Graphics: Illustrator tutorial, “Seamless Textures”

 

This tutorial is about how to make seamless textures in a more comfortable way than with the “make pattern” funcion.

After you are done with this setup you never have to do it again. Just save it under a different name before you start drawing. You can use it as a template for every new texture or mirrored Image you want to draw.

 

Let’s get started:

  • Create your document as a square for eg. 1024 X 1024, 2048 X 2048, 4096 X 4096 and so on.
  • Create 3 layers.
    • One layer will be set up a way, that will mirror left and right.
    • One layer will mirror top and bottom.
    • One layer will be a normal layer, where you can draw freely.
  • Name the layers. For eg. “left right mirror”, “top bottom mirror”, “free layer”
  • Set up the layer “left right mirror” the way it’s described in this tutorial: https://www.vecteezy.com/deals/how-to-do-live-mirror-drawing-in-adobe-illustrator-cc
  • Do the same with you “top bottom layer”, but this time set the axis of symmetry under Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform… (Step 4) to “reflect Y”
  • Don’t do anything with the “free layer”.

Your layers should now look like this:

And work like this:

  • If you select the layer “left right mirror” and draw something, it should be reflected verticaly.
  • If you select the layer “top bottom mirror”, your drawing should be reflected horizontaly.
  • If you draw on the “free layer” nothing should be reflected. ^^

→ If so, you are done!

Save this setup and carry on with a different name for your document. Start drawing your first texture. Use the layers as described in the image below.

Have fun. 🙂

 

 

Graphics: Illustrator tutorial, “Basics”

There are tons of Illustrator tutorials out there in the web. But exactly that made it challenging for me to find out how I should get startet.

Most tutorials for beginners I found wanted me to rebuild a specific image. Nothing left over for your creativity and nothing new to create. I didn’t even try one of them, because I knew it wouldn’t be fun. Learning is easyer and stays in your mind better, the more you are involved in the learning process.

Finally I found a tutorial, that did nothing more but explained how the tools work. It was exactly what I needed to get startet with my own first Illustrator project as soon as possible. Within a short while I felt at home in Illustrator and knew better what to search for when facing a problem.

Now brought to you: The best Illustrator tutorial for beginners (in my opinion):

“How to Use Adobe Illustrator” by William “Focus” DuBois:

http://www.howcast.com/guides/1148-how-to-use-adobe-illustrator

Notes:

  • The actual tutorial starts with the second episode.
  • I recommend to watch the first episode anyway.

Textures: About

There are some very similar looking images on this website under http://diowonderland.com/category/graphics/textures/, which might need some explanation.

Those pictures are screenshots of textures applied to a 3D environment. The original images i create are squares with seamless edges, like the example you see below.

The squares are seamless, so they can be merged without any visible gaps.

Added to the surface of some 3D models within a suitable program you get a textured environment like those you see in the screenshots. Within some engines you can also add effects, like the reflection on this marble texture.

Note:

  • I use Unreal Engine 4 to create the 3D surroundings. (Game engine, free to use.)

Photography: GIMP tutorial, part 01

Many of my photographs on this website are digitally edited.

I mostly use the free program GIMP.

If you don’t want to spend money on Photoshop etc, GIMP might be the right choice for you.
In this case I would like to help you with some tutorials.

In my opinion step by step tutorials are very frustrating, because you will learn a lot of stuff that doesn’t match with what you actually want to do. It takes long until you can actually start with your own project and in the beginning there is no final product you are looking forward to. That’s why I decided to do something different. In each part of this tutorial I will show you one of my photographs before and after the edit and describe what I did and how. This way you can pick out what you need and directly apply it to your own photographs.

WARNING:
Older xfc-documents can not be opened with newer versions of GIMP. (I learned this the hard way.)
These simple options will solve the problem:

  1. Don’t ever save your images in the GIMP-format (.xcf) but export them as .png etc. Or:
  2. Don’t ever update your GIMP version.

I recommend to choose option 1. 😉

Let’s get started:

 

01 – Lively Colors, Blurred Background and Hiding Things in the Shadow:

 
 

woodelves_before_after_1920X1080_rotate_trimm

 

The lively colors:

  • Choose “Colors” -> “Curves” from the top. Within the new window activate the “preview” function. Now choose two points on the diagonal you see and bring the line into a flat s-curve. Try around until you like the result.

The blurred background:

  • Select the background of your photograph [1] by using the “free select tool” from the tool bar. Don’t try to keep the left mouse button pressed and draw the line, but click your way step by step. (Unless you use a drawing tablet.)
  • Create a new document [2] with the same size as your photograph. Choose “Layer” -> “Delete Layer” from the top to get a transparent background.
  • Copy and paste the selected area from [1] into the new document [2].
  • Go back to your starting image [1] choose “select” -> “invert” from the top.
  • Copy and paste the now selected foreground in another new document [3] also with transparent background.
  • Go back to [2] use “filter” -> “blur” from the top (repeat this as oftan as you want, the blur increases each time)
  • Paste the background [2] and the foreground [3] back into the original picture [1]

Parts that are supposed to hide in the shadow (the foot of the red haired elve)

  • Select the area by using the “free select tool”
  • Choose “colors” -> “Brightness-Contrast”. Within the new window activate “preview”. Now decrease the brightness. (also repeatable) Don’t change the contrast.

Done 😀

Have fun.