How To Color Comic Books: The Basics! (See desc. for updated version) Photoshop Coloring Tutorial

[@jhay_vine5083]

to be honest this is the best tutorial on coloring because he took his time to explain each and every single step. Not those timelapse bs . Thank you Sir!

[@zenryucds747]

You are....without a doubt...a genius my friend. Thank you, your the only person i understand on the internet when it comes to comic coloring!

[@LiamJonesArtist]

This video deserves all the views. Keep it coming! Learning guys like me are watching, cheering you on!

[@zakazjack6257]

Great tutorial as an artist myself I say this I one of the best ways for beginners to learn. It's nice to have such videos to refer to whenever one may need guidelines or refreshing of the mind. Thank you sir for your time in this.

[@shynori]

I've been trying to learn digital colouring for ages. Really glad I found your channel. Many Thanks

[@guillaumek8029]

Wonderful. To me, you summed up almost everything an amateur need to know about coloring in Photoshop in 'comic style' in 35 minuts. The dodge method to recreate the incandescent effect on the cigar blew my mind ahah Greetings from France :)

[@rulys168]

Amazing! Perfect for a beginner like me, I have no training on photoshop but this was the simplest terms that I could grasp and try! thank you! hope to see more quick beginner tutorials!

[@TUTIRD]

You're a magician... Bravoooo.... Easy and simple... nice colors...

[@danielsc9102]

That 'F1' short-cut is a game changer! Thanks, mate! 👍👍

[@colorwithkurt]

Thanks!

[@zakazjack6257]

Great tutorial as an artist myself I say this I one of the best ways for beginners to learn. It's nice to have such videos to refer to whenever one may need guidelines or refreshing of the mind. Thank you sir for your time in this.

[@kazaakai]

It was great to meet you at the MS Comic Con in June. Talking to you and the other artists gave me more confidence about my artwork. So now I am going to sell my artwork at the upcoming JXN Con in December. I just want to say thank you and the other artists for giving me the extra push that I needed.

[@noahgrimes5216]

I Love Photoshop! My Favorites Since Graphic Communications!

[@DoombladeDispenser]

This is a life saver! I was having trouble with the multiply function before, turns out the colouring process is quite simple! thanks

[@davidphilipsmusic]

I tried this today for a poster I'm making for a band... fantastic. Thanks a lot. Really helped :)

[@fastfeet31]

Thx for taking the time to post this, I enjoyed watching and following a long as you worked. all the best to ya Lou

[@wmichaelbooth]

Thanks so much for this. This is all presented in a straight-forward way, and I think the first few minutes contain the best flatting tutorial I've seen. I watched a couple of your other tutorials, but honestly, they were a bit advanced for me because I'm not very experienced with digital mediums. Now I feel like I could return to those tutorials and get a lot more from them. Can't wait for the next one in this series.

[@anthonyjoshua6441]

I just wanted to personally thank you for this video, I has helped in ways you wouldn't believe.

[@anthonyjoshua6441]

I will surely be watching the progression, but as a start..this was amazing

[@jigsawnora3207]

Classic KMR and his lovely coloring skills! Loving the basics still!

[@isaiahjones9283]

Thank you soooo much my friend! You don't know how much I've learned watching you work especially in this video! You're an amazing artist!

[@RedVelvetUnderground333]

This was great, you really broke it down simply for all of us. Looking forward to more

[@cheqers_]

Yes! This was an eye opener. I've been looking for something like this for about a year now, and found this extremely helpful. Thanks Michael, you're ridiculously talented. If requests were possible, I'd ask for some tutes on colour palettes and backgrounds. I'm terrible with the latter ( I haven't checked any of your other videos yet, so forgive me if you've already addressed either)

[@stevensayers4309]

Thanks for this, when you began with the highlights i was like wow, instantly made fhe piece pop

[@chahineladjouze4160]

Hi Michael! thank you for this step by step and well explained tutorial

[@bathorybill9423]

Thank you times 1000 for this video, it's been a huge help.

[@rohithroya]

Thanks for this tutorial :D This really helps !!! i really love the way you explained it :)

[@darkentity1000]

Super helpful, I love that style, gonna be doing a lot of pictures in this style!

[@DanielCoto93]

You're awesome man! Thanks a lot for this tutorial. I will definitely consider purchasing the complete coloring course. This helped me a lot!

[@dannyhurtes7328]

Very good thanks! You helped a brother out. Respect.

[@littleboxcat5432]

After you laid the blue down and then preserve transparency so when you selected the hat you could have grabbed the hat color pressed alt + delet/backspace the color into place instead of having to constantly going to bucket tool to lay in areas?

[@joshuadarryl]

God, thanks I found a super helpful tutorial here. Bless ya Kurt!

[@colorwithkurt]

Thanks so much!

[@hklbly]

I've just found out this channel and I'm excited. Excellent tutorial. Thank you very much!

[@socialdeviant84]

This is so alien to me. I'm a freehand artist myself, never ventured into digital art before, but lately I really want to spread my wings and give it a go. Are there any decent but easy to navigate programs you recommend for digital beginners? Cool vids btw!

[@marioozzie]

It's kinda funny that there's cigar smoke, but no actual cigar in the drawing

[@BakhariB]

Now I can't unsee it! XD

[@rohithroya]

ohhh you're right XD I wouldn't have noticed it, if it wasn't for you're comment XD

[@acglass]

Also known as frozen Canadian breath.

[@son0funiverse]

Hahah

[@zaynross4314]

Awesome Bro! iv been looking for something this easy to follow for years. Thanks for your help. Cheers

[@zaynross4314]

Also iv never commented on youtube before so your tutorial must be good. Thanks again

[@KettyFormaggio]

Thanks for your videos!

[@TrevorKeenAnimation]

One other person mentioned this - there's no cigar in the line drawing, so once it's coloured, it looks like this one spot on his cheek is on fire. Not the fault of your colouring, of course.

[@kaelbhyadoggTV]

A big help for a newbie like me! :D :D :D I'm a 3 and a half years as a flatter anyways and I wanted to upgrade my skills in coloring comics :D Thanks to this awesome Tutorial sir! You're a MASTER! :D :D :D two thumbs up to this :D

[@kaelbhyadoggTV]

+K Michael Russell You're welcome sir! :D :D :D I'm one of your Fans right now :D :D :D

[@3StripeGuy]

Once again, brilliant tutorial. Could you explain your preset action in more detail please? I attempted it following the instructions in the video but wasn't able to recreate the end result. Thanks

[@Bentheactoredwards]

fantastic tutorial! I've learnt so much! keep up the great work buddy!

[@0utlaw47]

Great video! I'm about to start a collaborative piece with my buddy and thought I would give digital color a go!

[@GREENPAND4]

Really good tutorial thanks for sharing your method

[@whiteknightofkaos]

Thank you so much for uploading this. This was very helpful.

[@calel15]

Awesome tutorial man, thank you very much!

[@jimreyna11]

best color tutorial ....thx alot

[@mariostilla3500]

Thank you for the video tutorial. I can't understand why the selection you made for the hat that doesn't follow the line of it, covers exactly this space. How is possible a thing like this? Thank you again!

[@mariostilla3500]

***** Thank you! I'm from Italy some time eng is pretty difficult to listen! Anyway I have two more things to ask you: one is if you could advice a skin male/female color values for superheroes and how you set up the brush selector (I'm referring at the red dot) you used for enlarger and reduce the brush nip. Thx again for your time.

[@morkar90]

Amazingly useful video, thank you so much!

[@TheFilib69]

I dont understand, why theres no color around the hat althoug it was in your selection. I mean whys it only fillin the hat? Edit: I got it, sorry, that was a stupid question btw this tutorial is awesome!

[@cleberbobadilla]

Thank you so much for this video! I realy like it. Waiting for the next one. Obrigado.

[@michaelbarrett2968]

You're the best dude! Great video

[@victorpotter7829]

This might seem dumb but could you please tell me which program you are using so I can get it myself? Thank you so much, this video will take my art to another level!

[@forgottenfootprint]

Thanks for your video! I am a complete noob to this. How do I create those three layers? I know how to add a layer and duplicate layers. However, I don't know what a flats layer or line layer is...

[@toprakozcan150]

Did you draw this with pen or in PS/Illustrator or something? Thx for the great tutorial!

[@Luxpulcher]

Thanks for this. I've been teaching myself to draw and recently digitally color as well through KZbin videos and this is one of the most useful, simple and direct tutorials out there. Here's a question though, if i may; For a more complex image, with multiple characters, background, etc., do you have a method for selecting the colors that will be used, in such a way that it all looks as if it "belongs" together? Often, in my attempts of coloring, i find that the colors i select seem disjointed, if not conflicting and don't work well in tandem, almost as if they shouldn't exist in the same piece(i hope this makes sense).

[@Luxpulcher]

***** Awesome. Thanks. Merry Christmas.

[@potspot4551]

Thank you thank you

[@bimaantarasatria264]

I could not find the location where you use a bright light and darkness. What you use is a kind of gradient colors look different as I use.

[@pollardstudiolive]

Wow. Very helpful. Thank you!

[@noneyobeeswax1428]

Hi Mr. Russell! I'm a young artist and I'm definitely treading into new territory when it comes to coloring in my art programs. I was wondering, which brush did you use when you were doing the highlights from the light source and the shadows? Was it a custom brush?

[@Psykosoldia]

Thanks man this stuff is great!

[@StevenSugianto]

Thanks so much! This really helped me out! :D

[@mariostilla3500]

Thank you so much! Last thing can I ask you some advice about skin colors in example can you tell me what codification tone you used for the illustration above?

[@mariostilla3500]

Thank you again! I have to find a skin tone that works as skin tone of Wonder Woman. My character looks like her! When I try some skin tones, often they look like dirty. Can you advice a tone near WW skin? Thank you!

[@joshuarose3003]

Thanks Michael! You have a fellow subscriber in me

[@zadrhion]

I may have missed it in the comments, but what is the feathering setting for your lasso tool?

[@tinktwiceman]

Great video! I can't wait for more. I subscribed for more content like this :)

[@omarivy3682]

awesome tutorial!

[@manuhuertasart]

Thanks! This is very useful for me :D

[@jinwoo5182]

Hello..is there any way you can also teach how to remove bleed lines,or trim lines in photoshop?you know the barriers usually included in the board that was scanned...usually they're color green,fresh from comic boards,really appreciate it,love ur tut vids,learned a lot..thanks!:)

[@jinwoo5182]

Thanks for the reply. Its my first time dealing with it too. But I found out adjusting some levels and setting a certain level to infrared would remove it. Also you were right,manual erasing too..:)

[@Engelhafen]

Is using the selection tool instead of brushes your general preference/style?

[@9796dean]

thnks for this video..nice

[@KiickrOcksz]

I just came across your channel and just subbed! I have tons of videos to watch lol. Would you consider doing a tutorial in the future on how to achieve that Daniel Acuna/Adam Hughes coloring technique?

[@KiickrOcksz]

***** It's fine! Thanks for the reply though. Looking forward to more videos.

[@bp2557]

Great tutorial! One quick question. When I create a new layer, it isn't white like yours but transparent. How did you make yours automatically white when creating them?

[@bp2557]

K Michael Russell Thank you

[@MMerajHossain]

Where do u hire a flatter from?

[@kaelmolo1432]

thank you so much!

[@Minyadagniriel]

I've never tried this method but I may do so. Does this method help with missing tiny spots on a layer? When I paint, I usually can't see the areas I accidentally left unpainted until after the image is done and I have to go back and edit. >< I like to handpaint the entire image, no lassos or anything. But if this helps, I'm game. :)

[@theboizee6606]

How do you get the colour not to cover the lines

[@michi0921193]

Thank you! Your method was so useful! Let's say you dont like the scratchy pencil and ink outline is there another way, quick or long, to change it to pixels? I usually trace it with my tablet or with the pen tool, but it's too time consuming and sometimes i don't like how it comes out.

[@michi0921193]

Like can you make the line art into digital pixels instead of the image you scanned?

[@stevedziedziak422]

so I open an image in photoshop, I created a new layer, and when I make my selection (using the lasso) and fill my color, it just creates a solid color over my image. What am I missing? every time I try, it just treats the image (an inked sketch like yours with a white background) as one solid image and the color I fill over it just fills. I don't get how the black lines show through on yours.

[@Alduric]

my layers dont show without bringing opacity down is this normal

[@ninoaudia7164]

Hi, I’m a painter and a wannabe cartoonist and at the moment I’m learning to paint digitally, but I’m still stuck because I can’t color my characters, especially at the beginning of this video. Do the drawings have to be in jpeg, bitmat or what? What do I have to do? I need your help, please!

[@colorwithkurt]

Make sure your drawing layer is set to Multiply blending mode. Color in a layer underneath. That is all you need to get started.

[@thetrueghost]

Very awesome tutorial, i'm trying hard to follow it, what brush did you use to add the highlights? after the flask?

[@thetrueghost]

+K Michael Russell Ok, first of all, stop being so awesome...lol thanks for the fast reply and i'll try to make my question more clear for understanding. To do the highlight on the hat you use a Brush called HI FI CUT GRAD BRUSH (knowing that's your preferred name for it of course) this brush with a gradient effect how can i have it since i been trying really hard to create the same effect as you did for a particular art piece that i'm working at the moment and so far no luck. I'm speaking of the brush that you can manually increase the diameter/radius of the gradient (on the video is a red aura) to create such a good lighting effect. Also i might add that i'm using a Bamboo Pen and Touch tablet and i meant Flat, after you did the flat colors...i have no idea or intention of finding where flask came from

[@bimaantarasatria264]

I'm sorry, what is the aplication you used? I try in photoshop CS 5 I don't find the light in

[@juneauz]

Thaks for the vid. Is your Intuos5 connected with the wireless kit? Mine has exactly the same problem as yours, but when I switch back to cable connection it works fine...

[@jasonthomas3504]

Hi There, I'm enjoying your tut but am a little lost at 5:16. When you select around the hat and fill, why doesn't everything within the selection fill with brown? In other words, how did you make such an broad selection yet still limit the color to what's within the lines? Thanks!

[@jasonthomas3504]

***** Oh wow, thank you so much! Thanks!

[@joshuarose3003]

This video was absolutely amazing and helpful, sir! I'm not colorist but I am a penciler so I have problems doing some effective coloring. Some of my work on Facebook under Jyro Studioz!

[@nicopiconico7]

thank you for the video

[@bollonga]

Thanks for your videos Michael! They are very well explained and it's good to see the way a professional does it. However, I would ask to you and everybody here about one step before coloring. I draw in pencil, then ink and then scan it. I would like to know which is the best way to separate ink and pencil. In this video you don't do it but I've seen in other ones that you have perfectly clean inks. I use the magic wand tool, playing with the tolerance and adding selections but I always select some of the pencil lines. Is that the correct way to do it? Any advice of anyone is highly appreciated. Thanks a lot!

[@bollonga]

+K Michael Russell Thanks for the quick answer! Okay, considering I have no pencil lines, how do I select ink lines? With the magic wand tool and high tolerance to get all blacks levels (as ink is not perfectly uniform)? And also, once I have all my inks selected, forming separated areas, I would like to color them as plain black with the bucket tool all at once but I cannot do it. I have to go area by area. How could I do it? Thanks a lot! Your videos are of great help!

[@marcelofaviodesigner]

nice. thanks A LOT!!

[@AnimatorNinja]

When you are doing a more cartoon like comic does it make it easier or worse? I'm doing a comic with a more simplified cartoon style and it's driving me crazy cause it's hard to tell with the shading and coloring is too much or too little.

[@abhinavsohal007]

How your colors of selection didn't mix, because of anti alias or multiply layer option??

[@ThatOldManRiver]

How do you create the layers?

[@OriginalSin110]

Can you please explain the use for contiguous on the paint bucket tool for the hat?

[@OriginalSin110]

***** OK thanks. Another question. Is the same method used for when you start painting with a brush around 16:20?

[@stefanossim9837]

Hey Michael, great tutorial man!Thank you very much! I would like explain me please this "action" thing tha you said...Whats the steps?

[@stefanossim9837]

***** thank you very much!Please keep uploading more videos!

[@muhammadazzahid4564]

waw, thank you for your video.

[@chimmychunger]

when you started doing the light angles when you brush over how come its not going into the empty space that you selected. when i do it it goes into the empty space

[@4002alexander]

The action you make with F4. Can you go into more detail. Im lost as to what I do after I record and stop it. What sets it to F4?

[@glennthisfieldisblank838]

"action" menu (window>action if it is not present) > new set , name the set, new action, name the action don't close that menu, RIGHT HERE IS WHERE YOU SPECIFY THE HOTKEY IF ANY, in this menu

[@chaseusa8954]

what brush did u use for the og line art bruh

[@thebatman4659]

What specific program is this

[@RespectFalseIcons]

why do you but the base color underneath if your going to replace it layer with other flat colors?

[@RespectFalseIcons]

***** oh, i see, now that ive finished the video.

[@EmuSnacks]

I had a quick question. When i hold Alt+Right Click (On my pen) I can change the diameter and hardness of my brush but, i dont get the nice red glow like you do to show how the hardness will effect my coloring. How did you get that to appear?

[@EmuSnacks]

+K Michael Russell haha okay well thank you so much for replying! I'll try figuring that out

[@MrMindTheGapGaming]

So comics such as dlc and marvel are colored in Photoshop? Do they scan the original art into Photoshop and then color them?

[@MrMindTheGapGaming]

***** ok thank you!