Photoshop Comic Book Coloring: The Basics v2.0 - great for beginners (how to color comic books)

Рет қаралды 165,411

8 жыл бұрын

Hey folks, I re-purposed a webinar I recorded into "The Basics" version 2.0! The original video was a bit dated, and it's time for an upgrade. :) This should be a good place to start for beginners or immediate-level colorists. I'll talk about my course a bit at the end as well.
This video has been updated for Clip Studio Paint in 2021 here: • [Tutorial] How I Color...
Check out my coloring courses (40 hours of lessons!) at www.coloringcomics.com (includes presets for my brushes, tools, actions, and color swatches).
Exclusive discount on MagicPicker here: goo.gl/q5MULY
►OFFICIAL WEBSITE & PORTFOLIO: www.comiccolor.com
►TWITTER: / kmichaelrussell
If you interested in learning how to color line-art in Photoshop, want to learn comic book coloring 101, or just want more Photoshop comic book coloring techniques, tips and tricks, subscribe for more!
how to color comic books

Пікірлер: 272

@cartoonblock 5 жыл бұрын

Great stuff. I've found myself watching 4 of your videos in on sitting.

@GabbyGoodArts 8 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for all your videos! I've been working really hard on my comic portfolio and was lost with colors until I found your videos. Your tips and tricks have been super useful, especially with flatting and the lasso tools. Thanks again :D

@hammockmonk 4 жыл бұрын

I so appreciate the generosity with which you share your knowledge. This is the most professional channel in its field that I have found. 🤙🏽

@keithprovost9812 5 жыл бұрын

Great video! Thank you very much! 2 months ago I found out about flatting and coloring and we have decided to try it out and live a dream of mine. I look forward to taking your courses soon.

@HannahEnglandCreates 7 жыл бұрын

Your tutorials have made my coloring so much faster and easier. Thanks so much!

@istaytooned7891 7 жыл бұрын

this video maybe dated BUT when I need to go back and just refresh my self I hit this vid and away we go! Thanks Michael

@comicguru656 7 жыл бұрын

I'm an aspiring comic artist and mostly self taught. You have no idea how much these videos have helped me!!!!!!! Thank you

@DanteMaddox 3 жыл бұрын

It's been a while since school, and I've felt really rusty in terms of understanding what PS can do. For a while I've known what I've wanted to do, but couldn't remember how to do it. This video not only helped me remember some of the techniques I learned in class, but it got me excited for the color aspect of making my comics. Thanks!!!!!!

@BlueGuitarMusic 7 жыл бұрын

I'm so glad I found your channel today! Very excited to check out your other videos and your course :)

@howardmccrary5589 3 жыл бұрын

There's so many jewels near the end of this video! This pretty much taught me most of what I needed to know. Thanks!

@prutser 8 жыл бұрын

This was exactly what I was looking for, thanks for making this video Kurt!

@meanandobscene2678 4 жыл бұрын

I watch this everytime I color something, thank you so much for this tutorial

@arf127 8 жыл бұрын

This video was so helpful on so many topics!!! Thank you and keep up the great work!

@greenajoy4001 3 жыл бұрын

You are so generous to share all that knowledge. Thank you so much for this incredible video. Now I can finally start doing what I love

@cdnichols51 7 жыл бұрын

great tutorial, really helpful! can't wait to watch your other videos now

@kenta428 7 жыл бұрын

Great tutorial, Michael. You really helped me out.

@morganrae8685 7 жыл бұрын

I absolutely adored this video, it's honestly helped me out a lot!!

@OluwadamilolaAkinayo 6 жыл бұрын

I have shared this video so many times i have lost count.😉 I stopped creating works with saturated colors thanks to this video and the previous one. KMR's technique is the best in my view because how of it helped me become much more confident as a colorist and applicable on other apps. I replicated this technique in SketchBook Pro 2016 from Photoshop and worked like a charm. Just need to save to take your premium courses. Keep being awesome and thanks a lot.

@AyumiBushido 7 жыл бұрын

What I liked about this, is that it will help me get back to my photoshop once in awhile, or atleast bounce back and forth from paint tool sai and photoshop. I like the fact you didn't speed threw this and I got to see how long it takes to do your flats and I can have some kind of baseline for myself in how fast I should be. Thank you

@russorox654 2 жыл бұрын

Just want to let you know, i got my first coloring comission and it was really helpful all of your tips! Thank you sir.

@nichols4520 4 жыл бұрын

Dude! Your page rocks! I've been through dozens of pages and they gloss over details or talk to fast. Some say one thing and explain another. Can't wait to put your tutorials to work. Thank you for explaining the several methods and taking your time doing it. Thank you.

@genemagora7700 8 жыл бұрын

Thanks Michael! Your videos are very helpful!

@nil_blank 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for putting this out here. Super helpful.

@samjaneczek9570 7 жыл бұрын

This really is a good tutorial, very helpful and the final image looks great. I'm considering getting your course when I have the money to do so. :)

@666ahkhan 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the great tutorial on coloring and the tricks :D

@jonathanbisher 6 жыл бұрын

Really great tutorial. Excellent job of breaking things down into understandable steps and methods for coloring. Any suggestions for tutorials or courses that do a good job of teaching how to get to the first part, i.e how to sketch a concept and then ink it, like what you started with?

@bathorybill9423 8 жыл бұрын

Awesome as always dude!

@fikrifahmie 7 жыл бұрын

Lotsa great tips here. Thanks man!!!

@VaracolacidVesci 7 жыл бұрын

Thank you very very much. It is an amazing and very detailed tutorial.

@jamesmolloy5350 6 жыл бұрын

what an incredible video, thank you so much for this

@bueasink7650 6 жыл бұрын

Thank u sir. im always caught up by time due to this coloring issue. i do all the work myself so u can imagine what i go through sometimes.

@vijethpoojary9815 7 жыл бұрын

thank you very much to share this sir

@nurulashari815 7 жыл бұрын

Thank You Mike, finally i got this.

@nunezinkgaming 8 жыл бұрын

very good tutorial man subbed

@yertargynanuarbek5819 5 жыл бұрын

MAAAAN. you are a magician. Thank you so much!

@slepycitron 8 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Extremely helpful.

@CooperTony13 7 жыл бұрын

Very useful video! Thank you very much!

@groovekiller84 8 жыл бұрын

Great one, thank you Michael!

@seeto44 8 жыл бұрын

+K Michael Russell Will be buying your course Monday you are the Man

@Abc-qs8ir 7 жыл бұрын

fantastic video about shading in a comic page, I know how to do this on paper, but am learning how to do this digitally,

@lukecarrdraws 7 жыл бұрын

Absolutely fantastic video! Informative and easy to take in. Subscribed! One question. Who did the line art of the character? It's got a fantastic style. Respect from the UK

@familiasantosguiana4673 Жыл бұрын

awesome video for biginners thanks kurt

@kohk79 8 жыл бұрын

I love your videos, thank you!

@opikroy1021 8 жыл бұрын

thank you so much for a great lesson, this help full to me, so i share to my friends on my facebook.

@QuickFam2.0 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for making this.

@pompkinkingplays1461 2 жыл бұрын

this is really helpful! cheers

@michaelarby 7 жыл бұрын

great video- my colouring technique was completely wrong and this helps immensely. cheers!

@michaelarby 7 жыл бұрын

+K Michael Russell nah mine was unquestionably wrong lol. making selections from the ink layers, expanding them a pixel or two then filling a flats layer underneath. but it left those white 'channels' you warned about between blocks of colour! glad to see your way though which is vleaner and faster!

@vagabondNS 4 жыл бұрын

Fantastic tutorial. Thanks man. :)

@williamduren215 3 жыл бұрын

Great teaching.

@ebrahimg8346 8 жыл бұрын

great video kurt! the basics is one of my favorite tutorial videos! nice to see it updated! also this is more of cell shading right?

@ebrahimg8346 8 жыл бұрын

also this is more of cell shading right?

@ebrahimg8346 8 жыл бұрын

***** yeah true

@ThembiLewis 7 жыл бұрын

This is so useful! As someone trying to write independent comics, this is a really helpful way to upskill myself so I can cut down on hiring a big full-time team. I'll definitely be giving your course a go. Do you know of any worthwhile courses for digitally inking a pencil scan?

@beatrizamaral9354 3 жыл бұрын

To make the first selection, I just click on the blank background with the magic wand and invert the selection. If I need to adjust it, I expand or contract that selection. I make flats really fast in that way.

@beatrizamaral9354 3 жыл бұрын

To fill the selections I just use the alt+del or ctrl+del shortkeys, so it fills the selection with the foreground color or background color that I chose.

@svinkammstein 4 жыл бұрын

i love it! thx you very much

@ankitpattanaik7704 7 жыл бұрын

Awesome Videos Sir. Really helpful :)

@henrickcostales9273 3 жыл бұрын

Cool Coloring !!!! May i ask what version you use in your PHOTOSOP? Thanks

@tatortatot8165 6 жыл бұрын

Very good!!

@Kall_Mii_Kemo 8 жыл бұрын

thank you I think I can use this in sketchbook

@robertdoan4243 5 жыл бұрын

Hey Michael, great videos. You are my go to guy. Quick question on your SFX layer, when i fill a layer with black and screen, it drowns out my colours a bit, but on yours it's showing up the same. What am i doing wrong?

@TacticalSquirrel 2 жыл бұрын

I use the pen tool in lieu of the lasso tool to put in flats. You can also use the pen tool and convert it to a selection

@colorwithkurt 2 жыл бұрын

Many ways to skin this cat as they say. :)

@thalleslc6969 8 жыл бұрын

excelente trabalho

@hiltonacetuvilla7299 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this! big help :)

@ryangunwitch-black 6 жыл бұрын

This is cool, but I'm interested in your CMYK profile set up. Where can I find the best info on setting those?

@pandaben7890 7 жыл бұрын

Good tutorial, love you ^^

@diwakarbro3682 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for putting up "real" tutorials....I mean you don't speak too fast nor are your vdo's sped up, so that we can actually learn something. You're my Guru!

@philmendez4771 8 жыл бұрын

You are so awesome! Thank you! Phil Mendez

@Smertokot 5 жыл бұрын

Great!!!! Thanks!

@hendrix5757 8 жыл бұрын

A faster and more convenient way to select the entire figure that I discovered instead of having to manually lasso around the outline of the silhouette, is to simply draw a circle around the element with the lasso tool, alt select (subtract) inside the circle with the magic wand tool, so now you're left with a perfect selection around the element, and lastly contract the selection 2 or 3 pixels so color will not exceed your line art when you proceed to fill it. At the very least, you could do the first few steps to get the selection outlined your subject, and zoom in and go in and fine tune or tweak the selection to your liking prior to contracting it. Either way, it'll get you closer to a ballpark selection and will saves you a ton of time manually tracing the figure by hand! Love your channel btw!

@hendrix5757 8 жыл бұрын

+K Michael Russell I did consider the fact the line art wouldn't always be closed, but as I mentioned by using the first couple of steps, you would end up with the majority or bulk of the selection already outlined. So I'd imagine shift+ lassoing the remaining sections would most likely take you a fraction of the time it would otherwise. Try it sometime on a drawing you already have colored/flattened in the past, just to find out for sure if it would indeed prove to be a faster or slower path up the same mountain. I understand that you have established your way of doing things that have proven to be most efficient for you, but I would be interested in hearing how this approach worked for you (you know, just for kicks!) lol I don't expect you to come out with a v.2.5 or 3.0 revision of this coloring tutorial again. After all, your videos are some of the primary tuts I've used to learn about flattening, so I figured it'd be worth a try!

@hendrix5757 8 жыл бұрын

+K Michael Russell But shouldn't the background be on it's own layer, though?

@hendrix5757 8 жыл бұрын

+hendrix5757 I just figured you would disable all the layers except a plain white bg, line art, and flat layers allowing you to precisely select only the line art. i dunno... if anything, I hope others will give it a go for curiosity's sake...

@JeremyWilliamson 6 жыл бұрын

MAN, this is THE BEST COLORING method I HAVE EVER seen and/or used!!! WOW!! Now, if I could use Photoshop on my iPad Pro 12.9" with my Mac to do it too, that'd be awesome! LOL

@JeremyWilliamson 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much man! I will!! I've been using the CONCEPTS APP for my Ipad Pro... it's WONDERFUL for drawing... I've always been more talented with the computer than free-hand, so it helps me a LOT! I can draw the image, export the vector outlines, then import into photoshop, and if Procreate has that option, then I could do that too??

@JeremyWilliamson 6 жыл бұрын

Can Procreate import vector files or even transparent .png files to color? Does that make sense?

@JeremyWilliamson 6 жыл бұрын

PERFECT!!! Now, I can work with that... I'll check it out later, but OMG... after learning how to do this with Photoshop, Procreate is gonna HAVE to be much better than this!!! haha Thanks again man!!

@CosyPigeon 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for creating this, I'm not much into comic coloring personally, but these techniques are usefull for any type of digital art style. The way you explain what you're actually doing with the software is really helpful. Was wondering, have you discoevered a way to make the Lasso Tool fill with a colour automatically as soon as you make the selection? I've been experimenting with drawing directly using the Lasso but am struggling to find a way to speed it up.

@colorwithkurt 4 жыл бұрын

Clip Studio has that function but PS doesn't. Thanks a lot!

@artoffredrophobia5380 4 жыл бұрын

Hi! Is the technique you did with the lasso tool selection applicable to Clipstudio Paint? Been trying to adjust the settings but to no avail. Thank you for your videos!

@himynameiscade 8 жыл бұрын

Great video. Very helpful. If you are doing a night scene, would you make your highlights more blue, rather than yellow, since the light is coming from the moon?

@himynameiscade 8 жыл бұрын

Okay, thanks! I'm literally doing this for the first time, and just colouring over some Daredevil inks.

@gordygor666 8 жыл бұрын

Amazing video! Thank you! =)

@sunjester8254 6 жыл бұрын

I think it's great you're doing these videos, but I'm wondering about your procedures. Why use the lasso tool instead of the magic wand/quick selection tool? If you need to extend into the ink lines, can't you just expand the border? Also, why color the whole image one color and then add colors to specific areas instead of doing each separately from the start? Do you also know the process for getting a comic print ready in other areas too? Do you save your photoshop artwork as a pdf and then place into indesign? I created the word balloons using illustrator. Should I put them into photoshop and then place into indesign, or put them into indesign and then type out the text there, then save as pdf? Thanks for any input you can offer.

@TheMattybake 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the excellent tutorial. If you don't mind me asking, how do you actually find color flatters to do the flatting stage?

@TheMattybake 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@antonyart2768 6 жыл бұрын

I don`t know How? BUT IT WORKS!!!!! Thank you so much!! I dont have graphic tablet and that is not so fast as i want BUT i can do that with my mouse!

4 жыл бұрын

your tutorial is great, I have a question how do you set up that action that creates a new layer with your selection and then blocks the transparency?

@simonavdlb Жыл бұрын

I want to know that too!! I'm using CSP but I can't find the way to do the same

@zadrhion 8 жыл бұрын

What are your brush settings when doing the first part of the rendering/highlighting? (Before you got into the Color Dodge mode.)

@northernwindcomicspaul2531 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome

@hutchewah 7 жыл бұрын

man thats great. now how do i print it on my home printer? thanks.

@tomtrees763 7 жыл бұрын

you are great !!!

@jenakin_skywalker6275 6 жыл бұрын

very helpful

@ronniethezombie 6 жыл бұрын

I still suck at coloring but this helped me so much thank you. At-least I've been flatting right.

@artlife2252 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you for making this video Mr Russell! I have some questions if you don't mind? I don't understand all the shortcuts that you mention in the video. How do you select an area that doesn't effect the rest of the flat color when changing color of a specific part? as well as rendering. Sorry if it's a stupid question, English isn't my native language...

@artlife2252 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@TheOllyj 3 жыл бұрын

Need help! New to digital colouring, when I go to use the lasso tool at the beginning, How do I use it?! Do I need to click and hold as I draw round the outline? Sorry for the stupid question but I really am completely new to it all

@derek1744 8 жыл бұрын

great job ! but how do you put the color in the background at 48:50 ? it's not working for me

@dumplingking494 5 жыл бұрын

How do you select the lasso selections after you have deselected them when trying to do highlights/color?

@acem73 8 жыл бұрын

Like y Suscrito, Muchas Gracias Michael

@gregfilipino3701 8 жыл бұрын

I noticed you used to color using screen blending brush mode right? is it faster to work with normal mode to render the colors?

@BrkGncyHD 7 жыл бұрын

Video için teşekkürler.

@Eddluvsya 7 жыл бұрын

do you have any videos/tutoris that show how to ink and do shadowing?

@vonnyrotten 3 жыл бұрын

Great video, thanks for the info Color with Kurt. Could you or even another commenter explain how your overlapping bucket selection doesn't affect the whole selection? I understand why you dont need to reselect the outside lines versus the white background, but I dont understand why your lasso can grab the face and half of the hair and only change the face.

@gregoryashley7963 2 жыл бұрын

That's what I'd like to know. I don't believe he explained that step.

@karbikarbi7787 Жыл бұрын

Yes I also want to know, could you please explain this Kurt?

@newname5517 4 жыл бұрын

Good video. I have never used photoshop before. Looks like I need to. Do I need some kind of electronic pen for this?

@colorwithkurt 4 жыл бұрын

I do recommend tablets for this. PS is not a requirement. There are a lot of apps available for coloring.

@leatherandpoemscharmyman5774 4 жыл бұрын

hi is it necessary to make the selection beyond the lines ? (a little half between lines and flat color) how much thicker the line will be for make fast selections?

@fahmisa4790 6 жыл бұрын

nice videos thanks for sharing

@axilusturner2558 7 жыл бұрын

Great video. But how did you do this gradient effects on skin and etc. after flatting the picture?

@axilusturner2558 7 жыл бұрын

Oh, thanks a lot :D

@FunArtWithDavidAnimator 7 жыл бұрын

Hey bro your art is great i like it. What is tablet are you using?

@FunArtWithDavidAnimator 7 жыл бұрын

K Michael Russell oh you use Wacom intous and your art is working great.

@MrSkyblu1 6 жыл бұрын

One thing I think would help is to explain the various things you're doing, how you do them, and why. While you did that in certain areas, I got up to the point where you were highlighting the hair and you used that wheel to alter the color a bit. I think most people, myself included, have no idea how to make that appear. Otherwise, your videos are very helpful and I thank you for posting them.

@MrSkyblu1 6 жыл бұрын

Cool. Thanks!

@Constantinesis 4 жыл бұрын

Hello! When i use Lock transparent pixels it only works if i am on the same layer with the colors behind but i see you are on a different layer. I am doing something wrong or you actually have the colors on the same layer ? Thanks!

@oliver265 7 жыл бұрын

On Photoshop CC they have a bunch of plans. Can I just get the 10 dollar basic photography one or do I have to get the 20 dollar single app one?

@bueasink7650 6 жыл бұрын

High Mike, i dont understand the part where u create a new white new layer (which u later named flats). everytime i try to create a new layer but all i get this transparent (or pixel-ish) background. Please reply ASAP. thanks