Create An Avatar Character

January 28, 2010 37 Comments

In this tutorial I will showing you how to create an Avatar character, like those featured in the movie by James Cameron, from a stock photograph using the Liquify Tool and a series of Layer Masks.

Tutorial Details

Program: Photoshop
Version: CS or Higher
Difficulty: Intermediate
Estimated Completion Time: 1 Hours
Final Image Preview:

Downloads Required:
Stock Images: Angry Guy, Leather Texture, Logo

Optional Downloads:
PSD File: avatar_tut.psd

I am a bit late posting this tutorial as the Movie has been out since Dec 18th… However, here it is! If you feel I have missed anything, if you have a better suggestion, or if you just think this tutorial was helpful, be sure to let me know in the comments below!

Step 1

Open your image in Photoshop. Choose your source image wisely, front facing portraits are much easier to apply this effect on. Once you get people on funny angles the eyes become more difficult as perspective has to be taken into consideration.

I found my Angry Guy Stock Image on SXC.hu.

Step 2

Choose Filter > Liquify. Choose the Bloat Tool (B) from the left Tool Bar, and with a brush that covers your entire eye click and hold until your eye is large enough for your liking. Do this for both eyes if both eyes are visible.

As you can see, my Angry Guy has lost his angry frown. So take the Forward Warp Tool (W) and pull his eyebrow back down.

Now, again using the Forward Warp Tool (W), spread the nose out. Avatars have wide flat noses. Click OK when you are happy.

Step 3

Choose the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) and draw a square around your eye. Choose Edit > Copy then Edit > Paste. Name the layer “Eye”.

Choose Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. Make the eye yellow like the Native Avatars.

Choose Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All to apply a layer mask to the Eye Layer. Now use the layer mask to erase the background of the eye and the pupil, leaving just the iris in yellow.

Step 4

Create a new layer and call it “Skin Blue”. Take a Blue Colour (#0000ff) and fill the layer. Set the Blend Mode to Multiply.

Now Choose Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All and do the same thing as before, removing the blue to make the eye appear clean.

The eye looks too red, so take the Sponge Tool (O), set the Mode to Desaturate and take the colour out of the eye on the Background Layer.

Choose the Background Layer. Choose Image > Adjustments > Levels just to brighten it up a little bit.

Step 5

Download the Leather Texture and paste it into your Artwork. Name the layer Leather Skin 1. Set the Blend Mode to Overlay.

Choose Image > Adjustments > Desaturate. Then choose Image > Adjustments > Levels to brighten up the leather.

Chose Edit > Free Transform. Cmd-Click/Right-Click the selection and choose Warp. Pull the Leather Texture to fit the shape of the guys head.

Set the Opacity to 50% and choose Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All. Use a Large Soft Eraser and tidy up the edges.

Step 6

Repeat the Leather Effect on the bottom half of the face and neck. Name the layer Leather Skin 2.

Step 7

Take the pen tool and draw the outline of a stripe on the left of the guys face.

Load the path as a selection, and fill with Dark Blue (#060026).

Duplicate the layer and use the Free Transform Tool to rotate and position a new stripe.

Cmd-Click/Right-Click the layer in the layers panel and choose Merge Down. On the merged layer set the opacity to 60%. Again add a layer mask, and remove the over hanging edges with a large soft eraser.

Step 8

Create a new layer and call it Nose Stripe. Set the Blend Mode to Overlay. Take the Brush called Rough Round Bristle and draw a stripe from the guys forehead right down the centre of his nose using the colour #0000ff.

The stripe is also continued onto the chin, and I made it wider on his forehead then on his nose.

Step 9

Next create a new layer and call it Glowing Dots. Choose a small soft brush and use a series of clicks to put some dots on your avatar. NOTE: Only do one side of his face for now.

Duplicate The Layer. Then using the Free Transform Tool, Cmd-Click/Right-Click the selection and choose Flip Horizontally. Position the dots on the right hand side of the face.

Rename the layers Glowing Dots Left and Glowing Dots Right.

On the Glowing Dots Left Layer. Choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options. Add an Inner and Outer Glow.

Cmd-Click/Right-Click the Glowing Dots Left Layer and choose Copy Layer Style. Cmd-Click/Right-Click the Glowing Dots Right Layer and choose Paste Layer Style. This will add our glows to the right hand side also.

Create a Layer Mask on the Glowing Dots Right Layer (Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All). Use a large soft eraser to just take out the right hand side of the dots and blend them into the shadow.

Step 10

Download the Avatar Logo and Paste it into your Artwork. Name the layer Logo and change the Blend Mode to Screen. There is a lot of black surrounding our image so don’t position the logo where this black will be incorporated as we are going to remove it in a moment.

Once into position use a large soft eraser just to tidy up the edges that are visible around the logo.

Step 11

Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) and draw a rectangle around the picture and the logo omitting all the pointless black around the image.

Choose Image > Crop.

Step 12

Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast.

And that is all there is to it!

Please leave comments and suggestions, they are greatly appreciated!

Photoshop, Photoshop Tutorials

avatar, character, movie, Photoshop

About Craig

Craig Abbott is an independant Graphic Designer from Newcastle Upon Tyne (UK). Since Photoshop 7 Craig has nurtured an unhealthy obsession with the software. Which has seen his self-taught talents blossom into some serious skills.

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37 Responses to “Create An Avatar Character”

Paul Dickinson January 28, 2010 at 8:20 pm

nice one buddy, looking forward to giving it a shot. Hopefully it will be better than my last attempt
Craig January 28, 2010 at 11:38 pm

thanks- be sure to upload your work to our Facebook Page when your done so we can take a look!
wparena January 29, 2010 at 9:41 am

excellent and well explained, I do try to make my own..lets see what will I create with your tutorial’s help
Craig January 29, 2010 at 5:00 pm

thanks- you can upload your work to our Facebook Page it would be great to see what you come up with
Colette January 30, 2010 at 8:57 pm

omg.. thank you. I love it, and will definitely be using it! I expected it to be far more complicated than that, haha. x
Burak February 3, 2010 at 6:04 pm

nice job )

http://hawksonly.deviantart.com/art/Na-vi-Avatar-151436449
http://hawksonly.deviantart.com/art/Na-vi-Avatar-151326835
Craig February 3, 2010 at 7:43 pm

Thanks Burak – Cool pics on Deviant Art!
zoltan gut February 7, 2010 at 9:56 am

good!
my avatar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kyj6EsJvBhg
JamesDX February 17, 2010 at 1:42 am

Anyone know how to do things like this?
Craig February 18, 2010 at 3:06 pm

I’m a little confused JamesDX. Do things like what?
Bernard February 21, 2010 at 1:23 pm

wow. glad to find this tutorial here as i am interested to create my own character.
i will show my avatar soon.
mark johnson February 21, 2010 at 9:25 pm

i think that its realy cool and on the film avatar i helped out on cooming up with the idea of what the avatar looked like.
Craig February 21, 2010 at 9:25 pm

Cool, thanks for the feedback Bernard, you can post your own creations easily on our Facebook Page.
Craig February 21, 2010 at 9:41 pm

You worked on the Movie Mark?
alex ESN March 18, 2010 at 12:03 pm

here’s a good Avatar Photoshop Tutorial: http://free-web-design.co.cc/create-james-camerons-avatar-movie-poster-in-photoshop-tutorial.html
Craig March 18, 2010 at 1:07 pm

Thanks for the link Alex… That Tutorial is far superior to mine! Its incredible!

Thanks for the share
alex ESN March 18, 2010 at 8:21 pm

thank you for the kind words!
Rhemel-Tyler April 19, 2010 at 11:39 pm

I love avators there so cool like this website
varnikhasree April 22, 2010 at 5:50 pm

what a creativity……..its good to create such different faces and textures applied on it……. and showed in virtual world in films………thank u for the tutorials so that, we learners can grasp something in photoshop…….
Craig April 22, 2010 at 6:16 pm

your welcome Varnikhasree
VIAN F. RATULANGI June 6, 2010 at 5:55 pm

Craig, i would like to thank to u for the avatar image created. owesome. i’ve been work for living with photoshop for this last 5 years and still i wonder if i can have ur other image created tutorial. simple & easy way to slove hard problem on image desain. thank u. regards.
Kunnu Singh June 8, 2010 at 9:30 am

awesome tutorial, you’re great. i think this avatar not 100% match.

but awesome work. bookmarked your site on my browser

lots of thanks,
lola June 23, 2010 at 5:36 pm

This shit is AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hay June 26, 2010 at 8:55 pm

what photoshop program did you use for this?
Craig June 28, 2010 at 8:46 am

Photoshop CS4
Craig June 28, 2010 at 8:46 am

Thank You Lola =)
kiko July 15, 2010 at 9:38 pm

i am sorry for asking you dumb question but i dont know how to fill layer with blue.can you explain?
Craig July 18, 2010 at 3:57 pm

choose the paint bucket tool, and choose the colour blue =)
kiko July 22, 2010 at 10:11 am

thanks
Michelle August 3, 2010 at 12:02 am

uhmm… not really convincing. You should try some less saturated colors and a greenish-aqua blue for the skin, and also more convincing sparks on his face
Nonso August 21, 2010 at 6:35 pm

I gotta tell you this. Your the best. Absolutely amazing. I’m looking forward to more!!!
chris September 26, 2010 at 12:05 pm

Just starting to play around with this, hope my results are as good. That is amazing