Line Art

1. Digital Color for coloring comics

• Part 1- Preparing Line Art for Colors - Channels
• Part 2 - The Render - Flats, Hue Adjustments, Lighting

Digital Color for coloring comics

A. Part 1- Preparing Line Art for Colors - http://www.steeldolphin-forums.com/htmltuts/digital_colorpart1.html

1. Open an line art image.
2. Select the Image Menu - Mode - RGB
3. If grey noise (extra light pencil lines) or other imperfections exist:
   • Select the Image Menu - Ajustments - Levels or use Command (CTRL) - L to bring up the Levels palette. Move the upper right slider slowly towards the middle until the noise disappears. If the black lines starts to disappear move the left slider towards the middle.
   • Select the Eraser Tools in the Tools palette and remove other inperfection
4. In the Layers palette click on the Channels Tab and then click on the right arrow and select New Channel with settings of Masked Area, Color - Black and Opacity - 100% and Label - Line Art .
5. Note: When a new channel is created the visibility by default is turned off on all the other channels. Click on the Eye Icon to turn on the visibility of the layers.
6. Select the Color Tool in the Tools palette and make the foreground color white.
7. Select the Line Art layer and press Alt - Delete (Backspace) to fill layer with white. This layer must be kept active.
8. To make a selection of the line art (moving dashed border) hold down the Command (CTRL) Key and click on the picture window beside the blue channel.
9. Inverse the selction by pressing Command (CTRL) - Shift - I or go to the Select Menu - Inverse.
10. Select the Color Tool in the Tools palette and make the foreground color black and fill the selection with black by pressing Alt - Delete (Backspace). If this is done correctly you should see an image in the picture window of the Line Art layer.
11. Select the Color Tool in the Tools palette and make the foreground color white.
12. Select the RGB channel and press Alt - Delete (Backspace) to fill with white removing the original line art. Note: The RGB channels should have picture windows that appear white.
13. Click on the Eye Icon to turn on the visibility of the layers.

B. Part 2 - The Render - http://www.steeldolphin-forums.com/htmltuts/digital_colorpart2.html

1. Note:
   • Flats - areas of color
   • Hue Adjustment - making colors lighter or darker
   • Ligthing - where should the lighting be the strongest or what direction it is coming from. (heavier lines indicated area farther away from a light source)
2. Select the Color Tool in the Tools palette and make the foreground color a medium blue (or some color of your choice).
3. Select the RGB channel and press Alt - Delete (Backspace). to fill the entire area. The line art will remain untouched.
4. Select either the Polygonal Lasso Tool (Anti-aliasing off and Feather - 0) or Pen Tool from the Tools palette and select an area to color. Note: increase the magnification of your image (Command (CTRL) - +) and try and draw in the middle of the line art. To decrease magnification use Command (CTRL) - -.
5. Select the Color Tool in the Tools palette and choose a foreground color to be used to color the selection . Press Alt - Delete (Backspace). Note: the Paint Bucket Tool may also be used to fill in the selected areas with the foreground color.
6. Press Command (CTRL) - D to deeselect.
7. Repeat until all components of the art have been colored.
8. Optional: Backing up the colored sections or flats
   • select one of the R, G, or B channels not the RGB channel
   • Press Command (CTRL) - "A" to select all the contents
   • Press Command (CTRL) - "C" to copy all the contents
   • Select the New Channel Button at the bottom of the Channels palette or click on the right arrow and select New Channel
   • Select the new channel
   • Press Command (CTRL) - "V" to paste the contents into the new channel.
   • Make the RGB channels and Line Art channels visible by clicking on the Eye Icon.