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Another glassy/plastic orb...


theKeeper

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Posted this as help on another board... thought i may as well post it here too. Some one might like to use it. ;)
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I used to have a tute for this glassy/plastic ball effect, back in 97/98... people had problems with it though and i never got around to reVamping it. But i've since figured out several other ways to do this, and the following is one of them...
glass-orb_default.jpg

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This is such a non-complicated effect really.
If you REALLY want a challenge, try this tute on: http://www.photoshopgurus.com/intermediate/realistic_glass-plastic_pill_buttons.pdf

Before starting, make your background layer black.
You can modify it afterward if you wish.

1) Create a circle selection on a New Layer.
Fill the selection with a Radial gradient using the colours of your choice -- make your Foreground colour lighter than your Background colour. Start the grad tool in the lower center position of the circle; bottom half. And drag and release the tool just below the top of the circle selection. This strengthens the hot-spot effect near the bottom center area. Leave the selection on.

2) Duplicate the Layer 1 sphere layer. Set the blend mode to Screen. Ctrl-click the layer, and invert the selection. Feather the selection by 2 pixels and press Delete. Deselect. Now move it upward 10 pixels by holding Shift and pressing your up arrow key once. Now select the sphere on Layer 1, invert the selection, and press Delete; to cut of the overhanging part of this sphere.

3) Duplicate the Layer 1 sphere layer. Move the layer above the others. Flip this layer vertically; or Rotate 180 degrees. Set the blend mode to Hardlight.
(using Softlight or Overlay will change the look slightly)

3-b) You can smooth/blend the edges of the sphere a little better if you select the Layer 1 sphere; invert the selection; feather the selection by 1 pixel; and hit the delete key. Deselect.

4) Ctrl/Cmd-Click the Layer 1 sphere. Invert the selection, and Contract it by 4 pixels. Press Ctrl/Cmd+J to copy the selected area to a new layer. Press Ctrl/Cmd +D to make sure nothing's selected. Then run a 2 to 2.5 pixel Gaussian Blur. Now set this layer on Color Burn blend mode, and move it just above layer 2.

NOTE: The larger your sphere is, the more you'll need to contract the selection by in the previous step. You'll have to experiment with that.

5) New Layer, and move it to the top of the Layer Palette. Grab a 65 pixel soft-edged brush. Use white, and give a quick click of the mouse/brush on the bottom center of the sphere -- right about where you started your gradient fill from, on the first layer. We're creating a fuller looking hot-spot. Set this layer to Overlay. (this is actually the spot where the light source is refracting inside the glass)

6) New Layer. Ctrl-click the sphere layer to make a selection of it. Grab that same brush as used above, with white again, and make a quick pass along the top half of the sphere/selection. Just be sure to brush over the top edge of the sphere. Set this layer to Overlay blend mode, at 50% Opacity. Deselect. (Try to do this with one stroke left to right, real smooth; or you may apply too much paint.)

7) New Layer. Grab a smaller soft-edged brush; about 35 pixels. Your Foreground colour should be white. Click once in the middle of the sphere, just above center. This represents the reflection of the main light source from above. Leave this layer on Normal mode, and at 100% Opacity.

Done!
The image at the top is what the final result should "resemble".

TIPS:
You can modify the look slightly by moving the highlight layers (steps 5 & 7) around within the sphere. And by turning off the ombient light effect created in Step 6.

And you can create a similar effect to my example image below by using a circular selection of a photo. And running the Spherize or Pinch filter on it (i used Pinch). Put this photo layer just above the 2nd sphere (layer 2). And hide any sphere layers above the photo layer. Set the blend mode to Multiply, and try lowering the Opacity a little. Try other blend modes too though; you have a few good choices for that, to create different effects.
glass-orb_modified.jpg

Another cool look is to set the photo's Blend Mode to Lighten, lower it's Opacity to 10-15%, and move it above all the sphere layers; but below the highlight layers.

HINT:
If you want to see exactly how the highlights are doing all the work to create this effect, just open a photo, blur it by 20 pixels, and move it's layer so it's right above all of the sphere layers -- blocking them out.
glass-orb_hilights-only.jpg

GURU TIP:
If you wanted to save a version of the sphere in the above image, but without the background photo... select the Layer 1 sphere layer, click on the topmost highlight layer, and under the EDIT menu choose "Copy Merged". Then just paste into the same or a different document.
This is a great way to create a cool button set for an interface or other Website menu. ;)
 

theKeeper

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linda... nice attempt.
Just strengthen those highlights a bit, and do the photo layer thing like it did, and you'll be spot on. :)
 
G

Guest

Guest
Mark, I tried it two times, but both times it didn't work out well, even though I tried a 120 pixels wide sphere. Can you show me an example how it should really look like using only these 6 steps. One question; why is that after completing step 3 that this particular layer is really close to invisible and I mean really close.

Thanks Mark, I appreciate your help :)
 

theKeeper

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Ok guys i've tweaked a couple things in that tute above, and added a few new things also. It should be easier to understand and reproduce.

Any other questions let me know. :)
 
G

Guest

Guest
Well I tried, although it doesn't come close what you made Mark, but that's probably my fault; not easy to switch all the time from web page to Photoshop with one monitor :D
 

theKeeper

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Hey that's good Rick... almost like a balloon huh?
I see you got the reflection goin too. [excited]

Gauss... yours looks almost exact, with the exceptions that you don't have a black bg and your gradient colours are a bit to similar; not enough contrast.

1) Definately start out using a black bg. That'll at least help you stay on the right track so far as getting a "similar" result to default image shown in the tute.

2) Use more contrasting colours; at least to start with. This too will help you acquire better results; because you can more easily see what's happening with the image step-by-step. Afterward, the colours and/or saturation can be effected if you wish.
 

sPECtre

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yes, nice reflection inthe ball... but, Rick, you look different in the reflection and in your avatar... [confused] :rofl:
 

markzebra

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Nice one Mark! What is it thats so irresistable about glass orbs and objects anyway? :D

Thought I'd give it a try, its a good technique ? I tried out some some marbling effects too.
 

theKeeper

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ooo ya nice job Mark.
I like that background.

Hey try adding a reflection of the room/environment that the sphere might be in. The reflection would cover the entire visible surface of the sphere, and be distorted to match the orb's surface shape.

That's the cool thing with this effect... because of it's simplicty, it's real easy to create/apply another effect "inside" the sphere.

I personally think this kind of effect is very popular because of the 3D quality achieved. Everyone likes to do 3D, it makes them feel like they're actually creating something that's "real" -- or realistic. And the orbs are one of the easiest things to do this with.

People should also try creating other 3D shapes though too - boxes, pyramids, octagons, etc... And make them look as realistic as they can. These shapes will also teach people a lot about being resourceful and creative with the tools Photoshop has. Each shape will present it's own set of problems, and therefore, each will give a person more knowledge than the one before.

It's a good "Path" to follow. ;)
 

sfm

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looks like everyone is having so much fun that I think I had better book this one in for Sunday as this is the first day that I have free [confused] he he he wonder what mischief I can get up to ha ha ha
sfm
 

theKeeper

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Ooo NOW we're talkin'! hahaa :perfect:

Very nice job Rich. Great floor texture, and nice job too on the distortion of the floor through the sphere, and the perspective aspects too.

Excellent!

Let's explore part of this effect shall we?...
I'd like to take this opportunity to bring up a good point about spherical distortions...

Does anyone own a clear glass orb/sphere? I do. It's about 2"x2". And as i look through it while it's sitting on a tiled texture (or even when holding it above my keybaord), i'm noticing that the very center of the distorted tile surface is VERY stretched out, for lack of a better word.
It's like when you apply the Spherize filter 5 or 6 times, until the center area gets REALLY big and stretched. Try it!

The only time that the underlying surface texture/tile does NOT get that stretched out looking/distorted, is when you lift the sphere off the surface. The further away the sphere gets from the surface, the clearer and less distorted the tile/texture becomes. But then there's one more VERY important thing to take note of... the image refracted/magnified through the glass is upside down! And so are the reflections seen on the sphere's surface!

So for instance, with Rich's example, showing the orb sitting right on the tiles floor like that... the tiles would not be distinguishable at all. All you'd see is a blurred out bunch of over-stretched lines. Almost not even worth putting in huh? :)

So... knowing this now... let's see some more examples shall we!? :perfect:
 

Tron

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yes, nice reflection inthe ball... but, Rick, you look different in the reflection and in your avatar

I think it's just the transformatrion to jpg that make the difference Pierre
:rofl: :rofl: :p
 

Tron

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Here is on more - bet you can't guess who I was thinking of when I made this one :D B7 [shhh]
 

theKeeper

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Yup!

Rick! "Master Apprentice" of Guruland! [:I :rofl: :D

PS: but yes... i do know that famous pick of Arnold, "Master Pumper" of Ironland. :p
 

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