Question for Designers

[ronee]

Just wondering... where did you learn to make realistic elements? Did you just pick it up along the way from various tutorials, or are there books out there that I just haven't found yet?

Maybe it's totally un-PC of me to ask, like asking magicians how they saw people in half, but I've never been known for my good etiquette. :)

[ChristineS]

hey ronee, i learned by reading lots of tutorials online, doing lots of experimenting with my program and most of all by really LOOKING at what something looks like in real life -- how the shadowing and color variations look, what the texture is like, etc. There are tons and tons of tuts out there. The only book I've ever gotten is Desgining with Digital (and I did pick up some good "tricks" in there!)

[sinead]

Thanks for sharing, Christine! That's something I've been wondering, too, so it's good to know how others approach it. (Not that I plan to start doing my own elements--I barely have enough time to scrap these days! Besides, I'd rather just buy the beautiful things my favorite TDC designers make!!)

[ronee]

Thanks Christine. That's kind of what I figured. I got the designing with digital book as well, and it has some great tips in it, but it's all more for the layouts themselves.

There's really something to be said for a well designed element, I think they really finish off pages. Looking at the real-life object is a great tip as well. It's easy for things to get lost in their own reality in digital (that's been happening in a movies a lot lately, with CG).

I think I've started rambling so I'd better quit now, LOL, Thanks again Christine! :)

[AmberC]

Ditto what Christine said!! Even down to the book. LOL!!! I heart google searches for tutorials. :)

[AmyK]

I started from a web design standpoint, so I was doing a lot of Photoshop tutorials about making realistic web buttons and that kind of thing. I still just do tutorial after tutorial, and then allow myself time to just play and see what happens. I do what Christine said about looking at things too - I have taken pictures of objects, and then tried to recreate them digitally from scratch (like a metal safety pin). That's always a fun little process too.

[RachelS]

you can find some really terrific tutorials on the web. i am not a designer but i have made some elements etc... i find that if i am having a hard time finding a tutorial for the specific item i want to make, it helps if i can break it down into segments, or find a tutorial for something similar and tweak it fit my needs.

[AndreaBurns]

There are also some great resources out there as well. Atomic Cupcake has some neat actions, like turning your shape into silver or rust. There is also Photoshop WOW, a book and CD filled with actions to turn your shape into realistic elements too.

The best tutorials I've ever come across are DigiScrapDesigner Tuts, and you have to pay for them to access them, but they are SO worth the money!

HTH!

[AngelinaS]

I bought Photoshop for Dummies. Trust me, no "dummy" would ever understand it, lol. It's very technical and it's very broad, but it is an excellent resource for understanding PS 7.0. And once you understand it, you can figure out how to make what you want a lot easier. It's a great resource for understanding color management, too, which seems to be something that gets overlooked a lot.

[ronee]

Angelina, I agree with you on the color management, I am heading to the bookstore this weekend, I'll check it out. Andrea, digiscrapdesigners looks like a great place, I think I'll try it out.

Thanks to everyone who's posted their two cents here! You've all been very helpful!

[sinead]

Speaking of color managment...just WAIT til you see Heather Roselli's AWESOME article about color in the July De-Zine. It should be out soon!

[ronee]

Cool! Can't wait!

[RachelS]

hmmmm.... i need that! NOW!