Photoshop Tutorials

Create A Striking Nature Scene

2011-02-21T01:43:00.000-08:00

Resources Used In This Tutorial

Step 1

We will be starting things off by finding a solid image of a model that we can use for our composition. I tend to use iStock for things like this. At times it can be difficult to find the right images, and you always have to keep in mind the general concept of the piece you will be creating because you want to find just the right picture for the job. I will be using an image of a man down on his knees, looking upwards towards the light with both of his arms out to his sides. A good dramatic image like this will really lend itself well for this type of moody surreal design.
Before we get into the actual designing of the image we need to isolate the man from the background. While there are several options on how to approach this such as the Eraser, Magic Wand, or Layer Masking, I still tend to favor the trusty old Pen Tool. Often times new digital artists can have a bit of trouble coming to grips with the Pen Tool but the only way to get better is to practice.

Follow the contours of the body and continue to trace around the figure until you have made your way around where you will want to close your path.

Once you have closed the path, hold the Control Key and click along the path to initiate the dropdown menu where you want to choose ‘Make Selection’ and press OK.
Next, you should see the marching ants that indicate your selection. Go to the Select Menu and choose ‘Inverse’ before hitting the delete key to erase the background from the image. Here I have placed a layer filled with black underneath our model to show you what has been removed.

Step 2

Create a new Photoshop document that is 17 inches wide by 11 inches tall, 300 dpi. The reason I am starting off with such a large size is because I know that I will be printing this piece when it’s complete and we can always reduce the size later if we need to.
Once you have your document set up, double click the Background layer and press OK to unlock it, then double click the layer again to bring up the Layer Styles Dialog Box. Check off Color Overlay and for the fill we will be starting off with #525252, which is a medium gray color.

Drag the isolated image of the model into your new document and close the original. You may choose to save the isolated image of the model for a later time, but for now we will just close it after we bring it into our new document. Press Command+T to initiate a Free Transform and then click and drag one of the four corners outwards while holding down the Shift Key to constrain the proportions of the image. We want to scale it up so that it’s large enough to fill out most of the center area of our composition as shown below:

Step 3

Switch over to your Gradient Tool (G) and select the color #313131 as shown below:

Check the settings for your Gradient at the top of the toolbar. We want a Radial Gradient that fades from solid to transparent. Be sure to also check off the ‘Reverse’ option.

Click in the center of your image and drag outwards towards any one of the four corners to create the gradient. Once you have done that and the gradient is centered, change the Blending Mode to Multiply. Below is an image of our layers thus far:

We are trying to create a sort of dramatic and moody background early on so that we can focus on other parts of the image, but it’s good to establish some type of lighting early on so as not to leave it as an afterthought. We will be coming back to this to add more to it, but so far this is what we’ve got:

Be sure to also save your work before moving on, and continue to do so throughout the remainder of the tutorial just in case!

Step 4

Next, we are going to open up the image of the tree roots and what we want to do is crop it so we are only left with the bottom half of the image. The top half is extraneous at this point and what we really need are the roots that will be taking the place of the legs, giving the illusion that the man is morphing and changing into the tree or being pulled into the Earth. Press C to get your Crop Tool and select the area shown below:

Once you have cropped the image, bring it into your Photoshop document. From here, place the image on top of the other layers and add a mask by clicking on the icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette, indicated by the red circle in the image shown here:

Now that we have applied a mask to the image, we can use a hard black brush to paint out the areas we don’t want. The nice thing about this is that if we mess up or need to add part of the image back in, all we have to do is paint with white. Conversely, if we use the Eraser Tool to simply remove parts of the image we don’t want, we can’t really get that back unless we keep hitting undo.

Step 5

We can now begin to mask out certain parts of the tree roots that we don’t want to be seen. It will make it easier if you lower the opacity of the layer while you are brushing so that you can also see the figure underneath.
Press Command+T to do a Free Transform and then hold the Control Key and click on the image and you will see a menu where you want to select Warp. What this will do is let us manipulate various points of the image so we have more control over the shape. We want to slide and pull different spots in order to make it blend in with the direction of the leg.

Once you are happy with the direction of the roots press the Enter Key to apply the changes. Before getting too far into the masking of the roots layer I am going to duplicate the layer by pressing Command+J. Now we can work off of the duplicated layer and turn off the visibility of the original layer below.
As you continue to paint, mask out the areas where there are leaves, and use a soft brush at a low opacity (20-30%) to blend the bark texture into the mid section of our model

Zoom in and continue masking while thinking about certain parts of the roots that we may not need. Remember that we also have the original layer underneath which we can keep making copies of if we wish to use different sections of the image that we may not need right now.

Step 6

Next, select your Lasso Tool (L) and create a selection around the smaller branch that overlaps the leg as shown here:

With the layer selected, press Command+J to duplicate the selection onto a new layer. Once you have done that, press Command+T and then click on the image while holding the Control Key. When the menu appears, choose ‘Flip Horizontally’ and press the Enter Key to apply. You will also have to rotate the image upwards a bit so that it begins to follow the curve of the body. To do that it’s another transform and then rotate the image so it looks like this:

We will then apply another Warp like we did earlier and once again manipulate the shape and direction of the branch.

Notice where the branch overlaps the side of the body? All we have to do here is apply another mask by clicking the icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette and then trim it down a bit with a solid black brush in order to remove it. Try to make it appear natural so that it curves a bit at the side.

Step 7

We want to now repeat this process for the smaller branch on the opposite leg. Make another selection around part of the branch using the Lasso Tool (L).

With the layer selected, press Command+J again to paste the selection into it’s own layer. After doing that you will notice that we are losing our mask and part of the image that we don’t want visible is showing. To fix this we are going to hold the Command Key and click on just the mask thumbnail icon of the layer below. This should activate the selection.

Make sure that you are on the duplicated layer now and click on the Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette.

Now we will have our selection back and it will definitely save us a bit of time. From here we will once again flip and rotate the image so that it seems to follow the direction of the original piece. Paint with a soft black brush at 20-30% opacity to fade out parts of the branch that overlap the original. Use the hard edged brushes at 100% opacity to get the more precise areas.

Notice how the bottom piece of the branch appears to go behind the leg. Once you are satisfied with the positioning and appearance of the branch. Merge these layers with the main root image by holding the Shift Key, selecting them, and then pressing Command+E to merge.
If you are still with me at this point, you know the basic technique of taking certain areas of an image, selecting them, and then transforming and masking them. Let’s take a look at what we’ve got so far:

Step 8

Next, we are going to make a copy of the original tree root image, as in, not the one we have been working from but the one we started with (highlighted below):

Drag this layer down to the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette or press Command+J to duplicate the layer. After that, turn the visibility of the original layer off. You should now have the original root image plus two more copies.
Hold the Control Key and click on the Layer Mask icon of the layer we just created and select ‘Delete Layer Mask’ from the layer. You should now see this:

This is good because we can make a different selection to use another part of the image or section of branches for the image.

Step 9

From here, lower the layer’s opacity to about 58-60% so you can see the image below. After that you will need to click on the Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette. Slide the image over a bit so that the hollowed part of the roots is right around the midsection of the model.

We can now begin to paint into the mask with a solid black brush and remove parts of the image we don’t want. Remove all of the image except for the area inside of the ribcage.

This part can be a bit tedious but we need to get rid of the spaces between the leaves. To do this you can simply zoom in and use a small black brush at 100% opacity. We are going to be creating a hollowed out sort of effect so we need an area where we can reveal the layer below.

Step 10

Make a selection using the Pen Tool that goes around the inner part of the midsection. Fill this layer with solid black using the Paint Bucket Tool (G) after closing your Path and activating the selection.

Open the next tree root image from the resources folder and import it into your Photoshop file. Do a quick Free Transform (Command+T), hold the Control Key and click on the image, and then choose Flip Vertically. Press the Enter Key to apply the changes and then lower the opacity of the layer. Move the image around a bit and try to find a part of the image that you think would look good for the inside of the body.

Make sure that you place this layer just above the selection that we made previously that is filled with black.

Next, hold the Control Key and click on the layer containing the new tree image we have just imported. From here you want to select ‘Create Clipping Mask’ from the menu.

Once you do this you will notice that you have an arrow on this layer indicating the Clipping Mask.

And this is what the result looks like:

The other benefit of doing this is that we can still move the tree image around and we will still only be seeing what is inside of the shape area. Before moving on we will want to also reduce the opacity of this layer to around 60%.

Step 11

Choose the color #4c3c39 and create a new layer above the previous layer setting it’s Blending Mode to Multiply. Next, hold the Command Key and click on the black shape layer thumbnail icon to activate the selection. On your new layer begin to paint with a soft round brush set to about 20% opacity. Brush around the edges so that it appears to fade in gradually as shown here:

This will add a gradual shadow that helps to give the illusion of depth.

Step 12

Import the tree vector from the resources folder and rotate it to get the branches pointing at a diagonal across the body as shown here:

Next, select your model layer, and while holding the Command Key, click on the tree vector to activate the selection.

While the selection is still active, and you are on your model layer (make sure that the layer is highlighted) and press Command+J. You will not notice anything right away, but we must now turn off the visibility of the vector tree layer. Also, the layer that we just created by pasting the selection into a new layer has to be moved up in the Layers Palette so place it above the shadow layer. Here I have turned down the opacity of the model layer so you can see what is happening:

I’m going to now repeat this step once more after moving the tree vector around a bit more. The idea here is build up a cluster of branches near the ribs so that we can mask out some of the original model layer in this area. Doing so will reveal the cluster of branches above.

Step 13

Next, we are going to add a Layer Mask to the model layer and using a solid black brush we will remove the area of the model that is showing on the side:

Open the tree-bark texture from the resources folder and bring it into your document. Change the Blending Mode to Multiply and rotate it slightly so it’s at a diagonal as shown here:

Hold the Command Key and click on the layer thumbnail icon of the model layer to activate the selection around the body. Then, with your tree-bark layer highlighted, click the Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette.

Continue to paint into the mask on this layer with a soft round brush set to around 20%. Use a solid black and fade out the edges of the texture so that it blends into the skin.
Add a Layer Mask to the layer beneath the bark texture, which should be the branches that are showing through the model layer. Use the same brush with a solid black color and low opacity to remove some of this area inside of the midsection to make it look more hollowed out. This will also add more depth to the image.

Step 14

Now we are going to repeat some of the earlier steps by making a copy of the tree root image, flipping it horizontally, and masking out certain areas that we don’t need. After playing with the positioning of the image I have found a nice spot where the roots appear to be going into the midsection area, replacing the plant from earlier – This seemed to give it a more hollow effect rather than covering it up completely.

Next, duplicate the tree-bark texture and lower the opacity to about 65%.

Step 15

We will now use the vector tree once again and this time, position it over the arm. Duplicate this layer and rotate it slightly so it creates a more intricate bundle of branches. Select both of these once you are happy with the positioning and press Command+E to merge them together.

Hold the Command Key and click on the merged vector tree layer. Once the selection is activated, highlight the model layer and press Command+J to paste the model into your selection on a new layer. Turn off the visibility of the vector tree layer and move the copy up in the Layers Palette so it’s above the other layers. Once you have done that you can then mask out the model’s arm to show the branches underneath.

Duplicate the tree-bark texture and delete the layer mask by holding the Control Key, clicking the mask icon and selecting ‘Delete Layer Mask’ from the dropdown menu. The Blending Mode should still be set to Multiply.

Hold the Command Key again and click on the model layer’s thumbnail icon to activate the selection and then press the Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette while your model selection is active and you are on the tree-bark layer. This will mask out all of the texture that falls outside of the body. Continue to paint into the layer mask with a soft round black brush at a low opacity like we did earlier on. Try to blend the texture in with the skin as shown below:

When you are happy with the result, duplicate the layer to intensify the effect. You may also wish to lower the opacity a bit so it’s not quite as strong but still stronger than it would be with only the first layer.
Repeat the same process for the opposite arm. Use the vector tree to get a cluster of branches going, then, copy the model selection into the tree area and mask out the model to reveal the branches. After that we apply the bark texture again and mask it out with a light opacity brush to blend it in.

Step 16

Next we are going to select the model layer and paint with a black brush into the Layer Mask where the lower body is (underneath the tree roots). This will remove the legs and make it appear as though the tree has replaced the lower half of the man.

Make another copy of the hidden tree root layer and flip it vertically and horizontal so it looks like this:

Mask out the area outside of the model’s body so the tree root is only visible inside. From here we want to concentrate on blending the root with the body and you will come up with some interesting results.

Step 17

Select the top layer in your Layers Palette and then go down to the Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom. When the menu pops up, choose ‘Hue/Saturation’ to bring up the interface.

Move the Saturation slider all the way to the left to desaturate the entire image. From here, hold the Command Key and click on the model layer thumbnail icon to activate the selection around the man. Go to the Select Menu and then choose ‘Inverse’ to inverse the selection.

Next, switch to your Paint Bucket Tool (G) and with solid black, paint into the mask of the Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer and it should mask everything else out so that the effect is only visible inside of the model selection.

Now we can switch back to our Brush Tool (B) and use a soft round black brush at a low opacity setting to paint some color back into the image. We only want to have the effect covering certain parts of the body. Concentrate on mostly bringing color back into the face, hands, and some parts of the arms and chest. The image below shows both the before and after effects of the Hue/Saturation Adjustment.

Step 18

Switch to your Gradient Tool (G) and select the color #231B1C.

Create a new layer and move it just above the background layer before switching to your Marquee Tool (M) and making a rectangular selection to represent the ground. Once you have the selection active, fill it using the Paint Bucket.

Load up the Grass Brushes from the resources folder and select the brush from the set that is highlighted below:

Create another new layer above the ground layer. Select the color #4D6852 and begin to paint in some of the taller grass behind the tree.

Create another new layer just below the top Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer and begin to paint in some more grass. Remember to vary the size of the brush using the left and right bracket keys and focus on filling in the dark spaces between the tree roots in the foreground.

Add a Layer Mask to the grass brushes layer by clicking on the Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette. Begin to brush over parts of the tree roots where the grass brushes have overlapped. The idea here is that we want certain parts of the grass to appear as though they are behind the tree roots as shown below:

Step 19

Duplicate the ‘Faded Edges’ layer that we created earlier on in the tutorial. We want to place one copy above and one copy below the background grass layer as shown here:

Next, on the grass brushes that are behind the tree (not the ones in the foreground), we want to add a Layer Mask and paint around the edges with a soft round black brush at a low opacity setting. This will gradually fade the background grass out into the background.

Continue the process of adding grass behind the tree with the grass brushes and masking certain parts out to build up a solid base. This will also help to distinguish the foreground, middle ground, and background.

Step 20

Create a new layer just below the Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer and named it ‘Airbrushing’ as shown here:

Next, while you are on this new layer, hold the Command Key and click on the layer thumbnail icon for the body, and each of the tree roots separately so that you have a selection around them.

Change the Airbrushing layer’s Blending Mode to Multiply and with a soft round brush at a low opacity (10-20%) begin to sample colors from the darker areas and paint into the Airbrushing layer while the selection is active for each part. This will ensure that no paint goes outside of the lines!

This is a similar effect to using the Burn Tool (O) and will help to achieve a higher contrast image.

Step 21

Next, open the smoky texture from the resources folder and import it into your document. You will need to scale this up using a Free Transform (Command+T) and remember to hold the Shift Key as you drag one of the four corners of the image outwards.
Notice where ‘Layer 13’ is in the Layers Palette – between both of the faded edge layers. Change the Blending Mode of the texture to Overlay and reduce to the opacity to about 70% as shown below:

Create a new layer above the texture layer and with your Gradient Tool (G) apply a solid black-to-transparent Linear Gradient that fades into the texture as shown here:

This will give a more gradual fade, as we want our texture to be pretty subtle and appear as a fog in the background. We will now do the same to both the upper left and right corners by creating a new layer for each and dragging from outside the corner into the image. Reduce the opacity of these layers a bit so the black isn’t quite as stark.

Step 22

Switch over to your Gradient Tool and pick the following colors for your settings:

For the muted purple-gray color I am using #707073 and for the muted pink color #A0777A. Create a new layer above the black gradients that fade into the image and click somewhere in the center of your image and drag upwards. Once you have created your Linear Gradient, change the Blending Mode of the layer to ‘Color’ and you should have something like this:

Next, create a Layer Mask for the Linear Gradient and change the colors to black and white in your Gradient Settings Dialog Box. From here we just want to click and drag downwards to mask out the muted pink color so that the only color that remains on this layer is the grayish-purple. This color seems to blend better with the gray from the smoky texture.

Step 23

Next, create another new layer, just below the model layer. What we want to do here is make it darker behind the model – Because we have a lighter area in the center of the image, we can’t tell that there are certain parts of the body that are wearing away and turning into branches. On the new layer you can paint with s hard 100% solid black brush to fill in some of these gaps. The image below shows the design with this layer first turned on, and then the second image shows the layer disabled.
With the black layer on:

With the black layer off:

You can see that this helps to bring some of the nice detail back into the image where we started to lose it.

Step 24

Select the top layer in your Layers Palette so that it is highlighted. After that, click on the small black and white icon at the bottom of the palette to bring up the Adjustment Layer Menu. Select ‘Levels’ and it should add a Levels Adjustment to the top of your Layers Palette.

Move the black slider to the right a bit so that it is set to 6 as shown here:

Step 25

Next, go to the Image Menu and select ‘Canvas Size’ to bring up the dialog box. Click the down arrow so that the height adjustment we make will only affect the top of the image. Essentially by doing this we are adding a bit of extra room on the top of the image, rather than on the top and bottom evenly.

Add three inches to the height making the canvas 14 inches tall and press the Enter Key. You will notice a few of the layers getting cut off initially, but we can fix this quickly.

Go to the Background layer and press Command+T before dragging the top middle handle upwards to extend it so that it goes to the top of the canvas. If there are any spots where it doesn’t connect or the image isn’t solid, simply fill it in with a color sampled from the background.

We have added a bit too much room to the top so with our Marquee Tool (M) drag a selection around the image, roughly about the same size as the image below:

Go to the Image Menu once again and choose ‘Crop’ from the menu.

Step 26

As a finishing touch for our design I want to add a bit more atmosphere and detail to the background. The scene is supposed to be a forest, but a foggy forest. So what we want to do now is create a new layer above the smoky texture layer and just make a tall rectangular selection using your Marquee Tool (M). Fill the selection with a dark color from the background using the Paint Bucket Tool (G) and then lower the opacity to around 30%.

Duplicate this layer a few times and spread out the selections in the background. Also use a Free Transform (Command+T) on each of the rectangles to make them different widths. This will give the illusion of depth and show some distant trees, helping to make the scene feel more dramatic and dark.

Once you have done that and are happy with the results, be sure to save your work. I hope that you have picked up some useful tips in this tutorial now that we have created a dramatic scene in Photoshop with just a few images and some useful techniques. Thanks for following along, and happy Photoshopping!

And We’re Done!

You can view the final outcome below. I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial and would love to hear your feedback on the techniques and outcome.

Radar Icon

2011-02-21T01:13:00.000-08:00

Step 1

Open Photoshop and create a new document, the one I'm using is 1024x1024 pixels. Also I added the linen background I created in one of my previous tutorials just to make it more stylish.

Step 2

With the Ellipse Tool (U) create a circle in the center of the document. You can create it with 500x500 pixels or depending the size of icon you want.

Step 3

Duplicate that circle and then resize it in order to create a sort of inner circle, the idea is create a border for our icon. Once you resized it click with the right button of the mouse over the icon of the layer in the Layers Panel and select "Select Pixel" in order to create a marquee selection of that area.

Step 4

Go to Layer>Layer Mask>Hide selection.

Step 5

To create the effect of a metallic border let's use Layer Styles. So go to Layer>Layer Styles>Drop Shadow. Then follow the values of the image below. You will use Inner Shadow, Bevel and Emboss and Color Overlay

Step 6

Here is the effect you will get after the layer styles.

Step 7

Add another circle using the Ellipse Tool (U). This one will be in black and will be in the center of the metallic border.

Step 8

Duplicate the circle and resize it so it's slightly smaller than the black circle, then go to Layer>Layer Style>Gradient Overlay. For the colors use #7a5511 for the light brown and #180f00 for the dark. For the other values use the image below.

Step 9

Add a new layer over the the circle with the gradient and then go to Layer>Create Clipping Mask. Now with the Brush Tool (B) paint using a very soft brush with #7a5511for the color right on top of the circle (1). Also add a new layer an paint again with the same color but with 5% opacity over the metallic border to create a brown reflection.

Step 10

Add a folder in the layers palette and change the blend mode of this folder to Color Dodge. Also mask this layer using the inner circle area for reference. Then using the Rectangle Tool (U) create a very thin line in white, make sure it's inside the folder with color dodge. Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use .5 pixels for the Radius. After that change the Opacity to 70%. Duplicate this line and rotate it 90º. You will have a result like the image below.

Step 11

With the Ellipse Tool (U) add a circle in the middle of the radar, the color here won't matter because we will use layer styles to change it.

Step 12

For this circle the first thing to do is change the Fill Opacity to 0, then add a Outer Glow, Inner Shadow and Stroke. For the values use the image below.

Step 13

Here is the result you will get with after the layer styles.

Step 14

Now add a new layer inside the folder with color dodge and the with the Brush Tool (B) and white for the color paint a couple white spots. Because of the color dodge and the soft brush the circles will have a really nice light effect.

Step 15

Add more elements in order to make it look more realistic.

Step 16

Create a new rectangle with the Rectangle Tool (U) and then rotate it 45º. This rectangle will be also inside the folder with color dodge that we created it the step 10.

Step 17

Now with the Pen Tool (P) create a shape that covers the area from of one quadrant plus the 45º of the rectangle we created in the previous step.

Step 18

Go to Layer>Layer Styles>Blending Options. Change the Fill Opacity to 0 and then go to Gradient Overlay. Use Angle for the Style 50º angle and 55% Opacity also take a look at how I set up the gradient colors.

Step 19

This is the result you will have after the layer styles.

Step 20

Repeat the same thing we did in the step 2-4 and create another circle to use as border. This border will be between the glass of the radar and the black circle, it's the green one in the image below.

Step 21

Now let's apply more Layer Styes to add a more metallic look to our design. Use the image below for the values.

Step 22

Below you can see the look of the border after the layer styles.

Step 23

Now create a circle with the same diameter of the one that has the radar elements, then apply a Gradient Overlay on it using white for the start and end colors but the different opacities, like 0 for the start and 100 for the end. After that resize it a little bit horizontally only. Then using the Elliptical Marquee Tool (M) create an selection like the image below and hide that area of the selection with laery mask (Layer>Layer Mask>Hide Selection).

Step 24

Select all the layers used to create the radar interface including the circles with gradient overlay. After that duplicate them and merge the duplicated layers into a layer. Then go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 15 pixels for the Radius. Change the opacity of this layer to Screen at 50%.
The idea of this layer is to increase the glowing effect.

Step 25

With the Eraser Tool (E), delete the areas that are dark in the radar interface to increase to contrast.

Conclusion

As you can see the whole idea of this tutorial was show you how to create a Mac style icon in Photoshop using basic tool and filters. You can even use more non-destructive features like smart objects in order to make it easier to resize.

Green Version

You can create different color schemes using the Hue and Saturation. To do that just go to Image>Adjustments>Hue and Saturation or Layer>New Adjustment Layer.

Paint Concept Art Styled Headlights in Photoshop

2010-12-28T02:24:00.000-08:00

Step 1

Create a new file with Transparent Background, and size, the size that you need. In this tutorial I'm using 405px width and 225px height. Take Paint Bucket Tool (G) and fill the background with this color #888888. We start making the shape. The easiest way is to take the car's headlight, and follow it's basic lines. So, make a new group and name it Shape. The make a new layer. Pick Pen Tool (P), a green color and having the Brush Tool (B) at 2px, after every completed path stroke it. Then make a new layer and pick a different color, ex. orange, and do the same. Also I've included this shape with the tutorial.

Step 2

In this tutorial every selection is made with feather 0.3. Now, make a selection around the headlight, using Pen Tool (P) or Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) or Lasso Tool (L). Create a new group and name it Headlight. In this group make a layer and name it Base. Then pick the Paint Bucket Tool (G) and fill the selection. Now, make a selection like that and having selected the Base layer, go to Layer > Layer New via copy. Go to Blending Options, and at the Inner glow, set these values. Then following the shape make a path like that, using Pen Tool, and stroke it having the Brush at 2px, and a light grey color. Take the Erase Tool (E) with a big size and the hardness 0%, and erase it a bit. Then, low the layer opacity at about ~ 80%. Now, make a new layer, and do the same for the other line. Make a selection like that on headlight's bottom, and having a non-hardness brush at a big size, fill it a bit, with a light grey color. If is needed low the layer's opacity.

Step 3

So it's play time ! Let's start by making a new group. Name it Lamp1. Create a new layer, and make a selection like that, following the initial shape, and fill it with black color. Having picked the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L), right click on the lamp, and click on Reselect. Create a new layer and having a non-hardness brush, make a point like that with #FFFFFF color. Then pick the Smudge Tool (R), and smudge it until it'll be aproximately like this. Low the layer's opacity at 59%.

Step 4

Create a new layer, make a path like that along the lamp with Pen Tool and having the Brush Tool at 2px, and with white color, stroke it. Then take the Erase Tool and erase it a bit on the back. If is needed low the layer's opacity. Reselect again and create a new layer. Go to Edit > Stroke and having picked the white color and Width : 2px, and the Location : Center, stroke it. Then pick the Erase Tool (E), and erase until it'll be like that. If is needed, low the layer's opacity. Then, duplicate the stroke layer, and erase it all, except la semicircle in the lamp's bottom. After that, move that line a bit out of the lamp, and low the layer's opacity.

Step 5

Now, reselect the lamp, and having a non-nardness brush at about ~20px, a white color #FFFFFF, create a new layer and make a point like that.

Step 6

So, let's get prepared for the lamp's light. Following the initial shape, make a circle selection like that, create a new layer and fill it with black color. Following again the initial shape, make in this circle a smaller circle selection and go to Layer > Layer new via copy.

Step 7

Now having picked the big circle layer, make a selection like I did. Create a new layer and having a big non-hardness brush and white color, fill the half selection of the bottom, then low the layer's opacity at about 29%. Repeat this procedure again, but this time fill the selection a bit less, and don't low the opacity of this layer. Create a new layer, reselect the big circle, and having the same brush and white color fill a bit the selection from the bottom. Then low the layer's opacity at about ~35%.

Step 8

After that, having picked the little circle layer, select it, and create a new layer. Go to Edit > Stroke, and stroke it with 2px, white color, and location Center. If is needed use Erase Tool to erase it a bit, or low the layer's opacity. After that, having picked the small circle layer, create a new layer and go to Edit > Stroke, and stroke it with 2px, white color, and location Center or Inside. Then low the layer's opacity at about~30%. Now, after all this preparation we are ready to create the lamp's light.

Step 9

Create a new file with dimensions 200x200 and Transparent Background. Make a circle selection, create a new layer and fill it with black color. Go to layer's Blending Options, at Inner Glow, and set those values.

Step 10

After that, create a new layer, and make a selection like that. Pick the Brush Tool, white color and having a non-hardness brush at about ~100px, fill it smoothly from the top. Then, create a new layer and with a ~50px non-hardness brush and white color, make a point in the ball's bottom, and low the layer's opacity at about ~27%. Merge all these layers, select the ball, and copy it.

Step 11

Now, returning at the headlight, to the lamp, select the small black circle, that you have created previously, and go to Edit> Paste Into. Immediately go to Edit> Transform, and play there until it fits perfectly in the circle. After this step you've finished the first lamp. Now, to make the lamp's reflection on side headlight's part, select the whole lamp, and go to Edit> Copy Merged. After that hit CTRL+V to Paste it. Fit it with Transform, in the side headlight's part and low the layer's opacity at about ~ 10%.

Step 12

Now, for the other 3 cylindrical lamps, you can repeat the whole procedure of Step 3-12, or merge all the layers from group Lamp1, duplicate the layer and just fit it in the shape. But I suggest you to repeat at least, the procedure of front parts of lamp, that includes the 2 circles and the light.

Step 13

Let's make the blinker. Create a new group and name it Blinker. Create a new layer, and make a selection like that following the initial shape. Fill it with black color. Now following again the shape make an another selection in the middle of the first, and go to Layer > New > Layer via copy. Now having picked the filled layer, create a new layer. Having a big non-hardness brush and white color, fill the half selection of the bottom, then low the layer's opacity at about ~29%. Repeat this procedure again, but this time fill the selection a bit less, and don't low the opacity of this layer.

Abstract FX Text Effect

2010-09-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

Step 1 - Create a new Document

Choose File > New (Ctrl + N). I'm using a wallpaper of 1440px (width) X 900px (height). You can have a wallpaper of any other size. The background color should be black.

Step 2 - Create a Text

Type the text that you want to work with. I'm using "FX" as my choice of text, but you can use anything else. The font color should be white. I'm using the font "Harabara".

Step 3 – Rasterize the Text

Next, we need to duplicate the layer (Layer > Duplicate Layer). Right click on the duplicated layer then click Rasterize Type.

Step 4 - Adding Satin Style

Click Layer Style (fx) in the layer palette, and select Satin, then enter the settings below:

Blend Mode: Multiply
Opacity: 100%
Angle: 143°
Distance: 3px
Size: 3px

Step 5 - Adding Bevel and Emboss

Adding Bevel and Emboss will shed a smooth light shade on the text. "Bevel and Emboss" is just above "Satin" that you clicked on in the previous step. Apply the following settings
Structure

Style: Inner Bevel
Tech: Smooth
Depth: 100%
Direction: Up
Size: 250px
Soften: 7px

Shading

Angle: 132°
Altitude: 26°
Highlight mode: Normal
Highlight Color: #9a1a82
Highlight Opacity: 84%
Shadow mode: Normal
Shadow Color: #c5df27
Shadow Opacity: 27%.

Step 6 - Adding Colors to Background

We shall now merge 4 different colors to create a colorful background.
First, create a new layer to work on. Select Pen Tool from the tools bar on the left then create a path as you see in the image below with the gray line. Select Brush Tool (B) from the tools then right click on the screen. Select the feather brush, which I have highlighted with the red circle in the image below.
Go to the Pen Tool then change the foreground color to Pink (#FF00FC). Right click on the screen then select "Stroke Path". Choose Brush, activate "Simulate Pressure" (for soft and feathered edges), then click OK. We now have a path in pink.
Repeat this step three times but use different colors;

Blue (#009CFF)
Green (#46FF00)
Yellow (#FFF700)

Place these colors next to each other. Take a look at the picture in Step 7 to get an idea of where to place these "colored paths". I recommend creating a new layer for each color so that it'll be much easier to make adjustments.

Step 7 - Merging Background Colors

Select all the layers & Merge (Ctrl + E). Now all the effects we've done appear on the same layer.

Step 8 - Making Soft & Smooth Color Shade

The way to create soft & smooth edges for the colors: select Menu > Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur > Radius = 66.4px, and reduce the opacity to 33%. You should have a background image similar to this one below.

Step 9 - Duplicating Layer to Add Glow behind the Text

Select the text as you see in the image. Click on Select > Modify > Expand = 2px. Create a new layer below the text. It should be white.

Step 10 - Adding Blur

In order to make the text smooth, we need to choose Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur (Radius = 5px).

Step 11 - Filling Colors

Our goal is to fill 4 different colors inside the text. Select the blurred text & lock it. Then go to the tools bar & select Brush Tool (B) > right click on the screen & select the feather brush.
Fill the 4 different colors that we used in Step 6. See the image below for reference. You should end up with a picture the same as the final image below.

Step 12 - Adding Effects on the Text

Now is the fun part. We're going to add some cool effects to the text with the Brush. You can download the Brushes we need from this link: http://myphotoshopbrushes.com/brushes/id/328
Create a new layer and name it "brush design". Select Brush Tool & set the foreground color to white. Select the brushes that you just installed, and add the effect to the corners of the text as you see in the image below. Do the same for all the corners of your text. The final image below should give you a rough idea of what the product should look like.

Step 13 - Adding colors to the Brush

Choose feather brush > choose the same colors as in Step 6 & lock the brush design layer > fill it according to the background colors. Then go to Layer > Blending Mode > Linear Dodge (Add).

Step 14 - Adding Glow to the Brush Design

Applying some glow to the design around the text will help the design stand out even more. Choose Outer Glow from layer style then follow the settings as you see in the image below.

Step 15 - Adding Special Effects (a)

Before we can add special effects behind the text, download the Real Smoke Photoshop brushes. After you've installed them, choose the brush that I've highlighted in the red circle.

Step 16 - Adding Special Effects (b)

Create a new layer, press D to reset the color & press X to bring the white on top. Place the selected brush & turn the layer to horizontal. Fill the color and repeat what you did in Step 11.

Step 17 - Adding Stars

Download this set of particle and star Photoshop brushes. Select Pen tool to create a wave path. Switch to the Brush tool then right click on the screen. Choose the star brush as you see in the image below, select Pen Tool, then right click on the screen and select "Stroke Path". Choose Brush and activate "Simulate Pressure" then click OK. Change the Blending Mode to "Color Dodge".

Step 18 - Final Touch

You can use Particles from the Brush. Click on the screen then apply the Eraser Tool (E) and erase around the layout, so the particles will be highlighted only around the glowing text.

Create This Dazzling 3D Text Effect in Photoshop

2010-09-25T10:29:00.000-07:00

Step 1 - Create a New Document

Open Photoshop. Choose File > New or press Ctrl/Command + N. I'm using wallpaper size of 1440px (width) X 900px (height) but you can use any size you wish.

Step 2 - Creation of 3D Text

We are going to start creating 3D text with the help of Illustrator. First you need to type the text in Illustrator. You can use any text you want. I'm just using the text "FX". Open Illustrator, select the Type Tool and write the text. After typing change the font to "Hobo Std Medium".

Step 3 - Coloring the Text

Change the color of the text. For "F" use blue (#094569) and for "X" use dark orange (#AB7D1B). Your image should look like the one below.

Step 4 - Adding 3D Effect to the Text

You need to create 3D solid text. To do that go to Menu > Effect > 3D > Extrude & Bevel...

Set the dialog similarly as on the picture below.

Step 5 - Placing the Background Color

Once you´re done with the 3D text move back to Photoshop and change the background color to blue (#000b12).

Step 6 - Placing 3D Text in Photoshop

In this step you're going to place the 3D text in Photoshop. Copy the text from Illustrator and paste it in Photoshop. Select the layer with the text, right click on it and choose Rasterize Layer.

Step 7 - Separating Text

Now you are going to separate the text into two parts. Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) and make selection of the letter "X". Press Ctrl + X to cut and Ctrl + V to paste the letter. Align the text accordingly.

Step 8 - Dodge Tool Settings

You need to create highlights on the text. Select the Dodge Tool (O) from tools and follow the brush settings as you can see in the image below.

Step 9 - Adding Highlights

Paint with the Dodge Tool over the areas you want to highlight. You can get inspiration from the image bellow.

Step 10 -Adding More Highlights

Follow the step 9 and create more highlight spots on the circled areas.

Step 11 - Adding Shadows

Once you´re done with highlights, you need to create shadows on the opposite side of the shape. Select the Burn Tool (O) from the tools and paint the shadows.

Step 12 - Adding More Shadows

Follow the step 11 and continue with adding even more shadows into the circled areas.

Step 13 - Increasing Intensity

To add more contrast to the text select the Dodge Tool (O). Increase the brush size to 800px and click over the whole letter "F" and then over the "X" to get the same result as in the image below.

Step 14 - Adding Corner Spotlights

Now you are going to add some spotlights to make the corners of the text shining. Select the Brush Tool (B). Select soft round with Master Diameter on 90px. Choose white foreground color and create a new layer. Paint over the corners of the text. See image below how it should look.

Step 15 - Erasing Feather

Erase parts of the glow which are not in the text but in the background.

Step 16 - Adding Outer Glow

To add Outer Glow to the spotlights click on the button Add a layer style. You can find that button in the bottom part of your Layers palette. If you donÂ´t see the palette simply press F7 and it will appear. Select the option Outer Glow and make following settings. Press OK.

Step 17 - Duplicating Spotlight Glow

Now duplicate the glow you’ve created in the step 14. Select the Smudge tool (R) and drag the brush from right to left, so the glow spreads over the text. See image below to know what I mean.

Step 18 - Blending the Glow

Select the Smudge Tool (R) and drag the glow around the text corners. See image below.

Your image should look like the one bellow so far.

Step 19 - Adding the Feather Glow

Now you are going to add some glow to the corners of the text. Select the Brush tool (B). Choose soft rounded brush and set the Master Diameter on 90px. Create a new layer and paint some glow around the edges as you can see bellow.

Step 20 - Placing Highlights to "X"

In this step we will focus on the letter "X". Place the spotlights. Do it the same way as you did it in the step 14 and 15. See the image below for a reference.

Step 21 - Adding Outer Glow

Add Outer Glow to the spotlights. Click on the button Add a layer style, select Outer Glow and make following settings.

Step 22 - Choosing the Brush

Select the Brush Tool (B). Choose hard round brush and set the Master Diameter on 3px. You will need it in following steps.

Step 23 - Creating Path

Grab the Pen Tool (P) and create a path as you can see in the image below.

Step 24 - Adding Stroke Path

Now right click on the screen and choose the option Stroke Path...

Step 25 - Adding Brush Stroke

Choose the option Brush from the list and press OK.

Step 26 - Adding More Stroke Path

Repeat the steps 22 - 25 to add more strokes.

Step 27 - Creating Highlights in the Areas with Shadows

In this step youÂ´re going to add some glow in the dark areas to create a reflection. Choose the Pen Tool (P) and make a path as you see in the image below. Press Ctrl + Enter to make a selection and fill it with brown color (#614717).

Step 28 - Changing the Blending Mode

Now group the selected layer with the text. To do that place the layer above text layer & press Ctrl+Alt+G to group the layer inside the text layer. Once we done go to layer blending mode & choose "Color Dodge"

Step 29 - Erasing the Corners

Select the Eraser tool (E). Choose some soft round brush and set Master Diameter on 100px. Erase the corners of the shape. See image below.

Step 30 - Adding More Stroke Path

Continue with adding more strokes by following the steps 22 - 25.

Your image should be similar to the picture below after these steps.

Step 31 - Adding Stroke Path to "F"

Let’s focus on the letter "F" again. Follow the steps 22 - 25 again to add strokes to that letter.

Step 32 - Creating the Spotlight in the Background

In the following steps we will focus on the background. YouÂ´re going to add light under the letters. To do that choose the Brush Tool (B). Select soft round brush and set Master Diamter on 300px. Pick blue color (#546876). Create a new layer below the layers with text and paint one big dot. You can see what I mean in the picture below.

Step 33 - Transforming the Dot

Press Ctrl+T and transform the layer to the shape which can be seen below. Press Enter.

Step 34 - Adding the Shadow

Create a new layer under the layers with the text. Ctrl + click on the thumbnail of the layer with the letter "F" to activate mask of that layer. Then click on the layer you’ve just created and grab the Gradient Tool (G). Pick the black color and fill the mask with it.
Do the same with the letter "X".
Then press Ctrl + T and transform this layer with black letters as on the picture bellow. Press Enter.

Step 35 - Adding Gaussian Blur

The shadow should have more blur to look realistic. To fix it go to Menu > Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur...and set Radius on 5.0px. Press OK.

You should have your image similar to the image below.

Step 36 - Creating Star Glow

In this step you’re going to add some star glow. To do that select the Pen Tool (P) and create a path as you can see in the image below. Right click on the screen and choose Stroke Path... Select the option Brush and check the box Simulate Pressure. Press OK.

Step 37 - Duplicating the Star Path

Select the path and press Ctrl + J to duplicate it.Then press Ctrl + T and rotate it. Repeat it till you get the star similar as on the picture below.

Step 38 - Adjusting Star Direction

Now select all the star layers. Press Ctrl+T and rotate it to it has the same direction as the letter "X". See the image below.

Step 39 - Placing the Star

Duplicate and move the stars to the highlighted areas.

Step 40 - Adding Particles

Now you´re going to add some particles near the stars. Select the Brush Tool (B) and follow the brush settings below (if you don´t know where to find this palette simply press F5).

Paint the particles similarly as on the following picture.

Step 41 - Adding Semi Transparent Screen

Download the smoke brush (Real Smoke (675 pixels)) and install it to Photoshop. Choose the brush shown in the picture below.

Step 42 - Placing the Brush

Increase the brush size and paint with it on a new layer.

Step 43 - Adding Colors

Create a new layer above the layer with the screen. Right click on this new layer and select the option Create Clipping Mask. Grab the Brush Tool (B), change the Mode on Color and paint to get similar result as on the picture below. Use following colors: Blue = #0a5689, Yellow = #ffd44e, Green = #c2e01f.

Select the Move Tool (V) and place the screen and the layer with colors behind the text. See image below.

Step 44 - Duplicate & Transform

Duplicate the layer with screen and colors and flip it. To do that go to Edit > Transform Flip Horizontal and then Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical. Place this new layers on right side of the image.. See image below.

Step 45 - Changing Colors

Now change the colors of the right screen. Click on the layer with colors and press Ctrl+U to activate the Hue/Saturation adjustment. Follow the setting below.

You should get something like this.

Step 46 - Adding Particles

Now we will add some particles above the screen. Create a new layer. Select the Pen Tool (P) and create a path as you can see in the image below.

Design a Stylish Poster mixed with displacement effect in Photoshop CS5

2010-09-25T00:47:00.000-07:00

Start working by creating a new document (Ctrl+N) in Adobe Photoshop CS5 with the size 1280px by 1024px (RGB color mode) at a resolution of 300 pixels/inch. Use the Paint Bucket Tool (G) to fill with white color the new background layer.
Find a stock photo with a model represented on it, I used this photo from deviantart. I would like to thank the author of this photo, or if you prefer, you can substitute similar image of your own.

Remove the background using your favorite tools like Pen Tool (P), Magic Wand Tool (W), Magnetic Lasso (L) or even a simple Filter>Extract and insert it on a new layer in our main document.

Click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Drop Shadow style for model’s layer.

We’ve got the next result:

Create a new layer and make a selection, applying the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M). Place this layer under the girl’s one.

Select the Soft Mechanical brush from Brush Tool (B).

Use this brush to paint the top edges of the selection using #E694FF color as shown .

Using the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command, let’s incline a little the line, the same way shown on the next picture.

Applying the same method, it’s possible to create the next line of the color #E27FC4.

Insert the mask on each layer with line by choosing Add layer mask on the bottom part of the Layers panel and choose the Soft Round brush of black color.

Use this brush to paint in the mask to hide the lines’ edges.

Make copies of both layers containing the lines and choose the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command to turn over the copies’ layers, placing them as it is shown below. Place the layers under the girl’s layer.

Next step we’ll download set of brushes for Adobe Photoshop, named: Splat Brushes.
Create a new layer and use the next brushes from Splat Brushes set.

Add some brushstrokes with the next colors: #DFA63D, #5CC1AA, #952941, #A34057, #3C7075. Place the layers with the brushes under the girl’s layer.

Create now a new layer and fill it with white color using the Paint Bucket Tool (G). Choose the Soft Round brush of black color and represent two spots.

Place this layer under the girl’s one.

Select for the layer with the brushes the next filter Filter>Pixelate>Color Halftone.

We’ve got the next result:

Set the Blending mode for this layer to Darken.

Create a new layer again and use the Paint Bucket Tool (G) to fill it with #052C52 color.

Insert the mask on the layer by choosing Add layer mask on the bottom part of the Layers panel and use then Filter>Render>Clouds.

Now we have to paint in the mask (where we’ve used Filter>Render>Clouds) with Soft Round brush of black color (set Opacity to 20% in Options bar) to hide the next zones the same way demonstrated below:

Let’s create a new layer now and apply here the Paint Bucket Tool (G) to fill the layer with #101010 color.

Insert the mask on the layer by choosing Add layer mask on the bottom part of the Layers panel and use then Filter>Render>Clouds.

Above the previous layer we have to create a new one. Select both layer in Layers panel by pressing CTRL button and then press CTRL+E to Merge Down. Insert on this layer the mask (Add layer mask) and press CTRL+I to Inverse the color.

Using the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) represent a selection in the mask.

Right-click inside the selection and choose Transform Selection to incline this area on the left side on 45 degrees. We have to represent three zones of the same kind inside of which we have to paint using Soft Round brush of white color to clean out the zones in the mask.

We’ve got the next result:

Now we have to paint in the mask containing three inclines lines with Soft Round of black color (Opacity - 20%) to hide the edges of the lines the same way demonstrated next picture.

Make a copy of the last made layer and paint in the mask the lines, applying the same brush but using different value for Opacity.
Set the Blending mode for this layer to Linear Light.

Make one more copy of the last made layer.

Create a new layer and represent here the next selection with the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M). Incline the selection on 45 degrees too and fill this area with black color, using in this case the Paint Bucket Tool (G).

Set Fill to 0% for this layer and click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Inner Shadow.

Add Inner Glow

We’ve got the next result:

Make two copies of the last made layer and use again the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command to place the copies the same way demonstrated below. Also we have to change the Inner Shadow settings for layers.

We’ve got the next result:

Insert now the mask on indicated layers by clicking on the bottom part of the Layers panel on Add layer Mask and select after that Soft Round brush of black color.

Use this brush to paint in the mask to hide the top and the bottom edges of the lines.

Next we have to rasterize the layer with the model on it. In this case we have to represent a new layer above the model’s one and press CTRL button to select both layers. Finally press CTRL+E to Merge Down. On the rasterized layer we’ll make the next selection using Rectangular Marquee Tool (M).

Right-click inside the selection to select Transform Selection and incline the area on 45 degrees again the same way we did before.

Use the Move Tool (V) inside the selection, click and move the line as it is shown below. This way we have to represent and move three lines on the model. Press on each line CTRL+C and CTRL+V. This way the lines will be created on separate layers.

Those three layers moved away we have to put together in a single one. Press for this operation CTRL button to select the layers and then press CTRL+E to Merge Down. Place two layers one above the other. One layer containing one group of lines and the other containing the other group.

Now we have to create above the Layer 13 an adjustment layer, click Create new fill or adjustment layer from bottom part of the Layers panel and click to Curves to adjust the curve shape as shown to make a little color corrections.

We’ve got the next result:

Make a copy of the recently made layer with the Curves adjustment and place it above the other group of lines on the girl.

We’ve got the next result:

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click between each layer with the Curves adjustment and each layer containing the model’s lines in the Layers panel to create a clipping mask.

We’ve got the next result:

Create an adjustment layer above all the layers by clicking Create new fill or adjustment layer from bottom part of the Layers panel and click to Curves to adjust the curve shape as shown to make a little color corrections.

We’ve got the next result:

Now we have to represent a small ellipse, using the Ellipse Tool (U).

Set Fill to 0% for this layer and click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Gradient Overlay.

Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.

We’ve got the next result:

Make a copy of the ellipse’s layer and choose the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command to place the copy as it is shown below, changing also the Gradient Overlay settings on the copy.

Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.

We’ve got the next result:

Using the same tool, let’s represent one more ellipse.

Set Fill to 0% for this layer and click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Gradient Overlay.

Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.

We’ve got the next result:

Let’s rasterize now the ellipse’s layer. In this case create a new layer above the original one and press CTRL button to select these two layers and press in the end CTRL+E to Merge Down. Using the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command, we may place the circle as on the picture below:

Make three copies of the layer with the ellipse on it and choose Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command to change the copies’ sizes, placing them the same way indicated below:

Now we have to insert the mask on the very primary layer with the circle. Choose Add layer mask on the bottom part of the Layers panel and select the Soft Round brush of black color.

Use this brush to paint in the mask to hide the circle’s edge, mentioned with the pointer.

We’ve got the next result:

Now we have to make some copies of the ellipses’ layers and apply for each copy the next filter: Filter>Blur>Gaussian blur.

Use Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command to placing them the same way indicated below.

Click Create new fill or adjustment layer from bottom part of the Layers panel and click to Curves to adjust the curve shape as shown to make a little color corrections.

We’ve got the next result:

Finished!

Give a Medieval Game Logo a Rough Stone Look

2010-06-04T06:40:00.000-07:00

Step 1

Create a new document that is 1200×750 px and download the Caribbean font. Then, type out the title of the game as shown.
Once you are done, rasterize both layers and duplicate them. Take those two layers and merge them together. Finally, duplicate that layer, send it to the back and add a 24 px stroke to it using a layer style.

Step 2

Now merge the layer with the stroke with an empty layer to rasterize the stroke and get rid of the layer style. Then use the Paint Bucket to fill in the gaps between the letters.

Step 3

To add texture to the word “medieval.” place the Stained Concrete texture over the text. Then use the magic want tool to obtain a selection of the word "medieval." Now select the texture layer and select Cmd + J to create a new layer using the selection.

Step 4

Select the new texture Medieval layer and go to layer style then check "bevel and emboss" and enter the values like its shown below.

Step 5

To make the bevel effect more prominent, dodge and burn it as shown below. The red brushes are "dodge" and the yellow brushes are "burn".

Step 6

Use this Concrete Texture to add to the word “game.” Repeat Step 3 to achieve a similar result as below.

Step 7

Now select the new textured game layer and go to layer style, then check "bevel and emboss" and enter the values like its shown below.

Step 8

Choose the black stroke layer and go to "bevel and emboss" and enter the values as shown below.

Step 9

Now choose the black stroke layer and apply a gradient like the one shown below.

Step 10

Use this Concrete Texture as a background, after you add it, make a duplicate, go to filter > sharpen > sharpen and lower the opacity of the duplicated layer to about 60%. Now select the brush tool and chose a nice rounded brush around 200 pt, and select black color and set the opacity to about 60%, add a new layer above the texture and start drawing on the edges of the canvas, to get something like below.

Step 11

Now duplicate the layer with the black brush on the edges and set the first layer to "overlay" and the second to "normal."

Step 12

On top of all layers make a new layer to add some highlight/reflections. On the text choose a 1pt brush and set color to white, and the opacity to 70% and start drawing on the edges of the text, to make the edges more polished and shiny, this will make the logo look more detailed and realistic. See the image below for details.

Final Image

Well, that’s it! The final image is below. I hope you’ve learned something and please let me know if you have any questions.

Creative Styling for Your Car

2010-06-04T06:34:00.000-07:00

So, in the beginning we should find photo or picture of car to work with. Just go o the Google Images and find appropriate photo or picture of car. I prefer to use white or steel-blue car, because it will be easier to demonstrate aerography effect on it, but if you want to use photos with another colors of car it’s ok. Open up the picture and start our tutorial.

Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool and try to create selection similar to mine on the picture which you can see below:

After that we should remove unnecessary parts like glass, automotive head lamps and radiator enclosure which is selected now. Hold the Alt button and when the minus sign near cursor will appear you can remove part of existing selection.

Then fill selected area with linear gradient (use colors of #01ccff and #3554c8) on the new layer and change layer mode to Multiply.

Now we got interesting gradient. You can get this effect in a real life by applying kind of chameleon brush or by mixing two colors in aerography coloring. Ok, move to the next step. When selection is activated, move to background layer and press Ctrl+J to copy selected area. After that move this layer thumbnail to the top on the layers palette and change layer mode to Overlay for this layer. In this way we got metallic glare on the car surface back.

Move to the layer under the current and add some ornament more. I decided to use photo of the ocean with fish. Use Google Images again to find some appropriate picture or feel free to use my picture. Open up this picture and copy to our main canvas with car. Before start processing the picture you can reduce layer opacity to 60% to see car’s sizes under the picture. Then use Ctrl+T to resize it and put it into the right perspective by pressing Ctrl button and moving extreme points of our fragment what is under transformation. You should get perspective view similar to mine on the picture below:

After that apply the Eraser Tool and a soft round brush about 100px to make some clean work. Reduce layer opacity to 100% again.

Now change a little bit red color balance on the picture by using Image > Adjustment > Levels with next presets:

See the result on my picture below:

Ok, then copy oceanic picture to the main canvas one more time and flip it vertical with Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical. After that make the same actions to add the picture to another part of the car.

We are done on this step! We got pretty much interesting and professional processed car aerography effect. Looks cool, isn’t it? Thank to everyone for reading this tutorial!

Create Sparkling, Animated Text

2010-06-02T01:40:00.000-07:00

Step 1

Open a new document. Select the Gradient Tool and fill the backgroundwith #911169 to #5b1569.

Step 2

Choose a font and type out a word or a phrase. I chose the word star and used the Bauhaus 93 font. Fill it with #e76dbf.

Cmd + J the layer two times. You should now have three identical layers.

Next select the star’s layer and go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise and add a different amount of noise to each layer. I chose 20, 21, and 22.

Step 3

Download these star brushes. Create a new layer on top of each of the text layers. Select the brush tool and place some stars on top of your text. Be sure to create a different pattern for each text layer.

Step 4

Go to Window > Animation and create three frames.

The first word layer and the first sparkle layer should be active on the first frame. See the image below to see which layer should be selected on which frame. Frame delay time should be 0.2 sec. Now press play.

Step 5

The last step is to save our animation so go to File > Save for Web and Devices and save it as a gif file.

Final Image

That’s it! We’re finished! You can see some additional examples below.

Additional Examples

Flaming ghost Car

2010-05-29T07:52:00.000-07:00

For this tutorial you are going to need two images and two different set of brushes
Images
Bridge in the night thanks to Michal Zacharzewski
Car thanks to Michal Zacharzewski
Brushes
Fire Brushes thanks to Resource42
Odysee Brushes thanks to Axeraider70

Step 1 Setting up the Document

We will start opening the bridge image; you don’t need to modify the image size. Save it as flaming car.

Step 2 Extracting the car

a)   Open the car image as is and double-click on the “Background” layer to make it editable.
b)   Then use the Magic Wand Tool to select the white area around the car, then go to Select> Modify > Expand and apply 1 px.

c)   Next Select > Modify > Feather and in the dialog box apply .5px.

d)   Delete the background and then Drag and Drop the car layer itself into your work document.

Step 3 Adjusting the car to the background

We must scale and rotate the car so it adjusts to the background.
Edit > Transform > Scale
Edit > Transform > Rotate

Step 4 Preparing the car

a) Desaturate the car colors
Image > Adjustments > Desaturate

b) Now apply Glowing Edges
Filter > Stylize > Glowing Edges, Set the dialog box as follow:

c) Apply Screen layer style at 74%

d) Load the car selection for doing it: Select > Load Selection and select the car channel

e) Create a new layer below the car and paint it with color orange R: 255 G: 120 B: 0

f) Apply layer Style Screen at 53%

g) Now motion blur: Filter > Blur > Motion Blur, set the dialog box as follow

Step 5 Applying movements

a) Duplicate the car layer

b) Apply Motion Blur: Filter > Blur > Motion Blur, Set the dialog box as follow:

c) Create a new layer below the Car Copy Layer, name it speed

d) Open de Gradient Tool Editor (double click on the gradient) and select:
Gradient Type: Noise
Roughness: 100%
Color Model: RGB
Restrict Colors (select)
Add Transparency (select)

e) Select the Linear Gradient and in the Speed layer Paint with the gradient Tool.

f) Now desaturate: Image > Adjustments > Desaturate
g) Distort the speed lines so it matches the car perspective: Edit, Transform > Distort and play with the speed lines

h) Erase with the Eraser Tool all the lines in front of the car and above it you don’t want. Apply layer style Normal to 50% transparency

Step 6 Road tracks

a) Create a new layer above the background and name it Road Tracks

b) With the polygonal lazo create a selection of the imaginary tracks of the car

c) Paint it with white color and apply layer Style Screen at 83%
d) Now with the Eraser Tool with a 37% flow erase some parts of it

Step 7 Add Color

a) Create a new layer above all and name it color

b) Paint it with a bright Orange color : R: 255 G:120 B: 0

c) Apply layer Style Color Burn at 100% (now that’s what we are talking about)

Step 8 Flame tracks

a) Once you have downloaded the brushes sets and installed them go to the brushes palette and select the 9 Fire Brushes set
b) Create a new layer and name it Flames
c) Select a bright Yellow color and choose the second brush with a Master Diameter of 231 pixels.

d) Paint some flames a long the track.

e) Repeat the procedure with different brushes in different sections of the track and the car.

Step 9 Car Shadow

But this is a flaming car, so it is a bright shadow
a) Create a new layer above the tracks and name it shadow

b) With the Lasso tool draw a selection for the shadow

c) Paint it with Bright Yellow
d) Apply layer style Screen at 54%.

Step 10 Lights effects

a) Go to the brushes palette and select the Odysee Brushes set

b) Create a new layer and name it Lights
c) Select a bright orange color
d) Select the Brush Tip Shape in the dialog box and Flip x

e) Choose the first brush with a Master Diameter of 859 pixels.
f) Paint some lights behind the car.

g) Repeat the procedure with different brushes with deferent’s flows and colors like white

Create An Exciting 3D Composition Using Xara 3D and Photoshop

2010-05-27T13:33:00.000-07:00

Step 1

Open a new document with a White Background 1600×1200 at 72dpi. Add a large lens flare above background. My Lens Flare was created using Knoll Light Factory Plugin, If you have the plugin, create a black layer above the white background, launch Knoll Light Factory and choose the preset Lens Flare called Bright Bluelight. you can download the Lens Flare I created, if you do not have the plugin.

Change the Blending Mode of the Lens Flare to Luminosity.

Step 2

Soften the Lens Flare by adding a Linear Black Transparent Gradient above it: Set your Foreground color to black, click on the Gradient Tool to activate the Gradient Options. set the Gradient to the settings in the image below. then click OK.

With the gradient tool still selected, make a new layer above the lensflare. Hold Shift and drag your mouse from the top of your document to the bottom. Change the Blending Mode to Soft Light. This creates a softer edge for the lens flare.

Add a couple floral treatment to the background. I used Floral Brushes by solenero73. Use white as your Brush color and give the layer a 70% Opacity. You can do adjustments to the placment of the floral later.

Add a little more glow to the background by drawing a large oval shape on a New Layer with the Elliptical Marquee Tool. Fill the selection with white, then give the layer a 170% Gaussian Blur. Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, then lower the Opacity about 25%. and change the Blending Mode to Soft Light.

Open the Wall Texture by ~T~ [tirilhauan]

Clean up the texture, by removing the big crack with the Clone Tool. Use a soft brush, then Alt-Click an area without the gray patches to clone it, then start brushing the crack away.

Add 24% noise to the Wall Texture. Filter > Noise > Add Noise, then drag the Wall Texture above the other existing layers. Lower the Opacity to 25%.

Step 3

Add some color to the scene by using Fill Adjustment layers (Color Balance, Gradients Fills and Hue/Saturation).
Color Balance 1: Click the “Half Moon” symbol at the bottom of the layer palette and select, Color Balance from the Menu and add the following settings.
Cyan: -41
Magenta: -21
Yellow: -16
Lower the Fill to 56% in the Blending Options.
Gradient Fill 1: Click the “Half Moon” symbol at the bottom of the layer palette and select, Gradient from the Menu.
Use these colors: #ed9017 #f8d04a #f6e6b5
Change the Blending Mode to Linear Burn, change the Opacity to 48% and the Fill to 74%

Gradient Fill 2: Create another Gradient Fill, with the options below.
Use these colors: #b7ad70 #d5cea6
Change the Blending Mode to Vivid Light, leave the Opacity at 100%

Color Balance 2: Click the “Half Moon” symbol at the bottom of the layer palette and select, Color Balance from the Menu.
Cyan: +9
Magenta: +14
Yellow: +4
Leave the Fill at 100 % in the Blending Options.
Create a group of the Color Balance and Gradient Fill Layers. Shift Click, the layers until all are selected, then while you are still holding Shift, click on the Create A New Group Icon (folder symbol beside the half moon symbol at the bottom of the layers palette). Name the Group “Light Color”. All the elements in your design should stay beneath this group.

Step 4

Save your Photoshop Document then Launch Xara 3D to start creating the 3D Type. if you do not have Xara 3D, Download the Music 3D.png.

Font: Roland, that was a default font on my PC, but any font will do.
Bevel Type: Rolled, Depth 21
Shadows: Off
Extrusion: Depth 59 Outline, Width 20

Step 5

Light 1: (Left): # FFFFFF
Light 2: (Back): # 140D24
Light 3: (Front): # FFFFFF

Step 6

Set up your Xara document to export your 3D Type. Window > Quality Settings > Set the Export Quality to High, then press OK. Then click File > Export, Create a name for your file eg “Music” and save the file as a .PNG. An Export dialog box will appear, use the settings in the image below, then press Save.

Open the 3D Type in Photoshop, then before dragging it into the lens flare document, change the color mode from index to RGB. Image > Mode > RGB Color, Now drag the 3D Type into your original document, below your “Light Color” Group.

Make a selection of the 3D Type by Ctrl clicking the layer icon in the layer pallette. Create a New Layer above the 3D Type and Color the selection Black with the Paint Bucket.

Change the Blending Mode of the “Black Layer” to Multiply, Open and drag the Wall Texture by ~T~ [tirilhauan], Above the “Black Layer”, Resize the texture down to the size of the 3D Type.

point your mouse right between the layers of the Wall Texture and the “Black Layer” and Alt-Click when you see the pathfinder symbol appear, see Image Below.

Step 7

Now we will Create the 3D Spheres using the Ellipse Tool (u), and Layer Styles

Use the Ellipse Tool (u) with the
Shape Layer option selected. (This option allows scaling of the circle without destroying the pixels)
Hold Shift and drag to draw a perfect circle.

Apply a Gradient Overlay to the circle and drag the lightest area to the top of the circle, like the image below.
Hex Numbers: #fcfcfa, #976d14, #2a211c

Apply a Inner Glow, Hex Color #2c2614

Add a soft Drop Shadow, Hex Color: #2a2d21

You should have something that looks, like the image below.

Duplicate, Re-size and Group the Spheres and start to place them behind the 3D Type. I grouped some of them and Changed the group to a Smart Object. I also placed some blurred spheres that are further to the back behind the “Wall Texture”that I did back in Step 2, this creates a sense of depth, because the color is lighter than the spheres in front.

Place some smaller spheres in front of the 3D Type. Then place some of the Vector Musical Instruments by trait designs behind and between the spheres, useing the same “blur technique” to create depth.

Step 8

Create “Lighting Strand” Effect with the Pen Tool, Brush Strokes and Layer Styles. Start by creating a New Layer above the Spheres and 3D Type,

Draw a long curved path with Pen Tool,
While the Pen Tool is still selected, Right Click the path and select Stroke Path, from the Pop-Up Menu.
Stroked Path with Brush with Simulate Pressure Selected

Drag the Path into the Trash, ( you can find the Path in the layer Palette Menu). Go back to the layers Menu and apply These Layer Styles to the Stroke.
Gradient Overlay: #fcfcfa #976d14

Outer Glow: #d38e21

Step 9

Duplicate and Group and Re-Sze the “Light Strand”, then make more duplicates place them around the 3D Type and Sphere.

Create an Awesome Number-Based Illustration

2010-05-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

Links resources:

Final Image Preview

Step 1

Open a new document, A3 300 dpi or bigger so we always have a nice High resolution artwork incase Magazines or other people want to buy your work or use it for an exhibition. It’s also a lot easier to work on a bigger canvas, to get your details correct.

Step 2

Now before I start adding new layers, i quickly make some groups to arrange my layers. I add more groups on my way but I start with these groups, from top to bottom; Color effects – Play – Logo or Model – PLay – Background. The “Play” groups are all the experimental textures and patterns with my shapes.

Step 3

Personally I don’t like to starting on a blank background, lately I just grab a paper texture and place it in the background, change the contrast and brightness a little bit and we’re ready to go.

Step 4

I’m going to make an artwork around the number 5. Why? To be short it’s my favorite number, or lucky number. And with the new cs5 I though it would be cool to work with this number. Plus it is a really nice shape to work with. I used the font, Avant Garde Bold, but you can choose any font or shape to try this tutorial on.

Step 5

First thing I want to do with my number is add some white shapes to create a glossy vector effect to my number. Use your pen tool and add every shape in another layer, so you can correct them a little bit till it fits perfectly.

Step 6

For the next Step we’re going to create a useful pattern. We will be using this pattern to add some cool effects on our number and background. Open a new file, 25px on 25px with a transparent background. Now select the LineTool (5px) and make a cross. Go to Edit>Define Pattern, give it a name and save.

Step 7

Now create some new layers (in our “play” group) with shapes filled with our new pattern. Ellipses, circles, rectangles and triangles can be filled with the pattern and placed to match the natural features of the number that we’re using, or you can use the pen tool to do it. These shapes can be used to add shadows or just make the graphic a bit more interesting. You can see my example for inspiration.

Step 8

The next step has everything to do with my personal taste. I prefer a more grungy look on my patterns, so I softly erase some parts with a traditional paint brush selected.

Step 9

Now I want to add a soft texture on my Number. For this I open one of my paper stocks in a new layer and desaturate them by (cmd + U). New you select your number layer by (cmd + click on layer), go to select inverse and delete. Now you change your layer blending option to ‘multiply’ and adjust some brightness and contrast till you think it looks perfect.

Step 10

Next, duplicate your texture layer, with the ‘multiply’ blending option on and place it under the original layer. Next I made kind of “fluid dripping selection” with my pen tool and press (cmd+c) top copy and (cmd+v) to paste some of this pattern in a new layer. Create some darker spots in your work with these pattern selections. You can choose where you use this technique. Check my example, to see where I added mine and see what I mean with ‘fluid dripping bubble selection”. This can also be done with custom brushes, but if you use the pen tool, you have infinitely more control over how they will look.

Step 11

Next step is to add some more abstract shapes into our number. Simply add a new layer under our paper texture and create some round white abstract shapes with your pen tool (see example). In order to get good looking abstract shapes, you’ll have to understand how Bezier curves work with the pen tool. For those of you who haven’t used the pen tool in this manner before, there’s a nice quick tutorial over at PhotoshopCAFE that demonstrates these techniques: http://www.photoshopcafe.com/tutorials/pen/pen.htm
The white abstract shapes will keep the texture, but makes it a little brighter. Do this few times till you like the outcome. This is what I’ve done.

Step 12

Now it’s time to add some colors. What we’re going to do is simple. Again, use your pen tool to make some round fluid selections at the bottom of our five or whatever shape you’re using (like something is dripping of our shape). Give the selection some real velvet colors. Feel free to use my example.

Step 13

For the next step we have to make another pattern, Some oblique lines to fill our abstract round shapes again. Side note, feel free to create your own patterns and go crazy with it, experiment and make amazing artworks.

Step 14

Now I ask you to stop thinking and do some crazy stuff with colors and shapes. At this point you need something different that makes your artwork interesting and personal. Just keep on experimenting with shapes drawn with pen tool and different patterns. This is what i got after a couple minutes of 0% brain usage.

Step 15

As you can see I’ve been experimenting with some movement here. I came up with the idea inspired by the game “spin the bottle”. As you can see, I only concentrated on shapes and pattern and completely ignored my color usage. This step is to fix that moment of ignorance. This time we only concentrate on colors. This my way to create this stuff. If you can do shapes and colors in one step,that’s great, but most people will tend to get bogged down trying to do both at once. I simply took the time to workout the idea and then finalize it with the coloring.

Step 16

Now we start with my finishing touches. Lately I love to use the “nebula” Stock photographs from “http://moonchilde-stock.deviantart.com/gallery/#Nebulae-and-Scifi” to add some sci-fi effects to my work. Nebulae have an amazing selection of stars and outer space stocks, perfectly to cover some parts of your work with blending option “screen” selected.

Step 17

Quick tip on making your artwork look great on the web. You started to work on A3 with 300 dpi. You know the web is 72 dpi, so we can show some high quality work here if you use the right techniques. What I do is, quickly go to layer>flatten image after I saved my A3 as .psd Reduced the image size to 1500 pixels width go to to Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp mask with an amount of 80% , radius of 0.3 pixels and threshold of 0.

Step 18

Now repeat the last step but play with the % try 50%, 80% will be a little bit to sharp after you resized it to your favorite preview size, I prefer 650x… but for this tutorial I used 500px width.
Hopefully you learned something with this tutorial. Use these techniques to create your own personal work. Be creative with it and don’t be scared to experiment and show off your results. Every comment can help you getting closer to your goal. Don’t forget to have fun experimenting with objects, shapes, numbers, typography, you name it. Just have fun!

Create A Wooden House Icon

2010-05-27T08:02:00.000-07:00

Step 1

In new document, create a new layer, draw as shown in (1a). Press Command + J to duplicate this layer and press Command + T, right click the mouse on image and choose Flip Horizontal to reverse the second layer. Position it as shown in (1b). Then press Command + E to merge the two layers into one, rename the new layer “H1”.

Step 2

Press Command + T. While holding “Command” edit “H1” as shown below (2a). Then press Command + J to duplicate “H1”, rename new layer “H2” and place is as shown in (2b).

Step 3

Create a new layer on top and call it “h2.” Draw as shown below.

Step 4

Create a new layer on top and call it “Left roof 1”, draw as shown in (4a). Then press Command + T, while holding “Shift” + “Alt” make it larger (4b).

Step 5

Create a new layer under “left roof 1”, call it “left roof 2” and draw as shown in (5).

Step 6

Continue drawing the roof as shown below.

Step 7

Create 2 new layers, one “door” and one “window”. Draw as shown below.

Step 8

Now let’s add some texture to the house. Open a wood texture. Any will do but mine came from bigstockphoto.com.

Step 9

Apply a layer style to “H1 texture” and use the settings below.

Step 10

Apply a layer style to “h2 texture” and use the settings below.

Step 11

Now apply the following layer styles to “left roof 1”, “left roof 2”, “left roof 3” and “right roof 1”.

Step 12

Create a new layer under “left roof 1”. Select it and “left roof 1” then press Command + E to merge these layers to one. Keep its name “left roof 1” (12a).
While holding “Command,” click on “left roof 1” to obtain its selection. Go to menu Select > Modify > Contract, set Contract By: 1 px. Then press Command + Shift + I to reverse this selection. Choose Dodge Tool (smooth brush, 35px) and draw as shown in (12b).

Step 13

Repeat Step 12 for “left roof 2”, “left roof 3” and “right roof 1.”

Step 14

Press Command + J to duplicate “left roof 1”, rename new layer “light roof 1” and fill it with white as shown in (14a). Make a selection as shown in (14b). Press Command + Alt + D and set Feather Radius to 20px then press Delete. Change its Blending Mode to Overlay (14c).

Step 15

Press Command + J to duplicate “light roof 1”. Rename new layer “light roof 2” and reduce Opacity to 50%.

Step 16

Select “left roof 1”, “left roof 2”, “left roof 3”, “right roof 1”, “light roof 1” and “light roof 2”, press Command + E to merge these layers to one. Rename new layer “roof”. Open the wall texture image (from bigstock.com), copy and paste it on top of “roof”. Select wall texture layer while holding “Command” click on “roof” to obtain its selection. Press Command + J to duplicate this selection, rename new layer “roof texture” (16a). Then change its Blending Mode to Multiply and reduce Opacity to 30% – 40% (16b).

Step 17

Add a wood texture layer to the door call it “door texture 1” (17a). Apply a layer stle and use settings as shown in (17b).

Step 18

Add one more wood texture layer for the door (on “door texture 1”), call it “door texture 2” (18a).While holding “Command” click on “door” to obtain its selection. Then while choosing Marquee Tool (M) press up key and down key and position as shown in (18b). Press Delete (18c) and remove “door” (we don’t need it).

Step 19

Choose the Dodge Tool and the Burn Tool (smooth brush, about 10px – 35px) and apply shading as shown on “door texture 2”.

Step 20

Add a wood texture layer for the window (on “window”), call it “window texture” and use the techniques outlines in Steps 18 and 19.

Step 21

Create new layer under “roof” and call it “roof shadow 1”. Choose the Brush Tool with black (set as in (21a)) to draw the shadow (21b).

Step 22

Create a new layer beneath all the other layers and call it “pillar” and draw as in (22a). Then add a wood texture for the pillar, call new layer “pillar texture”(22b). Apply a layer style and use settings as shown in (22c).

Step 23

Create a new layer on top of “pillar texture” and call it “house shadow 1”. Choose Brush Tool with black color (set as in (21a)) to draw the shadow (23a). Then on “pillar texture”, use the Burn Tool to draw as shown in (23b).

Step 24

Create a new layer under “pillar”, call it “house support 1” and add a wood texture as in (24a). Go to menu Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast, set as in (24b). While holding “Command” click on “house support 1” to obtain its selection. Then choose Brush Tool with black color (set as in (21a)) to draw the shadow inside the selection (24c).

Step 25

Add one more wood texture for the house support. While holding “Command” click on “house support 1” to obtain its selection. Go to menu Select > Modify > Expand, set Expand By: 3px to get the larger selection. On the wood texture, press Command + J to duplicate the selection. Rename new layer “house support 2”.

Step 26

Perform the following steps.

Step 27

On “house support 1”, use the Brush Tool and draw a shadow as shown below.

Step 28

Create a new layer under “house support 2”, call it “house support shadow” and draw as in (28a). Then create a new layer under “pillar”, call it “house shadow 2” and draw as in (28b).

Conclusion

Hope you learned something new and had fun. The final image can be seen below.

Create a Funky Pouring Liquid

2010-05-27T04:32:00.000-07:00

First, go to File>New and create a new canvas with 3000px width and 1800px height.

I like to start with large canvas sizes, it's a good idea if you ever want to get your creations printed.
Firstly press CTRL/CMD + R to show Rulers and click and drag a vertical ruler to the halfway point (make it easier for us to center the image later).Next we'll create a New Layer and name it background, then fill it with a radial gradient with colors #1d6adc and #5eb7fd. Click and drag the gradient from the center of the image to the far edge.

Next we'll put some blank text on the screen, essentially you can use any word and font you like. Just make sure the font is thick and the text is centered. We used Poplar Std font, 564 pt size and vertically scaled it by 130%. Then simply drag the text towards the center ruler and it should snap into place.

Create a new layer below your text layer, name it 'ground'. Get the Rectangular Marquee tool (M) and make a selection across the bottom of the canvas similar to the image below. Fill it with the same gradient as earlier, but this time select linear gradient instead of radial.

Once that's done just set the 'ground' layer blending mode to 'Multiply'. Next go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and apply an 8 pixel blur. Then click Filter>Noise>Add Noise and make the settings 1%, Gaussian and make sure Monochromatic is checked.

Now we're going to use alpha channels to create a displacement map which will allow us to create the 'glass' that the milk will be poured into. Firstly, hide your text layer by clicking on the little 'eye' to the left of the layer. Then CRTL/CMD + Click on your text layer, which will make a selection out of the text.

Open up the channels palette (Window>Channels) and click on the Create new channel icon (Right at the bottom, next to the trash can icon.) Here, fill your selection with white. Now click on the upper right-hand corner of the channels palette and click 'Duplicate Channel'.

Now in the window that pops up under 'destination' click 'New' from the drop down menu and name it 'glass'

In your glass.psd file select the 'background' layer and go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and add an 8 pixel blur.

Now save your 'glass.psd' and go back to your main image.
Create a new layer above the 'ground' layer and name it 'glass'. With the 'glass' layer selected, go to Image>Apply Image and press Enter. This will place a flattened copy of the canvas onto the layer. Now go to Filter>Distort>Glass. Now click on the dropdown menu beside the Texture parameter and select 'Load Texture'. Navigate to your Glass.psd and hit Ok. Now use the settings below and hit OK.

Now we have something thats looking alright. Set the glass layers blending mode to Screen. Now CTRL/CMD Click the text layer to make a selection again.

Click on the 'glass' layer and go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection. This will hide all the unwanted parts from the 'glass layer'.
Now set the layers Blending Mode to Screen and Right Click on the 'glass' layer and go to Blending options, apply the blending options below:

Add a layer above the glass, name it Milk. CTRL/CMD Click the Text layer to bring up a selection and then go to Select>Modify>Smooth 20px, Select>Modify>Contract 15px and Select>Modify>Feather 1px. Fill the selection with white. Don't deselect it yet. Nudge the selection up 6-10 times, press Shift + CTRL/CMD I to invert the selection and go to Layer>Layer Mask>Hide Selection. This will hide out the bottom part of the milk, giving an effect that the glass is thicker at the base of the letters.

Now apply the following Blending options to the 'milk' layer.

We're almost done with the milk inside the text, we'll just add a shadow, create a New Layer below the glass and name it 'shadow', make a rectangular selection across the text and fill it with black.

With the 'shadow' layer selected go to Filter>Blur> Gaussian Blur and apply a 10px blur. Next go to Filter>Blur>Motion Blur and create a motion blur with an Angle of 0 and a Distance of 400px. Set the shadows Blend Mode to Multiply and the Opacity to 70%.

Now place the milk layer BELOW the glass layer and you'll see we've got some fairly convincing milk!

All that's left to do now is apply some of the cool milk splashes and overflow effects, a good place to start looking for images is Google Images and Flickr. To save you the trouble, here are the images that I've used:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/david_kittos/4078182713/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/david_kittos/4110781134/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/geert1969/4034412583/sizes/l/
Download the images and open them up in photoshop.
Now to cut these Image out we could spend a lot of time using the pen tool/eraser tool or countless other methods. But since these images are on fairly plain backgrounds we can use the Color Range tool to cut them out. Go to one of the Images and go to Select>Color Range. Now you'll have to play around with the sliders, and use the + and - pipettes to select the colors you want. In the below example I used the + pipette on the white of the milk and the reds of the strawberry. Doing this also selected the black background so I used the - pipette on parts of the black background to deselect. Once you have something resembling the image below, click Ok, CTRL/CMD + X to cut the image out, and CTRL/CMD+V to paste it into your original canvas.

Once you paste the milk parts into your canvas, they'll probably look a little like this:

But that can be easily fixed with the dodge tool. Select the dodge tool, choose a large soft brush, set the exposure to 40% and the Range to Midtones. Brushover the milk layers until you get a result similar to the one below.

Now place the splash layer in between the glass and the milk layers. Press CTRL/CMD + T to transform the layer and resize it to fit inside one of your letters.

Now this is looking a bit awkward. So go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All to create a mask on your splash layer. Now make sure the mask is selected, get a small soft brush, make the color black, and begin painting over the parts that you no longer want to appear on the splash.

Now we can also touch up our splash layers by placing additional layers ontop of them, sampling colors using the pipette tool and using a soft brush to paint over some areas that we can't fix with the masks.

Now repeat the above steps for all the other splash images, resizing and rotating them in to make them fit in and around the letters.

You can add as many different splash effects that you wish, once you've got the first one done, the rest will be easy.
Now download the pouring .png that I've provided:
HERE
And place it behind the glass layer.

Now create a new layer ontop of all the others, name it reflection. Go to Image>Apply Image and hit Enter. Press CTRL/CMD + T and hold down Shift while you rotate the image 180 degrees, press Enter. Then go to Edit>Transform>Flip Horizontal. Now position the 'reflection layer like the image below.

Set the 'reflection' layers Opacity to 15%. Go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All. Now get a black to white linear gradient and apply it to the 'reflection' layers mask. You should get the effect below

Now we're nearly done! Simply go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Levels and move the middle slider down to 0.59

That's it! you're done! If you got lost at any point during these steps, or simply want the .psd from this tutorial, you can download it below.

Create an Amazing Escher-Like Face

2010-05-27T02:53:00.001-07:00

Step 1
You can begin with just about any head. It helps if the model doesn’t have long, flowing hair, as this makes the process more difficult. Even with a figure whose hair is tied back, such as the one below, you need to treat it to better suit your purpose.

Step 2
Use your favorite masking technique to select and cut out the background. The rest of this tutorial will go more smoothly if you completely remove any long hair. Here, I’ve taken out the hair at the back of the head and used the Patch tool to remove any loose strands from the shoulder. Make a new layer from the head.

Step 3
You need to make the head more stark and graphic in appearance. The quickest and most controllable way to do this is to duplicate the head layer and desaturate it to knock all the color out (Image > Adjustments > Desaturate). When youthen change the mode of the layer from Normal to Hard Light, the mid-tone disappears, leaving a stark version of the head.

Step 4
Changing the mode of the version on top of the original head strengthens the contrast without affecting the hue. Vary the opacity of the Hard Light layer until you get a result you like, then merge the two layers together.

Step 5
Draw a Pen path to make the first loop of the ribbon, following the curve of the head, and higher on one side than on the other. If you draw the path so it bends over the nose, it will accentuate the feature and will look more like a three-dimensional object when you’re finished.

Step 6
Keep drawing more paths as closed loops on the front of the head. The gaps between them should be more or less the same size as the ribbons themselves. Don’t worry about the precise shape too much: you can always adjust this later.

Step 7
Select all the paths, and choose Layer > Vector Mask > Current Path. This hides the layer outside the path, and gives us the opportunity to see exactly which parts are visible and which are hidden. You could have drawn the paths as a Vector Mask right from the start, but after you’d drawn the first path, you wouldn’t be able to see the rest of the image you were working on.

Step 8
Now that you can see the ribbon in full, you can adjust the path to make it look its best. If the path goes up to a corner point on the extreme right and left, it will look more as if the ribbon is curving around the shape of the head.

Step 9
Make a new layer behind the front ribbon, and fill it with a tone sampled from the head. Draw the back half of the ribbons with the Pen tool, joining the left side of each front ribbon to the right side of the ribbon directly above it. Make a smooth, flowing series of curves, to accentuate the roundness of the head. Then choose Layer > Vector Mask > Current Path again, and the new layer will be visible only inside the drawn path.

Step 10
Use the Burn tool, set to Midtones, to shade the sides of the interior ribbon (if you set it to Highlights, you’d get a dull, gray result from the shading). To add some bright spots, switch to the Dodge tool -- or hold Alt with the Burn tool to temporarily access the Dodge.

Step 11
You now need to add some thickness to that ribbon. Hide the back ribbon layer, and make a new layer behind the head. Load the path for the front ribbon as a selection by holding Command (Mac)/Ctrl (Windows) and clicking on the Vector Mask icon in the Layers panel. Then, on the new layer, select Edit > Stroke and choose a value that's an appropriate size for your image. (You can experiment with different sizes.) With black as the foreground color, the stroke will come out black, which makes it easier to see what you’re doing.

Step 12
You only want the stroke to be visible on the upper edge of each section of the ribbon, as you're looking down on it from above. Use a hard-edged Eraser to erase the left, right, and bottom of each stroke.

Step 13
Make another new layer, and repeat the process to add a stroke that matches the Vector Mask for the back ribbon layer. Again, the back ribbon is hidden so you can see what’s going on more clearly.

Step 14
Erase the bottom part of the new stroke, so that once again, only the tops are visible. You’ll notice that the top and bottom strokes may not align perfectly, but this is easy to correct.

Step 15
To fill both strokes with the model's skin color, use the Eyedropper tool to sample the color, and make sure it's the foreground color. On each of the stroke layers, you could simply press alt-delete to fill with the foreground color, but this would fill the whole canvas area; pressing Alt-shift-delete instead fills the current pixels on that layer, but doesn’t affect the transparent areas. Now, using a combination of hard-edged Eraser and small hard-edged Brush, adjust the back stroke so it lines up with the front one.

Step 16
Show the back ribbon layer once more, so you can see the whole image. Using the Burn tool set to Midtones again, darken the back stroke to make shadows where it disappears behind the front ribbon. This adds a lot of realism and makes the lighting look much more convincing. Be careful not to shade too close to the ends, though, as they have to remain the same color as the front stroke.

Step 17
Make another copy of the original face, and move it behind the front ribbon and stroke. Draw a new path that follows the outline of the head, but which is somewhat smaller. Then choose Layer > Vector Mask > Current Path once more, to constrain the visibility of the layer to just that seen within the path. I’ve also changed the background color from white to black, to make the image stand out better.

Step 18
Use Image > Adjustments > Invert to invert the smaller face, turning white to black and the flesh tone to a ghostly blue. Being able to see the second eye adds a lot of power to the image, even if it is inverted.

Step 19
When you change the mode of the inverted layer from Normal to Screen, it only brightens up the layers beneath it -- which means those areas that are already brighter than this layer will show through beneath it, letting you see the back of the ribbon.

Step 20
Finally, use the Burn tool to paint dark shadows on both sides of the front ribbon. This adds to the sense of roundness, and helps the image to blend in well with the dark background.

Quick Tip: Create a Carbon Mesh Background

2010-05-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

Step 1: Creating the Mesh Pattern

Create a new document, 50×50px and name it "Holes". Fill the background in with #FCFCFC.

Step 2: Alignment

Now we need to make a grid to help us layout the holes for the mesh pattern, so we need to create precise guides by going to: View > New Guide. And make the following separate guides:

Vertical: 12px, 25px and 38px
Horizontal: 9px, 17px, 25px, 33px and 41px

Step 3: Adding the Holes

Using the Elliptical Marquee tool (M), set the selection style to "Fixed Size" and enter 14px for width and height. Cmd + Click on the cross sections highlighted on the image below. This should create a perfectly centered eclipse around the cross in which we will fill in black (#000000). Repeat for the remaining points.

Should look something like this:

Step 4: Adding Detail

Add the following layer styles: (Inner Shadow: Black, with Distance set to 1 and Size set to 3.

Pattern Overlay: Pattern selected from Photoshop’s default ‘Artist Surface Pack’ called ‘Oil Pastel on Canvas’ , set opacity to 36%.

Step 5: Saving the Pattern

Using the Rectangle Marquee tool (M) select the inner rectangle (as seen in the image). With it selected go to: Edit > Define Pattern (You may need to expand the menu, by clicking on "Show All Menu Items"). Call it "Mesh" and press Ok.

Step 6: Creating the Carbon Pattern

Create a new document, 100×100px in size. Create a new layer (Cmd + Shift + N) and call it "Vertical Tile." Using the Rectangle Marquee tool (M) set the selection style to "Fixed Size" Using 25px for width and 50px for height. Make a selection in the very upper left hand corner and fill it in black (#000000) for the vertical tiles.

Add the following layer styles: Color Overlay: with the color set to: #252627.

Stroke: with the color set to: #121213, size on 1 and position set to: Center.

Step 7: Horizontal Tiles

We need to now create the template for the horizontal tiles, so create a new layer (Cmd + Shift + N) and call it "Horizontal Tile". Using the Rectangle Marquee tool (M) change the "Fixed Size" to 50px for width and 25px for height. Click right next to the vertical and make the selection flush in the upper right hand corner (as seen in the image below). Fill it in with black.

Add the following layer styles: Color Overlay: with the color set to: #1a1b1c.

Stroke: with the color set to: #121213, size on 1 and position set to: Center.

Step 8: Repeating the Pattern

We have the templates for both the horizontal and verticals tiles; by duplicating the layers (Select layer > Cmd + J to duplicate) we now have copies in which we can arrange in a pattern (Pattern template below) Making sure they are flush and not leave gaps (As this will affect the final outcome of the image). Repeat duplicating and ordering the layers to get the finish pattern (as seen below).

Step 9: Saving the Pattern

Again using the Rectangle Marquee tool (M) select the whole document (or Cmd + A). With it selected go to: Edit > Define Pattern (You may need to expand the menu, by clicking on "Show All Menu Items"). Call it "Carbon" and press Ok.

Step 10: Putting it All Together

Create a new document to what size suits you (I will use 1000×700px for demonstration purposes). Create a new layer (Cmd + Shift + N) and call it "Mesh", fill it in with black (#000000). Apply the Mesh pattern we made previously via layer styles (as seen below).
Pattern Overlay: The patterns we made are saved in the last pack you selected, so in our case the Artist Surface was our last. Select the Mesh pattern from the pack.

Create a new layer (Cmd + Shift + N) on top and call it "Carbon" and fill it in with black (#000000), apply the Carbon pattern we made previously via layer styles (as seen below).
Pattern Overlay: Select the carbon pattern in the same folder, and drop the scale down to 25%.

Gradient Overlay: Starting color #000000 to #2e3033, drop opacity down to 65%.

Step 11: “Cutting out” the carbon

Select the Carbon layer and again using the Elliptical Marquee tool (M); making sure the selection style is back to "Normal" make a rough oval selection from the middle most bottom of the document to the centre right portion. Press delete to remove that portion to reveal the mesh layer beneath, deselect the selection (Cmd + D).

Step 12: Adding Highlights and Shadows

Create a new layer (Cmd + Shift + N) between the Carbon and Mesh layer and call it "Carbon Shadow." Using a large soft brush (200-300px) with its hardness turned down to 0, opacity to 50% and color set to black (#000000), start to draw along the "cut-out". Use a technique of overlapping brush strokes to build up the shadow under the lip of the carbon, and to fade out towards the center of the uncovered mesh.

To add extra detail we can create a very slight highlight on top of the carbon to give it the effect of catching the light source. Create a new layer (Cmd + Shift + N) on top of the Carbon layer and call it "Carbon Highlight" Using the same brush but using white (#FFFFFF) instead of black, Cmd + Click the Carbon layer, to load the selection and keep our highlight in. Now start to paint across the lip very softly to create that soft highlight, turn down the opacity down to 25%.

Final Image

You’re Finished, I hope you enjoyed the tutorial!

Create an Awesome Funky Text Effect

2010-05-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

Resources:

Nebulas (by Hameed from DeviantART): http://hameed.deviantart.com/art/Nebula-v1-1471411
3D Renders – DJ Equipment, Headphones, Spray… (by K3nzuS): http://k3nzus.deviantart.com/art/Some-Stuff-1-156008354
Smoke (by SXC): http://www.sxc.hu/photo/935916
Bokeh Effect (by Media Militia): http://mediamilitia.com/bokeh-effects-pack-42-free-images/
Texture – Zebra Stripes (by SXC): http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1141274
Other 3D Elements: http://planetrenders.net/renders/

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Create a new document on Photoshop and set the size that you prefer, for this job I used 40 x 15 cm 200dpi and 16bits/channel, because I printed it and with 16 bits the gradients become smoother.
So, add a Radial Gradient with the following settings:

Add some nebulas stocks and change the blend mode to Linear Dodge (Add) and Fill: 60%.
Add the text that you prefer and choose one font with a “thick body” like Impact, DaddyDontDisco, Geist RND, because you will have more area to work.

Start doing some strokes around the word:
1- Select the letter that you want to apply the stroke.

2- Go to Edit > Stroke and use the values like the following image.

3- Choose some basic colors like yellow, red, black, white, or something like these, and move a few pixels up and right. Try some blend modes like Color Dodge or Linear Dodge (Add), because they fit very well.
Or if you prefer, you can use the layer Blending Options, but I don’t recommend this, because if you are starting with Photoshop, it is a little difficult to change the Blend Mode.

Choose some texture images and make a Clipping Mask with the text:
1- Select the letter that you want to make a Clipping Mask.
2- Place the stock image on another layer like the following image.
3- Then, select only the stock image and go to Layer > Create Clipping Mask (Ctrl + Alt + G).
4- A little arrow will appear on the stock image layer. This indicates that the stock image is linked with the letter layer.
5- Select both layers and go to Layer > Merge Down (Ctrl + E). They will turn a unique layer.
6- Change the blend mode to Soft Light or Overlay, move a few pixels and press Delete. So you will get something like the following images:

Now we will start the Clipping Mask Part: choose some stocks or 3D renders that fit with the style that you are working.
I chose some of my old Cinema 4D renders like headphones, stereo, DJ equipment, guns and some abstracts.

Place the renders each one on a different layer like the following image: the Red Layer is the group (Ctrl + G), the Yellow Layers are all the clipping masks, and the Blue Layer is the text object.

In this case I chose one of my DJ equipment render. The layers that are inside of the red bracket are linked (Clipping Mask) with the typography (yellow layer). Try some blend modes like Color Dodge, Linear Dodge (Add), Overlay, Soft Light and Screen, and change the Opacity and Fill like you prefer.

Here are more examples about this effect:

Add some 3D particles (explosion effect) in your work and change the blend mode to Soft Light or Overlay.

Now we will add more details: choose some 3D spheres, change the blend mode to Soft Light or Overlay and change the Opacity like you prefer.

And here are more examples:

Choose some 3D renders and add them in your work. In this example desaturate it (Shift + Ctrl + U), so I rotate it and change the blend mode to Color Dodge. In this case all the objects are on Color Dodge, Linear Dodge, Screen, Overlay or Screen and they are inside the 3D Objects Group.

More examples:

Now we will add some brush lines (if you have a Pen Tablet your work will become easier). Try to use one pixel (diameter) and basic colors like red, black or white.

And now, I think is the most important part of this tutorial: illumination and colors.
Choose a Bokeh Effect texture with vibrant colors like red with orange or yellow and change the blend mode to Overlay, varying the Opacity to fit better in the composition.

Besides this, add some Adjustment Layers like Levels, Selective Color and Curves to adjust the illumination of your work. To improve some parts, use the Brush Tool with a soft round brush and change the blend mode to Soft Light or Overlay. The Levels and Brush settings are something like the image.

Here are some examples:

Add some 3D spheres in the foreground and background. So apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the radius between 3-5 pixels. Try some blend modes like Normal or Overlay, because they fit very well.

Finally, we are done! Fix some details. Apply a Sharpen Filter, etc…
And here is the Layer Window with all the objects.

So, I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and learned something.

Create a Barcode Sticker

2010-05-18T10:22:00.001-07:00

Step 1

First, we will set up our brush preset for the barcode. Create a new document with a width of 1 px and a height of 100 px. Now pick the paint bucket tool and fill the document with black. Go to Edit > Define Brush Preset, choose a name for your brush and click OK.

Step 2

Create another new document, I chose 600 x 400 px for width and height. Select the brush tool and open the brush preset panel. Scroll down and select the brush preset you just created. Switch to the brush panel, make sure "Brush Tip Shape" is selected on the left-hand side and change the "Spacing" value to about 120 %. (Tip: By changing the spacing value you can determine how close the lines of the barcode will be together) Next, click on "Scattering" just below "Brush Tip Shape" and increase the count jitter value to 100%.

Step 3

Now make sure the foreground color is set to black, and paint from left to right while holding the shift key, which straightens your barcode line automatically. Select the text tool and add some random numbers below the barcode. Press Cmd + T and increase the vertical scale just a little bit.

Step 4

Switch the foreground color to white, pick the rounded rectangle tool with a radius of 4 px and draw a sticker-like shape around the barcode. Drag this shape layer behind the text and the barcode.

Step 5

Double-click on the shape layer and add the following layer styles (leave unmentioned parameters at defaults):

Drop Shadow: Opacity: 25%, Distance: 2px, Size: 3px;
Bevel and Emboss: settings see image;
Gradient Overlay: settings see image;
Stroke: Size: 1px, Color: #d6d6d6;

Step 6

Now we are going to create the paperboard texture. Create a new layer, drag it behind the others, and fill it with black. Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise with an amount of about 65% and check "Monocromatic". Then, make sure that the foreground color is set to white and the background color to black, go to Filter > Sketch > Torn Edges and apply it with the settings as seen on the image below.

Press Cmd + L to access the levels adjustments and drag the left handle of the "Output Levels" to about 115. Press Cmd + U, make sure "Colorize" is checked and apply the following values: Hue: +40, Saturation: +49, Lightness: -39. Then, apply the "Add Noise" filter again with an amount of about 7%. Go to Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply it with a radius of 0.3 px.

Step 7

Create another new layer filled with black, change the foreground and background color to white and black again, and apply the "Add Noise" filter with an amount of 120%, then again the "Torn Edges" filter with the following settings: Image Balance: 1, Smoothness: 11, Contrast: 19. Set the layer’s blending mode to "Screen" and lower the opacity to about 50%. So far, you should have something like the image below.

Step 8

To add a little bit more depth, create another new layer, fill it with white and apply the "Add noise" filter with an amount of about 120%. Go to Filter > Sketch > Bas Relief and apply it with the settings as seen on the image. Set the blending mode to "Overlay" and lower the opacity to 25%.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you are done! I added a simple vignette effect to my final result as you can see here.

Here are some additional examples that I created using this technique.

Create a Realistic Soda Bottle

2010-05-17T11:53:00.000-07:00

Step 1

Create a new document 600 x 800 pixels with a Resolution of 72 dpi. With the Pen tool, draw the outline of half the bottle. I recommend grabbing an image of a bottle to use as a reference. This tutorial does not use any outside images or resources but it may help to use an image of a bottle to get an idea of how the outlook will be.
Now create a selection of the path you just created by Cmd + click on the layer in the Paths palette. You can fill this selection with any color you want, depending on what kind of bottle you are creating. But in this case I filled it with #872a12.

Step 2

Now duplicate the layer by right clicking on it in the Layers palette and clicking Duplicate Layer. Take the new layer and press Cmd + T to Free Transform it. Move it over to the right side of the original layer and continue to stay in Free Transform mode. Right-click on the screen and Flip Horizontal. Press Enter to exit Free Transform. Now highlight the 2 layers and press Cmd + E to merge them together. Call this Layer Outer Bottle Shape.

Step 3

We are going to start making highlights and shadows on the bottle to give it more of a 3D look. For the top part of the bottle grab the Elliptical Marquee Tool and drag it out near the top of the bottle, as shown in the image below. Take the Burn tool and bring down the Exposure to around 20% and set the Range to Midtones. With a very soft brush start brushing the inside of the selection and create a soft line across the top of it.
Now inverse the selection by pressing Cmd + Shift + I. Take the Dodge tool with the same hardness of 0 and brush across the selection as shown in the 2nd image below. This will give the bottle a nice ridge effect. You can touch up this area by also using the Dodge tool on the other side as well.

Step 4

Start adding some highlights along the side of the bottle. First grab the Burn tool with a soft brush. Exposure set to around 20% and Range set to Midtones. Start brushing along the side of the bottle to give it a nice shadow. Take the Dodge tool with the same settings and brush on the inside of where you used the Burn tool.

Step 5

Duplicate the layer and name it Noise. Add some noise by going to Filter > Noise > Add Noise. Set the Amount to around 12%, with Gaussian and Monochromatic checked. Set the Blending Mode of this layer to Overlay and bring the Opacity down to around 15%. If you feel there is too much noise on the bottle you can take a soft Eraser brush with low Opacity and erase some of the noise away. This will give it a nice subtle textured look.

Step 6

Let’s add some liquid inside the bottle. Go back to the first layer called Outer Bottle Shape and duplicate it, call this layer Liquid. Cmd + T on the new layer to enter Free Transform mode. Hold down Alt + Shift and slightly bring down the size. Press the Down Arrow key a few times to align the Liquid layer near the bottom of the bottle.
Now take the Rectangular Marquee Tool and delete the top part of the Liquid layer, as shown in the image below. Drag out the selection over the area that you want deleted and hit the Delete key.
We will now add a gradient overlay to this layer. With the Liquid layer still selected, go into the Layer Style window. To do this you can either double click on the layer or go to Layer > Layer Style > Gradient Overlay. The only settings you will need to change are the colors. Set the Blending Mode of this layer to Overlay and bring the Opacity down to around 30%.

Step 7

Create a new layer on top of the Liquid layer and name it Liquid Top. Grab the Elliptical Marquee Tool and drag it out over a small area above the liquid, as shown in the image below. Fill it with a dark color (#791c0c) and add a Gaussian Blur. Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Set the Radius to 2 pixels. Bring the Opacity down to around 70%.

Step 8

Now we’ll start creating the outter ridges of the bottle. Create a new layer called Ridge and with the Pen tool draw where you think the ridge on the bottle will be. This would be a good time to consult your reference image as to where the details and textures are. Make a selection of the path and give it a Feather of 1. Select > Modify > Feather.
Fill with a lighter color, keep the selection highlighted and grab your Burn tool. Start brushing the edges of the selection with the Burn tool but try not to overdo it. Also make a nice highlight with the Burn tool at the bottom of the selection to make it look like the ridge is sticking out. Do the same with the Dodge tool except use the brush down the middle of the selection.
To make it look like the ridge is attached to the bottle, erase the top of the selection with a very soft brush. The Opacity of the brush should be about 40%.

Step 9

Repeat Step 8 by creating more ridges along the bottle until it looks similar to the image below. If you want your layers to stay organized, you can put all of the Ridge layers into a Folder and name it Top Ridges.

Step 10

Now it’s time to create the bottom ridges of the bottle. Repeat Step 8 except in this case these ridges will extend out to the bottom of the bottle. When using the Pen tool, draw the ridge to stay consistent with the flow and shape of the bottle.
When you are done creating the highlights and shadows of the first ridge, duplicate the layer. Ctrl + T the layer and move it over to the right side of the bottle, then right-click on it and Flip Horizontal. When creating the middle ridge, use a soft Eraser brush with low opacity to erase away the bottom of the layer.

Step 11

Now add some more glare and highlights to the bottle. Duplicate the Outter Bottle Shape layer and call it Highlights. Take your Dodge tool and raise the Exposure to about 25% or 30% with a soft brush. Start painting the bottle down the middle and a bit on the sides. Now take the Burn tool and do the same thing around the sides and bottom of the bottle.

Step 12

Now it’s time to create the cap for the bottle. Create a new layer called Cap. Use the Pen tool to draw out a selection on top of the bottle. Fill the selection with a red color, I used #ce1831.
To create the small ridges in the cap use the Dodge and Burn tools. With the Dodge tool selected use a very small brush with a Hardness of about 20% and create the outter ridges of the cap, shown in image below. Do the same thing with the Burn tool to create the small inner ridges.
Take the Dodge tool and create a very soft highlight on top of the cap. Create a new layer under the Cap layer and name it Shadow. Take the Brush tool with a color of Black and hardness of 0. Paint in behind the cap and turn down the opacity to about 70%.

Step 13a

Now it’s time to create the condensation (bubbles). To do this, we will create a new brush preset. Create a new document 300 x 300 pixels with a Resolution of 72. Create a new layer and call it Bubble. With the Elliptical Marquee Tool create a circle the size of the document. Remember to hold down shift when creating the circle to make it perfect. Fill the selection with white.
Let’s apply a few Layer Styles to this Bubble layer. Layer > Layer Style > Gradient Overlay and add the following settings in the image below. When you are applying the Gradient Overlay take the cursor over the Bubble image and move the gradient to the upper left area of the bubble.
Then add an Inner Glow layer style with the same settings as the image below.

Step 13b

On the Layer Palette, right-click on the Effects of the Bubble layer and choose Create Layers (a). This will turn the Layer Styles to Layers. Then select all of the layers (b) and merge them together by pressing Ctrl + E (c).

Step 13c

Now we’re going to change how the bubble looks. Go to Image > Adjustments > Curves and change the settings similar to the image below. Once you have applied the Curves to the Bubble layer go to Image > Adjustments > Invert.
To turn this Bubble layer into a Brush Preset, go to Edit > Define Brush Preset and name it Bubble.

Step 14

Now go back to your original document and select your new Bubble Brush that you have just created. Create a new layer and use a small brush size of around 10 pixels and a color of white. Start brushing in the bubbles onto the bottle. Try not to make all of the bubbles the same size. Use the ‘ [ ' and ' ] ‘ keys to quickly change the size of the brush.
Now take the Smudge tool with a Strength of around 25% and start brushing away some of the bubbles. This will give the bubbles a cool drip effect.
When you are done, set the Blending Mode to Overlay and duplicate the layer. Set the new layer’s Blending Mode to Normal and bring back the Opacity to about 33%.

Step 15a

Now it’s time to add a label. I created a custom label but you can use whatever you want. Make sure the label is approximately the same size as the middle indented area of the bottle.

Step 15b

Click on the Label layer and go to Edit > Transform > Warp. Bring back the Opacity of the layer to about 50% so you can see the bottle. Grab each corner of the Warp window and bring it in, adjust it until the label fits perfectly onto the bottle.
Once the label is nicely fitted to the bottle use the Burn and Dodge tools to give the label some nice highlights and shadows.

Step 16

For the background I just used a simple gradient of dark to light blue.

Step 17a

Finally, I added a reflection to the bottom of the image. Duplicate the Outer Bottle Shape layer and bring it to the bottom on the layers palette. Rename this layer Reflection. Press Cmd + T and right-click on it, Flip Vertical. Press the Down Arrow keys until it is placed just underneath the bottle image and press Enter to exit Free Transform.
Now take the Eraser tool with a soft brush and erase away some of the edges. Turn down the opacity to around 60%

Step 17b

Next make a new layer above the Reflection layer and name it Reflection Blur. Take the Polygonal Lasso Tool and create a quick shape around the bottom of the bottle, shown in the image below. Ctrl + D to Deselect it and go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Give it a Radius of 12 pixels and set the Blending Mode to Overlay and set the Opacity to about 50%.

Conclusion

The more you use tools like Pen, Dodge, and Burn the better you’ll become with them. Hopefully this tutorial has given you some practice and has inspired you to create different types of objects using similar styles and techniques.

Maze in my Mind

2010-05-11T06:27:00.000-07:00

Step 1

Open file Head_render.tif. Click in Channel palette. As you can see there is another channel with the mask of body. Push CTRL + RKM and you have a selection of body. Click CTRL + J to create a new layer. Ok, so lets back to the background. Use CTRL + A to select all picture and CTRL + Backspace to fill all picture. Make sure the main color is white, because background must be white.

Step 2

Open file Maze_render.jpg and put this picture to our picture of body. Make a Opacity to 40%, it’s make your work easier. Press CTRL + T to transfer image. The maze must be well-fitting to the head. Similarly like in the photo.

Step 3

It’s a difficult step and critical point, for our picture. Take a Pen Tool and make a selection of maze in head. Remember, if more points, than better. The selection must be accurate. Select the walls of the maze. If you want, you can save selection, to eventually correct it. But… This step you can make one of two ways. The second option is took Ellipse Tool and make a small circle. Next you press CTRL+T to transform it to size what you want. This way is better and easier.

Step 4

With pushed CTRL click on the layer with maze. Press Select > Feather… and set on 4px, next press Select > Modify > Smooth and set on 3px. Click SHIFT+CTRL+I to inverse selection and delete it. Should disappear round a maze in addition to the marked circle. Activate head layer and make a layer mask. To do this, press click second button in layers. With pushed CTRL click on the layer with head, and clear tip of head. If you do this, click on layer with maze and change blending mode to Hard Light.

Step 5

Make selection of maze. To do that, click with CTRL on layer with maze. Next press Ellipse Tool and make a selection of inside edge. Now you have 2 selections: inside and outside edge of maze. Now you can make a last wall of maze perfectly circle without anyone gateway. The best way to do this is take Clone Stamp Tool.

Step 6

Now you must improve the connections on last wall of maze and make a wall inside have a on color. All you need is Clone Stamp Tool, Smudge Tool and Blur Tool. Don’t do that so hurry. Everything must be fine-tuned.

Step 7

All right. All the more difficult things you have done. These steps make a background of your picture, and add more colors for them. Open file Brass_plate.jpg and place it above the white background. Make a new layer, it must be third from bottom. Make sure your main color is black. Press Gradient Tool and set it from color to transparent. It’s make a “shadow” behind our body. Set Opacity to 80% and set blending mode to Multiply.

Step 8

Open 3D_Plane.jpg. Place it to your picture over layer with gradient. Set blending mode to Overlay. You can experiment with other modes but this is the best. Next open file Sky_1.jpg place it at the top. Press Image>Adjustment>Hue/Saturation set edit on Cyans and Saturation on -60. Change Opacity to 80% and blending mode to Overlay. Open Sky_2.jpg place it above Sky 1, blending mode at Darken and Opacity to 60%. Of course you need to transform pictures to size you want, make a layers mask and erase clouds on face. Remember, you can place the clouds on the picture wherever you like.

Step 9

Open Book_Cover.jpg. Press Image > Adjustment > Hue/Saturation. Set Hue and Saturation on 58 and Lightness on 7. Next press Image > Adjustment > Levels and set third input on 236. Change blending mode to Soft Light. Open Solar_diagram.jpg. Press Image > Mode > RGB Color. In the color palette select yellow color. Press Magic Wand Tool and select some darker color. Next press Select > Similar and press CTRL + Backspace to fill everything yellow. Took select to our picture and place it above the maze. Press CTRL + T to transform it to size you want to have. Next click CTRL in the layer with maze and press Layer > Add Layer Mask > Hide Selection. Change blending mode to Overlay.

Step 10

Correct last details and give the depths to picture. Click Create new fill or adjustment layer below Layers and click on Hue/Saturation. Set Hue on 12, Saturation on -28 and Lightness on -2. Change blending mode to Hard Light.

Photoshopping Sparkling Gold Text

2010-05-11T02:44:00.000-07:00

1

Create a new file with the required dimensions. I used 750 x 536 px file with a resolution of 150. And of course it is RGB.

The new file

Step 2

Let’s create some text. I typed ‘GOLDEN’ using Times New Roman font. The size used here is 75 points. Again don’t worry about the color that you use, since we’re gonna replace it with a gradient overlay.

Step 3

Now the fun part begins. Let’s apply some layer styles. I applied a drop shadow.

After adding the drop shadow

Step 4

Next effect in the line is the Bevel & emboss effect. Increase the Depth field to 150%, Size to 20px and Soften to 2px. Use an angle of 50 degrees and at an Altitude of 0. The Gloss contour must be changed to ‘Half Round’ and turn on Anti alias. I kept the Highlight mode as it is, which is Screen. But I changed the color to Metallic gold (D4AF37) and bumped the opacity to 90%.

After adding the BnE style

Step 5

Next comes a bit of a tricky part, creating the gold gradient. Go to the Gradient overlay options and click on the gradient to edit it.

I used the following colors respectively. Gold (FFD700), Old gold (CFB53B), sunglow (FFCC33), golden poppy (FCC200) and golden yellow (FFDF00).

Applying the gradient...

You can arrange the color stops according to your desire. When you’re done with crating the gradient, it is a good idea to save it for future use as it saves the hassle of creating it from the scratch. You can see that I have changed the angle of the gradient slightly, to 85 degrees instead of the default 90. I won’t go explaining as to why I did it, it just appealed to my eye than the default.

Note: There are more gold related colors you can use on the gradient. But I used only a few. If you’re interested you can use the following colors as well. As I say always, experiment and see what appeals to your eye.
Metallic gold – D4AF37, satin sheen gold – CBA135, Vegas gold – C5B358, golden brown – 996515.

Step 6

Then I applied a single pixel stroke with golden brown. I changed the position to Centre.

Single pixel Golden brown stroke...

Almost gold...

Step 7

Now the work with text is done. But since the text doesn’t standout on a white background, I applied a nice background. I created a new layer and filled it with Royal Purple (6B3FA0). Now the text we crated stands out nicely.
But since I felt that applying a plain colored background is not enough, I used a rarely used filter in Photoshop on a new layer filled with white. I changed the layer name to ‘BG Texture’. Change the foreground to white and background to black. Go to Filter > Texture > Texturizer. You’ll be presented with a huge dialogue box.

Filter > Texture > Texturizer

Now if you get an error message at this point, it’s because the BG Texture layer is empty. For Texturizer to take effect, the layer must have some pixels on it. Fill it with white.
TIP: To fill a layer there are few commands you can use. One is the Edit > Fill or Shift + F5. From the Fill dialog box, you can chose from a wide variety of commands. But if you need to fill the layer or selection with the foreground color, simply press Alt + Del and to fill with the background color press Ctrl + Del or Ctrl + Backspace.
I changed the Texture to Sandstone, Scaling to 111% and Relief to 15%. Now you’ll be presented with something like this.

Where did the purple background go???? ;(

Now change the layer blend mode to ‘Multiply’. If you think the texture is too strong, try changing the Fill an Opacity values. Here’s what I got.

Change blend mode to "Multiply" & play with Opacity & Fill... You get a textured background...

Step 8

Again this step is not needed. But I thought of letting you know something new. But some of you might already know this. What would you do if you need to apply the same layer styles, with same values, what would you do. Earlier what I used to do is that. But there is something much simpler. Copy the layer styles and paste them on to the required layer! Here’s how we do it.
I typed the word LETTERS below our GOLDEN text, using 12 point, Times New Roman and I increased the tracking value to 750 (you can locate the tracking value below the leading values on Character palette). You can see as we increase the tracking value, the space between letters begin to expand.

Leading & Tracking on Type Palette

Now we are going to copy and paste the layer styles. Right click on the GOLDEN text layer. At the bottom of the pop-up menu, you’ll find three commands, Copy Layer style, Paste layer style and Clear layer style. Chose the first, Copy layer style. Go to the LETTERS text layer, right click and select Paste layer style. There you are! The layer style is copied as it is to the layer.

Layer Style copied...

But you’ll see instead of the gold color, there is a red/ brown tinge to the text. The reason for this is that the golden brown pixel we applied to the previous text layer. I turned off the stroke option for this text layer, by turning off the “eye” icon next to the Stroke layer style, on the layer palette.

Turn off the Stroke layer style for Letters text layer...

Step 9

If you like a to add a bit of a sparkle to the letters follow these steps. Create a new layer on top of the layer stack and name it sparkle. Select the Brush tool (you can press ‘B’ on the keyboard to activate it) and activate the ‘Assorted Brushes’ library (don’t worry about the availability of this brush set since it comes with the Photoshop). Browse through the brushes and select the one named, Starburst – Small.

Starburst - small

TIP: It’s always a good practice to name the layers. When you have loads of unnamed layers, finding the correct layer is like going through hell…
Size the brush tip to 40px and place the stars randomly on the edges of the text where the gold color is brighter and where the light is more intense. And I forgot to tell you that the foreground color should be set to white.
And there you have it. Nice looking gold text.
Sometimes you may feel that the letters do not have the gold like effect that you wanted it to have. In that case you can try adding an extra layer style, Satin. Play with the controls and see how it can be used. I have applied the Satin style to the text as an added measure. Here’s how the final outcome looks like…

Finished product... What do you think?

How ToCreate a Photo Realistic USB Cable

2010-05-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

Step 1

Open a New Document 1000 x 1000 pixels, Resolution: 72 dpi. This document will be created using approximately 60 layers. Organization is key. I have created 4 folders to organize my layers. See the image below.

Step 2

Take the Pen tool (P), draw the shapes below. Create New Layers for each part of the drawing.

Step 3

Use following Layer Styles for parts listed numerically.

Step 4

Copy this Layer Style & apply it to the other 3 drawing layers. For each layer you will need to change the angle of the Gradient Overlay, For Shape 2, use an angle of -59 degrees, for shape 3 & 4, use an angle of -51 degree. See the completed effect below.

Step 5

Now create the inner side of the Head. Again, use Pen tool. See the image below.

Step 6

Add detail to the Head of the USB Cable. Cmd + Click on the Layer thumbnail of Drawing area 1 (see step 2), go to Edit > Stroke, Width – 3px, Color – white, Location- center. Now go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, Radius- 0.6px. Take the Eraser tool (E), Brush Size- 100, Opacity- 50%, Flow- 100%. See the image below.

Step 7

Again take the Pen tool and draw a shape like the one below. Then apply the following layer styles.

Step 8

Take the Pen tool and create a shape like this one, if you facing problems in creating the right shape you could also use the Add Anchor Point tool and the Direct selection tool for adjustment. You could also use Rounded Rectangle tool (U) for this one, after you create the shape hit Cmd + T to transform it. Once this is done apply the following layer styles.

Step 9

Cmd + Click on the Layer thumbnail that we just created. Create a New layer, go to Select > Modify > Contract, Contract by 1px. Fill it with white color. Now follow the Layer styles. See the image below.

Step 10

Create a New Folder, name it "Head" as I described before in step 1 & place all of the layers into this. Now create a New layer below the "Head" folder. Take the Pen tool and create 3 the shapes shown below. Create a new layer for each part of the drawing.

Step 11

Copy this Layer Style & paste it onto the other 2 portions, change the Gradient Overlay Angle. For ‘Part 2′ use change the Angle to -35 degrees and for ‘Part 3′ use an Angle of 13 degrees.

Step 12

Now it is time to add some lines to the side of the ‘Body’. Create a New Layer and name it ‘Line’. Then create multiple copies as shown below

Step 13

After creating the copies of the lines, select all of ‘Line’ layers and press Cmd + E to Merge the layers. Cmd + Click on the layer thumbnail of ‘Line’ to make selection. Create a new layer, fill the selection with white.

Step 14

Use Rounded Rectangle tool to create a shape like the one described below & follow the instructions.

Step 15

Add more details to the ‘Body’. Take the Elliptical Marquee tool (M) and create a shape like the one described below, then apply layer styles.

Step 16

Take the Pen tool, create a shape as described below and then follow instructions.

Step 17

Add some highlights to the ‘Body’ area. You can do this by drawing the shapes with the pen tool and by adding a Gaussian Blur.

Step 18

Now let’s create the ‘Head Wire’, the wire that connects the head to the wire. For this, use the pen tool and follow the instructions below.

Step 19

To add a bit of detail to this ‘Wire’ layer, create a New layer, Cmd + Click on the Layer thumbnail of ‘Wire’, fill the selection with white color, take the Eraser tool, brush size 35px (use soft brush), Opacity 50%, and follow instructions below.

Step 20

Again take the Pen tool and create the shape as shown below.

Step 21

Add some highlights to this portion.

Step 22

Use the methods that we have shown previously to create the ‘Back Side’ of the object.

Step 23

Let’s add some finishing touches. Select all the Layers of the USB cable except the Background layer, Right click > Duplicate. Now Merge all of the duplicated layers. Drag this layer to top, Cmd + Click on the layer thumbnail to make selection, Fill it with black, go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise, Amount 23.62% on Gaussian and Monochromatic. Change the Layer Blending mode to Overlay & Opacity to 10%.
Additionally, you can create a shadow of the object at the bottom.

Conclusion

When used properly, the pen tool can be a powerful tool for creating objects in Photoshop. Hopefully, this tutorial has given you some insight into how you can use the pen tool combined with layer styles to create amazing designs in Photoshop.

Floral 3D Text Effect

2010-05-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

Step 1 - Create the 3D text

As we start we need 3d text effect I'm taking help of illustrator to create 3D text. You can download the font from here. Feel free to use any program you like to create the 3D text. If you are using any other application like Maya, 3Ds max, etc, make sure that the file you save has transparency.

Step 2 - Create a new Document

Choose File > New or press Ctrl/Command + N to create a new document. I'm using wallpaper size of 1440px(width) X 900px(height). You can use any wallpaper size as you wish.

Step 3 - Bring the 3D text to Photoshop

You can save the image as .png format to get transparency or you can directly copy (Ctrl/Command + C) the 3D text from illustrator & paste (Ctrl/Command + V) in Photoshop. So you will get the 3D image in Photoshop as you see the image below.

Step 4 - Adding Color to the text

Now we need to add some color to the text. To do this, choose Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation the use these settings:

Colorized: Checkmarked
Hue: 198
Saturation: 22
Lightness: 0

Step 5 - Adding Contrast to the Image

Now we’ll need to add more contrast to the text. Choose Image > Adjustment > Levels then adjust the settings like shown in the image below.

Step 6 - Making the Color Little Bit Dull

Now we’ll repeat what we did in Step 4. Choose Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. Use the settings as shown in the image below.

Step 7 - Adding Filter Effects

For this text, we’ll use the Craquelure effect. Choose Filter > Texture > Craquelure. Use these settings:

Crack Spacing: 18
Crack Depth: 6
Crack Brightness: 1

Step 8 - Making Selection of Same Color on Top of the Text

Now choose the Magic Wand tool (W) then create a selection on the top of the text like the image below.

Step 9 - Filling the Selection

Create a new layer then fill the selected area with white.

Step 10 - Adding Drop Shadow

Now we’ll add more detail to the image by adding light and shadow. Follow these steps clearly. Create a selection of the text. To do this, hold down Ctrl then click on the thumbnail of the layer in the Layers palette. Create a new layer under the layer with the 3D text then fill the selected area with black.

Step 11 - Clear Finishing for Drop Shadow.

On the new layer, choose Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur then apply a slight blur to create a drop shadow.

Step 12 - Shadow Adjustment

Now we’ll use the Smudge Tool will smudge the top and bottom sides of the shadow towards the center of the text so that it becomes hidden. Select the smudge tool then set the brush to the following:

Brush Size: 100px
Mode: Normal
Strength: 50%

Step 13 - Finished Image

This is what your shadow should look like after smudging.

Step 14 - Installing Brush in Photoshop

Download and install a swirls Photoshop brush. We used Swirls and Circles by BSILVIA. Or, you can browse for swirl brushes on Brusheezy. Once you’ve picked your Photoshop brush, load it into Photoshop.

Step 15 - Making Floor with Design

Now we are going to create a floor design for the image to show that the 3D text is on the floor. For that you need to Create a new layer, select the brush that you’d like to use, then paint it on this new layer. Choose Edit > Transform > Perspective then transform the swirl so that it matches the perspective of the text like the image below.

Step 16 - Making of Plants & roots

Now we’re going to add more plants coming out of the text. Choose a floral brush to paint it on and use green. Choose the brush which you see in the image & follow the image for the placement of the brush. Give this color(#326507) for the image. To give depth choose Dodge tool(O)> Brush size = 65 > Range = Highlights > Exposure = 50%. Drag the brush in the corner of the shape to make it light as in the image. Now u choose Burn tool & burn the opposite corner of the shape. Sure you will get the same effect.

Step 17 - Finishing touch.

Follow the same Step 16 & create how ever you want to make the elements. So you can see the finial image below.

Step 18 - Final Image

You can use colors to make it colorful as image below.

Colorful Plexi Text Effect

2010-05-06T11:12:00.000-07:00

Create a New Document
Let’s start by creating a new document which is 900 x 900 pixels at a resolution of 300 pixels/inch, make sure Color Mode is set to RGB and name the document "A". In this tutorial we’ll create each letter in a different document.

The First Letter
Fill the Background Layer with 55% gray. Get the Type Tool and type "A". Set font to a favorite of yours, i’m gonna use Bauhaus 93 font and gonna set font size to 200 pt. Set Text Color to 40% gray. Rename the layer as "Text", this will be important later.

Create the Other Documents
As i said, we’ll create the letters one by one, and in different documents. Now go to Image > Duplicate, name the new document "W" and hit OK. Double click the "A" layer thumbnail and change the text to "W". Go to Image > Duplicate once more and name the new document "E". Double click the "W" layer thumbnail and change the text to"E" and i set the Font size to 205pt for that one, because letter E is a little smaller in this font.

Action
Go back to "A.psd" document. Because we’ll create the letters separately, recording what we’re doing for the first one using the Actions Palette is a good idea. Then we’ll play the action back for the other letters. Open the Actions Palette by going to Window > Actions. Open the Actions Palette Menu and choose New Set. Name the set "Glassy Text" and hit OK. Click the Create New Action button, name the action "Glassy" and hit Record. The first thing we’ll do is to duplicate the "Text" layer and name it "Shadow". We’re going to need this layer later so make it invisible for now and drag it below the "Text" layer in the Layers Palette.

Rotate and Scale
Select the "Text" layer in the Layers Palette. Hit Command+T (Ctrl +T for Windows) and set the Rotation to 30 degrees and apply by hitting the Commit Transform button or double clicking inside the selection. Now hit Command+T again and set Vertical Scale to 60% and apply.

Apply Gradient
Apply a Gradient Overlay Layer Style and use these settings: Gradient => Black, White, Blend Mode => Normal, Opacity => 50%, Style => Linear, Angle => 90 and Scale => 130.

Organize Layers
Duplicate the "Text" layer, create a new layer on top and name it "Extrude". Select both "Extrude" and "Text copy" layer and merge them. Duplicate the merged "Extrude" layer and name it "Bottom".

Extrude
Command-click the "Extrude" layer thumbnail to load the selection. Select this layer on the Layers Palette as well. Make sure the Move Tool is selected in the Toolbox and holding down the Alt key press down arrow 75 times [make sure zoom is set to 100%, go to View > Actual Pixels to make it 100%] to extrude the text and deselect.

Bottom and Top
Duplicate the "Bottom" layer and name it "Top". Go back to "Bottom" layer, set Blend Mode to Multiply. Move the "Bottom" layer 75 pixels down (make sure the Move Tool is selected, holding down the Shift key, pressing the Down Arrow key will move it down 10 pixels, so do the math :)) and set Layer Opacity at 75%. Set Layer Opacity for the "Top" layer 90%.

Add Some Color
Select "Top", "Bottom" and "Extrude" layers in the Layers Palette and hit Command+E to merge them. Name the merged layer "A1". Apply a Gradient Overlay Layer Style to "A1" layer using these settings: Gradient => Spectrum, Blend Mode => Overlay, Opacity => 30%, Angle => -180 degrees and Scale => 150%.

One is Not Enough
Duplicate the "A1" layer and name it "A2". Get the Move Tool and move it 35 pixels up. Go to Layers Palette and double click the Gradient Overlay Layer Style and change these settings: Blend Mode => Normal, Opacity => 20%, Reverse => Checked, Angle => 180, Scale => 150%. Set Layer Blend Mode to Overlay.

Two is Not Enough Either
Duplicate the "A2" layer and name it "A3". Get the Move Tool and move it 15 pixels up. Go to Layers Palette and double click the Gradient Overlay Layer Style and change these settings: Opacity => 100%, Gradient => Blue, Red, Yellow, Reverse => Unchecked, Angle => 90, Scale => 100. Set Layer Blend Mode to Color Dodge and Layer Opacity at 20% .

Glossy Top
Drag the "Text" layer to the top of the layer stack and disable the Effects. Get the Move Tool and move the layer 50 pixels up. Set Blend Mode to Screen.

Reflection
Create a new layer on top and name it "Reflection". Get the Gradient Tool, pick Silver [it's in the Metals set, if you don't see it just click the little triangle button in the Gradient Picker] gradient and fill the layer like in the below image. Hit Command+M to bring up the Curves dialog and tweak the graph as shown below.

Reflection
Alt – click the line between "Reflection" and "Text" layers to mask the reflection. Set "Reflection" layer’s Opacity at 70%.

Shadow
Command-click the "Text" layer to load the selection. Create a new layer on top and name it "Near Shadow", now hit "D" on the keyboard to make the Foreground Color black !!even if it is set to Black already, otherwise the action will use the Foreground Color later and it may not be Black!! and fill the selection. Deselect by hitting Command+D. Get the Move Tool and place it like in the below image. Drag the layer above the "Shadow" layer in the Layers Palette and go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply with a Radius of 5 pixels.

Soft Shadow
Go back to the "Shadow" layer and make it visible. Set Text Color to Black and apply a Stroke Layer Style using these settings: Size => 30px, Position => Outside, Opacity => 100% and Color => Black. Now we should merge the layer style with the layer. To do this create a new layer below the "Shadow" layer, select both "Shadow" layer and the new layer you’ve just created, hit Command+E to merge them. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply with a Radius of 12 pixels.

Soft Shadow
Hit Command + T and set Rotation to 30 degrees and apply. Then hit Command + T again, set Vertical Scale to 60% and apply. Place the shadow like in the below image.

Color Shadow
Now apply a Gradient Overlay Layer Style to the "Shadow" layer and use these settings: Blend Mode => Normal, Opacity => 10%, Gradient => Spectrum, Reverse => Checked, Angle => 0 and Scale => 150. This is the Layer Style that we have applied to the bottom part of the letter. Set Layer Opacity at 50%.

Duplicate for Glow
Now we’ll add some glow around the letter. Go to Layers Palette and select "A1", "A2", "A3", "Text" and "Reflection" layers and duplicate them. Hit Commad+E to merge the duplicated layers and name the merged layer "Glow". Alt – click on the line between "Glow" and "Reflection" layer to release the clipping mask.

Glow
Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, set Radius to 20 pixels and apply. Hit Command+F twice to apply the filter two more times. Command-click the "A3" layer to load the selection. Then holding down the SHIFT key, Command-click "A2" and "A1" layers to add to selection. Hit Backspace to clear and deselect.

Stop the Action
Select all layers except the Background in the Layers Palette. Go to Layer > New > Group from Layers and name the group "FINAL". So we’re finished with the first letter, go to Actions Palette and hit the Stop button.

Create a New Document
OK. Now we’ve finished the first letter and stopped recording the action. So now it’s time to apply the whole process for our other letters which are in different documents. But before doing that we’ll create another document in which we’ll bring all the letters together. Create a new document that is 2000 pixels wide and 1400 pixels high and name it "Final". Fill the Background with 75% Gray.

Pick A
First go to "A" document, select the "Final" group, go to Layer > Duplicate Group, name the copy as "A" and set Destination Document to "Final", hit OK. Now "A" group is duplicated and placed into our final document.

Play it Back for W
Go to "W" document, select the "Text" layer in the Layers Palette. Select the "Glassy" Action, then click the Play button in the Actions Palette. Shortly you will have your letter ready. Select the "Final" group, go to Layer > Duplicate Group, name the copy as "W" and set Destination Document to "Final", hit OK.

Play it Back for E
Go to "E" document, select the "Text" layer in the Layers Palette. Click the Play button in the Actions Palette. Shortly you will have your letter ready again. Select the "Final" group, go to Layer > Duplicate Group, name the copy as "E" and set Destination Document to "Final", hit OK. Now all your letters are in the "Final.psd" document.

Arrange Letters
Go to "Final.psd" document and place the letters like in the below image. We’ll add some light to the background and we’re finished.

Put Some Light
Create a new layer above the Background layer and name it “Light”. Get the Elliptical Marquee Tool and make a selection like in the below image. Fill it with White and deselect. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply with a Radius of 100 pixels. Hit Command+T and set Rotation to 30 degrees and apply. Then hit Command+T again and set Vertical Scale to 60%. Go to Fİlter > Blur > Gaussian Blur one more time and apply with a Radius of 80 pixels.

Congratulations
That’s it, this is my final image. I hope you liked this tutorial, learned something new and had fun making it.

Vibrant Metal Text Effect with Glowing Radiation Circles

2010-05-06T11:08:00.000-07:00

let’s get started. Create a new canvas, we are using 600 x 370 pixels here.

Fill it with any background color and for best effect, fill it with background texture. Simply double click the background in Layers Panel, and Layer Style’s menu will pop up. Go to Pattern Overlay mode and fill with, preferably floral, pattern. Here we used Damask pattern which unfortunately isn’t available for a download by the author anymore, but you can get more free textures here.

When you are done, select the typing tool and type your word in the middle, with very big and gold letters. Should you decide to use a narrow or small font, the effect simple won’t be visible. We used the GEronto Bis font, 236 pt size, exactly as you see on the canvas below:

Now the magic will begin. Double click the layer with the letters, and start applying the layer styles as you see below. First, make a small shadow with Gaussian Contour.

Add inner shadow with dark gray hue (we used #4f4f4f) and for contour we available of another pre-installed curve called “Half Rounded”. If you are using Photoshop CS2 + version, you should find it among your default curves.

Add outer glow with a color that will complement your background, in our case we had blue damask texture as our background and chose the #3c447a blue hue as Outer Color.
For the Contour here, we used Ring – Double. This will also come pre-installed to your Photoshop. Please note that every setting in this tutorial makes use of different Contour curve, which makes our effect particular interesting and the effect stands out. This Double Ring is exactly what gives the nice radiation / explosion glowing rounds wrapping the text.

Inner glow with #ffffff white color, and once again Gaussian Contour.

Bevel and Emboss will give our text the depth it needs. Use the default Ring contour to get the best metallic / plastic look effect.

For contour, use the “Wow-sharp highlight” Contour element.

We also want to give more deep and extreme Satin effect but this time, since we found no contour that suited our needs, we created our own curve…

To get exactly the same results as we have here, please copy our mapping to your Contour Editor.

Finally add stroke to your text, with a lighter hue of blue that will complement your background. Please do not use white or black as these colors will look too contrasted with background.

This is what you have got so far:

white to transperant gradient

Finally, load a selection of for the upper part of the text . If you do not know how to do it, read on:

Create a new layer on top of the text, and then hold down Ctrl and click on the layer in the layer’s panel, in order to select it.
Using the Gradient Tool Now that goes from #ffffff to transparency.
draw a gradient from the beginning of the selection on top, down to it’s bottom.
Using the Elliptical Tool, draw a selection from the middle of the text to the bottom, and press Delete, to leave just the little gradient on top of the letters.
This will do the gradually-glossy topping effect.

Done!