Photoshop Tutorial: How to Create Your Digital Signature

A Quick and Easy Tutorial

Rachel Bogart, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Mar 21, 2007 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create your digital signature. This is a great tutorial if you are a digital artist and want to put your signature on your images or photos, or if you just do not want to put a watermark on them. This tutorial is great for adding that personal flare to anything digital. You can also print out your images with your signature on them. It is awesome for creating digital art, no matter what level photoshop user you are.

To begin, you have to write your signature on a piece of plan white paper in any color ink, black is probably the best color to use though because it shows up clearer. Then you have to transfer the signature to your computer. The best way to do this is by a scanner, but you can also use a digital camera, or even a camera phone if you do not have a scanner or regular digital camera. If you have access to a scanner, scan the paper with the signature on it at 300 dpi so the quality will be at its best, if you have to, you can use 150 dpo. If you use a digital camera or camera phone, take the picture in the largest size possible (640x480 will work if that is the largest size available). Transfer that image to your computer and then open it in Adobe Photoshop so you can begin making your digital signature.

Then you need to AutoLevel the picture. You can do this by pressing Shift+CTRL+L on your computer keyboard.

Next go to Filter> Artistic> Cutout and then use these following settings:

Number of levels: 9
Edge Simplicity: 0
Edge Fidelity: 2

If you used a scanner to transfer your signature, you can only erase the white background and the inner part of your letters using the Magic Wand (hotkey: W). When you are done with that, set it to Color Overlay, located in the Blending Options, and you can choose your favorite. If you took a photo, if will be more difficult to do. Go to Image> Adjustments> Channel Mixer and select the Monochrome selection box and use the following settings:

Red: 95%
Green: 65%
Blue: 110%
Constant: -90%

Then you are done and you have your digital signature; ready to be put on any image or photo that you create in Adobe Photoshop. To put your signature on an image, copy and paste the whole signature on to the image, then go to Edit> Transform> Scale to size the signature appropriate to the picture and the size you want it to be. You can also make the signature lighter, if you like, by going to Opacity: 50% on the layer menu.

Published by Rachel Bogart

I'm a college student from the Chicago suburbs with a passion for environmental issues. I've had my writing featured on the front page of Yahoo! and have had my work included in the EPA's Science Matters new... View profile

Photoshop Tutorial: How to Create Your Digital Signature

A Quick and Easy Tutorial

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