I'd appreciate feedback, especially if I'm unclear on something, as this will eventually be archived on a high-traffic site and I'd rather contribute something that makes sense. Also, I'm going to be writing a few coloring tutorials for the same site and they will reference this with the shorthand, "prepare your base." Thanks!

This is a tutorial for achieving a clear, crisp base to make into an icon. The degree of clarity needed depends on the subject and crop. It's most critical in a close-up and less so in scenery icons. I have a personal "tried & true" method for making bases of people and several tricks for others.

Part I. The extreme close-up
From =>

I first learned about base preparation from this excellent tutorial written by icon_ascension. I highly recommend it. Over time, I've adapted my own version that allows me to control every single pixel. Quite probably there's a faster and easier method out there that can get reasonably close results but this gives me the quality base that I want.

( How I get a crisp, clear image )

Part II. The scenic icon
Examples:

( This one's a lot less time intensive... )

Hope some of that was helpful. Feel free to ask any questions you want. I can't guarantee that I know the answer but I'll happily answer any that I do!

UPDATED: 02 August 2007

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If you find this type of index useful and want to find some more, click here to see The Great Big List of Tutorial Indexes by heartthepretty

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Dial-Up Friendly Version Available in My Memories

• Crash Course in Photoshop


• Base Prep


• Colors/Effects -- arranged, generally, by the end result


• Styles/Techniques


• Landscapes/CityScapes


• Animation


• Links: Useful Info, Fonts, Others' Tutorial Indices

A little more info about each tutorial can be seen by hovering the mouse over the icon.

I wrote none of the tutorials linked here. That means that I did not create the icons. NONE of these are mine. Click on whatever catches your fancy to find out who made it -- and how. We're clear that other people's talent made this page, yes? Good.

( Image Intensive. Not Dial-Up Friendly. )