How to Create a WWII Image for Custom Cards - Advanced Tutorial

[Max Headroom]

Howdy folks! This is a rather advanced tutorial and I don't expect too many to be trying it out, although as this site increases in popularity there are increasing amounts of other talented graphic fiddlers like me that may wish to give this a try...
I am assuming that those willing to try have basic knowledge of the workings and tools of either Corel or Photoshop (names may differ slightly)


Firstly aquire and orientate your image facing forward, then using all the masking tools (wand is sometimes sloppy when the original image is poor) mask off the whole outline (and halve it in some cases when plans gave over and under joined).


Copy the half, reverse and paste it and join as a single object.


Using clone tool and or brush tidy the image where neccessary.


Mask out the parts of the plane you wnat as individual objects, cockpit, propeller, exhausts, mg holes etc. and paint 'em the colours you desire.


Adjust the contrast of the entire plane to pull back the black lines and the white to gray.


Next create a mask of the whole outline then create another layer to paint on shadows and highlights. This requires a bit of practice and a variety of sizes of brush faded to 96-98% and certain aircraft require further masking to create shadows on engines under wings and tail etc.


Markings on wings and fuselage require creating them in illustrator and pasting them in, then ceating a mask out of them, copying the masked area of the plane image beneath, then colouring them as required.


Now the plane is ready for any camo/colour scheme desired by masking the portions off and colouring and contrasting them to suit (see other tutorial on editing a plane image)

[Jager]

Interesting lesson. I hope to try some of this the coming winter. I suspect that the shading will be the hardest thing.
Thanks Karl

[Guntruck]

Interesting lesson. I hope to try some of this the coming winter. I suspect that the shading will be the hardest thing.
Thanks Karl

Hi Karl, don't know what you intend using, but Photoshop has 'dodge' and 'burn' tools with which you can lighten or darken the highlights, midtones and shadows. Makes life a lot easier.

[Max Headroom]

I dunno what Dodge and burn is, but I do prefer having the highlights and shadows as a separate layer so's it doesn't get effected when you change colour and hue.

[Jager]

I was going to try Corel 3x, as the computer I got from my Dad (with a simple version of Photoshop on it) is currently behind 2-3 layers of stacked boxes (we're redoing the upstairs rooms this year). My wife greatly prefers the vector graphics of Corel, wherein I learned/self taught myself on MS Paintbrush.
But hey, I'll take all the help I can get; with the tutorials you and Alan have posted, it's just a matter of time for me to have my own fantasy Jastas, and enough Do-335s to take down those pesky Spitfire Mk XIIs during Seelowen '45!
Karl

[Doug]

I did not understand a word of the tutorial, not that it was bad, infact it looked very good. It is just I cannot use a computor properly yet other than the basic stuff, so if nothing else this tutorial has inspired me to do some computor couses and learn some stuff instead of having to entice my children to do it for me

[Max Headroom]

Doug, if your just starting out with photoshop, simply grab a photo of yourself and have a play with the 'CLONE TOOL'... When I first started, I never had so much fun! Cloning my face onto Arnord Schwarzenneggar etc. loadsa fun for beginners.

[Guntruck]

I dunno what Dodge and burn is, but I do prefer having the highlights and shadows as a separate layer so's it doesn't get effected when you change colour and hue.

Dodge and burn lightens or darkens whatever layer you are in when you run a brush over an area. The downside is you have to be in a layer with colour otherwise it won't work. It would be much better if you could so this in a separate layer. So what are you doing in whatever you use Alan? Drawing a block shadow/highlight and tinkering with the opacity?

[Max Headroom]

In effect I create a small object outside the mask (7th image you'll notice a small black dot above the left wing) which becomes a layer unto itself, then within the mask (the aircraft) I use opaque brushes to paint the highlights (in white) and the shadows (in black) then I simply reverse the mask and delete the unwanted object. Did that make sense to anyone but me?

[Guntruck]

Ah, should have read that a bit more carefully. Not sure that will work in PS, but I'll give it a go when I get home.


Edit: having thought about it for more than 2 seconds, it will work!

[Max Headroom]

It may not be neccessary Steve... I can't even find a dodge/burn tool in CorelX4 so I can't try it out to see how much difference there would be... Maybe I'm not lookin' hard enough. My wife's always accusin' me of "havin' a 'man's' look"

[tech42]

I don't believe Corel has the Dodge/Burn tool only Photoshop.

[Doug]

Thanks Max at least I know what to look for!

[OldGuy59]

Thread Necromancy, but for a reason.

Someone asked me about using Photoshop to do cards. This is where I started, thanks to Max Headroom!

PS: This post may be missing all the images due to the Great Hacking in 2012.