Coloring a Drawing on Photoshop

[Sundus64]

So get this, I am writing a fantasy story. And I am doing a little planning for the cover. I drew my character and began coloring on PhotoShop CS3 or w/e it's called.

Since I don't have a scanner, I took a good picture of the drawing on my bro's iPhone and I brought it onto photoshop.

Everytime I color the drawing it still looks flat and not like those official art drawing like Characters in video games, I color it first then try to add some filter gallery touches but it's like how I want it to be,

SO I went to so some research on the internet let's say there are lots of sites showing how people do it but too much difficult voacabulary which makes me scroll down the page.

I like the coloring they used on the charcters of Fire Emblem: PoR, RR, BS, but when I zoom in on the pics to see how they colored it, I have trouble maybe with outlining the drawing 1st. but Idk how to outline in PS.

Can someone share with me how they color drawings, without hard vocabulary. Here is the drawing I drew and tips and advices would be really great!

BTW- Is Photoshop a good program for coloring pictures?

Okay if anyone wants to reply something pointless, not an option!

[Teapot]

I wouldn't go off and spend upwards of $200 just to color in one image. I'd probably go download a free program like GIMP or something, and it does the job just fine.

However, the thing you should know about your image is that because it isn't a clean scan, you're going to have to mess with the image contrast to give you just the lines. From there, set the image or color layer to Multiply, then color it on the color layer. This is just sort of a cheat if you don't really want to outline.

Edited November 30, 2012 by · j e a l o u s y ·

[Nanami Touko]

Uh, AK, I think they already have Photoshop

they were just asking for advice on what to do in it

doop o 3 o

[Inactive Account]

Sounds like they've already got PS? woops seph beat me to it

But yeah, new layer, set to Multiply, or else make another new layer and re-ink the drawing in PS then put the color layer under that. I generally put in a couple more layers on low opacity for shadows and light, set to Linear Dodge/Linear Burn or some such. It depends on the coloring style you want to use, if it's just flat or cel shading it ought to be pretty easy, painting takes a bit more work.

You can color/paint decently in Photoshop but I like Paint Tool SAI a lot better (has a free trial that I keep *cough* extending, usually runs about $65 USD to purchase depending on exchange rates) for that. GIMP is as mentioned completely free but it's basically Photoshop with a more difficult interface, absolute shit for painting, and I've never been able to get a tablet to work nicely with it. So if you already have Photoshop I wouldn't bother with GIMP at all.

Edited November 30, 2012 by kdanger

[Samias]

Colouring something is never fast or easy if you want it to look professional. Filters can only do so much. First of all, if you don't have a tablet, the time it will take you might as well be multiplied by 10. Secondly, if you don't use a scanner, your lineart is already suffering and colouring is not going to disguise that, even if you make adjustments to the levels. If you want to redraw the lineart (and it is going to be stupidly hard with a mouse by the way) make another layer and reduce the opacity of your drawing to something low, so you can clearly see the difference between your computer drawing and the original. Work at a large size so you can zoom in close without seeing a mess of blurry pixels and shrink the drawing later. This is how professionals work so their colouring doesn't have to be 100% perfect. If you draw with enclosed lines (0 gaps), you can select blank areas, grow the selection, and put every colour on its own layer into selected areas to save yourself the hassle of manually filling spaces. Just set the bucket to use all layers in its calculations. Using the paint bucket on its own is going to leave an awful halo of background colour/white because of anti aliasing. And then there are only so many shortcuts you can take to place shadows on a picture. Experiment with layer styles all you want, but ultimately you have to do some studying to learn how shadows are cast on the figure and their clothing.

[escroc]

an easy trick to do it is simply take a 3D art (any final fantasy CG screenshot for example) and impose it on your own picture, using the layer options. You can then blend the color of the 3D art with your own and take it from there.

Edited November 30, 2012 by runique

[Ohnonono]

Photoshop is usually the first thing people think of, but yeah it's a given for Photoshop for doing these jobs.

If you're a mouse user, mastery of the Pen Tool can get you around really, really fast. Learn to use it well. There's a lot more than why people say "the pen is mightier than the sword." Fear it.

GIMP has vastly improved in my opinion, I sometimes switch between Photoshop and GIMP for quite a number of tasks I'd have one do than the other.

[Anacybele]

Someone needs help coloring a drawing in Photoshop? I've got your answer! I can teach you how to color something in Photoshop or GIMP in three easy steps. ^^ The way I do it it simple, yet I'm told by those who enjoy my art that it still looks pretty damn professional in terms of video game art. Here are a couple examples. One was done in GIMP and the other Photoshop (I had to get the hang of GIMP though, so I'm not as experienced with it as I am with PS).

Photoshop art

GIMP art (yeah, I totally did the arm's shadow a little off, but that's an error in shading on my part lol. And also, I'm not great at hands or toes yet, so just ignore that too)

I also have one character piece that I did completely from scratch in Photoshop, no sketching phase, but that, imo, is the next step in mastering the art of Photoshopping an art piece (haha pun), so I'll get to that another time if you're interested. Ironically, though, the piece I'm referring to was done long before either of the above pieces...lol. But anyway. The steps for my coloring process remain the same for either program.

Step 1: Outlining

You say you don't know how to outline? Well, I have two methods of doing it. First though, make a new layer over the sketch layer. Next, use one of those two methods. First, and the easiest method, is the pen tool. Called the paths tool in GIMP. Create a path and then stroke it in the color line you want. The pen tool is definitely best when you're trying to outline a large area, like a dress or pants. Some versions of Photoshop don't have the pen tool, however (mine actually doesn't), so you have to use the brush tool instead. You have to either be very good with a mouse for this or use a tablet. I don't have a tablet, so I had to become good at drawing with a mouse. The outlining part takes the most patience out of all three steps, so just relax and move at a good pace. The thickness of your lines is up to you, but I most often use a 2px thick line.

Step 2: Filling with Color

The next step, once the outlining is done, is filling in the drawing with color using the paint bucket tool. Both Photoshop and GIMP definitely have this, no matter what version you're using. This step is the easiest step. You might notice white borders in the areas you're filling in with color, though. I have an easy remedy to this. Make a new layer beneath your outline and color layer and then use the brush tool on this new layer to fill in the white areas. This way, you don't end up erasing your lines and the color looks cleaner! I actually found this technique a good while after I started coloring in PS, so my lines started to look much better after that. lol

Step 3: Shading

Shading can be so much fun if you ask me. There are many different ways to shade, but I usually use the dodge, burn, and smudge tools. Dodge makes an area lighter, burn makes it darker, and smudge does just that: smudge. When shading, be sure to define where your light source is coming from and also remember where and when to actually use the dodge tool. It's best used for things like armor that have shiny surfaces and shading eyes. For the highlight in an eye though, I use the brush tool to just dab a spot of white on (unless the image is a close up, then I just keep using the dodge tool). Also, different areas require different roughness of shading. Folds in clothes require rougher shading than skin, for example. Armor requires rougher shading with more contrast as well to show how shiny and smooth it is. Hair is i nbetween. It doesn't require really rough shading, but not really smooth shading either. Also, be sure to know which type of dodge or burn you should use. Midtone and shadow are the ones I most often work with. Experimenting will help you decide which is best for what area. For finishing touches, I use the smudge tool to make the shading look cleaner.

And that is all! I hope this helps you. :)

[Thor Odinson]

There's always completely skipping the outline and painting it straight up but that's pretty much guaranteed to fail if you don't have a tablet.

Pen tool is your best bet if you don't have a tablet since that can be decently controlled with a mouse.

[Sundus64]

Here are my questions:

1. What is a tablet in PS?

2. What is the function of multiply?

So like basically do get a good drawing I have to use like lots of layers, right?

Can like someone take my photo and outline it for me, inbox me if you are willing to help out little old me...

[Anacybele]

A tablet isn't part of PS. It's a separate device that you use with a computer. I've never owned one, so I don't quite know how it works.

As for your second question, I'm afraid I can't answer that one. xP

Third question, no, my steps only require up to three layers. The layer the sketch is on, the layer your outline and finished product is on, and the layer used in step 2 for filling in color. If you wish to add a background, that would require more layers, but even then, I really only use a few in that case as well.

Edited November 30, 2012 by Anacybele

[Inactive Account]

In order, I guess: (NINJAS)

-A tablet isn't a Photoshop-specific tool, it's an actual device that you plug into the computer and draw on. You can use it with Photoshop or any other drawing program. It affords you much better control over your strokes than a brush. Wacom is the most well-known brand, but they all run pretty expensive; I've just come across this brand recently and they've been rated pretty highly and are all below $100. However, you don't strictly need a tablet. You can use the pen tool for inking and color fills, as people have already mentioned.

-Multiply is a blending mode, meaning it changes how the colors of the layer affect the rest of the image. The normal blending mode just shows whatever color is on the top layer. Multiply, however, multiplies the color on that layer with the color beneath it, so a color multiplied over white shows up in color, while a color multiplied over black shows black.

-You don't have to use too many layers, one layer for flat color will suffice, maybe two more for shading. It's not quantity, it's how they're used.

-I don't know that you'll be able to find someone willing to trace your work for you here, we're all pretty busy. However, if you use the pen tool, you can easily trace over it yourself even with only a mouse.

Edited November 30, 2012 by kdanger

[Anacybele]

kdanger is right, it's how the layers are used, not how many there are. You may find some tutorials on Deviantart and such that require a lot of layers, and while the finished products DO look very good and professional, I would not recommend these, as they often are a complicated mess of steps and tools and such and always seem to require the newest versions of Photoshop, which many can't afford.

Instead, I came up with my simple three-step tutorial that I don't even need to keep written down or provide screenshots with. The finished product can still look amazing (really, I've seen people shade and outline better than I do and they could take my steps even further if they desired), but without any complications or confusing steps.

EDIT: OH, the multiplying blend mode. Haha, I know what that is. Silly me. XD

Edited November 30, 2012 by Anacybele

[escroc]

so, i took the liberty to mess around with your picture a bit, hope you don't mind. This is how I do my coloring, done on gimp which is a free software.

like i said, impose a 3D art on it. put it on 50% opacity so you can see how it fits with your pic. it's kinda cheating, but eh.

stretch to make it fit better

like so

if you look to the right of the screen, i'm playing with the layer blending options (the mouse is pointing at Hart Light), there are many, i'll try each and see what it does to the pic. Photoshop has the same layer options.

then erase the other part i don't need for coloring

after a few smudging, erasing, etc. here's the final product. kinda messy, but you get the idea.

Edited November 30, 2012 by runique

[Inactive Account]

I would not recommend doing that AT ALL.

It relies on there being images with at least same pose, coloring, etc as the lineart, in sufficient resolution, not to mention technically being theft, and doesn't build any coloring skills whatsoever. It is absolutely cheating and I frankly don't see how it could look good.

There is a place in 2D art for 3D references, even for shading, but swiping from found images in order to color is not it.

[escroc]

are you earning any money from it? would you rather spend 15 min on free work or 2 hours?

[Anacybele]

Um. You don't have to make money off of it for it to be considered stealing. And frankly, I agree with the others.

[Nanami Touko]

would you rather spend 15 min on free work or 2 hours?

oh yeah awesome spend 15 minutes doing a sub par job which gives you no skills instead of spending 2 hours learning how to do it so that you can do it better/faster in the future.

man what a deal.

[Rehab]

And as kdanger mentioned concerning skill, I don't see how it would better your understanding of colors or coloring much. I at least would prefer to improve as an artist (spoiler I'm pretty bad) than to make individual pictures that might look a little better than they would have if I didn't have anybody else's work to use but not improve as an artist myself at all.

It might be interesting to look at and meditate on, or I at least can't hardly claim to know it isn't, but it's not something I'd show off as my product.

Seph pls stop killing me w/the quickness

Edited November 30, 2012 by Rehab

[Nanami Touko]

No I can't stop I gotta go fast gotta go faster faster ffffffaster

[Freohr Datia]

Finding pictures that fit and work out for each part would probably take 2 hours in and of itself XD

But yeah the quality in that doesn't even look nearly as good as doing things by oneself imo...

[Samias]

Yeah don't do the 3D thing... that's just wrong. I agree that using paths/the pen tool is the easiest way to work without a tablet, but I disagree with the statement that you only need 3 layers. It's better work practices to put separate colours on different layers so if you make a mistake you can more easily fix it.

[escroc]

sorry, i just thought i'd share a quick solution, but i guess it's wrong. thanks for pointing it out civilly.

however...

it also looks terrible to the power of what the fuck

this is a comment reserved for your real life face honestly

[roymbrog]

Like others have said, if you don't have a tablet the pen tool is your best friend. Personally, if you have access to paint tool SAI or Illustrator I recommend those as better programs to outline in than Photoshop. Both of them have free trials available if you want to test them out. SAI has some nice thickness and pressure settings for the curve and line tools, and Illustrator is made for vector images.

To give you an example of what the lines would look like, I've tried to find some of my old stuff with the lines done by curve tool in SAI. Of course there are probably better examples elsewhere on the internet, but this is faster. :P

[spoiler=SAI examples]

Then you've got Illustrator, where you could make a whole image this way using only the vector tools and a mouse.

[spoiler=Illustrator examples]

If you're serious about learning to do digital art however, I strongly suggest you invest in a tablet. Wacom's Bamboo line of tablets are good quality at a relatively low price. If you search around you could probably get an older model for around $60-70 or less.

I have no tips for coloring with a mouse. Seriously, God have mercy on your soul. I don't know how people manage to do that at all.

[Anacybele]

I have no tips for coloring with a mouse. Seriously, God have mercy on your soul. I don't know how people manage to do that at all.

A lot of patience and practice, really. And the effort can definitely be worth it in the end when you are patient and keep practicing. I still love how that piece I mentioned earlier came out. The one that I had done completely from scratch in Photoshop, and using a mouse. :3