Gaming Forum Signature in Photoshop

If you're a gamer, you know how much ungodly amounts of time is spent in developing a single character. It's only right that you'd want to show your character off in your favorite gaming forum, and it's only fair that your gaming signature should look unique. We've all seen the same sig over and over, and want something different, right?

This is a pretty easy gaming forum signature created purely in Photoshop, but it does take several steps to make. Take your time with it - we won't be using any pre-defined styles, so each step is laid out and fully customizable by you. You'll need a copy of Photoshop version 7 or higher (or a copy of another graphics editor like GIMP that can handle layers); this tutorial is written using CS3 Extended, so some of the tools discussed might be located in different places if you're using another version, but they're all there.

Let's jump right in.

Gaming Forum Sig

1. New Canvas - Before you create a canvas (File, New), make sure to check the rules of the forum you visit and see if anything has been stated about signature size. Some forums really don't care what size your signature is, as long as you host it yourself. Other forums want a specifically sized signature with no deviations up or down. Starting out with the right size canvas will save you a ton of time and frustration.

In my case, I can use any size I want (yay for kind forum admins!) so I'll be creating a canvas that's sized 400x150 in RGB mode with a white background.

2. Background Image - Everything in this signature is going to work off the "interface" look of the background image. So let's create that first. Make a new layer (Layer, New, Layer) and then select your polygonal lasso tool. Then, set your foreground color to #e8e8e8 and your background color to #d1d1d1.

Now, use your polygonal lasso tool to draw a shape like the one in Illustration 01. It should nearly fill your canvas, but not completely (you need room for the little "extras" we're going to make). Fill the selection with your foreground color.