In 1992, the world of “comics” was forever changed because of the Macintosh computer and Adobe Photoshop. Today, those comics have influenced the entertainment industry

Movies based off of Comic Books or the Super Hero Genre

Batman Begins / The Dark Knight / The Dark Knight Rises
- The Punisher / Jessica Jones / Luke Cage / Iron Fist / Daredevil
- The Incredible Hulk
- Captain America
- The Avengers
- Spiderman
- The Amazing Spiderman
- Thor
- The Walking Dead
The traditional inker, colorist, and letterer was either required to learn Photoshop…or retired altogether. During the mid-late 90’s, a lot of colorists were put out to pasture. New colorists had to learn these techniques:Techniques
Underpainting (non-destructive)
Smudging (finger painting)
Coloring (the name says it all)
Alteration of Opacity (to be or not to be transparent

1. The finished product must include these items: Full colored pieces of comic pages (either cover work or interior paneled pages) that also use shading and hightlights to emphasize dimension. Your pages/images have already been provided to you. But, I will allow for only one substitution (my choice).
2. Open the file in Photoshop.
3. Be sure to make sure the file is in RGB mode by going to the menu bar and selecting Image and then Mode and then seeing if RGB is checked. If it is not, then check it..
4. Right click on the layer with the Comic Book image and select Convert to Smart Object.
5. Change the black and white illustration layer's blend mode to Multiply
6. Lock the black and white illustration layer.
7. Color underneath the black and white drawing using the pen tool (shapes - make sure the tool is set to Shape and not Path) and layers. These layer's Blend Modes should be set to Normal. (Make sure the colors are an accurate reflection of the actual character depicted in Comic Books, Movies, Television/Cartoons, etc). 
8. Use shape making, painting and smudging (Smudge Tool) to finish the project.
9. Use white or light colors for the area where light impacts your character or background objects - label these layers (as you may have more than one) as Highlights.
10. Use black or darker colors for the shading/shadowing effect - lable these layers (as you may have more than one) as Shading.
11. Keep your layers organized in layer Group folders and by naming them appropriately (for example: Background, Costume, Skin and Hair, Weapon, Energy, etc)
12. When you are done coloring your pages (only after you are completely done) save them as .PDF (Portable Document Format) files. Pages that are not saved as PDF will not be considered submitted and therefore will not be graded.

Color Correctness

All characters should reflect their actual colors that are illustrated/colore from comic books, cartoons, movies, etc., (for example, the Punisher should not be in a Pink/Green outfit as he typically wears a black/white suit/costume). 

Highlights and Shading Technique

When applying highlights and shading, consider just dabbing paint onto a Highlights (white) or Shading (black) layer and then just single clicking a drop of paint into that area. You can adjust the paint dab by altering it's properties on the Control Bar 

When you smudge your highlights or shading, considering making the brush a bit larger than your original paint brush. This allows for a more uniform level of shading.

Also, on the Control bar there is an adjustment for Strength when smudging. The lower the number means you have to apply more passes of the tool but you have greater control. The higher the number, the more pressure is applied but end up having less control over the tool. 

 Layer Groups

By making groups (Layer Folders), you can apply effects that can make changes for everything in that folder. For instance, if you need to color an outfit or skin tone, you can create a Group and title it "Costume" and then apply a layer style (the FX button at the bottom of the layers panel) to the whole costume using Cover Overlay.