Yoshi Signature Tutorial (For beginers)

Welcome to my Yoshi tutorial for beginners. By the end of this tutorial you will have learned multiple tricks and rules for signature making. Don't worry though, you'll be able to make something nice by the end of this tutorial, we're just not going to go through tons of steps. I will be using photoshop, if any of the features I mention are not in the program you are using either work around them or don't use them, your end result shouldn't be to different. So lets begin.


Choosing your Render (Render: The image of your signature)
You're going to need a render, but don't freely choose your render. You will need a high quality render, we're going to avoid anime for now, your render should have good details, over all you should like your render. Now for the render position, your render shouldn't be simply standing, sitting, or laying. Be sure to choose a high quality render that looks as if its actually doing something. This will help later with your flow. Here is the render I will be using for my signature: Yoshi


Getting Started
The size of your signature is very important. If its too big it will be hard to pay attention to, you will likely have dead space or blury renders. If its too small it will be hard to see and will hardly be seen as a signature. The typical size to begin your signature would be 310x110. Through out the signature as you notice dead space (also called negative space, this simply means empty areas on your signature that are very plain. They can be a single color or simple patterns.) A little dead space is needed to ballence out your signature. Just be sure to watch what areas you are and are not using.

We'll begin this with a simple gradient. You should begin all signatures or avatars with a gradient. Name the layer first layer that your gradient is going to be on "Background". Since our render is mostly green it would only make since for our gradient to be green. In the color selection area make the top color selection a neon green, and the bottom selection a forest green. Now click the Gradient tool. Drag the gradient selection from the top of your signature to the bottom. Before we do anything else it would be a good idea to go ahead and add the render. *Render your render. Adjust your render on your signature in till you like how it looks. Rename the layer your Render is on as "Render". At this point your signature should look something like


Adding Flow With Brushes
Any good signature has flow. Flow shows what movement you're trying to show your render as doing. With the render we're using, Yoshi looks as if he's speeding and comming to a stop. This is when the hardest part of signature making comes in. Since you and I don't share the same brushes, we're going to do this on our on. Create a new layer between your Background layer and your Render layer. Name this layer "Flow". Now select a simple circle brush, make sure the brush size is 5. Now add a few short lines. Your lines should look something like this.


Now look at the top of your screen, we're about to make some since out of these random lines. Click Filter -> Blur -> Motion Blur. Set "Angle" to "-21" and distance to 107 pixels.




Blurring Your Render
EVERY time you make a signature or avatar it is very important to remember to add some effects using your render. It's basically a custom made brush for the avatar/signature you are making. The way your blur it should be different each time you make something. This time dupilicate your Render once and name the dupilacate "Motion Blur". Move the Motion Blur layer to just above your Flow layer, but make sure its still under your render. For now lets make the Render layer invisable by clicking on the little eye next to it. We're going to motion blur this layer in the same way we did the last. Go to Filter -> Blur -> Motion Blur. Set Angel to -21, set Distance to 177 pixels. At this point this is how your signature should look.



Blending In Your Render
It's important to blend your render into your signature, this will make it look like you didn't just throw the render onto the signature. Create a new layer, this time put it over your render. Name this layer "Blending". Add more short strokes on the edges of your render, don't add to many. Only put a few strokes in places that you think work. This is how it should look at this point:


Now your done! Just kidding, but we're getting closer. Back to your very favorite part, the motion blur. Yes, we get to use it again. Okay calm down, it's not THAT exciting. Go back to Fliter -> Blur -> Motion Blur. "Angel" should still be at -21. Set your Distance at 38. Erase over the parts you don't like.


Using C4D
C4D's... what can you say? If you don't do them right it messes everything up. C4D's are excellent, but over use or under use can really put everything out of place. A key factor in C4D's is not color, but dirrection. Your want to get a C4D that goes with your flow. You can always erase the parts of a C4D that you don't like. This is the C4D that I have chosen: Click


Touching Up
Click the burn tool and touch up around the end of the signature oppisite to the render. Click where the flow lines are not around the render. This is what your signature should look like at this point:



Final Effects
Okay, time to add final effects. Use what ever brushes you'd like for this. All brushes you use should follow your flow. At this point I can't recomend what to do. Just use brushes you think would work, smokey brushes. You can even use sparkle brushes (or star brushes as sparkles). To add a nice effect on the metal. On a new layer named "More Blurs", make a dot with your paint brush at the bottom right corner of your signature, go to blur -> gaussion blur -> and blur the dot in till it looks like a good source of light. We're getting closer to being done. You can now merge all of your layers together. This is how your signature should look now.




Now Finish It!

Let me give you a little tip, just because you're making a signature dosn't mean you need a border or text. Text is a complex thing. I wouldn't recomend it in less its a request or you think you'll need it. In this case our signature needs a border. Let's use my favorite border to finish this signature off. A movie border. Using the marquee tool (the selction tool) use the "single row marquee tool" drag the marquee at the very top of the signature.On the top bar click Edit -> Stroke. It should look like this:


Now take the marquee tool and do the same thing to the very bottom of the signature.... and... we're done. You're signature should now look something like this:

*Rendering a Render: To render a render means to remove the back ground from your render. This is the easiest way to remove a solid color back ground. Right click on your eraser tool and click "Magic Eraser". When you have "Magic Eraser" selected click any where on the white back ground. Go back and look through your render for other bits of the back ground. When you feel comfortable with your new render press "cntrl+a" (with out the plus) and then "cntrl+c" (with out the plus). Then you will be able to paste your new render onto your signature.