Preview of Final Results

How to Create an Anime Artwork in Photoshop

Step 1 – The Outline

1. Use the Levels tool (Image > Adjustments > Levels) to correct the contrast of the outline. You can do this with the Levels tool by moving the black and white input sliders towards the center of the histogram. Make sure that the background is 100% white and the outline is 100% black with smooth edges.
2. To begin, you’ll need to unlock the Background layer. To do this, double-click on the Background layer in the Layers palette and click OK in the New Layer window.
3. Now that the layer is unlocked, you can change the blending mode to Multiply. This will make the white background in the layer transparent.

Step 2 – Separating the Outline

1. In the Channels palette (Window > Channels), click on the button. This will create a selection using the tonal information from the layer. Press the Delete button on your keyboard to delete the white background.
2. Add a new layer below the outline layer and fill the layer with white.
3. Change the blending mode of the layer to Multiply.

Step 3 – Base Color

1. Add a new layer below the white layer.
2. Select the Magic Wand tool and, in the option bar, set the Tolerance to 50.
3. In the option bar, checkmark the Contiguous and Sample All Layers options.
4. With the Magic Wand tool selected, click where you want to add color.
5. Expand the selection by 3 pixels using the Expand command (Select > Modify > Expand). If you are using Windows, you can press Alt, S, M, E on your keyboard to quickly access this menu item.
6. Use the Paint Bucket tool to fill the selection with a color of your choice. Use the same technique (Create a selection with the Magic Wand tool then fill with the Paint Bucket tool) for the entire image.

Step 4 – Adding Shadows

1. Create a new layer and position it between the white layer and the base color layer.
2. Select the Magic Wand tool and set the tolerance to 1 (so that it will only pick one color) and uncheck the Contiguous and Sample All Layers options.
3. Select the Brush tool and set the hardness to 100%. This will give the brush a sharp edge.
4. In the Tools palette, click on the foreground color. This will bring up the Color Picker window. Select the base color from where you want to start. This will give us the hue of the color. Move the slightly off the area to change the saturation and brightness of the color.
5. Paint the shadows. Be sure to pay attention to where the light is coming from to get proper looking shadows.

Step 5 – Dodge and Burn