In this tutorial I'll explain how to make a nice avatar using Paint Shop Pro 7. Yes, it's a kinda old program but I love it <3
I used this avatar as an example: [<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/shuby-girl/Tutorials/Avatar%2001/shuby01.png" target="_blank">click</a>]
Oh yeah, make sure you got some good textures, you can find them easily using Google or something like that, just search for "textures" or "100x100 textures" or w/e


1) First, get a good (close-up) screenshot of a character, you may need to crop it like I did with mine: [<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/shuby-girl/Tutorials/Avatar%2001/Image2.png" target="_blank">click</a>] - [<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/shuby-girl/Tutorials/Avatar%2001/ToolPalette-Cropbutton.png" target="_blank">the Crop button</a>] (No Tool Palette at the left? Press "P")

2) Remove the background so only your character is left. You can do this in many different ways but I'll tell you how I do it.
- Use the eraser and use this settings: [<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/shuby-girl/Tutorials/Avatar%2001/ToolOptions-Eraser.png" target="_blank">click</a>] (No Tool Options? Press "O")
- Make sure it's a Layer and not a Background. If it's as Background, go to your Layer Palette (L), right-click on the Background layer and press "Promote To Layer" [<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/shuby-girl/Tutorials/Avatar%2001/LayerPalette-Background.png" target="_blank">click</a>]
- The size of the eraser doesn't matter that much but if it's too small it will be too.. pixelated..? and you character will look ugly and we don't want that. It's better to use it that small for the small corners and such.
- Oh, and make sure you're zoomed in a lot, it's easier that way and it will turn out better.

3) Resize time! Resize (Shift+S) and crop ( R ) your image till it's 100x100 or any size you want.
Then move your char a bit so you got space for text later [<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/shuby-girl/Tutorials/Avatar%2001/char01.png" target="_blank">click</a>]

4) Now we're gonna give the character a nice effect.
- Right-click on the layer at the Layer Palette and click "Duplicate"
- Now go to Effects > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to something like 2 and click OK.
- Go to the Layer Palette again and change the Blend Mode to Hard Light [<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/shuby-girl/Tutorials/Avatar%2001/LayerPalette-HardLight.png" target="_blank">link</a>]
- Go to Effects > 3D Effects > Drop Shadow and change the settings to your likings.

5) Now it's time to add some textures! I used [<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/shuby-girl/Tutorials/Avatar%2001/ayukfaf.png" target="_blank">Texture 1</a>], [<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/shuby-girl/Tutorials/Avatar%2001/o8.jpg" target="_blank">Texture 2</a>] and [<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/shuby-girl/Tutorials/Avatar%2001/20.jpg" target="_blank">Texture 3</a>] (I forgot where I got them from x_x;)
- First make a new white layer and place it beneath the character layers (Layer1 and Copy of Layer1)
- Now paste Texture 1 as a new layer (ctrl+L) and place it above the white layer (Layer2)
Change the Layer Opacity to 75% at the Layer Palette [<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/shuby-girl/Tutorials/Avatar%2001/LayerPalette-75percent.png" target="_blank">click</a>]
- Get Texture 2 and paste it as a new layer and place it above Layer3. Change the Blend Mode to Screen.
- Now paste Texture 3 as a new layer, above Layer4 and change the Blend Mode to Hard Light.

6) Almost done, we only have to add some small things. Now we're gonna add a border.
- Click on the Preset Shapes button at the Tool Palette [<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/shuby-girl/Tutorials/Avatar%2001/ToolPalette-PresetShapes.png" target="_blank">click</a>] and use these settings: [<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/shuby-girl/Tutorials/Avatar%2001/ToolOptions-PresetShapes.png" target="_blank">click</a>]
- Take a look at the Color Palette ( C ) at the right. Beneath "Styles" you see 2 retangles and we have to change the 2nd one to No Fill; Click on the black arrow [<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/shuby-girl/Tutorials/Avatar%2001/ColorPalette.png" target="_blank">click</a>]
- Click on the 1st retangle to a change the color to a nice one, I used #DE5059.
- Now make a border around the avatar and move the layer to top so it overlaps everything.
- Now make a white border so you get something like this: [<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/shuby-girl/Tutorials/Avatar%2001/char02.png" target="_blank">click</a>]
- Right-click on the border layer (Layer6) and click "Convert to Raster Layer"

7) And the last thing: text!
- Click on the Text button at the Tool Palette to add some text. Make sure the color is white or some other very light color!
- Right-click on the layer again and click "Convert to Raster Layer"
- Then move the layer above Layer3 and change the Blend Mode to "Dodge"

8) You're done! You can add some other stuff too but that's optional; like the diagonal scanlines and the text balloon.
For the text balloon; just search for it at the Preset Shapes, download some brush or use another shape which you can place on the balloon and you're done!

I hope it was useful and that I didn't forget something~ It's kinda long but I told some basic things for newbies too, so yeah~
If you still got some questions or something, feel free to ask ^^

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Some texture resources
<a href="http://users.livejournal.com/_iconographer" target="_blank">_iconographer</a>
<a href="http://ewanism.livejournal.com/tag/textures+%28icon+sized%29" target="_blank">ewanism</a>
<a href="http://browse.deviantart.com/resources/textures/?q=icon&order=9&alltime=yes" target="_blank">DeviantArt</a>

Zomg :o So this is the secret of the pros :o

Surrender your psp7 T>T;;

Oh so you used textures...I thought you used like brushes and such mainly. Interesting way of making them...

Photoshop and PaintShop Pro are both similar in several ways, anyway. The majority difference are the ways the tools are oriented. But overly, the names and functions of the tools are the same.

Nice tutorial, Sha~ <3

mine came out kinda weird but like this?


and also this tute was easy ty for sharing now i can make some pretty avatars!! Ty wee im so happy -^^-
oh and to find a free version of PSP7 just to oldversion.com and in the search bar put Paint Shop Pro

yeah just keep practicing till you get the hang of it and then it'll be very easy to make nice avatars and stuff~ ^^

Killha:

Oh so you used textures...I thought you used like brushes and such mainly. Interesting way of making them...

yeah sometimes I use brushes as well but mainly textures XD

Thanks for the awesome guide XD!
I'm kinda gettin a hang of this @@...

my results D:


...my text suxxors. >:[

lol you're welcome :3

and looks nice, keep it up~

LilSaint:

Thanks for the awesome guide XD!
I'm kinda gettin a hang of this @@...

my results D:


...my text suxxors. >:[

i want mine to look this good =(

do u know where i can find some good textures? because i cant find any..., any ideas?

FirebertDancer2u:

do u know where i can find some good textures? because i cant find any..., any ideas?

I updated the first post, go check it out XD

shubygirl:

<!--quoteo(post=61373:date=Sep 8 2007, 11:07 PM:name=FirebertDancer2u)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FirebertDancer2u 4 Sep 8 2007, 11:07 PM) [snapback]61373[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
do u know where i can find some good textures? because i cant find any..., any ideas?

I updated the first post, go check it out XD
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
ooo... Ty xDD

WOW!! i Cant stop using this tute.... and now i like just creating things!!
wee this is so fun i made now i finally have a siggy and a new avatar... it's still not as good as urs..

just practice more and more, and you'll get better and better :3

Awesome Textures!!

FirebertDancer2u:

WOW!! i Cant stop using this tute.... and now i like just creating things!!
wee this is so fun i made now i finally have a siggy and a new avatar... it's still not as good as urs..

Lol, the depth of your current sig is totally opposite. It should be the background that's blurred, not the render.

not really, he probably just forgot to duplicate the layer and use blend mode but you don't have to blur the background O-o well of course you can do that but using this tut you don't lol

Lol. Maybe you could add a step for that? Adds more depth XD

Maybe you should add blending too X.x

blending is there already o-o

Omg where ._.

I think I'm getting blind.

step 4 and 5 ._.