Male Northern Cardinal PSP7-8

This is the Northern Cardinal in male plumage. You will be using my canvas file and the lighten darken tools to create the image. This tutorial was written for version 8, but all supplies are compatible with PSP7.

PSP7 users please note that the lighten/Darken settings are found in the Retouch tool options. You may wish to use the soften setting to give your finished image a look more like the PSP8 finished image.

Sources

You will need my canvas and colors files available here.

Keep in mind that your results will vary every time you try using the lighten, darken, smudge and soften tools.

Remember to save often!

Why you won't see any specific Lighten/Darken settings.

The more you repeatedly go over an area with either brush, the darker it gets with darkening and lighter it gets with lightening. If we pretend I give you the exact settings I used, you still won't get the exact same results I got *that* particular time. I get very different results with the same settings on the same day. I suspect those of you uncomfortable with this tool and other similar tools do not trust your own eyes. You will need to trust your own artistic judgement. Once I learned to do that myself, my own retouch tool group work improved to my own eyes. I will give you rough settings: hardness and density less than 50.

Open the MWmalecardcanvas.psp file. File->SaveAs and use a new name. Open my MWmalecardcolors.psp file.

Click on the 01 legs red2 layer. Selections->Load->from Alpha Channel the matching selection. Flood with the dark red color, row 2, 2nd color(red2). Use the darken tool around the edges and lighten the middle. Selections->Select none.
Click on the 02 thigh red1 layer. Selections->Load->from Alpha Channel the matching selection. Flood with the light red color, row 2, 1st color(red1). Use the darken tool around the edges and lighten the middle. Selections->Select none.
Click on the 03 body red1 layer. Selections->Load->from Alpha Channel the matching selection. Flood with red1. Use the darken tool around the edges and lighten the middle. Selections->Select none.
Click on the 04 tail red2 layer. Selections->Load->from Alpha Channel the matching selection. Flood with red2. Use the darken tool around the edges and lighten the middle. Selections->Select none.
Click on the 05 up tail red1 layer. Selections->Load->from Alpha Channel the matching selection. Flood with red1. Use the darken tool around the edges and lighten the middle. Selections->Select none.
Click on the 06 back red2 layer. Selections->Load->from Alpha Channel the matching selection. Flood with red2. Use the darken tool around the edges and lighten the middle. Selections->Select none.
Click on the 07 wing red2 layer. Selections->Load->from Alpha Channel the matching selection. Flood with red2. Use the darken tool around the edges and lighten the middle. Selections->Select none.
Click on the 08 wing2 red1 layer. Selections->Load->from Alpha Channel the matching selection. Flood with red1. Use the darken tool around the edges and lighten the middle. Selections->Select none.
Click on the 09 beak orange layer. Selections->Load->from Alpha Channel the matching selection. Flood with the orange. Use the darken tool around the edges and lighten the middle. Selections->Select none.
Click on the 10 mask black layer. Selections->Load->from Alpha Channel the matching selection. Flood with black. Selections->Select none.
You will need to move the 02 thigh red1 layer above the 10 mask black layer. You may wish to soften or smudge the various layers to smooth the colors a bit. Depends on your own lighten/darken settings and your eyes. Don't forget to reveal the eye layer!
Please resize your image before showing it off to groups.

Take me to the female cardinal.

PSP7 tool icons are from MaMaT's icon tubes.

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