Did you ever wonder how some people have such cool graphics in their signatures with their username on them? And how are they able to make them?

In this step-by-step tutorial, I'll teach you how to make a cool signature with your username on it, like the one below, without needing any special resources (like brushes). Note that some of the steps explained aren't exactly precise and it can vary from signature to signature.



Let's get this done!

1. Firstly, open your photoshop program and create a new file with a size suitable for signatures. I often use 355x100 pixels.

2. Your signature will obviously need a theme, and therefore, a render. Search in DeviantArt.com or Render-World.com for a render of your interest.
For this tutorial, I used a Sepiroth one.



3. After having a cool render opened in photoshop, drag it to the signature file that you created earlier.
Note: You'll want a big render similar to mine so you can freely rotate, resize and move it on the signature.



4. Now free transform your render until it covers the background completely. This includes copying, rotating, resizing and moving.
This was my result:



5. After you get a result similar to that, merge all layers and apply a Gaussian Blur of 2.5 - 3.5. You'll get something like this:



6. Create a new layer above the blurred renders. Then drag once again your chosen render (non-blurred) to the image. Resize it until it fits an important part of the render in the image.



7. Now select the layer you created earlier which is still blank. Pick up the 200px Soft Round brush and paint a white dot behind your 'main' render. Change the layer blend mode to Soft Light.



8. Now make a new layer on the top of all the other ones. Use once again the 200px Soft Round brush to brush black in a side of the signature and brush white in the other side of the signature. Take a look at my example below:



9. Now duplicate the render layer and put this copied layer on top of all the other ones. Go to Filter -> Liquify. Mess with the render until it gets similar to the result below:



Change the liquified layer blend mode to Soft Light and reduce its opacity to 25%-40%. In this tutorial signature I put the opacity to 40%.



10. Now duplicate the original render layer once again and put it once again on top. Add a Motion Blur (Filter -> Blur -> Motion Blur) to it using these settings: Angle - 45º Distance - 50



Move it to the black brushed part of your signature and change the layer blend mode to Soft Light. Reduce the opacity to 50%-70%. I used 70%.



11. Duplicate the original render once again and apply the motion blur with the same settings once again but this time don't move it. Change its mode to Soft Light.



12. Now attention. Pick up a 3px Soft Round brush and give it these settings:



Once you do this, make a new layer on top of all the other ones and brush the render like I did. In this case, I brushed all around the render and brushed along Sepiroth's hair and armor.



13. So far so good. But we can make it so much better. Smudging is always a good technique to improve your graphics.
Duplicate the original render but this time, place the copied render under the 'main' render. Use these settings for smudging:



After smudging at your will, set the layer blend mode to Color Dodge.
Pick up now the Sharpen tool and start sharpening a little what you smudged.
Here's my result:



14. Go to Image -> Apply Image and click OK. Now flip the image horizontally, change to layer blend mode to Soft Light and reduce the opacity to 20%.



15. From this step onwards, we will start adding the adjustment layers which will give the cool color effects to the signature.

Add an adjustment layer of Hue/Saturation in the top of all layers.
Set the saturation to -40.



Now add a Invert adjustment layer. Set its layer blend mode to Color and reduce opacity to 30%.



Add a Curves adjustment layer. Mess with this powerful tool until you get the balance of the colors of your image desired.



Now create once again an adjustment layer and select Gradient. Make a gradient that goes from solid black and slowly fades. Make this adjustment layer blend mode Soft Light and change the opacity to 32%. Then create a last adjustment layer of Hue/Saturation and give it a bit of lightness and reduce the saturation a bit too. You'll get something like this example below:



16. Right-Click on any layer and select Flatten Image, so all the layers merge.
Go to Image -> Apply Image and click OK.
Then go to Filter -> Sharpen -> Sharpen.
Now go to Edit -> Fade Sharpen and reduce it a bit so it still looks sharp but in a reasonable ammount.



17. We're almost done! Duplicate your only layer and set the blend mode to Soft Light. Reduce the opacity to 40%.
Now go to Image -> Adjustments -> Brightness/Contrast.
Add a little of brightness so the black part of the sig contrasts well with the white part of it.



And that's it! We're done with making a cool signature. After doing the steps above, you can still add text and/or borders, it's all up to you!

Here's my final result, with text on it:



Credits: DeviantArt people for providing me with some of knowledge applied and Render-World.com for being such a grear render site!

Note: I would fancy some reputation for this as it took me some time to do it

Very nice guide. I'll refer to this when I make my own sig. +rep 4 u!

there are only three letters to discribe that guide.........WOW! that is an amazing guide. +rep for you

Thanks ^^
If many people like this guide, I'm thinking of making one on how to create cool looking text, so you can apply it perfectly to your own signatures!

wow, thanks, this tutorial is one of the best ive seen +rep *goes off and makes (another) new sig*

Happy sig creating, and post it here when you finish.
If anyone else creates sigs with this tutorial, post their sigs here too.

wow nice guide +rep

wow, i kinda messed up but w/e
and now you can see why i stick to programming

Edit: on second thought, my sig pwns, its much better than anything else ive made at least

Here's mine. I kinda messed up on the flames...but anyways

Wow both yours and billy's are so cool ^^
Though I think you jumped loads of steps billy
and pand, you choosed an awesome render and the background is kool, just un-shapen a little the flames and you've got something pretty cool (imo)!

I had a go at this in PSP and I think it turned out pretty damn good for a first attempt, using the wrong program!

Amazing Guide!
I would +rep you but you were the last person I +repped

I made a sig using this. Got bored so I only whent through half. Still looks awsome

Awesome guide! I'll post my result in a bit. +rep for you!

Wow this is some guide. Plus rep for you.

That's what I came up with. The only thing I'm iffy about is the text. I cut out a few of your adjustment layer steps, because they just didn't seem right. I think some of that depends on the image you're using.

oops, forgot a border!