Advanced Full Sig Tut

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INTRODUCTION
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Well here is my first tutorial, I have made a signature using this before but I never saved it because I didn't like the outcome. I told a few people how to do it and they told me it rocked, so I thought I would compile it into a tutorial. Hope you like it.
I wrote it down not long ago now I have added a little to it. Much of these are ideas I have picked up from different tutorials with a little different preferences. Hope you like it and post your results...

Note: THIS TOOK ME DAYS TO PUT TOGETHER IN MY HEAD SO PLEASE DO NOT ACCUSE ME OF RIPPING WORK I SPENT A LONG TIME ON THIS!

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CREDITS
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Me - Main ideas.
Xgogeta - Used some ideas from one of his tutorials on ********.


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TUTORIAL
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Step 1
Firstly, get some extremely high detail stock / renders. If you need one of high crisp quality then go to www.planetrenders.net and sign up for free, then find a good render, open it and click on it again to get a good one. You need 2/3 for this tut. Anyway, make a new document I will be using 330x100, get BOTH of your renders in there and move them around, resize them so that there is no background to speak of. Get a good mix of colours and don't use just one colour.

Step 2
grab the smudge tool set to normal mode ( its a raindrop on the left hand toolbar, right click it and choose the finger tool) then set the strength to 70% and then get a nice round brush with smoothing around it, preferably in the basic brushes set and use number 45 with a glow around it. Then merge both render layers and smudge it to have a nice wash effect, keep it simple. DO NOT MAKE IT TOO RANDOM and give it a nice simple "flow" and DONT leave any visible parts of the renders un-smudged. When that is done continue to step 3.
PIC-

Step 3
Down the bottom of layers section click the half moon coloured black and white and select gradient map. Give it a nice gradient and set it to lighten, choose best opacity and colour.
Here is a pic=



Step 4
get your not smudged merged layer with the two renders and name it MAIN just for reference. Then duplicate that layer, and put the duplicate on the top of all layers. set its blending mode to 'lighten' and grab the eraser tool, set it to a nice round and soft brush, around 65% pressure and then use the eraser to blend the render in and erase parts of it, then set that layer to around 30% opacity. Then you should have a little glimpse of your renders in the smudging.

Step 5
Now it’s recommended to make a little effect if you’re signature looks too plain to you. This is highly recommended. Grab a nice spiky c4d or some cool brushes (not grunge or basics) and then insert one or two cool ones. Then play with the opacity, make it look like its part of the renders or something. Muck around with blending modes on this layer. Try colour dodge or multiply if it’s higher opacity. If it won’t blend, try some contrast or hues to fix it up

Step 6a
now we need to apply some filters and effects. This will make or break the sig. lately i struggle with this bit from the brush effects so I don’t have any pictures sorry! Anyway, make a new layer, put it on top and u need to paste your whole signature into this layer... easiest way to do = click that new layer and using the options up top of screen is edit. Click edit, then image->apply image. that will paste signature in, set it to normal blending if it isn’t, then select this layer and click filter->brush strokes-> ink outlines... use these settings if you want, but play around for best looks.

Stroke length- 4
Dark intensity - 20-25 depending on contrast and preference
Light intensity- 10 but again it goes on preference

(This ink outline trick was from Xgogetas tutorial on www.oriongf*****m and I liked it so I used it! Credits to him.)

Now set your inked layer to multiply blending and about 65% opacity depending on how intense you want it.

Step 6b
quickly duplicate the pen inked layer we just did and then on that duplication, move it to top of all layers and use filter->sharpen->sharpen or sharpen more depending on your likings. Grab onto the eraser tool and delete any parts you don’t want sharpened so it looks crisper. This will bring out your c4d as well.


Note
FROM HERE YOU CAN TAKE THE SIG ANY WAY YOU WANT, I USED SOME BLURRING TIPS, YOU CAN USE WIND EFFECTS OR WATEVA U WANT FORM HERE TO ACHEIVE SLICK RESULTS.


Step 7
duplicate this sharpened layer (I know this is heaps of duplicating but it’s all so you don’t screw up and have to restart also for layered effects too!) anyway, duplicate, put new layer on very top of order, and then give new layer this effect--filter/blur/motion blur/ angle:0 distance:18 and apply that. Duplicate this layer a few times (3 - 5) and give each layer blending such as lighten, multiply, colour dodge etc... To bring out its vibrancy... if too heavy, lower opacities on some. DO NOT MERGE!

Step 8
Now this is a little trick. Get a basic oval brush, and use the brush settings option tab on the far upper right, and give your brush some reasonable scattering and make it the same colour as your place fro render, say an orange glow, and draw a little glow with a scattered brush to accentuate an edge. So it looks like your render is heavenly or is exploding in. make it nice and subtle, and then you’re done! Only a render to do!

PIC-


Now just insert a matching render, it is easier to just use one of the starting renders that u used to blur as it will match the colouring, and put your render in with that glowing brush so it looks blended, maybe duplicate the render layer and set it to luminosity and about 40% opacity, blend it in somehow and then you’re done! Add some text that is basic but nice. Colour is pivotal. Hope you liked tutorial, most credits to me but some from Xgogeta and a good part from many different tutorials I have read before and tweaked to my style. There are tutorials like this I think floating around. So don’t accuse of ripping.

PLEASE POST RESULTS AND C&C

Sorry if this tutorial isn’t very descriptive, it is advanced so I suspect you know where most things are and don’t need a pictured tutorial. If I can get it working, ill insert pics and make a COMPREHENSIVE guide for it so even noobs can think they are some Chronologix but know they never will be. Thanks for reading!