Using layer blending modes to simplify the process and get dynamic results.
- Getting Started
Here are the basic steps describing how I colorized this image.
It is done in a three step process:
1. Block in the area to be colored
2. Add shadows and highlights
3. Add effects
For this tutorial, I'm just going to redo one of the gloves. Once you get the fundamentals down, then it is just a matter of repeating the steps for all the other areas in the image.
The first thing you need to do is put the original lineart image at the top of the layer stack. When you open the picture to be colorized, it will probably be called the "Background" layer. Photoshop forces the background layer to be at the bottom of the layer stack, but we want it at the top of the stack.
What you need to do is copy that background layer to make "Background Copy", then delete the original "Background". Now you have your original lineart on a layer that you can freely move up and down the layer stack.
- Painting the Lineart
In the following screenshots, the lineart layer is called "Layer 1". Use the dropdown box on the layer palette to set the blending mode of the line art layer to MULTIPLY. You are done with this layer for good. You don't want to do any editing on it at all. The only thing you need to do is make sure it stays at the top of the layer stack.
Since the lineart layer is set to multiply mode, you don't need to worry about being real accurate with your initial painting. You can paint right over the black lineart and it won't affect it. Just make sure you completely fill in the area to be colored and don't go outside the lines. I ended up with something like this
- Shading
That is extremely important. If you're not sure what I mean, it is the box highlighted in yellow in the following screenshot. By preserving transparancy for the layer, there is no way you can screw up and color outside the lines. It is a huge timesave when you can start slopping paint down where ever you want instead of meticulously trying to stay within the borders.
Now is the fun part. Pick a lighter shade of your base color and select the airbrush tool with flow set to about 5%. You are going to want the softest brush possible, so use the shortcut SHIFT+[ three times to soften up your brush edges. Now, just start painting in the highlights. You'll need to figure out for yourself where they go.
Once you are satisfied with the highlights, choose a darker shade of your base color and paint in the shaded areas. I ended up with something like this:
- Lighting
To really make it jump out, duplicate your fill layer and set the layer mode of the copy to HARD LIGHT from the drop down box (highlighted in yellow in the following screenshot).
As a last step, I like to add a bit of noise to the fill layer.
That's just about all there is to it. The only other things I did was to use the smudge tool a bit on the highlights and shadows and a bit of experimentation with changing the hue/saturation of the hard light layer to tweak the colors after the hard light step.
Good luck!
