Voynich
06-05-2006, 03:27 PM
Okay, a short vector tut for the noobs. I'll keep it very basic cause vectoring is in the basics very easy, just alot more time consuming than brushing.
The easiest way to learn how to handle the pentool is by starting
out with for example an anime screenshot. They have clear outlines
and you can clearly make out the shading. but cause most people wanna be stubborn and start out with a picture of some asian cutey..there we go.
Wrong. We're gonna be simple and make a nice anime vector.
Cause it's so time consuming, you wanna practice at easy stuff first before you start on 5 hour vectors of ayumi, k?
Some overall rules when starting a vector:
Make sure the picture is big enough. I usually take as guide lines that i want the subject that has to be vector has to be at least 400x400 px. Else details get lost and its just a pain in the ass to work on a smaller size. Make sure
the picture has clear contrasts and most off all, pick something you like.
For this tut I used a pic of Haruko from FLCL (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/flcl_haruko0019.jpg)
Open the pic in photoshop, make sure it's in RGB. Now make a new layer on top of it and fill in with white. That's gonna be your control layer. With coloured bgs it's hard to see if you have the shape right,
so for checking that you enable the white layer which will clearly show if you missed spots.
For now, disable the white layer.
Now make sure you have everything set like THIS (1) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/1.jpg)
Now we're gonna make a black vector layer thats gonna provide the outline and black lines in the picture.
Take your pentool and make points around the shape like THIS (2) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/2.jpg)It doesn't need to be very precise, just make an overall
outline and close the shape so it'll look like THIS (3) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/3.jpg)
Now pick the add anchor point tool > THIS (4) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/4.jpg)
Add points on the outline shape where it doesn't follow the picture outline. Like THIS (5) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/5.jpg)
Now put your mouse on one of those points and move it..see how the line bends? Now try and make the shape line follow Haruko's outline as precise as possible.Add more anchor points if you need them. To make it easier to see you can reduce the opacity of the vector shape to around 20%
Now you just see the line with some black fuss. Put some time into making it follow the lines, itll save you time in the end.
Some hints. Right click on the points will give you alot of options. Only use "delete anchor point" if you need to. The rest will fuck up your shape.
The lines sticking out of the points will show you the range of the bend the line is making. Try moving them and making them shorter and longer..you'll see how they work.
Okay once you're done with that it'll look something like THIS (6) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/6.jpg)
Now you can disable the black layer. Don't delete, just disable it like you did with the white layer.
Now pick your normal pentool again. First we'll start on the red part of her shirt. Use your eyedropper tool to give the foreground colour the lighter red of her shirt.
Do the same as with the black shape. Make points to form the overal shape on the red parts. Make sure you move around the black lines. It'll look like THIS (7) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/7.jpg)* i turned on the black layer to make them more visible*
Now you'll have 7 red layers. Pick your "add anchor point tool" again and make the red parts fit. * make sure you select the right layer before you start adding points else it won't work*
When you're done, turn the black layer back on and see if it fits. Adjust some more if you feel the parts don't fit well.
Mine looks like THIS (8) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/8.jpg) now.
Do the same for the other red parts on her shirt. If a layer is in the way or overlapping a part you need to work on, just disable it till you're done. They should come out looking like THIS (9) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/9.jpg)
Okay, now we do the same for the yellowish parts on her arms. Just keep checking back by using your black layer and readjusting the shapes.
Don't try to work around the shaded parts, just let them overlap.
Yellow parts vectored THIS (10) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/10.jpg)
Just keep doing that for each colour layer, working around the black lines, base colour first and shade and highlight layer on top of that.
Now I'm not gonna keep doing the whole thing, ill just point out some stuff.
On the scarf, working around the black is tricky. We'll do that another way. Just vector over the black squiggly lines.
When you're done, disable all the layers on the scarf. Now pick the freestyle pen tool.
Make the foregroud colour black (11) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/11.jpg)and carefully squiggly the black lines back on like THIS (12) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/12.jpg)
Now you'll say it looks a bit weird, and it does. Try changing the colour or opacity on the squiggly lines..or change their shape with the "add anchor point tool"
It's a matter of taste and finding out what works best for you.
When you're done, enable all the layers and adjust them. Make sure they fall within the black outline layer. If thats too much work, reroute the black line a bit to get the same effect.
Some final notes: If you wanna resize the vector once you're done, do it BEFORE you rasterize it. The vector will keep it's sharp lines then.
The shape tool is a vector tool too. You can add anchor points to those shapes too.
Okay, this helped some. When you have questions, stop by on msn, i'll help you out. Once you manage to get this right, you can start on your beloved Ayumi vectors : P
* sorry if it's a bit messy. I tried to explain as much as possible, but it's really difficult explain something that's complelty logical to me Xd*
The easiest way to learn how to handle the pentool is by starting
out with for example an anime screenshot. They have clear outlines
and you can clearly make out the shading. but cause most people wanna be stubborn and start out with a picture of some asian cutey..there we go.
Wrong. We're gonna be simple and make a nice anime vector.
Cause it's so time consuming, you wanna practice at easy stuff first before you start on 5 hour vectors of ayumi, k?
Some overall rules when starting a vector:
Make sure the picture is big enough. I usually take as guide lines that i want the subject that has to be vector has to be at least 400x400 px. Else details get lost and its just a pain in the ass to work on a smaller size. Make sure
the picture has clear contrasts and most off all, pick something you like.
For this tut I used a pic of Haruko from FLCL (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/flcl_haruko0019.jpg)
Open the pic in photoshop, make sure it's in RGB. Now make a new layer on top of it and fill in with white. That's gonna be your control layer. With coloured bgs it's hard to see if you have the shape right,
so for checking that you enable the white layer which will clearly show if you missed spots.
For now, disable the white layer.
Now make sure you have everything set like THIS (1) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/1.jpg)
Now we're gonna make a black vector layer thats gonna provide the outline and black lines in the picture.
Take your pentool and make points around the shape like THIS (2) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/2.jpg)It doesn't need to be very precise, just make an overall
outline and close the shape so it'll look like THIS (3) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/3.jpg)
Now pick the add anchor point tool > THIS (4) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/4.jpg)
Add points on the outline shape where it doesn't follow the picture outline. Like THIS (5) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/5.jpg)
Now put your mouse on one of those points and move it..see how the line bends? Now try and make the shape line follow Haruko's outline as precise as possible.Add more anchor points if you need them. To make it easier to see you can reduce the opacity of the vector shape to around 20%
Now you just see the line with some black fuss. Put some time into making it follow the lines, itll save you time in the end.
Some hints. Right click on the points will give you alot of options. Only use "delete anchor point" if you need to. The rest will fuck up your shape.
The lines sticking out of the points will show you the range of the bend the line is making. Try moving them and making them shorter and longer..you'll see how they work.
Okay once you're done with that it'll look something like THIS (6) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/6.jpg)
Now you can disable the black layer. Don't delete, just disable it like you did with the white layer.
Now pick your normal pentool again. First we'll start on the red part of her shirt. Use your eyedropper tool to give the foreground colour the lighter red of her shirt.
Do the same as with the black shape. Make points to form the overal shape on the red parts. Make sure you move around the black lines. It'll look like THIS (7) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/7.jpg)* i turned on the black layer to make them more visible*
Now you'll have 7 red layers. Pick your "add anchor point tool" again and make the red parts fit. * make sure you select the right layer before you start adding points else it won't work*
When you're done, turn the black layer back on and see if it fits. Adjust some more if you feel the parts don't fit well.
Mine looks like THIS (8) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/8.jpg) now.
Do the same for the other red parts on her shirt. If a layer is in the way or overlapping a part you need to work on, just disable it till you're done. They should come out looking like THIS (9) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/9.jpg)
Okay, now we do the same for the yellowish parts on her arms. Just keep checking back by using your black layer and readjusting the shapes.
Don't try to work around the shaded parts, just let them overlap.
Yellow parts vectored THIS (10) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/10.jpg)
Just keep doing that for each colour layer, working around the black lines, base colour first and shade and highlight layer on top of that.
Now I'm not gonna keep doing the whole thing, ill just point out some stuff.
On the scarf, working around the black is tricky. We'll do that another way. Just vector over the black squiggly lines.
When you're done, disable all the layers on the scarf. Now pick the freestyle pen tool.
Make the foregroud colour black (11) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/11.jpg)and carefully squiggly the black lines back on like THIS (12) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/BlackJaggan/tutorial/12.jpg)
Now you'll say it looks a bit weird, and it does. Try changing the colour or opacity on the squiggly lines..or change their shape with the "add anchor point tool"
It's a matter of taste and finding out what works best for you.
When you're done, enable all the layers and adjust them. Make sure they fall within the black outline layer. If thats too much work, reroute the black line a bit to get the same effect.
Some final notes: If you wanna resize the vector once you're done, do it BEFORE you rasterize it. The vector will keep it's sharp lines then.
The shape tool is a vector tool too. You can add anchor points to those shapes too.
Okay, this helped some. When you have questions, stop by on msn, i'll help you out. Once you manage to get this right, you can start on your beloved Ayumi vectors : P
* sorry if it's a bit messy. I tried to explain as much as possible, but it's really difficult explain something that's complelty logical to me Xd*