Cyclops X-Men Effect

[jp2paint]

Hi,

 

I've been using Paint.net for years, but not for anything heavy - usually just add a layer to change a background or something.

 

I know there are good tutorials on here, but I'm looking for something that can help me edit this picture I took of my son last week during the solar eclipse:

 

 

Is there a simple tutorial I could follow to make it look like he is blasting out some red lasers similar to what is going on in the animated picture below?

 

[Pixey]

Hello @jp2paint

 

You could try this; with one color or as many as you want.

The Plugins used are found here.

 

1.  New layer.
2.  Draw lines with color you want.
3.  Use Splinter Plugin.
4.  Duplicate the splinter layer and merge down - twice.
5.  Finish up with the Glow Plugin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Apollo702]

[Pixey]

@Apollo702 the OP asked for a tutorial on how to do this.  Your post is not very helpful  

[Apollo702]

My day is a little jammed up. If I can free up some time, I could include a full tutorial- but it could be fairly long and involved- if anybody wants it.

[Pixey]

37 minutes ago, Apollo702 said:

but it could be fairly long and involved- if anybody wants it.

 

Let's see what @jp2paint says  

[Apollo702]

Some time freed up- and maybe it could be fun.

 

Pro tip:

 

The easiest way to make PDN projects easy is to download every working plugin(don't forget Gmic!) and play around with them, do some of the tutorials... The net result will be one can have some serious firepower available and then it's just a question of how for your imagination and ambition can go.

 

Starting note and pro tip #2:

 

When doing photo shoots there is a simple difference between pros and average people:

 

Normal: Click.

 

Pro: Click click click click click click. "OK, now stand this way." Click click click click click click click. "Tilt your head a little more this way." Click click click click click click click click. "Now, loosen up for face and give me half a smile." Click click click click click...

 

By the time the process is done 90+% of the shots will get discarded. Only keep the best of the best and only release a minimal number of them for best results.

 

Now, lettuce explore the reason for the head swap. Look at the animated image. The composition was well planned as the head is perfectly tilted to allow the beams to travel at the perfect perspective in which they can both be seen traveling at an angle upwards and we can see the beam(s) at a slanted top view sufficient to see the beams from below.

 

 

Compare the angle here. The beams would angle upwards- but it would result in a side view- which would not allow the perspective enabling the detailed view of the beams that the OP likely is looking for. Again, this is why we plan these things in advance and then take gobs of pictures.

 

 

pro tip: When doing creative work it often times is necessary to sacrifice some degree of accuracy for getting a finished product. A relevant example is the head should be tilted not necessarily towards the eclipse. Tilt it for the finished product to allow the beam to show.

 

Pro tip: Embrace making mistakes. Mistakes are wonderful! When the light bulb was invented they had over 100 failures. With each step they learned something. Eventually, they got there. When doing digital art it is even easier. We can always take more pictures, programs such as PDN have digital histories, layers... So, if anything ever goes wrong it is easy to go back and work it out.

 

My version needed to tilt the head at a different angle, hence the swap to an angled head(and switching the angle of the glasses). Redrawing faces is very difficult and time consuming.  This allowed the perspective on the beams from above. That was the priority and why a downward tilt was chosen. One could select an upward tilt and change the POV.

 

Now, lettuce start making the crazy beam(s.)

 

1. Open a new layer(one may wish to rename each layer for it's purpose. It helps considerably when one has many layers going...)

2. On the new layer use the line tool and extend 2 pink lines starting from the eyes to the edge. Make the angle of them expand modestly outwards as they expand. Play with the color, width and angles until suitable.

 

3. Open a duplicate layer and draw a temporary line connecting the 2 beams at their origins.

4. Use the paint bucket and fill the enclosed area with white. Optionally slightly lower the opacity now or at any point later.

5. Use the magic wand, select the white area,copy, paste as new layer, delete the joined lines layer. The result is now we have the white fill on it's own layer to gussy up as we see fit. Later on, consider reducing it's transparency perhaps 10-15%.

 

Note: See perspective? Now we can see the beam from an angle top view!

 

1. Create one more duplicate of the lines layer. Use one of the outline plugins and give the lines a thin, slightly darker pink outline. This will give an outline on the outer edges of the pink lines. Likely, do not add inner outlines. Probably later on blur this layer minimally- if at all. Reduce it's opacity ~75% either with built in functions, plugins or the layer controls. This will be a details layer. We can make as many detail layers as we wish as we go on for extra fun fun fun!

1a. Optionally, temporarily reduce the visibility of other beam layers or make them invisible to see full results of the layer being worked on at the moment. We can always go back and adjust them to any level of visibility or blend modes as we see fit.

 

2. Go back to the pink lines layer. Duplicate it at least 4 times. Do the splinter and glow process as shown in Pixey's version using 2 of the new layers.

2a. The reason for the 4th layer is it is an unaltered version of the pink lines. For now, make this layer invisible. Duplicates of originals are here to keep around if one wants to play with things some more later on.

3. For this version, after merging the layers down, give it a slight bokeh blur.

 

Oh no! There is a mistake! The beam isn't close enough to the eyes. No problem. Use the move tool and stretch each beam related layer diagonally up and to the right until they are in better position. Ah, that's better.

 

Now we are going to add some detail to the inner section of the beam.

 

1. Open up a new layer and with the brush tool make 2 pink semi-triangles angling with the beam with a width of about perhaps 4-5 and then optionally add in some minor details with a bush of 2. Deliberately do not make them too perfect. Add some flaws. If you don't like the results, one can always go back as many times as one likes and see what can be done.

2. Duplicate this layer. Give this version a slight outline with a modestly darker pink and give it an average blur with only a 1 radius.

2. Hit the original version with a stronger average blur of ~6.

3. Merge the top layer down. Optionally give them additional small blurs(your choice of the type.) Perhaps hit it with glow with all settings at near minimum. Reduce opacity ~10%. Optionally trim excess bleed towards the eyes region with the eraser tool.

 

 

 

 

1. Add a new layer. On this one we will use to shape tool and make a small filled shape white triangle. Make it longer than wide.

 

Bonus tip: When working with PDN get used to this. Add layer, add layer, play with layer, merge layer... add another, and so on and so on... Some complex images can easily gone 20,50,100+ layers. It's worth it.  Get it? Got it good!

 

2. Use the move tool to spin it so the bottom lines up emanating from one eye and use the tool to resize it to taste. Work this process a bit for best results.

3. Duplicate the white triangle layer twice.

4. Use the move tool to put them roughly in line. Adjust each to be just a tad different.

5. Merge the 3 down into one layer. Optionally, detail with a small brush or eraser tool.

6. Hit it with a medium settings glow and a small blur of your choice and again, reduce opacity ~10%.

    Yowzah!

 

1. Open a new layer.

2. Move this layer down 2 layers. It will be below the other beam details and above the white layer.

3. Draw some long uneven light pink blobs with the brush of ~15 width and opacity ~50%. These blobs will appear below the other details.

4. Glow it to taste and then give it modest splinter and average blurs. Adjust transparency down to taste.

 

 

1. Go back to the white layer and give it a mid to strong glow.

2. Duplicate it twice.

3. Duplicate the additional long blobs layer once.

4. Optionally manually draw outlines to all inner pink sections. Make them flawed and not always connected. Use a thin brush and opacity less than half.

5. Adjust all beam layers opacity down to taste- except for the white layers. Keep adjusting them until there is a proper balance.

 

1. Open another layer on top.

2. Sample an outer section of the beams to grab a partially transparent and slightly pinkish sample with the color picker tool.

3. Either manually draw or use the lines and shape tools to get a 4-6 lines and long triangles in roughly a crown pattern emanating from the eyes region.

4. Glow and blur them.

5. Adjust transparency down 50%+.

6. Use any color tool to adjust the pink towards more of a red.

7. Make any last minute adjustments.

8a. Optionally save in PDN format in a "Masters" folder. This way it is possible to go back and make adjustments.

8. Flatten

9. Name and save as PNG in an appropriate folder.

 

Here is version 2. The tutorial took a bit to put together. Get fast with PDN and this sort of work can be done lightning fast!

 

 

Have fun!

 

[jp2paint]

That was quite detailed, Apollo, but I'm looking for something that goes with the photo - not because I want to make a particular photo of a Cyclops guy, but because the picture - the way he's standing and the way the light is hitting him, made me think of Cyclops. I'd like to extend on that, is all.

 

I haven't had time to spend on this yet. My TO DO list has been really busy this weekend. I might have to wait until I go back to work to spend time on this at my desk. lol

[Ego Eram Reputo]

Find an excellent tutorial here (an old one but still great IMO):

 

Although - any red line with a little gaussian blur will probably do if you're in a hurry....