Hey there. I'm extremely new when it comes to photoshop and the like. New as in I just started 2 hours ago. Here's my first work:
Click me!
+ Show Spoiler +

I tried achieving a comic-book 3D effect, although I think it isn't evident at all (noob alert lol)

Can anyone give me tips to improve, or at least recommend some really cool sites with photoshop/paint.net resources?

Thanks!

RedLuck

Canada253 Posts

March 21 2011 18:43 GMT

Ahh, the good ol' noob days. I remember those.

I suggest looking for a good graphics community where you can share your work and ask for C+C (comments and criticisms). That's how I started and it helped immensely.

Unfortunately I haven't been active on a gfx community in ages so I can't suggest any, but I'm sure google can help. :D

Dont give up and dont get discouraged!

Raii

Philippines194 Posts

March 21 2011 18:45 GMT

Okay! Thanks for the suggestion. Comments on my work? Don't worry I can take criticisms

lac29

United States1485 Posts

March 21 2011 19:19 GMT

It really depends on what effect you were trying to produce. I dunno what tools you used but keep on practicing and check out youtube for some pretty good tutorials. I just finished an intro class to photoshop/illustrator/indesign and there are a ton of stuff I still don't know. What I do know is that you need to master layers for photoshop and the pen tool for illustrator.

RedJustice

United States1004 Posts

March 21 2011 19:25 GMT

Eh, deviantArt often has tutorials and brushes and things like that in the Stock Images and Resources section. Of course, it can be of work to sort through everything to find what you actually need. Otherwise, google is your friend, haha. I find the best way to learn is to just say to yourself-- here's what I want to make-- and start making it, and then whenever you can't figure out how to do something, look it up. Also, just clicking a lot of buttons to see what they do has always been helpful to me...

CombatWood

United States40 Posts

March 21 2011 19:31 GMT

Clicked on the picture ... way better than I can do already haha. I'm only pro at putting a specific part of the male body into people's hands and near their mouths.

Um, the edges on the character are a bit off/vary. Some areas is just black, others there's a slight highlight outline(the outline shows on the lower right portions of his left arm, torso, and leg.

That is the only real issues I have. The text and background seem a bit off as well, but I'm not really sure since I have no formal art training, so I don't really know the theory behind that sort of thing.

Other than that, just keep working at it. Everything takes time if you want to be good at it.

Edit: These may be pretty old and not exactly what you need, but apparently I still had the links from when I first started using PS. http://elitebydesign.com/how-to-master-photoshop-in-just-one-week/

ChrisXIV

Austria3553 Posts

March 21 2011 19:33 GMT

I don't know if you wanted it that way, but there are several white pixels around the character, that make it look like a sloppy cut-out.

Also, depending on the effect you want to achieve, you might want to look at color composition, as that really sets the mood of whatever you do.

The letters of the text seem...bland. Left upper corner also isn't ideal in most cases - depending on how much you want the viewer to focus on it. And adding even a small shadow gives it more "power".

x|x|x
x|x|x
x|x|x

The eye focuses mainly on the two vertical/horizontal lines, if you don't force a focus by other means.

mizU

United States12125 Posts

March 21 2011 19:34 GMT

What version of photoshop are you using?

I have a collection of tutorials in jpeg format, maybe I'll upload them here.

guMmiwormz

United States312 Posts

March 21 2011 19:49 GMT

For basics, i'd suggest you start by learning how each tool and filters.. etc actually work. Too many people just find tutorials and copy them without actually knowing how they're creating what they are.

good places to start would be

http://www.good-tutorials.com/tutorials/photoshop
psdtuts.com (a bit more advanced tuts)

Asha

United Kingdom38230 Posts

March 21 2011 20:00 GMT

#10

http://psd.tutsplus.com/ <-- wonderful site

I'd suggest you start working through their great introduction to photoshop as a starting point:

http://psd.tutsplus.com/sessions/photoshop-basix/

It's a (free) 14 part video series with downloadable source files/resources, and teaches you the basic tools and skills that make up the core of your photoshop usage. From there you'll have a decent understanding of how to use photoshop to do a variety of image editing and design tasks, and you can comfortably branch out into more advanced tutorials, or simply use that knowledge to start experimenting on your own to produce a few things ^^

Have fun!

Raii

Philippines194 Posts

March 21 2011 20:04 GMT

#11

Thank you for all the input! You're all of great help!

Oh and sorry if it looks like a cardboard cut-out. I'm still practicing blending and rendering techniques. Plus, I have no idea what every tool does atm. Most of what I did earlier were purely the results of trial--and-error.

Coagulation

United States9633 Posts

March 21 2011 21:12 GMT

#12

hey not bad at all man.

like others have said you really have to go into "attention to detail mode" when it comes to off color pixels along edges. there are many many many techniques you can use to get rid of them. not all of them will work for every situation. its kind of a pick whats best for each type of area your trying to clean up.

the most basic would be a 2 pixel eraser brush and just zoom in and clear them 1 by 1 this is extremely time consuming but effective against straight edges and what not.

try using a burn tool to darken the stray pixels. try messing with settings to get a nice blend. Burn tool is an extremely importantf for painting depth and detail in shapes.
it also works really well on gradient areas or soft spread areas that cant be touched with a eraser easily.

Sometimes i use a trick that helps give edges more depth and a softer flow copy paste the entire character ( make sure hes seperate from background - using layers is important!) and use a Gaussian blur filter set it at about 1.5 on the bottom copy
you should erase areas of the blurred bottom layer that are more closer to the viewer and have more of a sharper focus in the picture and tweak it untill eventually the backside and far away edges have a softer look and then merge the layers together.

little tiny tricks like these are what make up the bulk of photoshop skills.
theres usually always multiple tricks to tackle any problem and employing them correctly often separate a beginners piece from a professionals piece.

InRaged

1047 Posts

March 21 2011 21:36 GMT

#13

On March 22 2011 06:12 Coagulation wrote:
the most basic would be a 2 pixel eraser brush and just zoom in and clear them 1 by 1 this is extremely time consuming but effective against straight edges and what not.

While doing so I would highly recommend to work with the layer's mask and not the layer itself.

Here is the tutorial: link (I haven't actually read it, but it looks like a fine article on the matter)

Count9

China10928 Posts

March 21 2011 21:48 GMT

#14

Google photoshop forum signature tutorials and find ones that you like, then completely copy what they say and do A LOT OF THEM (<---- this is where a lot of people fail, they copy 2 and think they know everything. At least go double digits). Signatures are small, compact, and it's not as overwhelming to see how they put their composition together and why they use certain layers/effects. After that, move on to just learning individual effects that you may want and do a tut or 2 (certainly not as much as sig tuts) on large pieces.

Raii

Philippines194 Posts

March 21 2011 22:12 GMT

#15

Alright! I'll update once I finish a newer one.

Thanks for all the input. Really I'm browsing 25 tabs at the same time [all tuts] lol

lac29

United States1485 Posts

March 21 2011 22:49 GMT

#16

On March 22 2011 06:36 InRaged wrote:

Show nested quote +

I def agree. A newbie mistake, or more of a work flow mistake, is to alter your original when you should be doing non-permanent alterations. Learn to use masks!

Coagulation

United States9633 Posts

March 21 2011 22:56 GMT

#17

just dont forget to experiment with your own style and techniques
sometimes thats the best way to learn is trial and error.
just pick a tool and doodle around with it and try to get different results and see the dynamics that can be applied to it.

some other handy tools to learn
generate clouds filter ( to make textures and surface area depth)
Pattern filters or clone tool ( to create large areas of texture fast)
Masking + area selection ( to edit precise areas of pictures)
Blur tool for (creating blurred edges to build depth of field or movement and many other effects.)
Layer types (multiply + overlay are 2 most common and very useful)
and my favorite is the burn tool. use it for shadows and lighting in a snap.

disciple

9070 Posts

March 22 2011 12:39 GMT

#18

my tip is not to read any tutorials yet. dont use any filters or premade effects. one of the most common mistake ppl make in the beginning is trying "to make something cool". Grab a hold on the basic tools, see how brightness/contrast color balance and levels work. you will build on it with time

have fun

mel_ee

2448 Posts

March 22 2011 13:27 GMT

#19

-make things into 72 DPI (this is the resolution when u make a new document)

-when u stretch images or do any resizing, if u want to keep it uniformly the same, hold SHIFT while u drag to make an image smaller or larger.

-the "[" key and the "]" are usefull for zooming in and out. there are other shortcuts also but I think this and "v" are used the most. "v" is the select tool

wbirdy

Singapore335 Posts

March 22 2011 14:37 GMT

#20

tip: change the font! keep it simple, small, not too attention-grabbing. this will keep the focus on the stock render. right now, your text is sticking out like a sore thumb.