|
*NOTE These tips are for PhotoShop 6 so if your using a different version or Paint Shop Pro then these tips might not apply to you*
What does cleaning the scan means? Cleaning the scans involve using the leveling tool to whiten the scans from gray to something closer to black and white. The Leveling tool can be found in Image->Adjust->Level or CTRL+L. To get the best result, it's best to judge by eye and move the left arrow to the first peak and the right arrow to near the first depression. Again it's best to judge with your eyes and have the zoom at a nice number like 100% or 50% so the picture is at a better ratio and PhotoShop doesn't have to scale it (which causes distortions). Note: Do Not mess with the middle arrow, you do not need to touch it for manga editing. What do you mean by tilting? Well when you scan an image, sometimes the scans aren't always 100% straight or it can just be a little crocked cause of the original. To fix this, we can rotate the image a little to compensate for it. *Note when you tilt, it is best to have the secondary color of the paint tool be white, cause when you tilt, it replaces the area that's tilted with the background color Example* To rotate/tilt the scans, got to Image->Rotate Canvas->Arbitrary. It's up to you to pick clockwise or counter clock wise but it's best to use a small value like 0.1 or 0.5 until the scan seems level. Again judge by eye. What do you mean by resizing? Well when you scan an image, it doesn't give you an nice image height like 800, 1000, 1100 pixels. Also, it helps the overall presentation of the final product if all the scans are the same size and not just random size cause you were too lazy to be consistent. To resize, got to Image->Image Size. For HQ edits, its recommended that you have a resize height of around 1100pixels or higher. Make sure you keep Constrain Proportions checked off. What do you mean by removing the text? Removing the text involves removing the Japanese/Chinese/whatever language scans your using from the text bubbles. The easiest way for normal bubbles with white background is to use the brush tool (shortcut key B), with pure white color. Note if sometimes the background for the bubble is a different color, you can use the eye drop tool. Either select It or hold ALT when you have the brush tool selected. If you encounter text over Art or background that will be cover next. Other notes, it's best to use a brush solid brush as oppose to a feather brushed. Examples, the one on the first row are solid brushes and the one on the second row are feathered brushes. Another note, don't be scared to make your own brush type if you need it. Just click on the little arrow like this. After that, just adjust the new brush type to your needs. Note: While removing the text, you should remove the blotches you see that you think isn't part of the art. These blotches are cause by several things, either the scanner was dirty, the original manga had them or the manga acquired them at one point or another maybe cause they were old etc. Try your best to remove any of these blotches you see. What is the Clone Stamp Tool? Well the clone stamp tool is a very useful tool that helps your replace are that was missing as a result of text or as a result of the scans. To fully understand how to use the clone stamp tool (shortcut key S) requires playing around with it, but I will try to give you an idea of how to use it. Two examples of where you need to use the clone tool is when you have a 2 page spread that you want to merge or if you have art that was removed cause it was underneath text. Two Page spreads: Replacing Background Art: To use the clone tool, you need to know 2 main things.
Note: It is best to play around with it to get the hang of it. Also, you can use a mix of the brush and the clone tool to replace the art. 6) Inserting the translated text: What do I mean by inserting the translated text? Well it means putting the text from the translated text file onto the actually picture. You can do this in 2 ways, by cut and copying from the translation file OR by typing it in yourself. Also, you should proof read it a little if possible to prevent grammatical errors if you see them. To put text into the bubbles, use the text tool (shortcut key T). What the text tool does is makes another layer over the background layer (if you don't know what I'm talking about, read a PhotoShop FAQ). Anyways, after selecting the text tool, I make a text box with it over the bubble. Various Rules/Notes:
Note: The Font use for MP release is usually Wild Words. Depending on the edits, there are various rules as to what type of effects you should place on the text. Text effects are something like the white borders around text that you see. It is also basically the only one you need for manga editing. The easiest way to make the borders around the text is with the stroke effect. Layer->Layer Style->Stroke. The Stroke Tool. If you use the stroke tool, pick a appropriate size for the effect etc and you can change the color to meet your needs in the color option. Just save the file duh? Make sure you save it as a .psd file so you can make changes later if needed and save every now and then so you don't loose your work. 9) Converting from PSD to JPEG Converting from PSD to jpg can be done in several ways. One way is to do it with PhotoShop manually or with actions. Another way is to use an external program like IrfanView or ACDSee. Either way, save it as Grayscale and use a setting like 7 in PS6, or 70% in IrfanView and ACDSee.
Well that's basically it. It's up to you to actually use this information and apply it to the scans and if you have any questions: DON'T BUG ME FOR THE ANSWER =P. -DH (DontHurt) |