Final Image Preview

Take a look at the final result first. Want access to the full PSD files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join PSDTUTS PLUS for just $9/month. You can view the final image preview below or view a larger version here.

Tutorial Details

• Program: Photoshop CS4
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Estimated Completion Time: 7 hours

Resources

First of all I would like to thank the authors of these great stock images: Julia Starr, MouritsaDA-Stock, mjranum-stock, mjranum-stock, mjranum-stock, SXC and the brush zigabooooo.

Step 1

Create a new document size 1900×1200 and fill the background with black. Then take 3 of those scratch textures that Julia Star has created, and apply these effect to them. Leave the first texture set’s Layer Style to Normal, then set the other two to Multiply. This will darken the background and apply some nice color gradients.

Step 2

Import the woman stock image. Cut her out using the Pen Tool (P). You will have to play with the Color Balance to give the model a reddish color. Play with Red and Magenta, as this should work just fine. Then double-click the layer to enter the Blending Options and add an Outer Glow set to black, Normal, Opacity 50%, Spread 0 and Size 50 px. And the final move on this step is to use the Brush Tool (B) with the brush you have imported from the link above, and use it to erase parts of the model’s body.

Step 3

Create a new layer and place it below the model. Now make a selection of the model and set the brush to a blue color #295956 and 2px then stroke the selection. As soon as you have created the stroke just move the stroke slightly to the left and up then apply a wave effect to it.

Step 4

Next, create a pyramid using the Pen Tool (P) and place it onto a new layer. You can fill the layer with black but eventually you will have to use the Brush Tool (B) and apply different colors on the pyramid. Also you will lower the Opacity of the layer so that the background is a bit visible.

Next you will need to Merge the pyramid layers strokes and brush work. Then apply the settings from the image below.

Step 5

Bring in the document with another mannequin image and cut out the lower part of the mannequin, then place it in position.

Using the same technique as you have done with the previous image you need to create some break apart effects. This time you will use the Lasso Tool (L) to erase some bigger portions of the layer.

Step 6

Create a new layer above the mannequin, and while using the Pen Tool (P), brush a few white strokes set to 1px. This will give the impression of the mannequin being under construction.

Step 7

Using the brush that zigabooooo provided, you need to create a few break apart effects using the colors you will pick from the models using the Eye Picker Tool (I).

Step 8

Use the Pen Tool (P) again to create a line along the first mannequin. Set the brush to 3px or 2px then set the Blending Options of this stroke like below. Color does not matter because you will add an effect over it.

Step 9

Again same as you did in step 6 you need to create some more white strokes but this time create them above the second mannequin. Make sure you place this layer in such a manner that the hand of the second mannequin looks like it reaches in there.

Step 10

Now using the Lasso Tool (L) you need to select parts of the original second mannequin and place those pieces over the strokes you have created in step 9. This will give the impression that parts of the statue has been constructed. Also, the hand of the first mannequin looks like it is actually constructing the pieces, or putting them together.

Step 11

Just like you did in step 8 you need to repeat the step and create another stroke. This time make the brush bigger, set the Shape Dynamics of the Brush to Pen Pressure to obtain that nice look and also this time apply a different color to the stroke but the same settings like the first stroke.

Step 12

Use the Pen Tool (P) and create really small strips of strokes using the same color as on the big stroke.

Step 13

Open up the other mannequin image and using the Pen Tool (P) you need to cut out the hand from that image. Then as you did with the legs you need to create the break apart effect over the hand.

Step 14

Next you need to create those small strokes where the arrow point then create the break apart effect around the hand.

Step 15

Go back at the leg of the second mannequin and create another yellow stroke around his leg using the Pen Tool (P).

Step 16

Another yellow stroke that will go from the arm to the legs of the mannequin.

Step 17

What you need to do next is to add the next mannequin in the document. Cut it out using the Pen Tool (P) and place it into the document. You will have to repeat the same steps as you did with the first mannequin. Add same color and play with the levels to darken some areas a little.

To make it a bit different, apply the settings shown below.

Next same as you did before create those nice looking waves around the mannequin. Then, while using the Pen Tool (P), set the brush to white and 1 px then create soft strokes on the edges and other areas to bring in some details.

Step 18

Create another pyramid shape under the third mannequin layer. This time use different colors, then use the Burn and Dodge Tools (O) to give a bit of depth to the shape.

Final result so far.

Step 19

Going back to the hand you will create some more strokes. This time you will not use only the Pen Tool (P) with the stroke effect but this time you will use your tablet too and create some more thin strokes and create that nice looking swirl. For the color use the Eye Picker Tool (I) and chose a color from the white mannequin.

Step 20

Create some more swirls around the mannequins using the same techniques and from time to time use your tablet to create those skinny strokes.

Step 21

Use the Pen Tool (P) and, in a new layer, create a white shape like in the image below. You will then use the Eraser Tool (E) in some locations to make them transparent and erase some areas to make the leg of the mannequin go over the shape.

Step 22

Use the Pen Tool (P) again and create a soft white gradient into a new layer like below. This will give the impression like the pyramid has a bottom for the mannequin to sit on.

Step 23

The result so far must look like this. Also, the next few steps should prove to be fairly easy.

Step 24

In this step you will notice that there are some more new elements added to the document. These are just some simple triangles created again with the Pen Tool (P) and just a text “SAVE US”. In all these elements you need to use this brush from Ryoku15 or other clouds you can find for free and place them inside these elements. You do this simply by creating a new layer above the element, apply the cloud and set the layer to Soft Overlay or just lower the Opacity. You can play with the setting and chose the one that suits your work best.

Step 25

Now you need to add the color effects. First you need to add a color fill. Do this by going at the bottom of the layer palette and chose Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer and from that tab choose Solid Color and use the settings below. In the end, set the layer to Screen and Opacity to 30%.

Step 26

Again go to the Create new fill or adjustment layer and from that tab chose Levels and use the settings below.

Step 27

Now you need to add the color effects. First select everything by pressing Command + A (Ctrl + A on Windows) then go to Edit > Copy Merged. This copies every layer that is active. Then, go back to Edit and Choose Paste and this copies every layer that was visible into a single layer, like a jpg file.

Step 28

Duplicate the layer and make it Black & White by pressing Command + Shift + Option + B (Ctrl + Shift + Alt + B on Windows). Then set the layer to Hard Light and Opacity 50%.

Step 29

The final result should look like the image below. The image looks pretty good as it is. The colors are very nice but if you want to change them you can play with the image in Lightroom or simply in Photoshop by applying some Curves effects.

Conclusion

You can view the final image below or view a larger version here.

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  Simple HDR Technique

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  Creating A Stunning 3D liquid Explosion Illustration

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  Creating a Torn Photo Effect

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  Cool 2010 Wallpaper

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This Plus Tutorial is Filled with Creative Tips

This tutorial is a collaboration between myself, Alex Beltechi, and college pal, Andrei Bacter. I’ve requested his help to bring you a bit of what we don’t do a lot on Psdtuts – Matte Painting. This technique combines photo scenery and tablet drawn details. As such, the tutorial is divided in two parts. The first one covers how to draw the actual character, which Andrei covers entirely. After that, we’ll jump straight into Part 2, where I teach you how to combine the sketch and photo with a pen tablet.

Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Photoshop CS3
• Difficulty: Advanced
• Estimated Completion Time: 5 hours

A preview of the final image is below.

Professional and Detailed Instructions Inside

Plus members can Log in and Download! Otherwise, Join Now! Below are some sample images from this tutorial.

PSD Plus Membership

As you know, we run a premium membership system here called ‘Plus’ that costs $9 a month (or $22 for 3 months!) which gives members access to the Source files for tutorials as well as periodic extra tutorials, like this one! You’ll also get access to Net Plus and Vector Plus, too. If you’re a Plus member, you can log in and download the tutorial. If you’re not a member, you can of course join today!

Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the Psdtuts+ RSS Feed to stay up to date with the latest Photoshop tutorials and articles.

Final Image Preview

Take a look at the image we’ll be creating. Want access to the full PSD files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Psd Plus for just $9/month. You can view the final image preview below.

Tutorial Details

• Program: Photoshop
• Version: 7 and up
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Estimated Completion Time: About 4 to 5 hours

Step 1 – Open and Prepare Image for Editing

You can download the source image for this tutorial here. Open the image in Photoshop. Right click on the background layer and select “Duplicate Layer…”

Double click the new layer and rename it “Restoration”. Either lock or hide the background layer so that you can reference it later. Save often.

Step 2 – Apply a Levels Adjustment Layer

Select the Adjustment Layers pallet, then select Levels. Use the settings in this screenshot. Black point at 7, white point at 243.

Step 3 – Set the Eyedropper Tool Sample Size

Select tool (i) and set to a 5 px by 5 px average sampling area.

Step 4 – Retouch the White Spots and Scratches

Using a Soft Round Brush (B) of about 21 pixels, with a hardness of 0, and blending mode set to darken, start filling in the voids in the photo.

This step is more art than science. Those of you with a Wacom Tablet will have a definite advantage. Option + Click on an area right next to the void to pick up the adjascent tonal values. If you are using a tablet you can vary the pen pressure to build up values gradually. Using a mouse, set the opacity of the brush to about 50%. Work over the complete image, filling in all of the white voids with adjascent values trying to maintain natural contours.

Increase and decrease the brush size as needed. You can use the blur tool with the blending mode set to darken to touch up small specks and blemishes. When you are finished the photo should look something like this.

Step 5 – Lighten the Dark Areas

Use exactly the same techniques in reverse.

Set the brush tool to the lighten overlay mode, and to clean up dark specks, set the Blur Tool to lighten. Rework the shadows and highlights again to catch flaws missed the first time. When you are finished the photo should look something like this.

Step 6 – Correct the Uneven Background

To not destroy detail in the current painted backdrop, we will work on a new layer to correct the background.

Create a new layer and name it “background corrections”.

Use a relatively large brush of about 400 px to 500 px, with the blending mode set to normal, and a 50% to 80% opacity, begin to even out the background tones.

If you make a mistake, just use the eraser tool with the same settings to correct. Take your time and rework until you are satisfied with the results. Your results may look something like this.

Step 7 – Focus on Jenny Lind’s Face

Zoom in and make the final corrections on Jenny’s face with a 25 px brush, blending mode normal, opacity 70%. Here are the areas of concern, smooth these out to the best of your ability.

Since Jenny Lind was a famous performer, there will be an abundance of reference photos to assist in filling in some of the detail. In this case we are lucky to have another photo of Jenny available from the Library of Congress. This photo is almost identical in pose, expression, and lighting; so we will paste a copy of Jenny’s face from the reference photo onto the restoration.

Align the photo directly over the face. You will need to scale the picture up and rotate a little to get the correct alignment.

Using the layers mask tool delete most of the reference photo except for the eyes, nose, and mouth. Here is how that might appear.

Now I will merge this layer down to the restoration layer, and finish the final details. Here’s the result.

Step 8 – Add Noise

Merge the background corrections layer and the levels adjustment layer with the restoration now. Then Right-Click on your restoration layer and select “Duplicate Layer…”.

Select “Filter > Texture > Grain” and apply these settings. You can rename this layer “Grain” if you like.

Play with the opacity and blend modes on this until you get a nice grain texture throughout the photo. This step masks the smoothness of the restoration and blends it seamlessly into the original photo.

Step 9 – Save a Copy

Save a copy for output to a printer of your choice.

Conclusion

You’re finished! Bask in the warm glow of the praise you will receive for your new found photo restoration skills!

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What’s more, the organisers are giving all Envato Members a special discount to enter the awards. Tuts+ readers will get a 30 per cent discount on entry (enter here) using this promotional code: 22ENVATO30.

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Final Image Preview

Let’s take a look at the image we’ll be creating. Want access to the full PSD files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join PSDTUTS PLUS for just $9/month.

Step 1

Create a new document with these settings like 1a. The first layer, call it “background” and fill any color. Then Open the Blending Options and settings (1b).

Step 2

Create a new folder, call it “ipod”. In this folder, create a new layer, call it “ipod” as well. Select the Rectangle Tool (U) to draw a rectangle shape like the one below (2a). Select the Pen Tool and click on the shape. After that, create four nodes of the shape as shown. At the top line, click to make a node between two top nodes. Then correct the top line of the curve by holding “Command” down, and clicking and dragging the node upward by a little (2b). Do the same with bottom line, but downward this time(2c). Then press Command + Enter to make the selection and fill that with color (2d).

Step 3

Open the Blending Options menu for “ipod” and adjust the settings like in image 3a. Create a new layer on top, call it “light ipod”. Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) to make a rectangle selection and fill it with white (3b). Then reduce the Opacity to 30% (3c).

Step 4

Create a new layer on top, call it “screen bg”. Use Round Rectangle (set Radius: 5px) to draw a shape like one below and fill it black color (4a). Then open Blending Option and setting (4b).

Step 5

Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to make the selection (5a). Press Command + J to duplicate this selection, rename the new layer “screen bg light”. Reduce the Opacity to 30% (5b). Then open the Blending Options and use the following settings (5c).

Step 6

Create a new layer on top, and call it “screen”. Use the same tool to make the rectangle selection right in the middle of the “screen bg” and fill it with black (6a). Then open Blending Options and use these settings (6b).

Step 7

Use the Polygon Lasso Tool to make the selection like in 7a. Press Command + J to duplicate this selection, rename the new layer “light screen”. Open Blending Options and use the specified settings (7b). Then reduce the Opacity to 30%.

Step 8

Create a new layer on top, call it “button bg”. Use Elliptical Marquee Tool to make the circle selection and fill it with white (8a). Then open Blending Options and use these settings (8b, 8c).

Step 9

Create a new layer over “button bg”, and call it “circle”. Use the same tool to make the smaller circle selection and fill it with white (9a). Then open Blending Options and copy these settings (9b, 9c). Add a button icon on “button bg” (9d).

Step 10

The right earphone is up next.

Create a new folder (outside “ipod” folder), call it “right earpiece”. Use the Elliptical Marquee Tool and the Pen Tool (P) to draw like in the steps below (10a). In turn, open the Blending Options of each layer and use these settings (10b, 10c, 10d).

Step 11

Create a new document (20 x 20px) with a transparent background. Choose the Custom Shape Tool, select the diagonal shape (11a). Draw and fill with black (11b). Then go to Edit > Define, name it “diagonal” and close this document (no need to save).

Step 12

Come back to the main document. Create a new layer under “right 03”, and call it “right 06”. While holding “Command” down click on the layer “right 03” to obtain its selection. Go to Select > Modify > Contract, put Contract by 2px. Go to Edit > Fill, at Contents select Pattern, at Custom select “diagonal”.

Step 13

The left earpiece.

Create a new folder (outside “right earpiece” folder) between “ipod” folder and “background”, call it “left earpiece”. Do the same steps of “right earpiece”.

Step 14

In the “left earpiece”, create a new layer on top, call it “shadow left” and according to the following images:

Step 15

Create a new layer under “left earpiece” folder, call it “line”. Use Pen Tool to draw like 15a. First, set Brush tool is hard brush 4px, black color. Then press U, click right mouse on the image, select Stroke Path to draw black line (15b). Open Blending Options this layer and setting (15c).

Step 16

Press Command + J to duplicate “line”, rename new layer “line shadow”. Move it under “line” and reduce Opacity to 40%. Then move this layer down a little.

Step 17

Create a new folder under “left earpiece” folder, call it “shadow”. Use Brush Tool, Pen Tool, and Elliptical Marquee Tool to draw accordin to the following images below:

Final Image

And that’s it for this device! For a quick makeover, download the source file and apply your own colors and skins!

Final Image Preview

Take a look at the image we’ll be creating. Want access to the full PSD files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Psd Plus for just $9/month. You can view the final image preview below.

Tutorial Details

• Program: Photoshop
• Version: CS
• Difficulty: Easy
• Estimated Completion Time: 25-35 mins

Step 1

Create a new document with these settings:

Step 2

Create a new layer set and name it “Pen”. Select Pen Tool (P) and draw a shape like one below. Before making the shape, make sure to select “Shape Layers” option from Options bar. Name this shape as "base" and give it a Gradient Overlay of gray shades.

Step 3

Draw another shape using Pen Tool and name it “body”.

Step 4

You need to add some reflections to the body. Create a new layer and Command-click on “body” layer, fill the selection on the new layer with white. Press Ctrl+T and reduce the width of the new layer to 75%. Now go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur ,click OK after making the settings shown below. Finally, reduce opacity of the layer to 50% and give it a Gradient Overlay.

Step 5

Use Rectangle Tool (U) or Pen Tool (P) to make a shape like one below and name it “neck” for convenience. Give it Layer Styles as mentioned.

Step 6

Just like the body of the pen, add reflections to the neck but while doing so, change the opacity of first reflection layer to 75% and that of duplicate layer to 100%, keeping size reduction proportions same.

Step 7

Using Pen Tool (P), make a curved strip as shown.

The strip looks very smooth but actually it has got some aliasing which can create problems in the forthcoming steps. To fix this, right-click on the shape layer and select “Rastersize” from the menu. Now apply these filters to the layer:

Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur (Radius = 0.5 px)
Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen Edges

Next, give the strip these layer styles.

Step 8

Create a new layer (name it “shadow”) and place it below “strip” layer. Command-click on strip layer and go to Select > Modify > Expand, type 2 px and click OK. Now fill the selection with black on the “shadow” layer. Next, apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur (Radius = 0.5 px) to the layer.

A part of the shadow is overflowing on the pen’s body. To eliminate it, first Command + Click on the “body” layer, then Command + Shift + Click on the “neck” layer. Go to Select > Modify > Contract, type 1 px and click OK. With the “shadow” layer selected and the selection loaded, press Command + Shift + I and hit Delete.

Step 9

Create a shape like the one shown below using the Pen Tool (P) and give it a Gradient Overlay of the same colors as the ones we used for the “base” and “strip” layers.

Step 10

On a new layer, fill a selection with black using Rectangular Marquee Tool and Elliptical Marquee Tool as shown below. With the layer selected, go to Layer > Add Layer Mask > Reveal All. Drag a black to white gradient as directed.

Step 11

Use Step 7 and Step 8 to add a strip and its shadow over the nib, as shown.

Step 12

Right-click on the "Pen" layer set and select "Duplicate Layer Set" from the menu, click OK as the dialog box pops up. With duplicate layer set selected, hide the original layer set (as a backup copy) and press Command + E. By doing so, all the visible layers of the layer set will be merged into one layer. Go to Edit > Transform > Rotate, rotate the layer by 45 degrees clockwise. Finally, give some layer styles to the pen.

That’s it . I hope you learned something new from this tutorial.

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Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Photoshop CS4
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Estimated Completion Time: 30 minutes

Step 1

Open a new blank document and choose 512px for both width and height. This is the maximum size required for icons (Mac OS X Leopard). Create an ellipse above the center and to the left and name it “outer rim” (1a). Make two copies and scale them down (1b). Name the first “inside.” Move the other copy down, naming it “bottom” (1c).

Step 2

Create a new copy of the smaller ellipse and make it yellow, which will make the paint’s surface (2a). Position it inside the bucket, erasing the unnecessary pixels (2b). Name this layer “paint.” Now make a rectangular selection with the Marquee Tool (M) on the “bottom” layer and fill it to complete the bucket (2c). With the “bottom” layer selected hit Command + T to invoke the Free Transform Tool. Right-click and choose Perspective. Now drag the bottom corners towards the center to apply the correct perspective deformation (2d).

Step 3

Let’s shade the bucket. Light will come from the right side. Apply a Gradient Overlay (3a) and an Inner Glow (3b) layer effect to the “bottom.” The base color is a medium gray with lighter bands that simulate reflections, as shown below.

Step 4

Double-click the “outer rim” layer to open the Layer Style window and apply Inner Glow (4a). On a new layer below, paint a shadow for the rim using a big, soft brush. Choose black and paint lightly with one single stroke, following the rim’s curve. Shadow layers are always set in Multiply mode with their opacity turned down (4b). Name this layer “rim shadow.”

Step 5

Select the “inside” layer. Apply Gradient Overlay (5a) to make it look metallic and apply Inner Shadow (5b). The shadow is projected by the rim onto the inside, from the right side.

Step 6

We need to add a highlight to the top part of the rim since that spot is directly exposed to the light. To do that duplicate the “inside” layer (6a). With the Direct Selection Tool (A) select and erase the bottom point (6b). We will paint this path with a white stroke. Hit D to select the default black and white colors then X to swap them so white is in the foreground. Now activate the Brush Tool with B then hit F5 to bring up the Brushes palette and set up the brush according to image 6c.

Now in the Paths palette right-click the active path and choose Stroke Path. A dialog will appear: choose Brush and check the option Simulate Pressure (6d). You will see that the path is now a brush stroke that is tapered at the endpoints. Since it’s too faint let’s duplicate it, moving the copy a few pixels up, just enough to thicken the stroke (6e). Merge these two layers into one and name it “rim reflection.” The final touch is to blur the highlight with the Gaussian Blur filter, set to 1 pixel (6f).

Step 7

Select the “paint” layer and add an Inner Shadow style (7a). Duplicate this layer, name the copy “paint reflection,” and move it down (7b). With this layer still selected, Command-click the “paint” layer, thus loading its pixels as a selection, then go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection to mask out the unnecessary pixels.

We need to move the paint’s shadow above the “paint reflection.” Right-click the “paint” layer and choose Create Layer. This turns the Inner Shadow layer style into a separate layer (7c). Command-click the “paint” layer and apply this mask to the shadow (7d). On the “paint” layer add an Inner Glow layer style to simulate thickness at the seams (7e).

Create a new layer and select the same soft brush we used to paint the rim’s shadow. Press down Alt and hold it: the cursor will change from brush to eyedropper. Click on the “paint” layer to sample its tint, release Alt and paint a color bleed across the left hand side of the bucket (7f). Name this layer “bleed,” move it below the “paint” layer and reduce its Opacity to 50% (7g). Nice color variation!

Step 8

Let’s draw the paint splashes now. Grab the Pen Tool (P) and be creative (8a). Give the paint some shadow (8b). Paint is reflective so we need to draw some highlights with the Pen Tool (8c, 8d). These paths will be of course lighter. Name them “refl 1″ and “refl 2.”

Let’s add the final highlight. With the Lasso Tool (L) select the right half of the “refl 2″ layer (8e), then go to Layer > New > Layer Via Copy or simply hit Command + J. Add a nice Gradient Overlay to this highlight (8f). Now the paint splash reflects the environment (8g).

Step 9

Create a background (simple gradient) and a shadow (blurred black ellipse) for the icon. Pick the colors you like (9a). The last element to draw is the handle. On a new layer draw a dark gray ellipse on the left side of the bucket (9b). Add three layer styles: Satin (9c), Drop Shadow (9d), and Gradient Overlay (9e).

Step 10

Make a tiny copy of this ellipse and give it an Inner Shadow style: it’s the hole for the handle (10a). Now draw the handle with the Pen Tool (10b) and name it “handle.”

Stroke it with a dark gray brush like we did before for the rim reflection, but this time uncheck the Simulate Pressure option. Erase the unnecessary pixels so it looks like the handle is coming out of the hole (10c). Add a Satin style to the handle (10d).

Step 11

Finally let’s create the shadow from the handle. Add a Drop Shadow style (11a), create a layer from it, see Step 7 for information on this technique (11b). Move the shadow layer down a bit, then scale it vertically so it touches the base of the handle (11c). Erase the unnecessary pixels (11d) and you’re done!

Conclusion

You know what? These icons are easier done than said! Anyway I hope you learned a few new tricks from this tutorial and I hope you were creative enough to choose your favorite color for the paint

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