tutorial: create a zombie → angelina jolie.
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tutorial: how to make a GIF (two techniques) → kahlan amnell (as example).
READ THE TUTORIAL

tutorial: black-eyed demon → adriana lima.
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tutorial: quick edit → jessica hamby.
goes well for a myspace / roleplayer.me default image
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TUTORIAL: R&R roles needed style.
| All tutorials will be explained easily - as if Photoshop for dummies, to make it easy for all to follow ;D |
In this second Photoshop tutorial, I will yet be referring to role-play matters, for we will create an “R&R - roles needed” banner, however, even if you do not role-play, this tutorial can teach you how to resize properly your image and apply different colourings, as well as tweak around the words and fill your banner up without overwhelming the content.
Let’s begin. In this example, we will be creating an R&R banner for the Legend of the Seeker verse, yet you can apply to anything you like. The way the words and images are placed on this banner are but my choices and you can place them as you desire.
I. First, we need to create a new file. Go into File → New and apply the following settings: width - 494 pixels / height - 600 pixels. This size is big enough to fit the main desired characters, as well as add the information needed, and it will fit perfectly a bulletin.
II. The next step is to add a background colour, for even if you will use a background image, set a colouring anyway, because it will help you to understand the contrasts to use for the whole banner. The main background image I used was: #615c4d.
III. The third step always depends on habits. I am used to place the role-images right away, to see where I want them to be positioned on the banner, however I only tweak one image for now, and simply duplicate it as examples to where place the others (when all is ready and you need to create role images, you can simply replace them with the examples). Let’s do it my way and create a role image. Once again, you must create a new file with the following settings: width - 111 pixels / height - 149 pixels. By tweaking the role images in another file with an already fixed size, you will know that all your role images will be of the same size no matter what.
Once the file is created, open a good quality image of the character you want to use and resize it (if needed), so it would fit perfectly the newly created file. While resizing the image, remember that the best version of a role image is when we see the whole face, yet not the body. Try to not make it too zoomed in, or too small. || To resize an image, you can either go into Image → Free Transform, and then change the per cent in the menu on top (make sure to change the per cents equally), or right click on the title of the file (top border) and choose “Image Size” (if you choose this, make sure to change the image BEFORE dragging it into the role-image file that we created, because this setting will not only change the image but the size of the file itself). Once you have chosen an image, changed its size and dragged the image into the newly file we created, you can now access the next step.
IV. This step will be quick, because it only consists of you tweaking around the colours for the role image. What I did with the Kahlan Amnell image was: Curves (lower the contrast, brighten it slightly, and play around in the Red section. Here’s an image of what I’ve done), then I went into “Hue/Saturation” and added more Saturation to the picture, without moving the other two arrows. The final touch was the Filter (Filter → Artistic → Paint Daubs). When you’ve finished with the image, merge all the layers together (Ctrl + E). || Remember that not all images will have the same outcome, and if you choose images of different colours and contrasts, you just will need some patience before having them all match.
V. Look at that - already step number five and we yet have many things to do. Let’s get to it. Now, I will explain how I manage to position the role-images so they would be well centred and have equal spacing in-between each image. Everyone has their own method, but mine works for me quite well, so I will share it with you: I create a new layer and using the Rectangular Marquee Tool I make a line from top to bottom establishing the size of the space in-between the beginning of the banner and the role image - the same size that must be respected when we add new images afterwards. It’s precisely for that idea that create the line in the first place. Fill the marked space with a colour (no matter which one, you will not use the line image in the end) and drag it from its place to the other side of the role-image, making sure that the second picture stands equally removed. Do that for the rest of the images. The trick is - the spaces must be of the size from right to left (left to right), and if needed - resize your banner using the Crop Tool, removing the unused space. That is the reason why I position the images first - to know of what size will be my banner.
You have most of it now: the background and the well positioned images. All that is left is to add the name of the group, the verse and the restrictions. However, you can yet add more fancy images to your banner, still…make sure you do not over-whelm it with unwanted manipulations and too many words. The banner can be pretty, but it must be clean, well explained and it mustn’t cause any headache to anyone.
Let’s continue the tutorial, but if you want to add only the final touch - you can ignore the steps to follow and go directly to number seven.
VI. As the top background of the banner, I found a pretty image of a castle from the series of Legend of the Seeker, resized it to match the size of our file (you know how to resize now), dragged it in the end of all the layers BUT the background layer, which contains the background colour, and then set the blending mode of the castle layer to Darken. || The blending modes of the layers can be found in the “layer window”, just above all the layers. If you do not change the mode, it will appear as “Normal”, but to change it one must simply click on the arrow and choose the mode desired. You can always come back to the original state of the image by choosing the Normal blending mode.
I did not change anything else in the screen-capture because there was no need - I liked how it blended with the background colour and I thought that changing the colours or the contrast was not needed, however if you believe your screen capture needs to be tweaked around - do so. After you have decided upon the colours and other things concerning the image, we can move forward. You have probably already noticed that the bottom of the screen-capture did not blend with the background and so it gives the effect of a cut out image. Not pretty, but very easily changeable: select the Eraser Tool with the following settings: Soft Round Pressure Size, size - 137 pixels and then erase the bottom of the screen capture as you see fit to make it blend with the background.
VII. Now it’s time to add all the text required. Select the Horizontal Type Tool and either create a box in the file, or simply click on the file to be able to type directly. The boxes of the type tool are used mainly to centre the text, but if you don’t need that - you can simply click and type. Let’s start with putting up the name of your group; that or either the verse (although the name would be more logical) must be bigger than any other phrases on the file, so it catches the eye of the viewer. On my example, the “Sword of Truth” is of different size: the “S” and “T” is set to 60pt, and the rest is set to 36pt. I did so to not make the text look too flat, to give it some volume and I believe it worked. Then I played around in the Layer Style - I added some Gradient Overlay and Pattern Overlay. The same goes to the other texts, yet each time I change around some details: the “role-playing group” is set to Luminosity blending mode, the quote has 52 per cent of opacity, and the requirements have no decoration at all.
I also chose to add the Dacra (the weapon) for more prettiness, and you can add whatever you want or not add anything at all. So here we go, the banner is finished and doesn’t need anything else to it. However, the tutorial yet continues, because I would like to help you further by revealing how you can quickly change an open role image into a closed one, and what you need to cover in the requirements. VIII. This one will be short, because it’s really easy. Do you remember the little file we created for the role images? Open it, if you closed the file already, create a new layer and fill this layer with a colour; I chose # c0b48e. Then drag the layer into the main file just above one of the role images, set the layer to Screen blending mode and the opacity to 39% (it will always depend on the colour of the layer, of the contrasts of the image itself, so you’ll have to play around), and as you see - you have a different colour set for the image, one that can be easily reproduced when a role will be taken - simply duplicate the layer with the colour and drag it on top of the taken role.
REMEMBER: always save your files in a PSD version, because such images as an R&R banner will be needed in updates quite often.

Now, the requirements. I will state only basic ones, and, of course, you use those that you see fit.
1. Writing style: para / multi-para / novel
2. Play by’s are (not) negotiable
3. Serious and Mature writers (state if there will be presence of gore subjects) | state the verse if haven’t somewhere above!
4. Sample of your writing required upon inquiring
5. Active writers (state how many times in a min/week)
6. RL gender does(n’t) matter
7. et cetera…whatever else you believe is important.

I hope this tutorial was useful and helped, at least, some of you.

More here.

TUTORIAL: desaturated effect.
| All tutorials will be explained easily - as if Photoshop for dummies, to make it easy for all to follow ;D |
This is going to be an easy and quick tutorial showing you how to desaturate an image and give it a fancy effect. There are not many steps to it and the image looks quite simple, but it’s been used often for defaults on MySpace / Sitemodel / RPme, so I will explain to you how to get this outcome.

I: Open an image suitable to you and resize it to the desired size (the image mustn’t be resized after the effect is applied, otherwise it will look slightly blurred).
II: Once you have your image set, just in case duplicate the layer. What I always do, before attempting any changes to the picture, is brightening is slightly up by opening Curves (Image → Adjustments → Curves) and then move the line just a bit up by dragging it from the center. It will brighten up the picture.
III: The next step is the desaturation, but not a complete one, because if we want this dark somewhat grayish outcome, we need some of the colours of the original image to remain, so go into Image → Adjustments → Hue/Saturation and in the “Saturation” section, drag the arrow to the left (approximately to - 67 ).
IV: After which you will need to reopen the “Curves” window and play around with the RGB line. To not make it too full of contrasts, I usually just increase the “Input” (20 or so) - (that is to be found in the bottom) and then lower the “Output” from the top (217 or so). || Simply drag the bottom “point” to the right, and then drag the top “point” down.
V: Your image is almost done and this is the last step - all you need now is add the sharpening effect. Go into Filter → Artistic → Paint Daubs and set it as Brush Size: 1, and Sharpness: as you see fit. The Sharpness always depends on the quality of the image, and you will see it by yourself whichever sharpness is to be applied the best.

I hope this tutorial was useful and helped, at least, some of you.

More here.