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Flatting and colouring in Photoshop - a walkthrough
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Kirabel
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Post: #1
Flatting and colouring in Photoshop - a walkthrough

People keep asking how I colour, so here's my process for a typical page:


  1. Scan inks at 600dpi, bitmap mode, clean up, then convert to greyscale and then RGB.
  2. Put the lineart layer on top, set to Multiply.
  3. Flats: a new layer under the lines. Magic wand with anti-alias OFF on the lineart, fill each area with a flat colour. Every object gets its own colour, even if it'll end up the same.
  4. Lock transparency on the flats layer, then shade on a layer above with a hard brush, layer set to Multiply.
  5. Lighting on another layer set to Screen or Overlay.
  6. Flatten a copy, resize to 900 pixels wide, Save for Web as JPG around quality 70.


The flats step is boring but it makes everything after it ten times faster.


Colourist for hire - gallery on dA
08-14-2006 06:40 AM
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Brushfire
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RE: Flatting and colouring in Photoshop - a walkthrough

Thank you SO much for this. The anti-alias off thing is what I was doing wrong.


Manga Studio or bust.
08-14-2006 04:20 PM
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Quillfeather
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RE: Flatting and colouring in Photoshop - a walkthrough

Stickying this in my brain. Also bookmarking.


Lanternfish - a fantasy comic about a lighthouse at the bottom of the sea. Updates M/W/F.
08-14-2006 07:30 PM
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Sketchwerk
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Post: #4
RE: Flatting and colouring in Photoshop - a walkthrough

Pro tip: record the flats cleanup as an Action and bind it to an F-key.


Graphic designer by day, terrible cartoonist by night.
08-15-2006 11:02 AM
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tonerkid
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Post: #5
RE: Flatting and colouring in Photoshop - a walkthrough

this helped so much. what do you do about gaps in the lineart, the fill goes everywhere

02-15-2007 07:44 PM
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Kirabel
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Post: #6
RE: Flatting and colouring in Photoshop - a walkthrough

Close the gaps on a separate layer with a 1px pencil before you fill, then delete that layer. Or just fix them in the inks, it's good practice!


Colourist for hire - gallery on dA
02-16-2007 05:10 AM
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