How To: Using Tagbacks Tutorial

 Hello everyone!!

Today's tutorial is a bit different than the usual tutorials.  This isn't a tutorial on how to make a specific tag.  Instead it is how to use a particular element that is sometimes used in creating signature tags (aka "sig tags"), and that element is commonly referred to as "tagbacks", however they have also been called "backgrounds" and even "templates" (not to be confused with "tag templates").  

I have heard/read that some people have never used these before, don't know how to use them and would love to know how so this "how to" will give some ideas on how you can use them.  There is no right or wrong way to use them, and the only limitation is your imagination.  I will show some examples of different ways I sometimes use them, starting with very basic usage to a little more involved  ... and then you can go from there!  At the end of this "how to", I will provide a small zip-file of tagbacks that I have accumulated through the years, plus the ones I use in this "how to", so you can try creating with them yourself!  A lot of the layered files originally came in either .psp or .pspimage format - I have converted them to .psd so they can be used in most graphics programs ... and that is what you will find in the zip-file.  Single layered will be in either png or jpg format.

Back when they first started showing up in groups and such, their sizes would usually be no larger than 500x500 pixels, and sometimes smaller ... mostly because tags tended to be smaller then.  That being said, you can certainly resize them to a larger size - just be sure to sharpen (or use unsharpen mask) if you are not trying to achieve a blurry look.

For these examples, and to make things a bit easier, for the tube, I will use one from FTU artist Lia (www.linmida.com).  I have placed it on a new file, 500x500 pixels, transparent background.  This is what we will work on and build on, to keep consistency, and to be able to really show how these can be used and how just switching one for another can make a difference.

1.  Simple Background

For this, I am simply placing a tagback in a color that complements the tag, under the tube layer.  For this first example, I used the tagback named 7-10-04_silver&gold_jolinda.png:

As you can see, it make a very simple, very basic, easy and friendly-for-beginners kind of tag.

If you duplicated the tagback and then slightly blurred it, then applied a filter - such as PSP > Weave - you'd really have the start of a good beginner-level tag. 

2.  With a Mask, Preset Shape and/or Cut out

Another interesting way to use tagbacks is with a mask. I will use these 2 masks for these examples:

Using a mask gives a very unique kind of look and feel, and the same tagback can give very different looks depending on the tagback.  For example, using a very simple heart shaped mask with the same tagback used above, we get something like this (with a solid white layer under to help see the effect more):

or a flower:

and now with the tube:

Now imagine blurring the tagback before applying the mask, or duplicating it after the mask and then applying a filter like we did for a simple background.  

And here is another tagback (10.01.04-fadedstarsbacks~jojodezines1), using the same flower mask:

Here, I've used it as the pattern fill with a star preset shape (with black as the outline color):

and with the tube:

And with some slats ("cut-outs") ... with this I did the whole Select All > Float > Defloat thing and then Invert and Delete, just like you would with a scrap paper or pattern or texture:

You could also do this with a dingbat font, or even a fat/wide font!

As you can imagine, just using it as a simple background, or with a mask, preset shape and/or cut-out, or even a font can open up a whole bunch of creative ideas!

3.  With a Tag Template

You could use the tagback to fill in the gray areas of a tagback (similar to how you would use a scrap paper or even flood-fill) to give a clever look.  You could also use them as a simple background or as a mask or with a mask in the background.

I am using tag template:  TemplateByFD.psd  (Foxys Designz)

(as this is not my template, I cannot share it)

I'm just going to show a couple of ideas, such as using it on a main piece of the template, and on one of the minor things, like the layer of light gray hearts.

For the main piece, the darker rectangle in the middle ... Again, like the slat, you would do Select All > Float > Defloat > Invert > Delete, regardless of which part of the template you are going to do.

The rectangle (I moved the tagback around slightly to where I liked it the most):

And applied on the two lighter gray hearts which are on the same layer on the tag template:

I resized the tagback by 110% so that both hearts would be covered.

Now from here you could do all kinds of things.  Add some elements or frames.  You could duplicate the layers, add filters, and more.  Use scraps from kits ... the sky is the limit.  Try all kinds of ideas and bring out the creativity in you!

Here are a couple of tags I have made using tagbacks (most were done many years ago):

I hope this tutorial helped those who either never worked with tagbacks, or wondered how to better utilize them in your sig tags and other digital creations.

And here is the zip-file of a few tagbacks that you can use to let your creative side fly!  And no, you do not need to credit them when using them.

As always, happy creating!