Icon Colouring Tutorial

From this To this
1) Take your original image and crop, sharpen and smooth as required.
2) Paste this gradient by kirjava17 (on LJ) into a new layer and set it to exclusion, opacity 48.
3) Make a merged copy of the icon so far (select all & then copy merged (or however you do it)). Paste it into a new layer and set to soft light, opacity 100
4) Create a new layer and fill it with #C8B3AE and set it to multiply, opacity 77.
5) Create a new layer and fill it with #FEE7A4 and set it to multiply, opacity 9. I know there isn't much difference, but if you turn the layer on and off you can see it changing.
6) Duplicate your soft light layer twice (the layer which was a copy of the base and the exclusion layer) and drag to the top.
7) Create a new layer and fill it with #4F5772 and set it to overlay, opacity 24.
8) Create a gradient map using #611D06 and #F8EFE8 and set it to soft light, opacity 42. (To make a gradient map go: Layer >> New Adjustment Layer >> Gradient Map)
9) Create another gradient map using #061161 and #F8EFE8 and set it to soft light, opacity 20.
10) Add a border, then paste a merged copy of the icon into a new layer and go: Adjustments >> Auto Contrast. Play with the opacity until you have something you're happy with.
My layers look like this. Depending on the original picture you may want to duplicate the base and set it to screen, or the top soft light layer might want desaturating.
Other examples of these layers