Quick Question

Kirby_Poe · Post by **Kirby_Poe** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 10:21 am

My friend and I are trying to start into this. He's the artist, I do everything else. One thing I do is help with backrounds. Our comic takes place in a reef, and I'm trying to do a stylized recognizable style using actual photos tweaked in paint.net. I have both paint.net and gimp, but I'm unable to quite do what I want. Maybe one of you can help here. Here are the two pictures I want to combine.

I want to overlay the pencilsketch outline onto the oilpaint backround to give both the sense of sharpness and blurryness in detail for the backround. Any ideas?[/img]

Io · Post by Io » Mon Apr 30, 2007 10:42 am

I don't know if gimp can do it or not but I know in Photoshop you could put the pencily image in a layer above the color one and just change the layer setting from normal to multiply.

Kirby_Poe · Post by **Kirby_Poe** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 11:04 am

I've tried that in gimp, but I get the white from the pencil sketch killing the color below, so I just end up with the sketch. What I need is a way in gimp or paint.net to make the white transparent so the color below shows.

Black Sparrow · Post by **Black Sparrow** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 11:58 am

That's what the "multiply" does in Photoshop. It makes darks darker and whites transparent. I don't know GIMP, but I'd assume there's a similar layer setting in GIMP

Kirby_Poe · Post by **Kirby_Poe** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 12:09 pm

I think I figured it out. Thanks for the help. I was just doing it wrong. I'm a total noob to these types of programs, so making layers work for me is a new concept.

Io · Post by Io » Mon Apr 30, 2007 4:47 pm

Glad you got it to work ^^ looking at some of the posts and this one I'm tempted to make a mini layers tutorial to help people out as layers are one of the most useful things ever.

Kirby_Poe · Post by **Kirby_Poe** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 6:12 pm

I'm glad my noob question inspired such a charitable act on your part. Keep me posted on it, it's something I'll need to know.

Siabur · Post by **Siabur** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:59 pm

Layers rule! Once you figure out how to use them, you'll wonder why you thought they were so hard. Average toon has 12. Graphics such as the fine banners in the sig, have 30 or more, I can switch colors, lettering, mix and match with out having tones of files.
I recommend learning them. You will be glad you did!

Nomadic Phoenix · Post by **Nomadic Phoenix** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 11:30 pm

siabur wrote:Average toon has 12. Graphics such as the fine banners in the sig, have 30 or more...

You serious? I'm impressed...I usually end up with around 100-150 layers for a single comic...of course, I'm using Paint Shop Pro...which might make a difference.

Io · Post by Io » Tue May 01, 2007 3:23 pm

12? Yeesh I end up with more per frame x_X. I think maybe 20ish per frame.

Black Sparrow · Post by **Black Sparrow** » Tue May 01, 2007 3:33 pm

I plop all my flat colors on one layer, my shading on a second, and my lighting on a third. Without the text have maybe 8 layers to the comic. Then the text layers come along and boost that count as high as in the 30s.

Siabur · Post by **Siabur** » Tue May 01, 2007 3:44 pm

12 layers would be b/w line, a crappy sketch for each character, background, color if I do them, a white out layer which is used to hide background elements from foreground, the text layers and a bubble layer, frame layer. For a 3 panel b/w comic strip. Now when I get in to graphic designer mode, that's when I hit the 30's and more. Start with a simple text layer and an oval and it's off. I don't think I could go back to a single layer, to much work trying to keep things neat.

Brigid · Post by **Brigid** » Tue May 01, 2007 4:08 pm

Text layers are the majority of the layers I end up with. Usually even when I'm doing color work I try to keep the layers to a minimum. Usually a background layer, then a solid color layer, then a shadow layer, maybe a shine layer, then a separate layer for the eyes, then the eye shading, then the eye shine, then the lineart.

That's nine layers.

Sometimes if there are effects I'll have separate layers for them.

Geekblather · Post by **Geekblather** » Wed May 02, 2007 7:53 pm

Damn- I usually have three for the images, and then however many text blocks, and then another for outlines. So, maybe 10-12 altogether.

Also- for layers and program help, DeviantArt is crazy-useful, if you search the tutorials sections.