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| The image itself kind of bored me, so I duplicated and rotated the cap (-40 degrees, in this case). Once I found a crop I liked, I resized the square to 100x100 and sharpened (Unsharp Mask settings: Amount - 50%, Radius - 1.0px, Threshold - 0 levels). Using the blur tool (soft-edge round, size 3, at 15%) sparingly in the background gave me this base. |
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(The next two steps were borrowed from a coloring method in a tutorial by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) throw_elijah.) Create a new layer, and flood fill it with a deep blue (#04122A in this example). Set the layer to Exclusion, and lower the opacity to 50%. |
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Create another new layer, and flood fill it with a a pale peach (#FADAC6 in this example). Set that layer to Soft Light, and lower the opacity to 75%. |
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Select a fairly even texture that compliments the colors in your base. I chose this one by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) iconisms. Paste or drag it onto a new layer, and find a layer mode that compliments your image. Overlay, Soft Light, and burn modes compliment lighter textures on darker bases, the opposite is true for dark textures on light bases. This one is set to Multiply at 100% opacity. |
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Select another texture, if the image calls for it. Here, the sky was still standing out too much for my liking. I chose a base by dearest. Again, find a layer mode that compliments your image. This one is set to Multiply at 100% opacity. |
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Still too much contrast on the horizon for me. I wanted a gentle meltdown, sunset as opposed to high noon. And (just between you and me) once I found the right balance, I planned to lighten it up again. Another base by dearest, set to Multiply at 100% opacity. |
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Let there be light. Again, find a texture in the same color family as your base. I couldn't decide on just one, so I took some creative license with three textures from iconisms and Evenstar, editing out all sharp, distinct points of light but one (it looked like the sun, so I thought it was nifty) and setting the layer to Screen at 100%. |
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Duplicate your base (there it is, way down there under all those layers of texture). Bring it to the top and set it to Soft Light at 100% opacity. In this case, the image still looked a bit too over-textured, so I duplicated the Soft Light layer again. |
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I know what you're thinking. And the answer to your unspoken question is "yes, more texture." Another one from iconisms, in fact, set on Soft Light at 100% opacity. If your icon has enough texture at this point, you can lighten uniformly at this step with a light or medium warm color, like beige or peach. |
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Choose a gradient that suits your image (I used this one from teh_indy and find a layer mode you like. I needed to even out the contrast a bit, so I set this layer to Multiply at 100%. |
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A texture from teh_indy (which is actually the gradient from the previous step, flipped horizontally and combined with one of her brushes in white), set to Soft Light at 100% opacity. At this point, I belatedly noticed the annoying little white spot in the upper left corner, and smudged it away on a new layer using the Rubber Stamp tool. But that was just me. |
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Text time. For the caption, I used SF Movie Poster at 20pt, then rotated it along the horizon. The word isn't completely visible, but that benefits the next step. |
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Flat text didn't quite work with this image, even rotated. I rasterized the text, then played with the perspective (Edit> Transform> Perspective) until the angle looked suitable and the entire word fit in the frame, and repositioned the text just below the horizon. |
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Still wasn't totally satisfied, so I added a layer mask and, with a soft-edged brush at 25% opacity, painted away the top of the text until there was a smooth meltdown into the solid color. I know it looks a bit light now, but... |
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I duplicated the text layer, set it to Overlay at 100% opacity, and dropped the original down to 25%. It still seemed a little too light, so I duplicated the Overlay layer and set it to 75% opacity. |
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Added some tiny text ("We Come In Peace" in Arial Black caps at 1.5pt) and rotated the layer to echo the angle of the text. |
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Have I ever mentioned that this gradient from crumblingwalls is my favorite one to use? It can color dramatically or very subtely. Anyway, set the gradient to Color Burn at 15% opacity. |
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Create a new Hue/Saturation adjustment layer (Hue: 85, Saturation: 25, Lightness: 0) at 35% opacity to balance the color, define the shadows, and make the highlights a little more crisp. |
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Stamp a copy of your icon to a new layer. Lower the saturation to 50% and set the layer to Soft Light at 100% opacity. And voila, one alien invasion during a dusty desert sunset. |
