Tutorial: MentalMirage Blog Header
In this first tutorial, I’ll go over the basics on how I made the top graphic (header) for my blog. We’ll be working with masks, blending modes, the LucisArt plugin, color correction, levels, and brushes.
A basic understanding of Photoshop is needed to follow this tutorial.
Open a new document, in the size of 939×353 pixels, with a black background. Add in the main picture of the face you want to use.
Make a mask (there’s an option of adding a mask to your layer at the button of your layer palette), and proceed to mask out everything except her face and clothing. Also mask out everything on the right side of her face.
(Note: Masks work by selecting the mask (a white square next to the picture in your layer) and painting over the parts you dont want with Black. Everything white will show up, everything black will become transparent. You could do the same with the eraser tool, but masks are non-destructive.)
Make a duplicate layer of her, move it beneath your original layer, flip it horizontally, and position her shoulder on her right side.
Merge your two layers, and duplicate it again. On the top duplicate layer, go into Filter, and choose Lucis > LucisArt (the plugin can be gotten here http://www.lucisart.com/), choose Sculpture at 100% and 0 Amount. Choose “Multiply” as this layer’s blending mode. Merge these two layers.
Duplicate this layer again, and make a mask only showing her eyes, with a soft brush. Go into Levels and use the following settings:
Then go into Hue/Saturation, and use the following settings:
Then duplicate this “eye” layer, and put the second layer to the blending mode Overlay.
Make a new layer, and with a soft brush and light pressure paint in the makeup colors that you want.
Then put that layer to Overlay.
Then set up a soft scatter brush in your brush palette, and paint in the white floating lights where you want them. Put the layer to 50% opacity.
Duplicate this layer, and set the mode to Overlay, and 100% opacity. Then duplicate that layer, and change the color from white to golden (still keeping it as overlay and 100% opacity).
With the Gradient tool, put in a blue gradient going outwards from behind her, on your background layer.
Add in whatever top for your Blog you want.
Add in some text, with a Glow effect set up with black color, normal mode, 100% opacity.
And viola! You’re finished!
Feel free to link this tutorial anymore, as long as you link back to this site and blog, and give credit to me for making it. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or email me!
As always, its awesome if you link your picture in the comments section, or add it to the MentalMirage flickr group!
- Philip Zeplin
MentalMirage.com
MentalMirage.com/blog
Support a starving (no, not really) artist and buy some prints!
November 5th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Quite well done and rather clearly explained. Kudos to you for it. You started with an excellent base picture, as well.
November 10th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
how do you put it at the top of the page?
November 11th, 2008 at 12:12 am
Jose, putting it on top is just a manner of HTML or any webdesign program, such as Dreamweaver.
http://nettuts.com/ has some exelent tutorials to get you started.
November 19th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Great tutorial, and a clear design for the blog, I think I will give a try for my blog (wich need some fresh design !)
thank you !
November 20th, 2008 at 6:42 am
excellent work…
November 20th, 2008 at 6:42 am
excellent work
November 28th, 2008 at 10:01 am
гляди! Я ржал - http://ibigdan.livejournal.com/4243319.html - тема дня :))
Фото на тему кризиса..
да, и спасибо за пост) добавил в избранное
November 29th, 2008 at 11:54 am
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December 1st, 2008 at 9:48 pm
thank you so much admin
December 5th, 2008 at 7:03 am
nice job
December 17th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
hola
January 5th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Yes! it’s really a good creation….
January 30th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Thanks for tutorial, very nice.
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February 10th, 2009 at 1:11 am
Hi, cool site, good writing
March 2nd, 2009 at 3:56 pm
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March 3rd, 2009 at 6:36 pm
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March 6th, 2009 at 9:20 am
Great Work! Thanks for the fantastic tutorial man.
May 11th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Thank you for the post!
I just followed the instructions to make a great header for my blog.
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:01 pm
how can I download the lucis?
Actually I go to the site based in the tutorial but i cant get it.
Pls ! pls! pls!
June 17th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
I have downloaded 30 version try-ouut of lucis, but do i get the filter into Photoshop cs3 ? :p
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