Topic awaiting preservation: How do you create black steel?

http://www.blizzard.com/wow/
alright i'm making a fansite for WoW and i want to know how i can get that black steel effect they have on their webpage.

i'm talking about the one near the very top of the page, on the horizontal line directly above the blue blizzard logo.

thanks

Ok...

point 1)

You're making a fan site...but you're trying to make it look just like the official site? Doesn't that defeat the purpose?


point 2)

Well, I've said it more times than I can remember - step 1 is to LOOK at what you want to recreate. Step 2 is to spend some time determining what makes it look the way it does. Step 3 is figuring out how to recreat those things.

This sounds immensely simple. The public at large has proven time and again that it is infact very complicated....either that or they are simply unwilling to try. Give it a shot, and you tell me which is right

how do I whipe my ass?

first of all im not copying the main site
i just need that effect for what im doing

2nd of all i was hoping for some real help here instead of that.
if i had succeded in making it myself i wouldnt be asking for help now would i

make a rectangular and fill it with a dark grey or black. than add
some noise to it to make it dirty. you can also zoom in and make
cracks by yourself....

for the screws I'll recommend that you make your shape and
zoom in. add some gradients, noise and perhaps you brush it
with airbrush.

so no tests here, just thoughts

Aaah well... normally i like to promote others to take the first initiative with stuff like this, but... i was in a good mood or something i guess...
http://www.eyeball-design.com/fxzone/frames03.htm

PS: sorry guys! I had already written this up over there before i got here and saw this thread.



[This message has been edited by theGuest (edited 06-28-2003).]

malachite - the sad part is, too many people are too quick to jump up and say that my advice was not helpful.

What you fail to realize is that it is *exactly* the advice you need.

No, you weren't successful in making this. So....you want a step by step, someone to hold your hand? What you need, before anything else, is a little time observing the piece you want to imitate. You need to figure what characteristics it has that make it look the way it does.

Tutorials are great, but without careful observation and practice, they won't do anything for you except allow you to churn out half-ass work.

When you ask for help with something, it is important that you show that you have at least *tried* something, and that you are willing to put in a little effort, rather than asking for someone to spell it out for you, and then bitching when that's not what you get.

Nobody is obligated to figure this out for you....but everyone is willing to help if you go about the right way.

head over to www.gurusnetwork.com , do the 'weathered metal tut' by DG, come back here, post your results and then we can go from there.

DG's tut gives you the basics of creating this effect. With practice and experimentation, you should be able to develop this technique into what you are looking for.

good luck

Welcome to the Asylum, Malachlite.

Don't be so quick to dismiss DL's advice. It's probably the most important thing you will hear regarding any type of art.

Look at a piece of steel and ask yourself why does it look the way that it does? Break it down into things like color, reflectivity, texture, etc... then try to recreate it. If you are a complete beginner and don't know the tools available in Photoshop, read the manual or look in the help files.

After you've made some attempts if you are still stuck then ask your questions. Nobody here will hold your hand (initially) because that kind of "help" does not actually help you. You'll end up churning out the same old crap because that's the way someone taught you or that's how a tutorial told you to do it.

Once you make the effort this place will practically bend over backward to help you.

http://www.eyeball-design.com/cgi-bin/forum/ikonboard.cgi?s=3efdecf6024dffff;act =ST;f=2;t=4724 is the link to the tutorial theGuest wrote. However... you have to login to see it. Ryan wants certain forums to have restricted access (yeah, I don't get it either). Perhaps you could post it here for everybody else to see, theGuest?

On the aforementioned subject... DL's 100% correct, you know. Look at something, try to figure out just *why* it looks that way, then use what you know about Photoshop to recreate it. Knowing Photoshop well is the key to making something from what you see. *nods in theGuest's direction* He gave you a brilliant example of how to use techniques to create what you see. It's on you to learn and remember those techniques, and how and when to apply them.

Once you learn how Photoshop works, then you'll be able to create just about anything you want with it.



[This message has been edited by Raptor (edited 06-28-2003).]

Oh, ok sure Rap... i forgot about the frameset issue the zone uses.DOH!

And before i do this... i ALSO want to echo the excellent advice by DL. I preach the exact same sentiments in every tutorial i write for my site. I must add one point though too... one can't be expected to emulate a visual effect without first know what steps will produce the effect in Photoshop. To be able to analyse a visual effect and KNOW what will get you that in PS takes many many moons of experience and practice. And to that end, there is no short-cut. Just do it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The main texture effect can be done numerous ways. It's really wide open to the artist's own vision.


1) Start off with the main texture. Use dark and light grey swatch colours. Run the CLOUDS filter, then to balance dark to light, run the LEVELS filter and move the Output sliders inward, starting with the white side. Stop at a good, even toned medium-dark grey. (not too dark though)

2) Run the BRUSH STROKES>SPATTER filter on this clouds layer. This will produce a decent aged, scratched finish effect. If need be, and the effect is too strong, under the EDIT menu run the "FADE SPATTER" command. Dial in the amount of 'texture' you want.

TIP: Try applying some of the other filters under the "Artistic" & "Brush Stroke" filter menus. There are quite a few that can add good texture/grime to the metal. And remember, they can be applied partially too, not always just to the entire surface area. Duplicate the base layer you have and apply the other filter. Then use a Layer Mask to block out certain areas of the new, additional texture.

To get some variety... play with changing the Blend Mode when using the FADE command. It makes the texture look different.

3) Now add some NOISE to the texture. Just enough to "dirty up" the texture. Again if need be, run the FADE command to dial in the perfect amount of effect. And also play with Blend Modes here too.

*** These 3 steps need to be done to each separate part of your interface. Either that or to one entire layer, and then cut up that into the smaller pieces. Whichever way you care to do it.

4) For the edge highlights and bevel effect, simply add a new layer above the body parts. Then create a thin selection along the edge of the metal piece. Run the CLOUDS filter in the selection using black & white. Set the layer to Overlay, Softlight, or Difference.
If you're familiar with the LINE tool, that's an easier way to do this part. Once the edge line is drawn, run the Clouds filter on it.

5) To add dings and dents to the metal, add a new layer above all the iFace parts. The grab a 1 pixel brush and with white, paint over the spots you want the effect to be. After that, run the FILTER>STYLIZE>EMBOSS filter. Angle=90 Height=1 Amount=500. Set this layer to either Overlay or Softlight Mode. You can also use Hardlight but dial down the Opacity a little.

6) For special lighted areas, if there are any, just add a new top layer and paint with white over the desired areas, using a medium-large soft brush. Set the layer to Overlay or Softlight, and adjust with Opacity if need be.
NOTE: the clouds filter used at the start will already be helping with this effect.

7) And last but not least... colour. Add a topmost Adjustment Layer to the palette. Click COLORIZE and dial in a dark army type green colour -- very earthy tone. Reduce Saturation until the green tint is barely visible.

Hope that gets you off in the right direction.
Good luck!



[This message has been edited by theGuest (edited 07-03-2003).]

i have nothing to add to the real topic at hand
i just wanted to express my appreciation to theGuest for his(her?) attitude toward us photoshop newbies. it is refreshing and encouraging. i'm sure there are at least a few people roaming these halls who, like me, only do this stuff as a part-time hobby, and love doing it. and, to be blunt, it pisses me off when someone more or less says, "just go figure it out yourself you stupid dunce". so, thank you theGuest. i hope to see you around more often (and i'll be visiting your site when i have time) and i hope some people around here learn more from you than just how to use photoshop.

ed: not that there aren't a lot of very helpful and encouraging people around here (otherwise i wouldn't be here [actually they won't let me out-bwahaha!] ) but, to be blunt again, some o' you suckers suck. either you need more black pills or should be visiting Suho more often, or both. there, i've said it.

*goes away to search for black pills and Master Suho

[This message has been edited by outcydr (edited 06-29-2003).]

~sigh~

You put a lot of words in my mouth outcyder. I most certainly never said anything of the sort.

I simply need to express to people who seem to simply wnat to press buttons and make things happen, that the *first* and *most* important step to being able to recreate something is knowing what it looks like.

That requires observation.

And lots of it.

And then it rrequires some thought as to how to make those visual characteristics, *seperate* from the concept of Photoshop. <-- that's important. That's a big part of my main point. Don't just think "how do I make this in photoshop?" Think "what kind of texttures, forms, lighting, make this thing look like that?".

Knowing where to put highlights and shadows is a lot more important than figuring out how to make Photoshop do it - there are millions of ways to accomplish anyone goal in a software program...but not if you don't know what you're trying to accomplish.

And I certainly have not been rude here, and my comments certainly have not warranted the response they got.

I also applaud theguest - nice explanation. Just realize that he could never have developed that without going through the steps I've talked about (and probably, like most of us, a little dumb luck).

And quite bluntly, as yo usay, it pisses me off when someone comes in expecting people to do their worl for them because, afterall, thsy only do this for a "hobby". Does that mean that people who put their life into this should just do it for you?

no =)

{{edit - as an addendum -

There are obviously some people who answer far too bluntly and rudely in situations that don't warrant it.

There are a great number of people here who are *very* willing to help, once a little bit of effort or the appreciation of the effort it will take is shown.

There are few people who would be where they are today if it weren't for the efforts of other people who took the time to help them, and share secrets. Tutorials are an invaluable source of learning material, when well written.

But nobody is obligated to help, and if you;re going to ask for help (and that's a generic "you", not addressed specifically to this thread or situation....), then you damn well better appreciate it when someone takes the time to answer, and you better be willing to think about the things the person said...even if it's not the spoon-feeding-answer you might be looking for. =)



[This message has been edited by DL-44 (edited 06-29-2003).]

[This message has been edited by DL-44 (edited 06-29-2003).]

right, no.

and i do appreciate the points you are making. they are some of the basics. and i appreciate the people who put thier lives into it and take the time to help us less experienced in the ways of the web. i've been into art all my life and understand about observing and recreating something, and not to be boastful, i'm quite good at it in traditional media. but when it comes to photoshop, being inexperienced with it, i can't help but ask "how do i do this in photoshop?"
i don't remember mentioning anyones name in particular, but now that you mention it, you do come of as somewhat aloof at times. but with a little explanation as to what you really mean (see your response to my rant) ...

i guess one has to get to know you. and i hope you can understand better where i'm coming from. i apologize if you thought i was rude. i was. maybe i should take a lesson from myself. 'nuff said.

p.s.
i don't think, if you looked, you will find anywhere, where i have asked for any help with photo shop personally. i try to do it myself by reading and experimentation. just wanted to clear that point up.

p.p.s. i also apologize to malachlite for hi-jacking his(her?) thread, and to anyone else who was offended by my comments.

[This message has been edited by outcydr (edited 06-29-2003).]

No offense taken.

I see your point, and I feel that you see mine. That's always a good thing
I was perhaps rubbed the wrong way because I am accustomed to being attacked when I try to point people in what I feel is the right direction - as if I am being rude.

Not that I can't be rude...I do that from time to time. Funny thing is, nobody seems to complain when I am rude. Only when I try to tell people that they need to slow down and start with the basics. They hate that part it seems

DL...

Dumb luck?... DUMB luck?!... DUMB LUCK!!!???

Hell ya man! ALWAYS! Who hasn't had that!?
That's why i've always stressed to people at the end of my tutes to "Experiment! Experiment! Experiment!". It's like playing the lottery... the more you play, the better your odds get.

And more importantly... the better you get at "learning 'the game'"!

quote:

---

It's like playing the lottery... the more you play, the better your odds get.

---

So THAT'S why Photoshop is so addictive.

Exaaaactly!

And that's why I alternate between not giving a "perfect example" tut ... or giving one with a minor but significant error in it ... At least it makes 'em think. But what really pisses me off is:-

<rant mode>
1) People with 3 or 4 post counts to their names coming up and saying "Can someone show me how they make this cool effect", getting a tutorial out of it, and then not even bothering to come back and post the results of what they learned so we can see how effective our tuts are ... in many cases even a simple "thank you" seems to be too much trouble.

2) People who .... ditto ... and DON'T POST THEIR OWN ATTEMPTS BEFORE EXPECTING HELP!!! .. hell .. "I tried but can't do it" is ok, but it would be more helpful if they posted a couple of examples. It might give us somewhere to start with helping them discover instead of just giving them a technique to "ape and parrot" (as my grany used to call it).
</rant mode>



Bug-free software only exisits in two places
A programmer's mind and a salesman's lips

[This message has been edited by trib (edited 06-29-2003).]

Right on. Well said, trib.

Common courtesy is about as *common* as common sense these days.

Sad, but true.

Common what now?

What is this "common sense" thing, and is it free?

~breaks out a fish for ole times sake~

A2 my foot! lol.. darn whipper snappers!

*goes over and pets VP's whiskery cat fish*

"UppfffTT! thats no fish! thats... A MOP!"

*RUNS FOR HIS LIFE*

VP: You never answered my question. Is that "common sense" stuff free, or at least relatively cheap? I know a few (read: multitude of) people running low on the stuff...

*grabs giant tuna*
*slaps VP with giant tuna*
*runs*


[This message has been edited by Raptor (edited 06-30-2003).]

Very unlikely you will find any "Common sense", Raptor. Maybe if you give me your soul, i would give you more info ;D

-Alevce
Comon sense. Pfft.

__________________________________
Cordure is the Absence of Insanity

common scents...

this thread is starting to smell fishy

*runs away

Raptor : Just for the record, No it`s not free. You have to get beat up. Alot. Over a long chain of years
before it`s even available, and then you have to figure out how to not ignore it.
If I knew where to download some, I`d start the largest spam camaign in the history of the net.

~sees VPs mop and slinks off inito the shadows, hopefully unnoticed~

Common sense is as real as a woman orgasm.

So yeah, it does not exist AT ALL ;P

__________________________________
Cordure is the Absence of Insanity

not met many 'real' women then have ya? LOL

~grabs mop and slips after DB into the shadows~

alevice - sorry to hear about your shortcoming....

Oh, the female orgasm is VERY real, my friend.

DB: I thought I found a copy on Kazaa, but it ended up being some movie titled "A Man, His Fish and His Mop." I watched it - most. disturbing thing. ever.

I'll let you know if I find it though.



[This message has been edited by Raptor (edited 07-02-2003).]

thats a classic book

nice toothpick btw rappy! heh :P

"Fish, Mops and Videotape" ?

It was a joke.

Its just that i constantly remember all those movies and rl chit-chat involving frustrated women that her bf/husband is not able to provide em an orgasm.

As for me, take as a fact i have had more than one ;P

-Alevice
Enuff about orgasms, i need a coke.

__________________________________
Cordure is the Absence of Insanity

quote:

---

As for me, take as a fact i have had more than one

---

Orgasm? YOURSELF?

BING! BING! BING! Too much info, TOO MUCH INFO!

Thanks for sharing that!



[This message has been edited by theGuest (edited 07-02-2003).]

Im not sure how you guys accomplish it, but I work in Graphic Design. Building catalogs for a motorcycle clothing company, I do alot of tinkering with images, and such. I could never actually write up something in outline form to show ppl how I did this or that. I play till I get the results I want. Thats the uniqueness of this lovely program. I read alot here, barely post, but I do read, and have learned alot, thanks be to all that write these tuts. It is appreciated by n00bs and medi-n00bs (myself-after working with it since PS 3) Thank you thank you thank you. Ok enough brown nosing. by the way, DL you sound like the Architect in the Matrix Reloaded. Some of your responses may come across as offensive and rude, but in turn you are only being alittle too vague and confusing.

"The universe is full of magical things,
patiently waiting for our wits to grow
sharper." Eden Phillpotts, A Shadow
Passes, 1934

On the whole, I find DL to be quite to the point in his responses to questions like the one that started this whole thing.

Most people in the world like their answers sugar coated - and are offended when someone tells them simply how it is. And when you've seen as many posts as DL has,

quote:

---

DL-44
Lunatic

Posts: 6313

---

you too will be entitled to answer those questions any way you feel like it...

I've not been here that long myself, but even I see these threads more often than I'd like to.

We even have a :FAQ: about how to go about asking questions properly, yet no new members take the time to read the info that Emps keeps posting for their (and our) benefit...

Laziness should not be rewarded.


Cell 617

Is0tr0py ... Interesting point about playing around 'till you get the results ... That's what a lot of the early contributors to scientific knowledge did. The only difference is that they wrote down everything they did, and that way they could prove their hypotheses with results.

I used to just juggle, in fact I still do in the PSpong games, but for the rest, I make notes. I discovered that it was costing me a lot of time, and my employers a lot of money, for me to keep re-experimenting myself back to the point I was at several times before, but now, once I've found an interesting trick or tool, I go back to my notes when I have a spare hour or two, and try it again to see if it works twice, three times, then tweak it, then repeat ... etc ...

Those notes soon get lost, but the techniques remain ingrained in memory ... and thats the essence of the 5 minute tutorial .. just reformatting the habitual back into words.

Keep notes - the extra time it takes is nthing compared with the time you lose reinventing the wheel, and who knows .. in a week or two you'll probably be writing mini-tuts on the Asylum.


Bug-free software only exisits in two places
A programmer's mind and a salesman's lips

trib is on the money there. Make notes and if you come up with something cool then feel free to post it in a new thread here - people will play with it, ask questions, etc. and it will end up improved and we can throw it nto the FAQ. You'd be suprised about how quickly things come together - for a mini-tute you really just need to provide the steps.

In fact I think we would all welcome more "Hey look at this interesting effect" threads rather than "Hey how do I get that interesting effect" threads Not that I'm really against the latter but it would be a far more interesting place if people shared ideas, tips and tricks

TheGuest: Do you mind if we throw that into the FAQ? Your name isn't on the list

:FAQ:

So I thought I'd better ask.

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

notes are a good point, but meaningless when you have a photographic memory. A curse and a gift. Cya on the flipside, All.

"The universe is full of magical things,
patiently waiting for our wits to grow
sharper." Eden Phillpotts, A Shadow
Passes, 1934

Well you have no excuse then

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

Ya go ahead Emp i don't mind at all. Be myGuest.

"myGuest" Bahahahaha

Gotta agree with trib and Emps, here. For those of that have no memory, the Annotate tool is sweet. (when you remember to use it) Saves all the steps you write down with the file. Great for those experimental PSDs, too. You know the ones you open and say " That`s cool. How did I do that ?"

theGuest: Cheers

Tis done:

:FAQ: Black steel

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

Great stuff.

Hey Emp... i just noticed a damn typo in the 2nd step... it reads: "Run the ARTISTIC>SPATTER filter..." But it SHOULD read: "Run the BRUSH STROKES>SPATTER filter...".

I went ahead and changed it in that FAQS page. Hope that was ok. Didn't want you to have to waste your time doing that.



[This message has been edited by theGuest (edited 07-03-2003).]

theGuest:

quote:

---

I went ahead and changed it in that FAQS page. Hope that was ok.

---

Thats fine by me

Its a Wiki - my job is just to jolly things along and people should never be shy of adding and fiddling with stuff (if its useful and/or interesting).

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

Ok groovey man... i'll remember that.

Thanks.

Take notes!
More mini-tuts!

I haven't seen the matrix reloaded, so I have no idea what the comparison means...

But - my posts usually only come across as rude to people who want us to do their work for them, or who have not seen where I take a good chunk of time and effort to explain something or help someone who has shown a little effort for themselves rather than come in with "I want to copy this, show me how" kind of question.

As for vague - well, when someone shows, by the questions they ask, that they need to be shown the *basics* (such as observation, study, practice), that's the advice that I give.

And as I said, far too many people simply dismiss it out of hand, when it is the single most important thing in any kind of visual media.

If you can't *see* it properly, you can't *make* it properly.

=)

too true DL too true. I cheat alittle though, I dont like taking notes, SO I have about a billion Actions, that I use frequently. Cya round the funny papers...

http://webpages.charter.net/residentevil69/TheCooperative.jpg
"The universe is full of magical things,
patiently waiting for our wits to grow
sharper." Eden Phillpotts, A Shadow
Passes, 1934

Classy sig Iso .. a bit big, but classy ... very fine graphics


Bug-free software only exisits in two places
A programmer's mind and a salesman's lips