Post by gems on Oct 18, 2008 23:49:02 GMT 1
For lesson two you will need to know how to do this technique. Only one colour can be showing while everything else must remain in black and white. This tutorial has been done in photoshop. I'm not sure how other editing programs will work but hopefully the instructions can be helpful somehow
Step one:
In an empty lot, build a two storey wall and paint it in one, solid colour. Note I chose blue as it was a colour that wasn't present on the sims (in her clothing, hair or skin).
Step two:
You need to get your sim posing and then open up the cheat box (ctrl + shift + c) Then type in move_objects on. This will allow you to move your sim up against the wall.
Step three:
Now that she is just..well floating there (to get rid of the grid lines, you need to be in living mode), you need to press the print screen key. This will copy your entire screen.
Step four:
Under your editing program open a new document (File -> New). The paste the image (Edit -> paste). Now you should see a print screen of the entire image. You'll need to crop it (notice the tool I have circled in red? that's the crop tool, use it so that all that is now showing is your sim and that background of solid colour).
Step five:
Now you need to use the magic wand tool (i have circled this one). This selects the colour you click on. Notice it will require more than one click to select all the blue? Well that's why the box with the two joined squares (the red arrow is pointing to what i'm trying to describe XD) on the top left is selected. This allows you to select more than one thing without deselecting the previous selection...if that makes sense lol
Anyway, once you have selected all of the background, right click and choose the option select inverse. The selection is now focused on the sim. Right click again and this time chose Layer via cut. Your sim is now in a seperate layer.
Step six:
Open up a new image and paste the black and white background you will be needing for this round (note: do not change it's size!)
Now simply dray the layer with the sim in it from your first document into this new one with the proper background.
Step seven:
You'll notice she looks a little tall...*cough*. I suggest you re-size her. To do so, the normal arrow tool must be selected. This has the panel with the option to show transform control. Tick this box. Now a rectangle like shape will be around your sim with little boxes around the corners. Click on a corner and another panel will come up...
Step eight:
Click on the link shape at the top (I have circled this). It'll make sure that when you resize it (which you do by dragging on of the corner boxes) that your sim isn't out of proportion, always a good thing Click on the tick (top right corner) when you are happy with the size.
Step nine:
Okay, now here comes the tricky bit. For this tutorial, I have decided to keep the colour yellow which means i will have to select all the yellow on the sim. To do so, I wil use the polygonal tool, which, again, is circled. I suggest you zoom in to be more accurate. Though, as the sim is not part of the background yet, it doesn't matter about going around the edges of the sim, just make sure to go around the inside bits.
Step ten:
Right, once you are happy with everything you have selected (for this, I chose her hair, eyes and top which are all very yellow ) then right click and chose the option layer via copy. This puts the yellow items into a new layer.
Step eleven:
I suggest you hide the layer with the sim so that you can see the yellow items on their own. This will help you spot if you have bee accurate enough with your selection. Edit out parts that aren't yellow.
Step twelve:
Now make sure the sim layer is selected and go under image->adjustments->black and white. Click OK. You can change the degree of b&w by going under image->adjustments->brightness/contrast.
Step thirteen:
Click under the layer with the yellow parts and go under image->adjustments->hue/saturation. Note this step is optional really, i just wanted to tone down the yellow a bit It is, however, useful if you decide you no longer wanted to keep the yellow. By dragging the slider on the hue line, you go change the colour from yellow to just about anything!
Step fourteen:
Again, optional. You can change the brightness contrast of either the sim or the yellow...just slide the pointers.
But that's just about it really. You can then add shadows, effects...whatever you want to touch up the image. Then just flatten the image (layer->flatten image) and save under JPEG.
Note, this isn't really the technique other tutorials will tell you, it's just how i do it. There are plenty of other ways though
Step one:
In an empty lot, build a two storey wall and paint it in one, solid colour. Note I chose blue as it was a colour that wasn't present on the sims (in her clothing, hair or skin).
Step two:
You need to get your sim posing and then open up the cheat box (ctrl + shift + c) Then type in move_objects on. This will allow you to move your sim up against the wall.
Step three:
Now that she is just..well floating there (to get rid of the grid lines, you need to be in living mode), you need to press the print screen key. This will copy your entire screen.
Step four:
Under your editing program open a new document (File -> New). The paste the image (Edit -> paste). Now you should see a print screen of the entire image. You'll need to crop it (notice the tool I have circled in red? that's the crop tool, use it so that all that is now showing is your sim and that background of solid colour).
Step five:
Now you need to use the magic wand tool (i have circled this one). This selects the colour you click on. Notice it will require more than one click to select all the blue? Well that's why the box with the two joined squares (the red arrow is pointing to what i'm trying to describe XD) on the top left is selected. This allows you to select more than one thing without deselecting the previous selection...if that makes sense lol
Anyway, once you have selected all of the background, right click and choose the option select inverse. The selection is now focused on the sim. Right click again and this time chose Layer via cut. Your sim is now in a seperate layer.
Step six:
Open up a new image and paste the black and white background you will be needing for this round (note: do not change it's size!)
Now simply dray the layer with the sim in it from your first document into this new one with the proper background.
Step seven:
You'll notice she looks a little tall...*cough*. I suggest you re-size her. To do so, the normal arrow tool must be selected. This has the panel with the option to show transform control. Tick this box. Now a rectangle like shape will be around your sim with little boxes around the corners. Click on a corner and another panel will come up...
Step eight:
Click on the link shape at the top (I have circled this). It'll make sure that when you resize it (which you do by dragging on of the corner boxes) that your sim isn't out of proportion, always a good thing Click on the tick (top right corner) when you are happy with the size.
Step nine:
Okay, now here comes the tricky bit. For this tutorial, I have decided to keep the colour yellow which means i will have to select all the yellow on the sim. To do so, I wil use the polygonal tool, which, again, is circled. I suggest you zoom in to be more accurate. Though, as the sim is not part of the background yet, it doesn't matter about going around the edges of the sim, just make sure to go around the inside bits.
Step ten:
Right, once you are happy with everything you have selected (for this, I chose her hair, eyes and top which are all very yellow ) then right click and chose the option layer via copy. This puts the yellow items into a new layer.
Step eleven:
I suggest you hide the layer with the sim so that you can see the yellow items on their own. This will help you spot if you have bee accurate enough with your selection. Edit out parts that aren't yellow.
Step twelve:
Now make sure the sim layer is selected and go under image->adjustments->black and white. Click OK. You can change the degree of b&w by going under image->adjustments->brightness/contrast.
Step thirteen:
Click under the layer with the yellow parts and go under image->adjustments->hue/saturation. Note this step is optional really, i just wanted to tone down the yellow a bit It is, however, useful if you decide you no longer wanted to keep the yellow. By dragging the slider on the hue line, you go change the colour from yellow to just about anything!
Step fourteen:
Again, optional. You can change the brightness contrast of either the sim or the yellow...just slide the pointers.
But that's just about it really. You can then add shadows, effects...whatever you want to touch up the image. Then just flatten the image (layer->flatten image) and save under JPEG.
Note, this isn't really the technique other tutorials will tell you, it's just how i do it. There are plenty of other ways though