[Kaiju]

I made this a couple weeks ago to help out some people. This is not the "definitive" way to do it.. just what I do. Enjoy.
http://liquid2k.com/kaiju/tutorial.htm

[black_fish]

Cool tutorial.

Some questions:
- why scan it at 400 or 360 dpi? From what I know nobody's printing comics over 300 dpi. And a 300 dpi image is already huge! Any technical reason? (my pc is so slow that I use the 150 dpi you talked about).

- lately I have been putting my lineart on a top layer set to Multiply, and painting the flats on a layer under it. That works pretty well. Know anybody that uses that technique?

Thanks

[Kaiju]

Well nothing is really printed over 150dpi as far as comics are concerned, but you always have to think about promotional materials. Magazines, posters, and such. I know some colorists that work around 500-600dpi. 300-400 is just the true size of the original image is all.

As far as the multiply layer technique I really dislike it. To me if you are going to use a layer just make a true lineart layer. At least that way you can manipulate the colors of the linework easier. Leaving the lineart in the channels is easiest for me and it cuts down on file size. But to each their own. If that is what you like then that is what you like. I'm not going to tell anyone there is a wrong or right way.

[ May 11, 2001: Message edited by: Kaiju ]

[Pat]

I color all my comic covers at 400+ dpi.

[Freddio]

cool Pat

Higher dpi the better.... I say push it as much as you can..

because you can always decrease the dpi but you can't increase it once you've finished..

well you can but it looks crap

[Kaiju]

Well the linework is the main thing to worry about. You can resize the colors all you want pretty much, but just make sure you have a good copy of linework to put over it.

[Red Leader]

The high (400+) ppi is to maintain line integrity, but also to keep the bitmapped text from looking like crap. 400 ppi is about the minimum acceptable resolution for text at comic book lettering size, without focusing too much on the aliasing.

As for painting methods, anyone interested can go through the comiccolors.com message board archives and look up the methods I use posted there somewhere...I'm too lazy to do it for you.
Unlike a lot of other colorists, I start with a file converted from bitmap mode to CMYK, and put the linework in a channel for safe keeping. Then I run actions to generate the following layer setup:
a color layer (the background layer)
a trap layer (the linework loaded as a selection and contracted a pixel or two, then filled with my trap color)
a lines layer (lines channel loaded in and filled with %100 black on darken)
a color holds layer (using a transparency mask generated from the lineart channel)

I have various tricks to do glows and whatnot, but I won't go into that here...I think it's in one of my posts on Comiccolors.
Like Kaiju says, everyone's got their own way of doing things.

[edited to try and make this not so confusing]

[ May 17, 2001: Message edited by: Red Leader ]

[A.Buttle]

Red leader, come in, this is Gold 5, red leader, do you copy?

[Red Leader]

Roger, roger!

[NukleoN]

'I cannot watch my people die while you discuss this in a commitee!'

[Red Leader]

"you seen that new BT-16?"
"Yeah... some of the other guys were telling me about it, they say it's...it's quite the thing to see."

[Kaiju]

Ok stop it with the Star Wars stuff.. now I'm starting to feel geeky cause I know what you are talking about.

Anywho.. Dave does your action pretty much make your flats for you? Sounds like it. If it does do you think you could pass it along my way. Pretty please.. If not I think I may have just figured out how to do flats off of your little run down there. Email me if you want to chat [email protected]