'Photoshop'

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"Realistic Eye Texture Painting" by Krishnamurti Martins Costa
Email: kris@antropus.com
Web: http://www.antropus.com
Source: http://www.3dtotal.com
Level: intermediate
Technique: digital painting
Software: Adobe Photoshop
This time, I will show how, with some patience and a tablet, you can produce your own eye textures,
applicable to your 3D characters. It's a realistic texture, but it can be simplified, depending of your
intention and your character's style. This tutorial will also be able to be taken advantage by those that
work with 2D, helping them to understand a little of the Photoshop capacities.
For that texture, I used the 1000x1000 pixels resolution.
Approximate time of work to the final result: 3 hours.

1. Begin creating a new file, square (in that case,

1000x1000 pixels). Fill the background with some
tone that have a little of gray (almost white).
After, create a new layer and create a circular mask in
the center of the image, with close proportions the one
in the image on the left:

2. After deciding on the favorite color for the eye that

you will paint (green, brown, blue), fill in the circle
with it. After that, create a new layer and through the
same procedure, paint the pupil with black:

3. Using the smudge tool (finger), produce some

"blots" as suitable in the illustration below, always
from center to outside:

4. Create a new layer, a new circular selection and

paint it with white, according to the image:

5. Now, use the noise filter (Filter> Noise> Add

Noise...) and use the same setup shown:

6. Now, we will apply another filter: Filter> Blur>

Radial Blur... Use the options "zoom" and "best" and
put a very high value in "Amount" (100 or close to
100). The result will be this:

7. Use some option of mixing layers, like Overlay, Pin

Light, Screen, or the one that you prefer. After, use the
"Liquify... " filter in this layer. Through it, create
small irregularities so that your image resembles the
one shown:

8. Duplicate the pupil layer and alter it's color using

the menu "Image> Adjustments> Hue/Saturation... "
or simply "Ctrl+U". Set the parameters as in the image
below:

9. On this layer, use your ability to create more

irregularities, this time, painted with a brush not very
wide. Try to get a close result to the shown below:

10. Copy that layer, set some mixing layer option

(overlay, for instance), until obtaining a close result to
this:

11. You can simulate some window reflections with

another layer, as indicated below:

12. Duplicate this layer that you have just painted and
alter the color (Ctrl+U again) for one more orange or
brown. Choose another layer mixing type to produce a
result as the one shown below. Rotate and resize that
layer and, if necessary, alter the layer transparency to
get a satisfactory result:

13. Softening the iris outlines to break the painting

aspect. For that, use: Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur...
Choose a value not very high for not blotting too
much. In this case, I used "6":

14. To darken and to delimit the outline of the iris, use

the drop shadow with "Distance=0", little or no
"Spread" and the best value that you find in "Size".
Change "Blend Mode" to produce the best effect. Tip:
you can also use "Outer Glow" to reinforce the
shadows, like shown:

15. Select the layers where you painted the radial

waves and apply a drop shadow, so their lines will
have volume and seem like fibers:

16. To randomize a bit, create a new layer, select the

white color for the background and the black for
foreground and apply "Render > Clouds" filter. Blur
their borders using gaussian blur filter and a few
times:

17. Add more details to the layers where you worked

the irregularities. Create a circular selection and go in
the menu "Edit > Stroke... ". Choose a high value for
the stroke (12, 14 etc). Applying the stroke you will
obtain a result like this:

18. Use the gaussian blur again with a high value,

according to the image on the left:

19. Resize that layer to center of the iris, adding

certain depth in that central area:

20. We will begin the blood vessels creating a new

layer, choosing a red color but with a little bit of
orange, to break the red aspect. Choose a very small
brush and begin painting at the center-borders and
borders-center directions:

21. Create a new layer and add more veins larger and
smaller:

22. Create another layer and add a red border as

indicated on the left:

23. Create other layer where you will add some small
blood vessels, creating some stains in the located area
between the iris and the white area of eye surface:

24. Here is the "final" version (don't worry about the

reddest parts. It practically will disappear in your
character's eye):

25. Here a close-up to see the details better: