I dunno where to put: Newbie's Playground or Creations :-)
===================================================================
L3ron's fingerprint tutorial
I'll do something like this:
Feel free to comment and post your tryouts!
===================================================================
0.) Check if you have installed these plugins:
Gaussian Blur+ by BoltBait Click here!
Optional:
Align Objects by moc426 Click here!
Diagonal Lines by jsonchiu Click here!
I'd used PDN v.3.5.4. For any earlier version you also need Crystallize (Ed Harvey Effect) Click here!
===================================================================
1.) Open a new Image 
with a size of your mind (I've chosen 400x400px) and fill it 
with WHITE
===================================================================
2.) Create a new layer 
, call it Base and choose the elipse tool 
and turn antialiasing off 
-> 
and to draw filled shape 
. Now create an ellipse in the middle of your layer 'Base', you might use Align Objects ( Effects -> Align Objects ) to center the ellipse.
===================================================================
3.) Select the ellipse with the magic wand tool 
.
#1: Now change your primary colour BLACK.
Now run Diagonal Lines 
( Effects -> Render -> Diagonal Lines ). Make sure that you have checked Use Primary Colour. For the extra preferences I recommend you to use 5 for Interval and 0 for Brush Width.
My settings:
#2: Alternatively you may use the paint bucket tool and switch the fill mode to Horizontal. Be sure that your Primary color is BLACK and your secondary color is WHITE with a transparency alpha of 0. Than hit the selected area.
===================================================================
4.) Now activate the layer Base, dublicate it 
, invert the colours 
( Adjustments -> Invert Colors ) and open the layer's properties :Properties: of the dublicated (top) layer and change the blend mode to Color Dodge.
For a moment you will just see white! Than run Gaussian Blur+ 
( Effects -> Blurs -> Gaussian Blur+ ) with an amount of 2 and check Use opaque alpha .
===================================================================
5.) Now merge 
the dublicated and Base layer and run Chrystalize 
with Cell size and Quality of 2.
===================================================================
6.) Now deselect selection 
and run Twist 
( Effects -> Distort -> Twist ). Now it's your choise with which settings you will run the effect. I would recommend you not to have an amount / direction about 12 / lower -12, a size of 1 and quality of 5. The rest is something you should play with - you may repeat the twist with several settings.
After the first Twist:
After the second Twist
After the first Twist:
===================================================================
7.) If you aren't happy with the form of your fingerprint you may add a new layer and move it to the top position 
. Change the primary color tho WHITE.
Now use the paintbrush tool 
with a width about 50 and antialiasing enabled and draw line around the fingerprint (the brush need to overlay with it's third to have a real nice effect).
This is how it could look like (I deselected the background layer):
===================================================================
8.) Now run Gaussian Blur+ ( Effects -> Blurs -> Gaussian Blur+ ) with an amount about 30 (you need to decide which amount you want to choose) and uncheck Use opaque alpha
===================================================================
This is the final result:
===================================================================
All my works and tutorials are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License Germany.
Version history:
2nd edit: Updated images etc.
1st edit: Some minor changes of the layout.
Edited by L3ron, 01 June 2010 - 06:03 PM.
