How to create a sport/football icon in Adobe Photoshop CS4!

How to create a football icon in Adobe Photoshop CS4!

Texture 1(click to view)
Picture(click to view)

                                                                                                                                         
Step 1: After opening Photoshop open the picture with Gerrard.

(click picture  to enlarge)

                                                                                                                                         
Step 2: Using the Polygonal Lasso Tool make a selection of Gerrard's shirt. Hit Ctrl+C to copy, make a new layer(in top menu, Layer - New - Layer, OK or hit Ctrl+Shift+N) and hit Ctrl+V to paste. Desaturate the first layer by pressing Ctrl+Shit+U or by going to top menu, Image - Adjustments -
Desaturate. Now you shoud have a black and white image with a colored shirt on top.

(click picture  to enlarge)

                                                                                                                                         
Step 3: Now apply a new adjusment layer called "Curves" by going in the lower right corner and clicking on the half white, hlaf black circle. Move the curve down a little as you see in the next image.

(click picture  to enlarge)

                                                                                                                                         
Step 4: Create a new layer. Make a circle selection using Elliptical Marquee Tool on the bottom side, right click on it and select Fill - Use: White. Now use the Rectangular Marquee Tool and do the same thing for the line on the left. Set the Layer Opacity to 8%.

 (click picture to enlarge)

                                                                                                                                         
Step 5: Now open the texture i've provided you, put it on the top of the last created layer and set the layer mode to Color Dodge and position it on the right spot. 
Another way to make this is by downloading the Smudge Brushes(can be found on site, Resources section), install them(tutorial on how to do that can be found in Tutorials section), create new layer, fill(by using Paint Bucket Tool)it with black, select the 9th Smudge Brush, chose the right diameter, and brush over it with white color, you should get something like the texture i've provided you. Again change the layer mode to Color Dodge and position it on the right spot.

 (click picture to enlarge)

                                                                                                                                         
Step 6: Now apply a new adjusment layer called "Brightness/Contrast" by going in the lower right corner and clicking on the half white, hlaf black circle, set the Brightness to 31 an the Contrast to 65.

 (click picture to enlarge) 

                                                                                                                                         
Step 7: If you wish to re-seize the picture to fit some forum, blogs, etc requests you can go in the top menu select Image - Image Size. Enter the desired sizes and you're done. Congratulations!