha, but what i rly want to know is how i do the the white lines behind them, i dont know how to explain, sorry. Can you help me? Sorry about anything, english isnt my first language.
Your English is actually pretty good anon so I wouldn't worry! I see what you mean now. All you need to do is use the rectangle tool on Photoshop and make sure that on the top menu that the fill is white and it should work. You can then use Ctrl/Cmd + T to transform the rectangle which will enable you to rotate and resize it. Hope this helps!
