Photoshop Help

I need help on a sig, and If I didnt word the topic right, I am sorry.

I have this image and want to turn it into a flashy signature image.

http://rena.pp.ru/inuyasha/tv-kadr2/iytv043-00.jpg
// mod edit: image was too large to display so I changed it to a link

What I want to do is around the character add a red "demonic-like" glow to it. How would I go by doing this?

that effect is pretty easy to achieve in PS...what you would want to do is cut the character from the background. What I usually do is use the magic wand tool, set to like 16 or something low. you could also use the magnetic lasso. Now I find that adding a feather to the selection blurs the edges to give him a nice smooth edge, and not look like it has been cut from something. Once you are satisfied with the cut, move him to the sig image you want to use.

Now go to where your layers are displayed, and there are i think like five little icons in the bottom. Choose the one that says 'layer properties'...make sure the layer with your char is selected first though. now a rollout will appear, choose outer glow....you can set the color of the glow, size and various other options you can do to tweak it however you want....

Hope that made any sense..

Thanks, I will post the results when I do this.

I think the the pen tool in conjunction with your nav pannel would be your best bet. I find the pen tool to be the best for making semi to complext selections. Maybe im just using the magic wand & magnetic lasso the wrong way.
Then like Vladdrac mentioned go to layer>layer styles>blending options to add wanted effects.

yea probably the pen tool would be a good idea, I haven't really used it that much, perhaps I should. But really the wand would be pretty quick seeing how the char has a thin black line on all edges.

I will have to play around with the wand a little more. I have a hard time making detailed selections with it unless I am selecting simple shapes. Same with the magnetic lasso and magnetic pen tool. They seem to be to sloppy. I may be using them wrong.

Yes you should start fiddling with the pen tool, I think it is one of the most important and overlooked tools in PS.

well yeah, Im not a big fan of the magnetic lasso either, but I have used it in a pinch. I guess the wand would be good for speed....but you can get pretty accurate with it, combined with the other selection tools to select/deselect certain areas

I will have to play around with it some more "M wand". I know that it can be pretty accurate and quick if used in right. I came across a sight the one day (wish i still had the link), but this guy was great he used a technique that allowed him to make very precise selections of very complexed objects using the wand. If I remember right he did all of his selections in grey scale. I will have to look for it.
http://koimports.com/photos/sigv4.jpg
//mod edit: too large to display on ozzu image changed to link

Hows your sig comming along?

Here ya go. It could be done better but the quality of the original pic wasn't all that good to begin with.

nice work,

If i were you I'd really get rid of the background by extracting just the character itself and putting it on your own custom background you made. Probably something grungy but without all that mess going on. I don't really like the red pants and the red stuff behind it. It's not a criticizm, donn't get me wrong. It's just a friendly advice..

Here's a good link that shows you cool SIG techniques
http://forums.clantemplates.com/article.php?c=4

And on http://www.pixel2life.com you will find a lot of tuts on "extracting" images.

Oh here is the good one on extracting for you Origin

Oh here is the good one on extracting for you Origin

http://www.imagetemple.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5

I'd use the pen tool because it's far more accurate. It can take a while depending on what image you're extracting, but on that one it looks pretty simple.

This is just what I'd do, doesn't mean to say it's the best thing to do...

Use the pen tool to cut out the character, and copy it to another, transparent layer. Select the outline of the character again (Ctrl+the layer with just the character on it). Create a new layer behind the layer of the character. Expand the selection by a few pixels. Fill it with whatever shade of red you want. Motion blur it a little, then gassian blur a little. Back to the characters layer...In the blending properies give it a white outer glow with a transparency of about 90.

That's just what I'd for for a start to make the character stand out more from the background, and make it more of a focal point.

Once I've gotten round to round to re-installing Photoshop (when I've found the disk) I might have a go and see what I can come up with