The way to make my "DJ" Sig!

[MadJik]

This tutorial is available as a PDF. Click here to view or download it

The way to make my "DJ" Sig!

 

About this tutorial:

I've been asked to explain ("could you make a tut...") how I made this sig:

 

In fact I've made this image because I'll be the DJ for a private party in April...

And I saw the letters DJ in the word maDJik. I decided to make a poster (like a huge sig).

 

The biggest part of this tutorial concerns the ball. It could be a tutorial in itself!

This image was created at 2400x800 px (for the poster).

 

The reduction for the sig has been done at best quality for the final result at 480x160px (truncated to 480x146).

 

In fact I don't keep track of what I'm doing on each of my pictures.

So the details and aspects could have some differences between the original and the image rebuilt here.

 

Please take this as a compilation of tips & tricks and do create as much as possible similar sigs as this one. But at least replace the text "maDJik" by your pseudo!

 

For this tut I will use 720x240 so I could post some "work in progress" and screen shots.

 

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Required plugins:

Grid maker: http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?showtopic=4175

Color Tint (Ed Harvey effects): http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?showtopic=18811

Waves distort: http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?showtopic=3625

Bevel the selection (in Boltbait's plugins pack ): http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?showtopic=8318

Outline Object (Pyrochild) http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?showtopic=7291

 

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Let's start with something for the floor:

01.  Create a new square image (big size is better). For this part of the tutorial I'm using 720x720 px.

 

02. Select black and a fluo color (green #B6FF00).

 

03.  Grid maker plugin, check the box for checker and set the size to 120.

 

04. Menu Layers, Rotate/Zoom, rotate angle 45, twist angle 90, twist radius 85, tiling:yes, zoom to x1.3, move Y -0.5.

 

05. Select the part you need in a rectangle 720x240px (the correct size).

 

06. Crop to the selection.

 

07. Select black color for primary and transparent for secondary.

 

08. Linear gradient from top to bottom to add some dark far away...

That's all for the floor. Of course you could choose over colors and over texture.

And also have a look at this other tut for the floor:

A way to make a textured floor...  Link 

 

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Let's make a ball: (longuest part of this tut)

(choose any other tutorial for ball you want or just go on with this one)

 

09.  Create a new square image 600x600 px. Fill it with black for a better view.

 

10. Add a new layer. Call it "Ball".

 

11. With the ellipse selection tool make a circle (hold shift) from 300,15 to 300,284

 

12. Select Pink #FF00FF for primary color and light pink #FFCCFF for secondary color.

 

13. Linear gradient from top to bottom of the circle (light color at the bottom).

 

14. Add a new layer. Call is "Top Shine".

 

15. Fill the same selection (see 11) with white.

 

16. Move the white circle down-right.

17. Select again as describe step 11. And Move only the selection down-left. Then delete the part of the circle.

18. Select again as describe step 11. And Move only the selection to the right. Then delete the part of the circle.

 

19. Duplicate the layer "Top Shine". Call is "Bot Shine" and set the transparency of the layer to 100.

 

20. Apply a gaussian blur on the layer "Top Shine" with a radius of 20, and on the "Bot Shine" with a radius of 10.

 

21.  Add a new layer between the "Ball" and "Top Shine". Call is "Border Shine".

 

22. Select again as describe step 11. And handdraw with the brush (size 50) a white curve on the left and another on the right.

(Make other layers not visible for a better view)

 

23. Still with the same selection, apply a gaussian blur with a radius of 50.

 

24. Still with the same selection, apply a radial blur with a radius of 50.

 

25. Set the transparency of the layer to 160.

 

26. Now I want to cut off a part of this border shine. To do so I draw the shape I need in a temporary layer to make the selection easier.

 

 Add a new layer. Call is "Temporary".

 

Draw a large filled circle. Select it and move only the the selection up-right. And delete the selection.

 

27. Use the magic wand tool to select the remaining white part.

 

28. Activate the layer "Border Shine" and delete the selection. You could now delete the layer "Temporary" and make all the layers visible.

 

29. For the shadow, the glow and the reflect I need more place.

Set the secondary color to black so the new area will be black on the background layer.

 

 Enlarge the canvas size to 600x900 px, set the anchor to the top.

 

30.  Save the ball at this stage if you think you could need to adjust it later. We are about to flatten the ball.

 

31. Delete the background layer. Then flatten the image. Call the layer "Ball".

 

32.  Add a new layer. Call is "Background" and move it down to the bottom. Fill it with black for a better view.

 

33. Duplicate the layer "Ball". Call it "Reflect" and flip it verticaly. Move the layer below the layer "Ball"

 

34. Move the reflect down so the reflect is just below the ball.

 

35. Set the colors back to default black/white.

Choose the Linear gradient tool and set the mode to transparency. Make a gradient from top of the reflect to bottom of the image.

 

36.  Fill the layer "Background" with a light grey #808080. We need to see the shadow.

 

37.   Add a new layer. Call is "Shadow", set the transparency of the layer to 90 and move it below the layer "Ball". Set the primary color to grey #404040.

 

38. With the ellipse selection tool make an ellipse from 15,412 to 584,594. It shoult be centered bleow the ball.

Fill the selection.

 

39. Unselect and apply a gaussian blur  with a radius of 10.

 

40.  Add a new layer. Call is "Glow" and move it below the layer "Shadow". Set the primary color to Pink #FF00FF and secondary color to transparent.

 

41. Select again as describe step 11. Make the layer "Ball" not visible.

 

42. Choose the radial gradient tool and set the mode to transparency. Make a gradient from the center of the selection.

 

43. Reduce the circle and squeeze to make an ellipse then move it down so the center is just below the ball.

 

44.  Save this version of the ball.

 

45. Delete the layer background. Flatten the image.

 

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Let's place the balls:

46. To create multicolored balls, use the Color Tint effect. If you apply this effect again and again the result will be lighter. So apply it on the original ball.

(ie: Apply the color tint effect, save the new colored ball, undo the effect to get the original ball, apply the color tint effect with another color, save, etc.)

 

47. Make and save 4-5 balls with different colors and different size. Make the size smaller than the size of the sig. Then close the ball file. You could now go back to the sig image.

 

48. Menu Layer/import layer from file... Import the balls.

 

Move/resize each ball.

Make sure the order of the layers is correct for the perspective...

Make sure to have a big ball near the center.

 

 

The work in progress:

 

 

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The wavy lines:

49. I choose the light orange ball (2nd from the left) to be the source of the lines. Call this layer "SourceBall". Make the layer of other balls unvisible.

I pick two colors from it for the primary and secondary colors.

 

50. Select the lines/curves tool and set the brushwidth to 8-10.   Add a new layer. Call is "Lines". Move it just below the layer with the choosen ball.

 

Draw a line from left to right with primary color. Draw a similar line with secondary color just below the first one.

Repeat this two times and leave a gap between each couple of lines.

 

51.  Effect/distort/waves Radius:2000, X effect:100, Y effect:300. Enlarge horizontaly by few pixel to get ride off the orphan lines.

At this step you could also move/adjust the lines and place them at the place you like.

 

52. Make the layer with the big ball visible. Call it "BigBall" :DuplicateLayer: Duplicate the layer "Lines". Call it "Lines over" and move the layer before the layer "BigBall"

 

53. Activate the layer "BigBall" and use the magic wand tool to select outside the ball. With this selection, activate the layer "Lines over" and delete the selection.

 

Set the blending mode to "Negative" and invert the colors.

If you've done the layer "Lines" you should have something like this:

 

The work in progress:

 

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The text:

You could use the font and the colors you want, and the text you need. You could keep all the letters at the same size and the same color.

 

Make all the layers unvisible.

 

54.   Add a new layer. Call it "Text Black".

 

55. For my sig I used the font Photonica from Dafont.com and I've made some changes:

 

56. Duplicate the layer "Text Black". Call is "Text Color".

 

57. Use the magic wand tool to select the letters "ma ik".  Effect/selection/bevel level=4, select two fluo colors (orange and pink).

 

58. Use the magic wand tool to select the letters "DJ".  Effect/selection/bevel level=6, select two other colors (red and dark red).

 

59. Duplicate the layer "Text Black". Call is "Text White". Move it to the top of the list. And invert the colors.

 

60. Move the white text up by 4px and left by 4px (use the cursor keys).

 

61. On the layer "Text Black" use the magic wand tool to select the all the letters. On the layer "Text White" delete the selection.

 

62. On the layer "Text Black" move the text down by 4px and right by 4px (use the cursor keys).

 

63. Menu Layers, Rotate/Zoom, rotate angle 9, twist angle 127, twist radius 33. Do this for the three layers of text.

 

64. On the layer "Text Color" do a motion blur angle=135, distance=8, centered=yes.

(optional)  To reduce the transparency, duplicate that layer.

 

65.  Merge the 3-4 layers with the text.

 

 

The work in progress:

 

66. Duplicate the layer with the text. Call the top on "Text" and the other under call it "Zoom". The "Zoom" must below the "Text".

 

67. (optional) Effect/Object/Outline width=5 color=green.

 

68. Effect/Blur/Zoom blur zoom amount=100.

 

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Final result:

Make all the layers visible.

 

Save this work as a .pdn file.

 

 Flatten the image.

 

Resize the image to the size of the sig using best quality.

 

Save the sig as a .jpg file.

 

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Your turn:

And now let me see what you are able to do with this tut!

Post your work here...

[Simon Brown]

The image for step 46 is not there.

[Kairyuka]

Nice tut (I think :S) It's just that I fail at step 4, look what I get :S

[MadJik]

Nice tut (I think :S) It's just that I fail at step 4, look what I get :S

The text isn't saying to check the tile box... (changed) but the screenshot is! :?

The image for step 46 is not there.

changed, thank you.

[Simon Brown]

[Ouchy_S]

You are amazing. Thanks for making this

[oma]

excellent tut Madjik, as always we can count on you to give us well written instructions to acheive magical images.

ciao

OMA

PS don't be such a stranger come by more often miss your lovely pictures.

[Mike Ryan]

Great tut Madjik. I learned some cool techniques reading this, thanks!

@ Simon: No offense, but your attempts at these tutorials always humour me

[Simon Brown]

@ Simon: No offense, but your attempts at these tutorials always humour me

So what else is new?

[Calandella]

Hmm this is the first time ive tried anything like this, i dont think it turned out too bad since im the least artistic person i know.

Oopsie, posted the huge one. (Fixed)

[Jayed]

Groar Added a couple "me" touches

watcha

^_^ Whatcha think?

[cherry_morphine]

Here's my sig:

[MadJik]

I thought it's advanced tutorial, but the last posts are good job from beginners. Great!

(remember to create with large dimension and reduce at the end to the needed (smaller) size to avoid pixelization)

[Jayed]

I thought it's advanced tutorial, but the last posts are good job from beginners. Great!

(remember to create with large dimension and reduce at the end to the needed (smaller) size to avoid pixelization)

xD

*side note* I'm actually not a beginner persay, I'm more of a stalker...

I've been using PDN for... like 2 years O.o something like that. I just never got around to making an acocunt *end of interesting spam*

Nice job to the other guys

[McyD]

Im making one for a friend he's a DJ so thx for this so much! I'll Post when its done!

[pophiri]

I thought it's advanced tutorial, but the last posts are good job from beginners. Great!

quote]

The trouble is madjik, you did such a good job describing the steps that even a noob like me can follow it.

Brilliant tut, thanks.

pophiri

[cleverchipmunk]

wow that's a lot of work gonna spend 3hrs to do it looks great cant wait to try it

[Goonfella]

Great tutorial. Very colourful that`s for sure! Here`s my go -

[pophiri]

Great tutorial Madjik.

I combined it with some tiles I was making and came up with this.

Told you even a total noob like me could do it. :wink:

[ketchup wasabi]

Also tut! Loved it!

Here is my try at it, and uhh..... this is for my friend so it isnt my real name.I kinda made it a little different for the waves. I went for those kinda lights instead. ><

[McyD]

I did it for myself!

[McyD]

I did it for myself!

[Maggle]

Okay, so I am still fairly new to PDN but here is what turned out. I played with the font some. I like it. Your ball idea is amazing!

[Maggle]

Okay, so I am still fairly new to PDN but here is what turned out. I played with the font some. I like it. Your ball idea is amazing!

[Maggle]

Okay, so I am still fairly new to PDN but here is what turned out. I played with the font some. I like it. Your ball idea is amazing!