How to make Icons - My style

Level 25
Joined
Apr 13, 2006
Messages
722
BTNSlash and BTNPotion - KelThuzad's style

BTNSlash
- Difficulty: Depends on the Art Skills, but NOT hard.
- Requirements: Photoshop, Icon Layer for PS.


  1. Let's start by making 350x350 file.
  2. Create a new layer. Choose hard brush, 100% opacity and grey color, and draw the razor.
  3. Create a new layer. Draw a handle with wood color, hard brush and 100% opacity. Hightlights are coming from the bottom-right of the drawing, so draw with a white hard brush a highlights on the picture and shadows.
  4. Choose layer with the razor. Press Ctrl+Click on the razor layer. Now, with the selected area, create a layer ABOVE the handle and razor. With the hard 20% opacity black brush, draw a few layers of shadow to the center of the razor. Then, draw the white line in the middle.
  5. With the still selected layer, draw with the 20% opacity white brush the highlights on the frot part of the blade - on top and on bottom. In the biddle draw the black reflection in the middle. Increase the bold of the middle line.
  6. Almost done! Let's draw the glow. Get a 20% opacity, and blurred brush. Draw the glow on all the white colors of the razor, and even more at the top (Very nice effect. But don't play hard with it). Draw a few stars with the simple brush at the top or just use Assorted Brushes' star.
  7. Then, get a hard 10-20% white brush, and draw curved lines from the top to the end of the screen at the left and bottom, that woul represent the movement of the sword. You can see what I've done at the picture.
  8. And last step. Get http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/tools-560/icon-layer-for-photoshop-n-a-62902/ . Open it. Copy your drawing and paste it in the Icon Layer. Now, right-click on the drawing and choose Free Transform. And resize it to the Icon Layer size.

Result:


Now, that we're done with the swords, let's go to the next part:

BTNPotion
- Difficulty: Depends on the Art Skills, but there ARE some hard parts.
- Requirements: Photoshop, Icon Layer for PS.


  1. This icon is quite hard to make, and result may not be always satisfying. Usually, the only thing that helps you is imagination, so you just have to do that.
  2. Let's start with a 300x300 file, fill it with black, and IN NEW LAYER draw a potion shape (with grey and hard brush).
    91450544.jpg
  3. Now, important part. CTRL+LEFT CLICK on the picture of layer with vial. It will choose all the are that's painted. Now, preferable, in NEW layer, draw highlights and shadings (mostly with soft brush). Perspective is really important, so don't forget about it. If something goes wrong you can always delete it.
    96699136.jpg
  4. Now, let's draw some liquid. ABOVE THE POTION LAYER AND BELOW THE HIGHLIGHTS, draw with a 50% transparent and any colored brush a liquid. Look at picture for more info. (Don't forget the selection that we used in 3rd part!)
    67412767.jpg
  5. Now, let's draw a Cap. It's simple - with hard brush, and grey or any other color, draw it where it's supposed to be (Any shape you want). Also, draw some inside a vial with the same color, and after you're finished correcting it, with a 50% transparent Remover remove the part inside a vial. Look at picture for more info. Also, draw highlights and shadow where they are supposed to be. Won't be that hard, I hope.
    12614801.jpg
  6. Now, the fun part. There is a trick that I really like to use sometimes that will make everything nice - the Reflection Glow, I call it. It's simple. Get a soft brush with white color and, like, 20% transparency, and use it of the parts with the highlights. (look at picture)
  7. Now, the glow itself. Create a new layer BEHIND the potion grey layer, and use a simple soft brush with color of the liquid. Also, draw some dots around the potion, maybe some other things, I don't know. Use your imagination.
    50112090.jpg
  8. Now, almost done. Press Ctrl+Shift+E, that will merge all the layers. Now choose the whole area with marquee tool. Open an Icon Layer (http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/tools-560/icon-layer-photoshop-n-62902/). Copy the drawing, right click on it and choose free transform. Now transform it until it will fit the Icon, and...

    Result:
    potionb.jpg

Congratulations! You have learned a hell alot or nothing about PS. Now good luck and have fun drawing icons!
 
Last edited:
Level 10
Joined
Sep 6, 2008
Messages
423
It's a nice tutorial but the outcome was a bit monotone :con: I guess it's because of the blade is almost everything that is showing, well the outcome serves the purpose.

@Dentothor
You can adapt this to almost anything.. I used a similar technique while i drew my green boot icon all I did diffrently was that I made the outlines in one layer and the filling in another layer.
 
Level 28
Joined
Jan 26, 2007
Messages
4,789
"Give some "screenshots" of the tool-icon (for the less experienced photoshop-users)"

That's what I made video for.

Sorry, didn't see it the last time ;)
About the passive/disabled buttons, I didn't check the tool either xD (I thought it was just the standard border, but it turns out to be actually very useful).

Why don't you comment the, instead of putting music there?
If you don't like your voice, you don't have to ;)
 
Level 1
Joined
Apr 15, 2008
Messages
4
Great job. You could have saved half the time though just by using the pen tool and the bucket....
 
Level 28
Joined
Jan 26, 2007
Messages
4,789
Sorry for the question but how exactly do i convert psd to blp because i saved my icon but it doesnt work when its psd :cry: im a newbie

You can convert it to .tga first (this can be done with almost any program, paint.net, photoshop, GIMP, ...).
Afterwards, you can convert the .tga-image to .blp with the wc III Image Extractor tool.
 
Level 3
Joined
Nov 28, 2009
Messages
47
You can convert it to .tga first (this can be done with almost any program, paint.net, photoshop, GIMP, ...).
Afterwards, you can convert the .tga-image to .blp with the wc III Image Extractor tool.

Sorry again but will you tell me how to work with the program i opened the Open > Image i clicked save and it savet to tga then i opened Open > image and Open > Mpq ( war3.mpq) and again it saves it like tga then i opened ( wae3x ) and again it doesnt work :angry: all of my 'things' are on my desktop ...
and yes i clicked save as type Blizzard somethind (blp)
 
Level 28
Joined
Jan 26, 2007
Messages
4,789
Sorry again but will you tell me how to work with the program i opened the Open > Image i clicked save and it savet to tga then i opened Open > image and Open > Mpq ( war3.mpq) and again it saves it like tga then i opened ( wae3x ) and again it doesnt work :angry: all of my 'things' are on my desktop ...
and yes i clicked save as type Blizzard somethind (blp)

Okay, so you need to convert it from .psd to .tga with photoshop first...
Afterwards, open the Image Extractor tool, press Open -> Image, select your .tga-file (the one you converted earlier).
Now press Save -> Image, select "BLizzard image maP", rename it if you like (not necessary) and press "save".
It should work... I just checked it (again) and it works for me.
 
Level 3
Joined
Nov 28, 2009
Messages
47
Okay, so you need to convert it from .psd to .tga with photoshop first...
Afterwards, open the Image Extractor tool, press Open -> Image, select your .tga-file (the one you converted earlier).
Now press Save -> Image, select "BLizzard image maP", rename it if you like (not necessary) and press "save".
It should work... I just checked it (again) and it works for me.

Thx i found my mistake ... actualy i didnt have ijl15.dll ive fixed it thx tor the help :wink:
 
thanks for the tutor +rep

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