Create A Realistic Iris - Step Intensive

[lynxster4]

Hello everyone!  We will be making this:                     Plugins needed:

Dryad and Highlight (found in Red ochre's pack)

Donut (found in Madjik's pack)

Sharpen+ (by tanel)

AA's Assistant (found in dpy's pack)

Gaussian Blur-clamped (by toe_head)

Feather (found in Boltbait's pack)

Gaussian Blur - Built in

Reticulation and Dragan Effect (found in ReMake's pack)

 

Spoiler

New Canvas 252 x 252, transparent layer, Primary Color – 64,64,64

Shapes – Draw circle 240 x 240, 8 px thick, Align, add new layer below.

 

On Ring layer, select, invert, move back to new layer. Set Primary Color to

192,192,192 and Secondary Color to 32,32,32. Gradient Tool – Radial, offset 116x0.

 

Add new layer above gradient layer. Keep Primary Color set to 192,192,192. On new layer Effects-->Iterative Lines-->Dryad at the settings below: 
Trunk Position – 0.00, 2.00
Iterations – 8
Trunk Start Width – 0.10
Branch End Width – 1.00
Overall Size – 30.85
Length Change Ratio – (-2.51)
Start Deviation Angle – 37.53
End Deviation Angle – 21.54
Alternate Branching – 5.02
Outline Width (Primary) – 0.00
Fill Colors – Primary
Check ‘Fill Color Smooth Gradient’
Curve – 0.00
Randomness – 0.00

 

Deselect, duplicate Dryad layer, flip bottom layer vertically. Merge Dryad layers.

Magic Wand (50% for this whole tut) the Ring layer, invert, go to Dryad layer and
Distort-->Donut at 124,0,15.3,2,0, mode-medium, 0,0.

 

Keep selected and apply Photo-->Sharpen+ at 500,100,0,100,0 on Dryad layer.

 

Apply an AA’s Assistant at 1,2,1.00. Keep image selected.

 

On Dryad layer apply Effects-->Blurs-->Gaussian Blur-clamped at 1.

 

 

On Ring layer apply another Gaussian Blur-clamped at 16 then deselect.

 

Add new layer on top for pupil, color black (0,0,0). Paintbrush size  - 125,
click a couple of times, Align and Effects-->Object-->Feather at 9.  (You can make the pupil larger if you wish)

 

Add new layer on top for pupil shine, white (255,255,255). Paintbrush size – 25,
then apply Effects-->Blurs-->Gaussian Blur at 3.

 

Merge Dryad layer down onto Gradient layer.

 

Add new layer above Gradient/Dryad layer. Select Gradient layer, invert, go back to new layer and apply Effects-->Artistic-->Reticulation at 26,12,multiply.                                          Apply Effects-->Object-->Feather at 10. Set layer opacity to 130.

 

Merge Reticulation layer down onto Gradient/Dryad layer. Add new layer above Grad/Dryad/Reticulation layer and set mode to Color Dodge. Set Primary color to 96,96,96. Paintbrush size – 25, Hardness 0%. Paint small circles a bit away from the pupil. Try to highlight the clumps of white in the Grad/Dryad/Reticulation layer.

 

Add new layer above Grad layer. Set Primary and Secondary Colors both to white (255,255,255). Select Grad/Dryad/Reticulation layer, invert. Go back to new layer and apply Effects-->Render-->Highlight at 0.00, 0.00, 0.00, 0.00, 18.00, 17.22, 12.00, 1.5, 3.20, water glint, tint-white, 255. Deselect after applying.

 

Duplicate Highlight layer, rotate one layer 15°. Duplicate the rotated layer and rotate another 15°.

 

Merge all Highlight layers.
Duplicate merged Highlight layer and rotate one layer 7.50°.
 

Merge all Highlight layers.

 

On Grad/Dryad/Reticulation layer apply Effects-->Artistic-->Dragan Effect at 14.

 

Select Grad/Dryad/Reticulation Layer, invert and go to Highlight layer.
Apply Effects-->Blurs-->Gaussian Blur-clamped at 2, then deselect.

 

On Highlight layer, Effects-->Object-->Feather at 20.

 

Uncheck Highlight layer and move Color Dodge layer below Highlight layer. Then merge Color Dodge layer down onto Grad/Dryad/Reticulation layer.

 

Merge pupil shine layer down onto pupil layer. Delete white background layer.
Re-check the Highlight layer. You should be left with (4) layers.
 

SAVE THIS .PDN FILE!!!  The bottom three layers can then be tinted independently and blend modes changed to achieve a large variety of iris colors.

 

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.  I know it's pretty involved, but yields a good result.  All comments are welcome.  Thank you.

 

[Chowie]

I love this! I ran a light round of Dents on the highlight layer, I didn't like the way the perfectly straight lines looked. I also ran Bulge on the reflection layer to give it a curve.

 

Edited September 15 by Chowie

[lynxster4]

Excellent @Chowie!  Your irises look great!  I'm glad you liked the tutorial. That is why we write them. And tweaks are a good thing.  😊

 

I can't tell you how many weeks I worked on this trying to find the right plugins to use....😄

 

Edited September 15 by lynxster4

[Pixey]

Great tutorial @lynxster4 and wonderful use of Plugins, especially Dryad, Highlight and Reticulation.  Well done 👍

 

[lynxster4]

Thank you @Pixey, @Ego Eram Reputo, @otuncelli, @Red ochre @Lemonade and @Rle for the reps!  🤗

This was a lot of hard work figuring it out, 😵 but I did it.

[BMP]

😮😮😮  Oh my gosh, lynxster.  I came across your tut on my way to something else and wow.  I bookmarked your tutorial in my classes folder.  

 

Thank you for the tremendous effort you put into presenting this system in such minute detail - many people on many a platform assume viewers are already familiar with Part I, Part II, etc., and start in the middle.  I have been looking for a few of the effects you used - too cool!

 

BTW, I'm from the other side of the state: Doylestown in Bucks County.  Been living in Southern Cali since '73.  My, my, my we come from a beautiful part of America, yeah?

[lynxster4]

Thank you @toe_head2001!  🤗

 

@BMP Thank you for the kind words about the tutorial. I try to be as precise as possible so everyone can try it. Let us know how it goes...

Quote

My, my, my we come from a beautiful part of America, yeah?

 

We most certainly do!  Excited for the fall and changing of the leaves...I'm kind of summered-out...😀

[lynxster4]

Thank you @Maximilian!  We need to see you here more often; you are missed.  🤗  Where's that gallery? (my first nag in a long time)  😆