CASE STUDY: the glass sphere effect

[theKeeper]

Not really a tute here folks but more of a case study as to the effects a glass sphere has on its surroundings, and also how its surroundings have an effect on it.

Why am i doing this?
Because so many times past & present i have seen this effect attempted and 'almost' simulated. But everyone keeps coming up short by missing a few important details. These specific types of details can be seen in all of the example photo that follow.

I took these photos myself so i was in control of the environment.

I will be adding more specific info here in the coming week. But for right now, i'm posting these photos to help folks get a handle on how the effect should really look.

See if you can think of ways in Photoshop to mimic the effects you see in this sphere. It CAN be done. ;)

Hope this helps you guys with this effect. Remember... practise and experimentation are the keys.


TECH NOTES:

Ok the only thing i'll add right now is... that it should be noted the sphere below is a solid piece of glass. This fact alone is what causes it to distort the underlying text so much.
If this were a hollow sphere, then the text would only be distorted slightly; and mainly around the sphere's outer edges.

More tech notes to come...

[theKeeper]

more photos...

[theKeeper]

more photos...