#screencap editing

[themerrymutants]

I'm bored so if you need someone to fix lighting department blunders (AKA "WE NEED TO SEE") hmu. I've got the power of time and photoshop presets on my side

[mirrorcage]

i got bored sue me*

*please do not actually sue me please

[invadersim]

i love the way you edit and i want all your trade secrets ♥♥♥

Thank you, sweetie! ♥ I’m finally happy with it, too, after such a long time of trying new styles lol. You’re going to be so disappointed because I totally cheat. ;) But because I cheat, anyone else can do it, too!

First off, just for edification, my graphics card is an AMD Radeon HD 6570. It’s decent but it’s not super amazing. I also don’t use any HQ mods. They lag my game way too much. For editing, I use Photoshop CS6.

Now, I cheat because I use Topaz Clean. ;D I’m not saying whether I purchased it or spent several days combing the web for less-than-legal copies before finding one that actually worked, but you can do what suits you best. But the reason I have Topaz is because my lifesaver is the Clean & Clear action set by kaleekalo. It’s awesome.

I run the Clean & Clear: Play All action.

I add a Curve layer (Just Auto curves, but if it’s too bright or too dark I’ll manually adjust.)

I add a Hue/Saturation layer with Increased Saturation at +10 (sometimes I’ll adjust this accordingly.)

I add a Vibrance layer set at +50 (sometimes I’ll adjust this accordingly.)

If the cap is still too dark (which it rarely is) I might add a Screen layer set to low opacity.

I Smart Sharpen at 500%, 0.3 Radius, Remove Gaussian Blur, with More Accurate checked. I know a lot of people swear by Unsharp Mask for Sims caps but I’ve started to prefer Smart Sharpen because I like the crisper look.

Save! :)

Each one of those steps I’ve turned into a Photoshop action and each one is assigned an F-key LOL So tbh it takes me like 2-3 seconds to edit each screencap.

[genaleah]

Tutorial time! How to make a screenshot go from this:

TO THIS:

I use photoshop for these edits, but it can be done with any art program that has layering. My process below the cut!

So, you start with the original screencap and lower it's opacity to about 45%. That way you can see the lines you're tracing over more clearly. You only really need to draw lines onto the parts that you're adding/covering up. They don't have to be perfect- but you should at least try to keep them clean, and match them up to the original lines as well as you can.

Now you start coloring! Use as many layers as you want, but be sure to stay away from the lineart layer and original screencap- it'll save you from a lot of headaches later. It also helps to turn the opacity back to 100% on the original cap every now and then while you're coloring, and to use as many colors as you can that are already there. (The colors from his hair and vest, for example). If all goes well, when you turn the opacity back up it should blend together seamlessly.

If you're trying to make your edits look extra "official", it also helps to refer to the source material and make your drawings mimic the style as closely as possible. For example, here's what Deer-Dipper looks like when I usually draw him:

Pointier ears, different colors, etc... But for these screencaps I decided to draw his deer features more closely to the show's style.

References *ALWAYS* help. I usually keep these in a separate layer or window.

 Also, some edited screencaps require you to remove a lot of stuff that's there. Like Bill's limbs! I don't have the wip file for this one (I did that edit in one shot), but I had to make another layer to paint the background over him. The added glowy effect helped smooth a lot of that out too.

It also helps to take advantage of what's already there!

Uh... also, make sure to double-check for mistakes! Sometimes the colors can get past the lines, or a part of the original screencap doesn't get properly covered.

Now, go forth and make your dreams a reality. You can totally use these methods for editing other cartoons, too! And remember, these kinds of edits are relatively easy to make! If you see something that looks questionably official, make sure to double-check it.